"Who do you hear, Henry?" I said. The building continued creaking, the walls visibly trembling as Henry held the pillar, straining to keep the entire structure together.
The healed woman, he said. Her energy now ties to your brother's. They can help us. He grunted, readjusting his hands as sweat began to run down his face. I can't keep the dark entity trapped and touch it at the same time—only when it's Nested.
The dozen or so people on the floor continuing groaning, but all seeming to wake up and come out of whatever they were in.
"My singing, Henry," I said. "It hurts it—maybe it'll kill it, too."
We can't kill it—it's become one with the building. His haunted, strained eyes—which were back to normal, dark brown in this world—locked onto mine. Interwoven into the actual structure of the Nest—if you destroy the dark entity now, the whole structure will collapse down on us. None of you will survive.
He looked seriously at me. But you can survive, Ava—if we run to the front, I'll be able to let you and keep you safe at the same time.
The moment fell silent.
"You know the time is now, Henry," I said quietly.
He shook his head, the sweat drops flying. The walls began to shake it, then stopped again.
No. We'll find another way, Henry said. We trapped it this time—we can trap it again.
I debated it—it was tempting. Run away with Henry forever... but how long would that forever be?
"If we don't stop it now, it's going to release all those dark entities out into the world, Henry!" I said. "We'll never be able to catch them all! This is our only chance—you know that."
I can't survive without you, Ava, his said softly, the tears finally falling. And I don't want to.
"Aw, Henry," I said, heartbroken, and at a loss for words. What was I really going to tell him? That it was going to be alright? The ceiling above began to crack, straining, bits of hard plaster falling down around.
I went to him, kneeling down next to him as he held the wall.
"You know I want nothing more than to run away with you," I said, my head down and my voice low. "You know I would do it in a heartbeat—and have. But I can't this time, Henry... not after the way you were so eager to sacrifice your world for this one."
The tears began to stream down my face.
"Everybody always says I only think about myself," I said, trying so hard to hold back the tears but failing. "And it's true, Henry—I am selfish. Useless. But you sacrificed yourself for a world that did nothing for you, Henry. How can you be such a good person, and I let it go to waste? This is my chance too, Henry—my chance to prove that I'm not useless... that I can make a difference. To prove it to you, to Sean, to the whole world..."
I looked down, tears falling from my eyelashes. "But mostly to prove it to myself."
Ava... his voice was soft.
I hugged him tight.
One of the people spoke from behind us, and I turned around. They were all around my age, but I couldn't really see their faces—too covered in black muck and mucous.
"What's going on?" the voice asked.
"You need to run to the entrance of the mall and wait for us," I answered quietly, still standing near Henry and not even looking at them as I wiped the tears from my face.
"Go on now, quickly."
They filed past us, blank autonomous shell-shocked people. They started jogging down the corridor the way we had come.
There was another crack, following by a metallic POP!
Ava, please... reconsider. There's still time.
I just smiled.
And incredibly, in his grief... he smiled back.
I guess I can't be selfish about fate, he whispered in my mind. You're not just MY angel, Ava... you're the angel of the world.
My lips quivered.
"You should go," I whispered finally, as the rain patter and heavy liquid drops falling began to increase.
Yeah.
Neither one of us moved.
The pillar Henry was holding began to buckle—
He suddenly let go, sweeping me into a giant hug, holding me so tight I thought I might break—
And I hugged him back just as tight.
The entire building began to shake and rumble, bigger of pieces of the ceiling falling and breaking apart.
"Remember me," I whispered in Henry's ear. "I'll always be with you... right here."
My finger traced down over his heart.
We kissed; perfectly in time, perfectly in the moment.
I forgot everything, my body melting against his, completely losing myself in him as his strong arms held me up. He pulled away just as quickly, leaving me dazed and blank as our lips parted, my neck still craning forward, eyes closed and lips pursed.
He grabbed my hand, kissing it one last time as the building began to crumble around us.
Goodbye, Ava.
And then he was gone, running quickly down the corridor.
Goodbye, Henry.