There's a Certain Loneliness in Your Company

The last thing she remembered was screaming, gunshots, and blood. Jesus Christ, there was so much blood. She remembered thinking to herself in those last moments that this wasn't how she was supposed to go. She was just another face in the crowd. How could she have ended up here? Why her? Isn't that always the question?

Why?

People ask themselves this in times of misfortune and despair. This was one of those times if there ever was one. It's true what they say. Your life flashes before your eyes when faced with death. As hers passed her by, she still couldn't understand why it had to be her. Why she had to fight so hard to save herself only to be right back where she started. Her mind immediately jumped to the night that would change her life forever. The night she should have died. All of those events led up to this one moment. The one time she let her guard down. She broke one of the few rules set before her, and this was the consequence.

Her body ached with a pain much more beyond the physical. It went deeper than that. As she lay on the ground, the fresh wounds sending daggers of pain with every breath, she grimaced as she used what energy she had left and turned her head to face the man lying next to her who caused all of this. Not that she knew he would, of course. His face was frozen in shock, eyes wide, mouth open, his tongue already turning grey. A spray of blood decorated his neck and face from the fatal wound. Tears stung the corner of her eyes before they slid down her cheeks to wet the ground around her. She stared into the vacant eyes of the man she loved and managed a whimper at best.

She attempted to get to her feet and fight back but ended up lying useless on the ground, crying silently, wondering how she was still alive. Her breathing was slowing down rapidly and the edge of her sight was growing fuzzy. She had lost the one thing she was fighting for and came to the realization that she was ready. She was ready to let go. But it couldn't be that easy. It never was, so why start now? A shadow fell over her and she forced her eyes to open the best she could. A hooded figure blocked out the light above her, throwing a shadow across her face. He tucked a gun into the back of his pants without saying anything. Another hooded figure stepped up behind him, placing a hand on the first ones shoulder.

"You knew the rules. I gave you a second chance. You knew what would happen, yet you chose this. Was it worth it?”

Once she heard his voice she knew exactly who it was. ONE himself. I suppose you could say he had good intentions. It was simple. Clean up the streets and restore the peace among the zones. It would take time, but he had a vision. A brilliant man, really, but unforgiving. She found this held true as he stood over her next-to-lifeless body. He stepped on her hand, still gripping the gun meant to protect her. She whimpered as her grip loosened and he kicked it away from her.

“Any last words, Toxic Glitch?” It was always full names with him. Killjoy names, not the ones given to them so long ago by their parents. Those names were a distant memory now. She found it in herself to smile and sputter her farewell.

“Keep … running.”

She couldn’t see him, but she almost swore he was smiling.

“Take care of this.” Before he turned to leave, he gripped the hood of the second, silent figure standing in front of her and pulled it away, finally revealing their face. Her eyes widened as they lifted the gun, pointing it right between her eyes.

“P—po…”

More gun shots. More blood.

Then darkness.