so, i close
my eyes
to old ends
and open
my heart to
new beginnings
•unknown•
***
The air is just about how I remember it when we step out of the hovercraft: thick and muggy.
For the second time in the past two weeks I am hit with an overwhelming and unpleasant sense of deja vu as I take my first few steps across the North American soil, my eyes roaming the desolation around us.
We came back.
Nobody wanted to stay in Asia. Not even Michael, who was fascinated with all of the technology. Everyone flew back to Hawaii as soon as possible.
It's a good thing we did. Upon entering the last tent, left up for those who stayed to help clean up, Xavier froze. There, sitting in a circle talking with other survivors, was his sister. His own sister. He has mentioned to me that she was on a honeymoon here when the bombs hit, but I never thought about it twice.
They had a very tearful, very cheesy reunion which ended in her asking about a million questions consisting of where the hell is your arm?? why are you so pale? what's with your throat? what happened out there? The rest is history.
To make a long story short: all of us wanted one thing: to go home. The only problem was, home was completely destroyed and crawling with mutant creatures foaming at the mouth to kill us. After talking it over with more diplomats and collecting supplies, it was decided that we would start reconstruction of North America as soon as possible.
It's amazing how such a tragedy can bring countries together. Every single continent donated something to the cause, wether it be a whole shipment of rations or a field of machines. Asia was the most generous, providing a hovercraft and housing to combat our efforts. Then again, they're the reason for it all.
All of this has lead to this very moment: landing in South Dakota, just on the outskirts of Pierre. It is one of the only spots on the continent that hasn't been soaked in radiation. We are less than a ten minute walk from Lake Oahe, and the buildings have maintained their initial skeletal structures.
Perfect for a new start.
First things first, however: clearing all of the mutants.
Call me insane or just plain unstable, but it feels so damn good to have my hands wrapped around my axe again. Ivy slinks up beside me, her two swords shining in the faint sunlight. I can hear Luke's new knives clinking on his belt.
In some strange, foreign way, it feels like things are finally the way they should be.
There's at least twenty mutants already crawling out of the wreckage, some human some not, the smell of fresh meat in their nostrils. I can already feel the adrenaline flowing into my veins.
"Alright bitches." Ivy says, swinging her blades around her fingers. "Let's get this party started."
***
Two hours later, and I'm sweating like a pig.
There's green and black blood all over me, my axe is dull, and my arms ache.
With all of the survivors working together, we've managed to clear out all of the mutants within a mile radius. They now lay in piles of corpses, burning pillows of smoke into the grey sky.
The soldiers get to work. Using the supplies provided by other countries, they plant a fence around the area. Razor wire. Not too tall, but tall enough. This way we have a massive circle to work on at once.
Next is the ash. We have three bulldozers, thanks to China. Those who can't operate them, like Luke and myself, are stuck with the shoveling pans. It takes the longest by far, but we manage to clear the ground before sunset.
Now, tents. The first day is done. I'm more than happy to gulp down three bottles of water, shoveling the foil bags of food into my mouth. Tomorrow we clear a large area for crops and examine the buildings for safety.
We've got a couple of fires set up, which I don't understand, because it feels like a furnace out here already. My hair is frizzy and all over the place in its ponytail, my face dirty and covered in sweat. I need a shower. Badly. But we only have three in the hovercraft, and they've rarely been empty since we finished.
A sigh leaves my lips as I lower myself down onto the cot I dragged out of my tent, stretching out like a cat. The stars are little twinkling lights above me. Of course, I only get a few moments to myself before footsteps approach.
"Alex, you shouldn't sleep outside. There's no telling what's in this air." My father says, crouching down next to me. I flip on my side to face him.
"Even the apocalypse won't keep you from jabbering me." I chuckle, taking his hand. The fact that he is still alive and well is one of the few things keeping me sane at the moment.
"I'm your father. It's all I'm good at." His hand is calloused and rough, the sleeve of his camo uniform virtually the same. It's familiar. Comforting.
"I heard the others talking about making a memorial." I say, swallowing.
My dad sighs. "Yes. Roses. One for each family member our survivors have lost, and then a whole field of them for the rest. It's all we can do."
"Mom would love it." I whisper, and let the tears well in my eyes. I've learned that keeping it down doesn't help. "The munchkins, too."
My father nods, and a single tear rolls down his cheek. His eyes are sad. "They would."
I bring the back of his hand up to my mouth, pressing a kiss to the rough skin. "I love you, Dad."
He smiles warmly, and the light is flickering on in his eyes again. "I love you too, sweetheart. Goodnight."
More footsteps sound from a few yards away, and my dad gives my hand a squeeze before standing. Luke appears, carrying what looks like a crumbled yellow flower in his hands. My dad gives him a slap on the back, winking, before heading off.
He crouched down too, close enough to lean in for a kiss. He's just as filthy as I am, and I can taste the salt of sweat on his lips. He holds up the flower, and I realize it's a Daffodil.
