Chapter 35- Everything After

Chapter 35: Chapter 35- Everything After

The search had turned out to be a fruitless endeavor, the Alien had seemingly disappeared into thin air, but its rampage would have lasting effects on the city of Newhi. Osamu had flown down and landed outside one of the various police vehicles, knocking on the side. He leaned against it and waited before the back opened, and Garnok stepped out, looking surprised at his return. He climbed down and walked over, "So, what happened? Did you find it?"

He was still for a moment before shaking his head, "No. It was as if it never existed... well..." He looked over towards the frozen city, "Besides its parting gift, anyway..." Garnok folded his arms and stood up straight, eyes narrowed as he studied the city. "...What do you think its goal was?" He asked, turning back to face Osamu.

The black haired man shook his head, "I couldn’t tell you. But, clearly freezing the city beyond repair had to be a part of it somehow." Osamu lifted his hand and covered his mouth as he watched pieces of the city break down.

Garnok turned towards the police vehicles and looked down. "...How many people didn’t make it?"

Osamu turned and shook his head with a fold of his arms, "Too many to count." He waved out, "Its second attack was so quick and unpredictable, many didn’t make it in time. Even those that were inside of their own homes were frozen to death."

Garnok clenched his teeth and squeezed his fist his eyes darkening. He turned towards the back of the vehicle and walked towards it, as Osamu followed behind. Once they reached the double doors, they peeked inside, and there laid his son, Alaric Vandale, who was still unconscious. Osamu leaned against the doors, "...What were a bunch of kids doing on the battlefield? I never got a chance to ask before. He’s your son, yeah? Surely you’d have an idea."

Garnok stepped inside alongside Osamu, crouching down near the boy’s body. He placed a hand over his forehead, "..." He was silent.

Osamu sighed and settled down and looked out the door as a remaining officer went to close it. "Ah, well... it doesn’t matter now." He waved for the officer to shut the door, "The survivors should be safe so we can get out of here. Though the journey won’t be pretty."

And then the officer climbed inside and slammed the doors shut, and the city was silent, safe for the cracking of ice.

...

Everything after passed in nearly a blur. The city had to be shut down completely, it wasn’t safe to enter or exit, the freezing temperature grew worse and worse as the days went on. Buildings had collapsed creating debris on the roads, pipes were bursting and the roads had made travel worse. It was the definition of an incident. People’s lives were lost and destroyed.

But the losses didn’t affect just the city of Newhi, it extended well beyond it.

Garnok and Osamu, who were present in the fight, had no days off since the incident happened. They were currently sitting inside of a medical room, speaking with a doctor while a body was hidden under a blanket.

The doctor pulled up the clipboard and turned to them, "So, the victim was Arthur Ambrose, correct?" The two warriors nodded as the doctor glanced down at the clipboard, "Age 18, currently enrolled into Ascendant Arcane Academy as a freshmen?"

"That’s right." Garnok confirmed as the doctor nodded faintly and looked towards the victim, "And if I may ask, what was a freshman doing fighting in a battle against a city level threat?"

Osamu shook his head, "We couldn’t tell you. Your best bet is asking the other student that was with him." Garnok squeezed his eyes shut and lowered his shoulders, "...Yes. We don’t know. But Alaric would."

"Ah, is that right? I heard he also got severely injured in the battle, is he capable of answering questions?" They asked as they sat the clipboard down and pulled their medical mask down, "While he has broken a major rule as a freshmen, he is still a kid and needs to recover."

Osamu laughed, "That kid doesn’t even understand the term!" He waved his hand towards the door, "Ever since he’s woken up, he has been restless. Constantly doing some kind of a movement inside of his medical room."

Garnok nodded, "Yes, I do believe he’s capable of answering your questions."

The doctor nodded and waved towards the door, "Alright then, you could please bring him inside. That would be great. You’re both needed somewhere else anyhow so I wish you luck." The two warriors nodded and stood up from their seats, reaching towards the door and yanking it open. They stepped out and made their way towards Alaric’s medical room, which was located not far from this room.

...

