when everything falls to hell

Chapter 5 Remnants of a Police Station

As we step over the grassy hill that had previously blocked our view of the town and come face to face with the reality before us, we can't help but freeze in our tracks. Standing before us is a view we never expected, burning buildings, and vandalized stores, it looks like there's been a riot. Loki's small trembling fingers worm their way into my grasp and I look down into his terrified green eyes. "It's alright Loki... we... we can handle this!" I say while desperately trying to sound like I believe it.

"But what do we do now? If the town looks like this then all the police would be too busy to listen to us!" Loki whispers desperately.

"Loki... I don't think we need to worry about them listening to us..."

"Why not? We came to tell them about the hospital right?!" His voice starts to raise due to anger and confusion.

I give his hand a reassuring squeeze as I say "Loki, the police have a bigger problem on our hands than we thought... they're needed here to save people... and there's no one left alive at the hospital... the Lifeless must have continued past where we hid and attacked everyone else in the hospital... and we didn't... hear them because we were sleeping like the dead..."

"But... but that... that's horrible!! You mean that group of Lifeless we hid from, went on to murder everyone else in the hospital while we slept?! We could have helped them!!" Tears are flowing freely down both our faces now.

I shake my head. "Yes it's horrible... but how could we help them? We were only able to sleep at all because we were so exhausted we couldn't continue anymore! There's no way I would've been able to help them! If I had tried... I would've gotten us both killed!!"

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry... don't leave me... please..." Loki wails desperatedly as he clings to my hand. I look down at him in complete and utter shock.

I kneel in front of him and grab his trembling shoulders "why would I leave you? Loki... why would you think I'm going to leave you just because you voiced your opinion?" I ask as gently as possible.

"Because... because my dad left us... because he didn't love me and mommy... so he ran off with another woman... maybe it's because I was annoying! Maybe if I wasn't so selfish! Or maybe if I didn't take his cell phone apart he wouldn't've left us!" I pull Loki into a hug horrified by what he just told me and concerned because he blames himself.

I gently brush some stray strands of his hair out of his face, then I say as sincerely as possible "Loki that wasn't yours or your mother's fault! Your father was the selfish one! And I would never abandon you!! Do you believe me?" Loki looks up at me uncertainly, his green eyes search my gray ones before he nods.

"Yes, I believe you Kairi..." he says quietly, but I know he means it. I smile at him and give him one last hug before standing up.

"I'm glad. Now we probably shouldn't stand around all day, what should we do next?" I murmur the last bit to myself while looking around, suddenly concerned that we might have attracted some unwanted attention.

Loki surprises me by speaking up even though I thought I'd said that in my head "I think we should go to the police station like we'd originally planned..." his voice trails off uncertainly near the end.

I smile encouragingly at him "why do you think that?"

He hesitates before saying "I think they can protect us... and we should tell them about Officer... hrm?" He pauses uncertainly.

I nod "Officer Dugel. And you're right they would be armed, have training, and they've probably set up some sort of shelter to protect people, plus we owe it to Officer Dugel to make sure they know what happened to him so that they can inform his family!" While speaking I became increasingly more sure that this was the right course of action. Afterall we've been taught since we were little that the police can and will protect us from anything.