"Found this on the edge of the fence. Poking it's little petals out of the rubble." He whispers, and I run my fingers over the soft folds. It looks a little disheveled, but other than that the flower itself is very much alive. "Thought you would like it."
I smile. "It's beautiful."
Luke slides a piece of my hair back, carefully placing the Daffodil behind my ear. His eyes are warm. "Not as much as you."
I scoot over on the cot, slapping the empty space. "Get up here, Romeo."
He does. His body is a familiar comfort next to mine, and I don't protest as he wraps his arms around my middle and pulls me on top of him. I lay my head on his chest.
We just lay in silence for a while, watching the stars creep across the foggy night sky. Luke runs his fingers through my hair, I trace the scars on his collarbones with my finger.
"You did good today." He says suddenly, his chin on the top of my head.
I raise up to look at him, a bit confused. "I did?"
"Yeah. Your technique gets better every time. You're one of the best fighters I've seen without any training."
I shake my head. "Stop lying."
"It's true."
I lay down again, the steady beat of Luke's heart making my eyelids heavy. It feels so incredibly good to know that I can go to sleep and not be afraid of what I'll wake up to.
"So train me."
Luke's hand stills in my hair. "What?"
"Train me. I wanna learn."
"You don't need it any more. The war is over." Luke says, but interest has creeped its way into his tone.
"I don't care. I might someday." I thump him in the chest. "Train me."
"Ow." Luke whines, taking my hand to still it. He takes a deep breath, shaking his head. "I mean... I guess I could."
"You guess or you will?"
"I will." He promises, rubbing his thumb over his. "After all of this is done. We've got to get this place looking like a country again."
"Agreed."
I yawn, shifting my weight on the hot underneath me. I really am exhausted. I guess the shower will have to wait until morning, for the both of us.
"Go to sleep, love." Luke whispers, pressing a kiss to the top of my head. I nuzzle my way in, and start to drift off.
"Goodnight." I whisper, and slowly begin to slip away.
***
One month later
"Come on, Alexandra. You can do this."
"Go screw yourself."
My heart is slamming in my ribcage. Don't look down, don't look down...
My feet wobble underneath me from where they're balanced on a metal beam, two stories high in the air. Luke thought that since I wanted training, we should start with balance. Of course, like everything involved with him, he took it to the absolute extreme. I'm going to kill him.
"You'll only break a few bones if you fall. When I did this, it was on a wooden board laid across two 40 floor skyscrapers in Dubai." Luke says, and I clench my fists. "You're fine. Remember, you're only as heavy as you think you are."
"I'm breaking up with you." I say through gritted teeth.
"You've said that three times." Luke chuckles. I glare at him, and he holds his arms out, gesturing for me to move forward. "Come on babe, almost there."
"You're a terrible teacher, Luke." Ivy calls down from where she's perched on another beam, three stories up.
"Shut up Stone." He retorts. I swallow hard.
Slowly, I take a step forward. Then another, then another. Before I have enough time to wobble and fall I'm rushing forward and stumbling into Luke's arms.
Panting, I shake myself off, giving him a hard shove to the chest. He laughs, throwing an arm around my shoulders.
"We'll work on it." He mutters, and I look out at the ground below.
We've expanded. Three miles all around, at least. Couple hundred acres. The crops are growing, more and more buildings are popping up, and we now have running water. It's finally staring to look like civilization again.
I lay my head on Luke's shoulder. We do this a lot. Come out to the ruins on the outskirts of camp, hang out on the skeletons of the buildings. It's good privacy, and it reminds me of all that I have to be grateful for now.
My eyes land on the field of roses, and the light smile drops from my face.
Thousands of them. Tended to and picked every day. I keep four in my room to remind me every day of my mom, my brothers, my sister.
"Is is bad that I still think about them all the time?" I whisper, locking my fingers with Luke's. He rubs his thumb over mine.
It takes him a beat to answer, but when he does, his voice is soft.
"No. It's not. They were your family. You don't lose something like that and just get over it." He presses a kiss to the side of my head. "Don't feel bad. You're allowed to be sad as long as you want."
I take a deep breath I didn't know I was holding, and lean in closer to him. He hugs me tight.
"Thank you." I whisper. "For never giving up on me."
"Wouldn't even dream of it, Alexandra." Luke replies, and smiles warmly.
A slight whizzing sound perks up my ears, and Ivy lands gracefully onto the beam beside us. Perfect flip, three stories in the air. Show off.
"You two are gross." She comments, blowing a wisp of hair out of her face. The flame tattoo stands out prominently against her now tan complexion, and it makes her look even more menacing. "I'm gonna go see what's next door. Have fun being, well, gross."
She steps off the beam like she's stepping down stairs, falling a hundred yards before flipping and rolling to a standing position on the ground, never missing a beat.
"You should try that." Luke says, and I scoff.
