43 Twilight: 05

The whole building trembled. Dust splashed into the sky. With my ears whistling I fumbled around trying to stabilize my vision while the floor waved before my eyes. I was desperately trying to grab onto something but things kept breaking down in my hands.

- Kid! - someone shouted. Disoriented I didn't know where it was coming from. The smoke mixed with dust was blinding. - Hey! Are you hurt?

- Louise! - it was evil of me to be glad she was there in the middle of a warzone. A sudden storm of emotions hit me. Something hot and wet touched my face. Rain. Every drop was a hammer to my head, reminding me of the choices I made. - I'm so sorry!

For a long moment she looked at me, then nodded in agreement.

- Let's go.

With her help I got up and we ran. The sound of thunder cracking the sky while bombs and screams devastated the earth made the concrete underneath us shake. Holding Louise by the hand with every bit of strength I had left on my body, I pushed forward. Focusing on the path ahead and the drops that washed my cheeks, we went through bridges and ladders, slowly leaving the fight behind.

Didn't take long for me to see the gap on the trail of buildings. It was the highway. The further we got from the center the quieter it all was, like nothing had happened. No more bombs were heard and the gas started to clear out. Only the rain insisted on going. Firm and steady as if testing my resistance.

On the last roof top before the edge I tried the connection the officer had used earlier. I wanted to get as far away from that place as possible to never come back.

- Officer, come in.

Ears attentive but all I could hear was the sound of our footsteps.

- Officer, are you there? Come in.

It had been raining for so long that the drops were no longer cold. They always found their way into my neck and chest no matter how many times I dried them off.

- We are here. What now? - I tried again.

The white gas was like faint fog at that point. We had reached the meeting spot but there was no one around. Thunder kept growling above, making me shiver from time to time. Louise had her hand on my shoulder, letting me know of her presence.

- Sato! - hearing her real voice accelerated my heart. I looked around but couldn't see anyone. - You have to get down!

- Where are you? - down at the street everything looked abandoned. Not even the Force was in sight.

- Just climb down the ladder on the back alley.

Louise was looking around trying to find her and waved for me to go to her at the opposite corner. To check on the rain I looked up. The sky was already clear and thunder was no longer haunting me.

Promptly going down the ladder, Louise had only her upper body visible.

- How did you not get wet?

She didn't hear me so I followed her. Leaving my thoughts on the empty rooftop.

All the way down I kept counting the number of steps. Prohibiting my mind from wandering off into the streets. Louise kept to herself, maintaining a fast pace for which I was thankful. Not that I was thrilled to be reunited with officer Sun, yet she had saved us and I owned her. Not my life, but Louise's, which was worth much more to me.

- What now? - at the ground, Louise whispered while peeking into the streets.

- She said-

Across the street a regular car blinked its lights. I looked at Louise and she had seen it too. For a second we stood there, hesitant on what to do next. I had been scared for so long that the simple act of driving away from it all was also scary.

Lately I was afraid of everything. Crossing the street, taking the train, the city, officer Sun, it all made me want to run the other way. I was a coward who brought an innocent person into a warzone because I didn't have the courage to go on my own. That very same coward let dozens of people die, just to, later on, let their best friend to fight alone. My first instinct was to turn the other way and leave the officer behind and never go back.

Officer Sun risked her life helping us and there I was, questioning her motives. Against all odds she had shown me nothing but compassion and I still didn't trust her.

From beyond the black windows I knew she had her eyes on me. Ever since our first encounter she knew how I felt about her but there she was, waiting for me to make up my mind. So I did. I took a step forward, pulling Louise with me.

One quick gaze at the direction we came from and my stomach flipped. There was dark smoke coming up from many different spots behind the buildings. Drones were swarming the surroundings of the blasts painting the skies with flashes. I was holding the door open for Louise when she pulled it from me. Petrified, I entered the vehicle, locking all the images and noises on the outside.

A human figure was at the driver's seat. Big green eyes staring at me with concern.

- To the country, please.