as the world ends, so does us | five hargreeves

chapter 4 | visions, 8 days from now

FIVE HARDLY believed at the quote 'No man is an island'. It was something he'd frequently hear from Reginald Hargreeves as a comment whenever the little boy chose to be by himself during team trainings; since Luther, Allison, and Diego were the closest trio, he was forced to make the impossible possible with Klaus, the one who always couldn't take a grip of himself, and Ben, who always had to be the lookout for their empty-headed brother. Since Reginald didn't perceive a necessity to include the other two girls, Vanya and Rouge—as they were never allowed to prove themselves capable outside the academy premises anyway—he decided to take them out of the picture.

The stubborn and reckless boy had enough of Klaus's uncooperative and unruly behavior so he told Reginald he wanted himself out and play solo. The old man then when on with his philosophical lectures about having cooperation and reminded the young boy that it was also his duty to look after the other Umbrella kids since they were raised to become a team and that by sticking together, there would be bigger chances for their victory. If Five hadn't known much more, he would start to think Reginald was a decent father after all, teaching them about caring for one another and all that like what a normal dad should be telling to his children... but he knew better.

And besides, his father wasn't right all the time.

Because at the end, Five won every team training and he did it all by himself.

However, isolation and solitude in the apocalypse told him a different story. It was the first time in his life he shouted his siblings' names for help. As dread filled his veins up and caused a slow throbbing to his chest, he hoped he didn't have to be alone that time. He could only wish to see seven standing figures waiting for him to stand beside with them and finally complete their team.

"I survived on scraps, canned food... even cockroaches, just so I could survive," Five narrated, staring out at the corner. "You do whatever it takes to survive or you die."

Rouge firmly gripped her jeans.

All those months of wondering how Five must be; Is he alone?, Does he eat enough and at the right time?, Could he be living peacefully and that was why he never came home?

None of those things she imagined were even a pinch close to what Five had gone through.

Rouge looked at him with a sympathetic expression. He didn't say anything as he rose from her side to follow Vanya who was at the kitchen, pouring him another drink. The girl, left on the couch, leaned her back and tried to recover from the shock.

"Exactly what don't you understand?" Five asked, his voice dripping with impatience.

Vanya's tone was starting to give its own doubts, "If that was the case, then why didn't you just time travel back?"

The girl jolted up from her seat as her mind instantaneously flashed a series of different visions that caused her months worth of breakdowns. Her nerves pulsed as she saw a teenage boy struggling to build a shelter for the night, a version of him who passed the youth but lost a significant amount of weight and was shivering despite the thick cloth wrapped around his slim body against the snow breeze, and a much senior man with long, white beard on his chin, throwing away a book he was holding and coughing his whole lungs out.

She realized the kitchen became silent when she saw Five and Vanya looking at her, worry etched on their faces. Her breaths started to hitch as she struggled against the pressure building up inside her.

Five didn't miss a second to come close to her and reach out a hand to her arm but the girl excused herself and went straight to the bathroom, locking herself up. With blurry eyes, Rouge sat on the bathtub and wrapped her arms around her legs. She rubbed her palms up and down as her chest heaved in the same motion. Her hiccups filled the bathroom.