Advisory Warning: This chapter deals with serious themes of loss, self-harm, and the cost of psychological isolation in a ruined world. You must proceed with caution.
**
“Zoe, go to class.” Animus said, his voice low as he looked at his little sister.
“No. I am coming with you.” Zoe replied, shaking her head stubbornly.
“Zo-” Animus began, his gaze hardening as his expression turned stern.
“Brother, I know you are trying to protect. I know I am a kid. But I also know that the world has ended. Let me come with you. I need to be strong. Especially if we are to go outside and find Mom and Dad.” Zoe said, looking up at Animus.
Animus sighed in frustration. He could see her logic, even though he wanted to deny it.
“Fine.” He said before turning to Jasmine. “Let’s go. We need to be there.”
Jasmine looked at the two siblings.
“Yes!” She nodded hurrriedly.
The group of three ran through the corridors. Animus’ speed lagged behind them. He was slow, but he tried his best to keep up even as he heaved.
They soon spotted a huge crowd in front of a unit with an open door. A few women were sobbing. Others were staring at the walls and ceiling in shock. A desperate few were trying to help everyone gain semblance of control. He spotted Beatrice among them.
Animus walked toward the crowd with purpose. Jasmine and Zoe parted the people with him to make way. They made their way to the entrance of the unit.
The staff member with the flower pin in her hair, Patsy, was giving a report to Beatrice. She looked shaken.
“I... I was simply trying to knock on the door to ask why... Why she didn’t report for work yesterday. B-But she didn’t answer. I unlocked the door and- and saw her like that...” She stuttered vacantly.
Beatrice gently rubbed her back.
Animus looked inside.
In the living hall, hanging from a rope made out of the curtains, was a woman. Her face looked congested, swollen to the point it looked purple. Her eyes were wide open, the sclera covered in blotches of red. Her skin was covered in similar red patches. Her tongue slightly protruded from her mouth. Marks of dried saliva hung down her chin.
Animus covered his mouth.
He could feel his breakfast pushing its way up his throat.
Zoe gasped.
He unsteadily covered Zoe with his back. He proceeded to punch the wall repeatedly to distract himself with pain. His knuckles blistered. Blood leaked and stained the wall.
But the pain did its job. Animus calmed down. He heaved. He turned around and hugged Zoe. Zoe hugged him back, clutching him tightly.
“How could someone just... give up? Why?” Zoe asked, her voice choked with pain.
“I don’t know. She might have lost her family outside. The world is gone, Zoe. And we need to face it. We must rebuild it ourselves.” Animus said, gritting his teeth. He glared at the wall in frustration and helplessness.
Jasmine shivered at the sight of the corpse. Without thinking, Animus gently pulled her in his embrace. She leaned into him, holding him tightly.
“I-I was just going to meet Daphne when I heard the commotion.” Jasmine sobbed. “I ran away. I didn’t know what to do. I started looking for somebody until I found you.”
“It’s alright, Jasmine. It’s going to be okay. You’re safe now.” Animus soothed, firmly wrapping her in his embrace along with Zoe.
They held each other for a while.
“Girls.” Animus said gently, removing his arms from them. “She needs to be brought down from there.”
Jasmine and Zoe’s breaths hitched.
“Don’t worry. I’ll do it myself.” Animus said, trying to smile but failing.
Zoe and Jasmine shook their heads at the same time.
“No. I’m helping you.” Zoe said, lifting her chin.
“You need someone to do this with, Animus. And I don’t want to leave everything to you,” Jasmine added.
“Alright.” Animus said, taking a deep breath.
He turned and gently pushed a few people out of the way.
Patsy and Beatrice noticed him.
“Mister Spero, you cannot move further.” Patsy said, regaining her composure.
“What are you trying to do? Stay put. The Overseer will be here in a minute.” Beatrice asked.
“I’m not waiting for Rachel Greaves to solve this. I’m bringing the girl down.” Animus said and walked ahead.
Surprisingly, a girl stepped forward from the crowd.
She had pale skin and piercing blue eyes, different from Zoe’s gentle blue eyes and Gwen’s doe-like blue eyes. She had platinum-blonde hair tied into a bun. Her expression was cold and regal.
“I will help you.” She said, her voice firm. She turned to the crowd. “We will all mourn together. For now, we need to bring the girl down.”
A few women nodded. The rest were still in shock,
Animus nodded. He liked a decisive person.
Together, with Animus pulling a chair, Zoe holding the chair, the girl bringing a knife, and Jasmine holding back the Vault-Tec staff members with a few women from the crowd, they slowly brought the dead girl down.
They laid her on the floor.
More Vault-Tec staff members arrived, pushing the crowd to make way for someone. Clad in the same jumpsuit as everyone else, a blonde woman with vacuous brown eyes stepped into the residential unit. Rachel Greaves.
“This is a terrible tragedy.” She said, looking at everyone around her. “We will carry her to the medical labs first and then cremate her. Please return to your assignments, everyone. You may all leave early today, however. At two o’clock, we will hold a memorial service. After that, please spend the day together. We must stay strong.”
“What was her name?” Animus whispered to himself. “We deserve to know her name. How else do we mourn someone?”
Rachel caught his voice. She turned to Patsy. Patsy stepped forward and whispered into Rachel’s ear. Rachel nodded.
“Her name was Jane. Thirty-two years old. She will be remembered for being a hardworking, honest person.” Rachel said before pausing. She hesitated.
“She lost her family outside. Like many of us.” She said, her voice tight.
People outside began murmuring.
“I lost my family too...” One whispered while crying.
“What is the point to living like this?” Another shared.
“The world is gone...” A voice murmured.
Rachel noticed the swaying emotions of the crowd. She opened her mouth to speak.
“Please, rest assured. We will one day reclaim-”
The girl beside Animus turned to the crowd. She raised her voice.
“If everyone of us has lost something, then all we have left is each other right here!” She said, her voice echoing. The crowd fell silent. “We will live here, carrying on the wishes of those who couldn’t! Today, we mourn. Tomorrow, we can begin building a future.”
Animus looked at her in surprise. Her natural charisma was inspiring.
Animus nodded and stood beside her.
“One day,” He said, his voice reverberating through the crowd. “We can head back outside. The world will be fractured and broken, but not gone! We can rebuild it. With our own hands!”
The girl looked at Animus in surprise. Her blue eyes stared at him.
The crowd murmured. Cries fell quiet. They looked at Animus and the girl in awe.
“Rebuild the world? Can we really do that?” A woman asked.
“Can we go outside one day?” Another echoed.
“Yes! We can!” Animus said, responding to the crowd. “And when we do, we can rebuild our homes. Brick by brick. No matter how long it takes!”
The crowd swayed, talking louder.
“A home... Once again...” A girl whispered.
“Yes. Yes!” A young woman said.
Rachel stared vacuously at Animus and the woman. She didn’t interrupt. The crowd did need to be swayed to increase its morale. But it irked her.
“You’re good. At keeping hope alive.” The girl with blue eyes and platinum blonde hair said, staring at Animus.
Animus turned to her with a smile.
“You’re not bad either. What’s your name? I am Animus Spero.” He smiled and extended his hand.
The girl stared at his hand. She extended her own palm to shake it.
Her hand was covered in a glove. Animus looked at in mild surprise.
“I am Elsa Agnarsdóttir. Some people like to call me Elsa of Arendelle.” She said, a trace of a smile on her lips.
**