WARNING: be ready. This chapter is pretty long for a reason.
"Mom... mama, are you here?"
Michael asked, and the words just fell deep into the silence of the house.
Oh no.
The boy tried to remain calm, and before moving any further, he closed his eyes and turned to the windows close to the door from which he entered his house, and he started covering all of them with the curtains.
He knew that first thing first, he had to make the house apocalypse-proofed, or whatever the fuck it should be called, and not let even a ray of the outside enter through the glass of the windows.
All closed, so no one would see anything.
Once he was done, he opened his eyes, to see that he finally made safe the whole ground floor, and he started turning on some lights.
At that point, Michael started hearing some steps, and his heart was back at racing again, before recognizing the sound of those heels she always wore.
Janet.
"Mama!" Michael ran to her, hugging her tight. Oh thank God! She was safe! She was ok!
Michael felt like crying, but seemingly Janet anticipated him, because she was the one tearing up.
"Micah, thank god you are here! I was so scared! Your school was everywhere on the news! I thought you were in danger, thank the sky you made it safely home, oh Michael" she sobbed on his son's chest, and Michael just hugged her tighter.
He had the exact same fear, if he had to admit, and he was so relieved to see she was ok.
"Yeah mama I'm ok, don't worry..." he chuckled weakly, patting her back, and even if she seemigly didn't even wanna let him go, after a few minutes she finally did, wiping away her tears of joy.
"Where is mom?" Michael asked, and Janet looked at him for a pretty long moment, before answering.
"Oh... she's upstairs" she smiled, looking around herself, finally noticing that all the windows were closed by the curtains. Her smile faded a bit, as if she was concerned about something. She looked weirded out in a way.
"Micah why did close all the windows?" She asked.
"Because... because we need the house covered, I may have figured out what is going on with all this, so I safe-proofed the whole floor. Now I am going upstairs to check on mom, do not open anything, I'll be right back" he smiled, and he turned to the stairs, walking up the second floor, and starting to close some windows there as well, bathrooms, other rooms, always remaining extremely careful on not looking outside himself.
As previously affirmed, one glance out could be fatal.
After a while, Michael entered in the last room, the bedroom, seeing Ashley sitting on the bed, looking at nothing. The window was already closed.
"Mom!" Michael called, and Ashley immediately turned to him, her face looked tired and pale, but as soon as she her son, she smiled, and ran to him and hugged him tight, same reaction as Janet, of course, they both thought the worst after seeing the news. "Michael! You're alive!" She didn't realise she shouted, but Michael didn't mind, and hugged her with as much strength. "Yes yes I am still around mom" he chuckled, nuzzling his face in her shoulder. She was almost the same height as him.
Finally, Michael's heart stopped racing so fast, as he realised both of his moms were fine.
Now his mind had room for other thoughts, like... Jeremy.
Did he text him? He didn't even check.
Michael gently pulled his mom away from the hug, taking his phone out of his pocket. Turns out that yes, he texted him!
A worry less, Jeremy was ok.
"Michael, I'm home. But there is a problem, I found all the windows open, I searched my dad everywhere but he is nowhere to be found, do you mind if I come over to your place? I am kinda scared rn, I don't wanna be alone"
That is all the text said.
Poor Jeremy, he didn't find anyone, he must be so creeped out. Finding all of his house open without anyone in.
"Mom, can Jeremy come over? He is-" "Yes he can come over, Michael, can you put your phone away for a moment, I need to talk to you" she said immediately, cutting him off, and she looked...serious.
Weirdly serious.
"Yeah...?" Michael replied with a hint of confusion in his voice, quickly texting Jeremy that he could come over, and then put his phone back in his pocket. "What's wrong?" He asked, watching his mother sitting down the bed, as she patted the side close to her, indirectly asking Michael to sit next to her. He did so.
"Mom what's wrong? Whatever you saw in TV, it's all fine! I know what we are fighting against, see time ago I read this-" "Michael."
Ashley stopped him again, and this time Michael shut his mouth, but kept looking at her with a slightly worried gaze.
"Michael, now I need you to please stay silent, and not panick, I am going to tell you something. And please, please honey, just listen to me and don't say anything" she said calmly, and took his hand.
Michael gulped his worry down, his heart started beating fast again, and he gave her a small nod, trying to swallow the knot that just formed in his throat.
"See Michael...I know what we are dealing with...your- your books...your knowledge, I know you have been searching about what is going on... you have always been so curious about this stuff... I should have imagined that you were already up doing researches...my curious boy, heh" she weakly smiled, squeezing his hand, and Michael squeezed it back, remaining silent like she told him too.
She sighed, looking at him, and her hand got to shake, and Michael at that squeezed it even tighter.
"Mom...what is going on?" He whispered.
Ashley kept that weak smile, before standing up from the bed, backing away slightly, but facing him, with that kind face, but those sad, tired eyes, filled with...emptiness.
"I saw them, Michael." she just said.
Michael couldn't believe it.
He couldn't believe that he heard that, that it happened, to her.
No, that didn't... that couldn't mean what he thought it meant.
"M-Mom, are you-" he stood up immediately, but Ashley backed away more, now looking more concerned.
It was notable now.
The conjunctiva of her eyes had got the colour red, and both eyes looked glassy, and somehow, broken.
"Michael, get out of the room" she stated, looking at him, her smile faded once again, the room suddenly turned hot, the pressure started squeezing them. Or better, him. She was already gone.
"No mom, I am not leaving you alone, less after I know what happened. Look! I can help you! You just gotta-"
"Please, please Michael..." she begged him, her whole body shaking, her voice as weak as she felt.
She has been holding it for so much, so long, the burning desire to kill herself; she has been holding it, to see him, to see his son one last time.
"I don't want you to see me kill-"
"NO! NO MOM! You are not dying on me, you hear me?!" Michael yelled now, his hands turning into shaky fists, and his voice slightly cracked. Just seeing her like that, it broke him.
"Let me help you, I know I can help...just listen to me, you'll be fine" Michael said, walking towards her, but Ashley moved away.
She couldn't take it anymore.
"I am so sorry, you can't help me anymore Michael, but thank you...for trying" she smiled. "I love you, my sweet boy" she said, with her lovingly mother's tone, and it took very little to Michael to realise what was happening.
"Close your eyes."
She said, and then, she ran towards the closed window, jumping right through it, and breaking the glass.
Hundred of shards on the floor, a big crush, and a big light that came from outside.
Michael closed his eyes, in time to not see the outside, but just before she jumped out. Silence for a second, and then, he screamed.
Well. Sorry guys, stuff just gotta happen in an apocalypse.
