Chapter Thirty One: The End For Now

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Tom's POV:

I shielded my face as the dust settled and the debris stopped falling. As it cleared, I could see that the entirety of the upper level had fallen in uneven and destroyed chucks, so hard, in fact, that it had cracked some of the old cement below it. 

The entire place was a disaster. To the right of me, Paul and Patryck stood stunned and afraid, looking around the room in shock, mentally taking in the damage. Larry was knocked out on the ground as it seemed a support beam had hit him in the head, but besides that, he seemed fine. Bing was on top of a small pile of rubble, groaning in agony and attempting to brush the rubble off him. I was afraid to look in front of me, knowing very well what I might find. Everyone else was okay, though, right? And it's Tord we are talking about here. Out of anyone, he would be the one to-.

I turn following Paul and Patryck's worried line of sight. I froze. There was a larger piece of the upper level with a leg sticking out and a small pool of blood beginning to collect around it. That's when I felt it break. 

It was the same feeling when I broke free from the Tord's trace to not shoot Edd. Chains that had been previously controlling my movements instantly snapping as reality crashed in violently. A pure rush to save a life I cared about, even if I was realizing it too late. I couldn't just forget everything that happened between us. Maybe I was weak and gave in to emotions. In the end, though, it was what made me strong. And what gave me the freedom to be in control of myself.

Still in my monster form, I run forward, lifting the slab off Tord and throwing it across the room as if it weighed nothing. With both the pure adrenaline pumping through me and my monster strength, it made it a lot easier even though it probably weighed a ton. Literally. 

It was cast aside to reveal Tord weakly smiling at me. His robot arm was sparking with a large crack running through it, showing exposed wires. As soon as the chunk of rubble was removed, it fell limply at his side. He may have been able to stop the rocks pressure barely enough to save him. I hoped and prayed that was the case. I couldn't tell where he was bleeding from, but there was a fair amount of blood collecting under him. 

I ran to his side, kneeling next to him. His eye was half lidded, and blood trickled down from his excuse of a grin he was trying to pull.  

"Tord?"

"Heh... Look at you... My technology still isn't good enough to control you." He winced. "Eh... but if only I wasn't so good all the same..." He chuckled, which faded into a cough.

"You're just too much of a genius."I smile. "And because of that, you're going to be okay, okay, you idiot?" 

For the first time since I met Tord, I saw true pain on his face. I don't think it was because of his injuries either. It was emotional pain. Regret, guilt, hopelessness, and on and on it went. 

"No, Tom... I'm messed up. I'll never stop, and it will never be enough for me. This is the only way the war will end. The only way the world can live in peace again." He croaked. I had no idea how he was able to get all of this out. I mean, I had no idea how bad his injuries were, but all the same, it was concerning enough. 

"Tord, stop. We are going to work this out, okay?" He nodded, but his eyes were pleading, almost begging for something. My mind knew what it was, but I wouldn't accept it. He wanted to die.

Paul and Patryck had joined my side while the other soldiers who were previously told to patrol the area entered after hearing all the commotion. Even though I was back to my human form, I transformed my arms and legs to give me enough strength to gently pick up the now unconscious Tord and quickly but carefully carry him to the trucks. Paul and Patryck assisted me after filling in the other soldiers and instructing them to take care of Larry and Bing, who were handcuffed and taken as prisoners. 

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