We Can Live Forever

*** *****
He found me sitting on a sand-dune, smoking an almost-dead cigarette.
"Is your past that bad?"
I nodded, accepting the new cancer-stick he handed me.
"Worse then most people could imagine. Been out on the zones almost my entire life. Hit Massachusetts before it hit Cali."
Gerard watched me, his eyes reproachful.
"Tell me."
I blew out a cloud of smoke, staring out at the sun.

"I was 16. Lived with my 12 year old sister and parents. Three story house. Perfect Life. I had a girlfriend. I was happy.
But I also had a problem.
I'm a pyromaniac."

Gerard arched his brow, but said nothing.

"Fire, was just always a weakness of mine. I couldn't resist it. I've learned to control the urge now, but back then I used to burn myself for fun. I loved to watch the flames, the glorious colors. How they raged.

One day, I took it a bit too far.

My sister, Gemma, was in my room. We were playing Life, it was one of her favorites. I had ushered her off to bed, telling her I was too tired to go on anymore. I really had just wanted to play with my fire.

Some bit of my brain must've snapped, because I decided I wanted to sleep in the flames. So, I lit my bed on fire and then lay on it, closing my eyes. After a few minutes, my mother smelt the smoke and bust in the door, screaming her head off. My room was on fire by this point, my skin partially charred. She called father in, demanding he call the firemen. He did.
Mother dragged me out, I resisting at all costs, screaming at her that I WANTED the fire, I LIVED for it. By the time we were downstairs, the whole two upper floors were in flames.

But Gemma was still in there.

Mum rushed back into the house, adrenaline clearly controlling her. Dad followed suit, first telling me, "Don't worry, Ray, we'll get Gemma out. It isn't your fault." He kissed my forehead before he went back in."

I smiled fondly, already reliving the memory.

"They never came out. None of them. The firemen worked their magic on the house, but nothing and no one could be spared. I just remember watching the fire.
How BEAUTIFUL it was.
There was no funeral. I couldn't afford it. CSS sent me to live with my god parents and god-sister, Riley.
A couple of months later was when the "Miracle Drug" reached our town. Better Living Industries was a new life, it meant survival.
A few of us resisted.
The ones who resisted were outcasted, banished from society. My girlfriend dumped me.
At one point, us resisters decided to sneak out of town, out of state, however far we had to go to GET AWAY FROM THE DRUG.
It didn't work. BL/ind had border guards. We were caught in the act.

Riley, Paige and I had escaped on pure luck and sacrifice, the adults in charge of us giving their lives for us. A few entire families were murdered.
We were the only sober ones left, out in the wild on our own. We've been living like this for a while now."

Gerard was completely silent, thoughts swarming.

"I had a wife. And a daughter. BL/ind killed them. As well as Frank, he had a wife, two daughters and a son. Ray and Mikey had wives. Mikey's my brother. We decided to fight. BL/ind must get destroyed." His eyes hardened sharply

For a few hours, I felt safe, Gerard and I sitting in companionable silence.
Now, he knew.