The doctor waited patiently, flipping through the victims information many times, looking for even a small hint at his motive for breaking such a crucial rule. But nothing even suggests one, which shouldn’t be surprising. Eventually, the door opened and a boy with snow white hair stepped inside, his right placed inside of an arm cast and sling. His cheeks were covered a faint blue, hinting at the frostbite eating at his skin, but it wasn’t serious, not with their current doctors. The doctor lifted their gaze from the clipboard and smiled under their mask, "You must be Alaric Vandale."

The boy said nothing, just pulled out a chair and sat down, his eyes downcast and vacant. He was constantly bouncing his leg and he settled back against the chair.

The doctor noticed and sat up, "I understand you knew Arthur Ambrose?" He was silent, his breathing faint. "...He was my childhood friend."

The doctor nodded and rose to their feet, "Right, and I know this is tough for you. But I need to understand something." They marched towards the file next to him, picking it up and laying it down in Alaric’s lap. "What would make you both leave the safety of the academy, to fight against an Alien without supervision?" They asked softly but firmly.

Alaric continued to stare at the ground under him, refusing to look towards the file, as he was 90% sure what its contents housed. He clenched his fist, clutching a patch on his pants. "..." He was silent, he honestly didn’t know if he could say it. He knew what would happen. He didn’t care about getting in trouble, he knew the trouble and knew they wouldn’t get away with it even if they did survive. But, admitting that he was the one that dragged Arthur with him... His fist squeezed so tight his nails were digging into his palm. "...I dragged him with me."

"...What was that?" Alaric lifted his head, his gray eyes completely empty, "I dragged him with me. I pulled him with me to fight the Alien, even when he warned me about the dangers..." He said, whispering the last part, his voice crumbling. He felt his body shake with chills, pulling his arms tight around him.

The doctor narrowed their eyes behind the glasses and before standing up straight, towering over the slumped over boy. "And what would possess you to drag your best friend to a suicide mission like this?"

"Because I thought it would be fun..." He said immediately. Being silent for too long would make it so he would never say it again. The doctor blinked and frowned, "...What?"

Alaric pressed his lips tight and thin, a small line. "We were supposed to be the strongest together... chase fights and thrills..." His breathing began to pick up as he admitted everything all at once. "But I let him down... I let everyone down..."

The doctor’s expression relaxed, he was just a kid. But that shouldn’t excuse him. "Listen, I can understand your feelings, alright? Every kid wants to become the strong guy to protect the weak, you aren’t wrong for thinking like that." They stepped forward and placed a hand on his shoulder, "But this? You weren’t ready, nor were you supposed to be there. Thanks to that, your friend is gone." Alaric’s eyes were hidden behind his bangs. He was completely silent.

The doctor pulled back, "I hope this teaches you a lesson son. Chasing and thrill seeking is dangerous, for yourself and the people you try to drag with you."

"..."

"Thank you. I believe that’s all, I appreciate you answering my questions. You may go back and rest your mind. I didn’t mean to put more stress on your mind." Alaric pushed the chair back and immediately rose, moving towards the door. His eyes had been glued to the floor ever since he came in, he’s been afraid to look up, especially inside of there. He pulled open the door and stepped out, moving towards his medical room.

Everything was wrong. This was his dream since he was a baby, wasn’t it? Was the world trying to tell him that his way of life was wrong? That he shouldn’t be this way? That couldn’t be right... right? There’s no way he’s been... wrong.

Maybe now wasn’t the best time... he had other things to worry about right now. He tasked himself with going with his dad to visit Arthur’s family, and tell them the news. He didn’t need to, but he’d rather do it, after all... he’s the reason everything happened. This is his attempt at repenting. But, he wants to make sure no one knows about his guilt, he’s seen it many times. They’ll try to tell him it’s not his fault, when they don’t know the whole story, if they did... they would see it is his fault. But he’d rather not go through the hassle. He felt his eyelids droop, and his limps began to feel heavy. Once he reached his medical room, he pushed open the door and collapsed onto his bed.

The next few days were going to be hard, and he knew that. Right now, he should try to sleep and prepare.