"In my dreams." I mutter, and he leans in for a kiss.
****
Six months later
"WOOOOO!" I yell, landing with a splash into the lake-water. The cold is so refreshing, a nice change from the burning heat of the sun.
We finally got to Lake Oahe cleared safely. It's massive, and it took us half a year to clean out the ash and pour in the purifying chemicals, but the payoff is ridiculously worth it.
Luke jumps in next to me, sending water splashing all over my face. Ivy is next, then Zay, then Michael. Jess and Ashton taunt us from a good twenty yards out.
It's a beautiful day. I am the happiest I have been in months. As Luke picks me up, squealing, throwing me over his shoulder as he wades out, I laugh so hard my face hurts.
"Come on losers, I'm crippled and I swim faster than you!" Zay calls, laughing as he splashes out towards Jess and Ash. Ivy shoves the wet hair out of her face, smiles, and dives under.
A couple hundred yards down shore is our watering system, which filters in and out 24/7. It took my father and the immigrants who came to help nearly three days to get it set up and working. The few kids we have play around in the lily pads. The sun is high and bright in the sky.
Everything finally feels right again.
***
Two years later
We've cleared the city. Rebuilding is almost finished. The mutants that are still left have died off, and all that is left of the disaster that took place is the desolation it left behind.
Luke and I fixed up an apartment in one of the buildings, just next door to my fathers setup. Soon Ivy and Zay do the same, then Jess and Ashton, and soon enough the apartment building itself is whole again.
We've finally gotten cable connection. The tv works, and we're able to own and charge small electronic devices. I just keep an iPod. No need for phones when there's not many people to use them.
I don't know if we'll grow more, or if this will be it. Just the hundred of us or so that survived to populate a destroyed country. Honestly, I wouldn't care either way.
I'm content to just sit here on the couch, next to the love of my life, reading a copy of Of Mice and Men with my feet thrown across his lap. He continues to sharpen his knives, including the one left from his previous sheath, the lions eyes shining in the light.
I still have my axe. I'm still a bit rusty with it, but thanks to Luke, I'm fully trained in hand to hand combat. Hopefully I'll never have to use my skills.
Luke stops sharpening for a moment, his eyebrows pulled together. I raise one of mine.
"You good?" I ask. He smiles to himself.
"Yeah, I'm fine, it's just.." He looks up at me. "Did you ever think about... getting married?"
For some reason, this doesn't surprise me. I shrug. "Yeah, actually. A little."
Luke nods, a totally casual look on his face. "Good. Because I've been meaning to wife you for a few years now."
"You gonna get me a ring?" I laugh, beginning to read my book again.
"Already have."
Now he has my attention. I raise my eyebrows. "Seriously?"
Luke looks around our apartment a little, before his eyes land on an empty water bottle on the table next to the couch. He picks it up, unscrews the cap, and pulls off the little plastic ring it's attached to.
He holds it up. "Alexandra Lilian Blake, will you marry me?"
I don't answer right away. I don't answer right away, because I'm too busy laughing so hard I feel like my chest will implode. When I finally come down from it, I nod and hold my hand out dramatically. "Yes, Luke Hemmings. I will marry your hot ass."
He slides the plastic thing over my ring finger, and I smile like an idiot before giving him a firm kiss. He grins against my lips.
"Alexandra Hemmings." Luke mutters. "I like it. I love you."
"I love you too." I whisper, and happily lean in for another kiss.
***
Ten years later
We have grown. A whole lot.
Three whole states populated, some with survivors, some with immigrants who wanted to help and ended up staying.
Humanity is slowly rebuilding itself, as it always does.
Ivy and Zay got hitched two weeks after Luke and I's makeshift wedding, and had their first child a year later. Jess and Ashton babysit. Michael lives a city over, but occasionally he swoops in to say high and make fun of our respective "basic" lives.
Luke and I are happier than ever. Two years ago, I woke up to nausea. Then I started craving pickles. Luke was hysterical when I found out I was pregnant. He constantly gave me pillows, afraid I was going to bump into something and hurt myself.
Seriously. Pillows everywhere, all the time.
Flash forward nine months, and I'm giving birth to our first child: a beautiful baby boy.
We named him Cal.
Now, all there is left to do is live every day as if it was our last. If there is anything I have learned through this incredibly long journey, it's that you should appreciate what you have while you have it. You never know when it could all be taken away.
I still think about who I lost. Every day. But it only pushes me forward, makes me grateful for the wonderful life I have now.
At the end of the day, that's all that truly matters.
Life is too short to wake up in the morning with regrets.
So, love the people who treat you right and forget about the ones who don't.
Believe that everything happens for a reason.
If you get a chance- take it;
If it changes your life- let it.
Nobody said it would be easy.
They just promised it would be worth it.
FIN
•••
*italics are not original, just couldn't find the credit to list it* :)
Stay tuned for a final authors note. Love you all.