Forever

“We have to find a way out of here. There has to be fucking a way. This can’t be fucking it!” he yelled, his fists clenched as he hit the solid wall in front of him. I shook my head as I walked a bit closer. The wall in front of us crumbled even further, pieces falling at his feet. He turned to face me and slid down, his back against the wall. ”There has to be a fucking way out. I know there is,” he said stubbornly.

His eyes scanned the barren wasteland around us, the same wasteland I’ve walked for three years. He looked to me once more, the chilling glare filling my whole body. I could tell he wasn’t happy. I wasn’t sure if it was because of me or the situation in general. I slowly walked towards the wall and sat down in front of him. He continued to eye me. It was a bit unnerving. “It’s over. There’s nothing left,” I told him softly. I pushed my bangs away from my face and gave him a weak smile.

“Then why are we the only ones here?” he asked stubbornly. He growled under his breath while getting up and walking past me. I turned and watched him walk to another brick wall. He stood in front of it, his back to me. “Think about it. Why is it that only you I and made it here? Where is everyone else? This can’t be a place everyone goes to,” he muttered, thinking out loud. I shrugged, not really knowing an answer. I’ve always asked myself all those questions before.

I eventually stood as well. My eyes stayed glued to the half translucent ground below us. I could spy the oh so familiar recording room that I’ve watched for hours at a time. “I originally thought this was hell,” I told him as I continued to watch the men in the booth. “I mean... what could be more torturous than to be able to watch life happening right below you?” I looked to him, waiting for an answer. He said nothing as he turned back to me and leaned against the wall. “If this was hell then there’d be more people. It can’t be heaven either.”

“Maybe we’re supposed to watch over them,” he said simply after a few moments of silence. I looked away from the ground and over at him. “Haven’t you noticed how we are always around them? Their voices get louder whenever they talk about me. It’s like I’m supposed to know what they’re doing at all times.” He walked close to me and stared down. “Maybe I’m supposed to help them.”

I frowned as my eyes watched the four men talk and joke around with one another. “Then why am I here? They don’t know me,” I said weakly while sitting back on the ground. He sat down next to me, his eyes never leaving his best friends. “I haven’t heard anyone say my name since my funeral,” I muttered softly. “It’s been three years and not one of them has brought up my name.”

He looked to me. His eyes looked equivalent to what I was feeling, pain and heartache. His head tilted slightly to the right as he kept his gaze. I could tell that it was finally sinking in. All of his hope was fleeting his body as we sat there. He was living his worst nightmare. “We’ll find a way out. I promise you. We’ll find a way out together.” He looked away from me and down to his friends once more. “Until then, we’ll be watching over them.”