We are called « the survivors »

VII

Ailana frowned:
"I don't get you"
"I think I've located a broken spaceship. And if it is in a good condition, maybe I could get it to work with Anna's help."
J turned his screen showing the satellite map towards Ailana:
"Look" he said pointing his finger to a huge, grey thing looking like a spaceship.
"Oh my god... But how can you be sure this is one" Ailana asked intrigued
"I can't... It looks like it but I can't be sure until I go there to see it myself."
Ailana sighed. On one hand letting J go there represented a huge risk and she had already lost five teens, on the other hand the spaceship could save a hundred... After several minutes of thinking, she had made up her mind:
"Wait for the teens to come back. If they come back, you can go, I'll come with you." "Thank you. And don't worry, I know they'll come back, I trust them, they're responsible."
Ailana nodded and climbed down. She thought about all the things they could have and do once they would have repaired the spaceship. They could fly away, far from this nightmare that had almost destroyed them. That was the situation they had been dreaming of for so long. Being able to fly away from this life was the hope they had always believed in and that had helped them struggle every day. But there was something she couldn't imagine: living in a spaceship, never being able to see the light of sun shining on her skin giving warmth and well-being. Never being able to walk outside, feel the wind blowing on her face and make her hair fly, bringing her a feeling of freedom. She walked towards the little window they had in the base and contemplated the wide grey zone. That was something she wasn't going to miss. Also, she would be able to live alone, without looking out for anybody. Everybody would be safe. No more danger ! They would be able to grow old, maybe get
married, even have kids and would be able to die peacefully in their bed one hundred years old surrounded by their family! Lead a normal life, a life where you can experience things without having to hesitate or to believe you are in danger. A life like they used to have before the invasion. She remembered the time when she was little, she used to run, every morning in the forest, climb trees to see her house from above. She laughed a lot when her father came out to look for her. He was so tiny that he made her think about an ant. Ailana smiled, but quickly got back being serious. That time was over. Now all had changed. She turned back to go to her bedroom. She needed to think it over.
-
The five friends were walking. They had managed to build a stretcher with some branches from the forest and had put the man on it. They had to be quick. The man didn't seem he had a lot to live and Emma needed medical equipment to heal him. Always cautiously, they jogged in the grey zone, gun on their shoulders, ready for an attack and covering each other's back. The sadness of the death of Brendan had given them courage and now, they were determined to save their friends. The supermarket was in sight, they were getting close to it. The base was not far now and they never had such a great hope in succeeding. Always together, they ran towards the supermarket, making sure that no robot was next to them. Emma had the illusion machine in her hand, ready to press the button at any time. Not seeing any robots at sight, they sprinted towards the base. Once they arrived in front of the brown door of the local, they all looked at each other, a little smile on their face. They had made it...but Brendan could have been with them. At this thought, they all looked away, desolated. They knocked three times and said the password. The door opened and they entered. In front of them, J was repairing something, glasses on his nose. Anna smiled and hugged him. He raised his head and laughed, reassured. But right after his smile, his face froze: he had counted.
"Brendan?" he asked, worried.
J quickly understood seeing the faces of everyone: they were all looking down, devastated and ashamed. Shanna was holding his tears back, so was Ryan. Alaina got out her room, and a smile appeared on her face.
"Oh my god you are back!" She frowned, looking at everybody. "What is happening?" She examined them and put a hand at her mouth.
"Where is he?" she said once she had understood the news.
"We buried him" Emma said. "He died heroically, saved us and helped us bring this man back."

Behind them, she could hear the screams and sobs coming from Brendan's close friends and family.
"Who is this man?" Ailaina said angrily.
"It is the man" Ryan said. "The one who illusioned Anna, I was right."
"I have to heal him." Emma announced, in a hurry.
She took the stretcher and brought it to the medical room. She took his clothes off and took his pulse. He was breathing better; but he needed a transfusion: he had lost a lot of blood because of his leg wound. She had to find someone who would agree to give his blood to him. But who would agree? Anna maybe, or Ryan but she had to ask them. She went out of the medical room and asked Ryan who agreed straight away in a sad mood:
"If I can do something to help, let me do it."
Ryan had a needle in his arm leading to a pipe connected to the man's arm. He could feel the tiredness coming as the transfusion continued. It had been going on for about twenty minutes and Ryan's eyelids were falling down. He tried to fight against it but he fell asleep, unconscious.