As he entered he saw the husk that had been holding the door, Mrs. Howard stood in front of him, her face bore a look of absolute terror as her arm was extended toward the door handle, now snapped in half like a dry twig. Abel's stomach curled loudly as he felt his organs rearrange inside of him, and he threw up in his mouth. He held his composure and swallowed before pushing past Mrs. Howard. He shined his light on the faces of the other people who were squished into the room. Some he had known others he didn't.
None of them were his mom. He scanned beds, walls, and the floor. She wasn't there. He turned back, not knowing where she could be. Was she still at the hospital? Had she gone home? Or was she one of the husks that blew away with the wind? He didn't know. As he walked back down the long dark corridor he noticed another door that was left ajar that he hadn't noticed before. He shined his light on the plaque that read: Infirmary.
He didn't know why but everything in his body seized and his heart rate grew rapid once again. This time he used the flashlight to push the door open. As the door creaked he shined his light in. Standing there, was a woman wearing non-slip sneakers, scrubs, and a lab coat. She had a stethoscope around her neck, her hair was pinned up in a ponytail, and her face was buried in her phone. Abel trembled and began to sob silently dropping his flashlight to the ground.
He fell to his knees in front of her making a loud bang as his bones connected with the hard stone floor. He didn't want to believe what he was seeing, but he knew it was true. It was his mom. He couldn't contain himself he didn't know what to do so he screamed. He let out a blood-curdling scream as he began punching the glass cases filled with medical equipment that filled the room. Glass shards covered the floor, and splintered wooden cabinet doors swung, half-ripped from their hinges.
"No!" He shouted, his hands dripping with blood, and beaten purple. He wanted to grab his mom and hold her one more time. He wanted to feel her warm inviting arms around him, but most of all he wanted to hear her tell him it was all going to be okay. Tears and snot ran down his face as blood dripped down his trembling fingers. He reached out and gripped her hand lightly in his. As he did he felt that she was holding something.
He grabbed it and pulled gently attempting not to damage his mother's husk, it was a small crumpled piece of yellow paper. He uncrumpled it with his battered hands, there was something written on it. He knelt and grabbed his flickering flashlight from its resting place on the floor. He wiped the tears from his eye leaving a streak of blood painted across one side of his face, before shining his light on the piece of paper. It said:
Be alive. scribbled in the corner were three small letters he could hardly make out, M, A, A. Tears swelled in his eyes once more as he placed the note in his pocket.
"I'm alive mama, I am alive," He said, holding her hand gently once more. He began to cry so hard he forgot to keep his grip loose, all that he held was the ashy remains of his mom's fingers and the ring she wore. He watched the ashes sift through his fingers sadly, before placing the ring in his pocket and kissing the tips of his fingers and pressing them to her husked cheek, turning away and walking out of the door. He closed it behind him and sat in front of it leaning his back against it. He lowered his head into his arms and sobbed silently.
Blood splashed onto the cold concrete floor below him. The adrenaline had worn off and he could feel the burning fire raging through his hands. His knuckles were throbbing and swelling while the tips of his fingers grew numb. Though the pain was unimaginable, the sadness greatly outweighed it. He knew the risk of coming here and anticipated finding his mother dead, but knowing didn't make the pain of seeing her like that, go away.
Abel didn't know what to do, he sat there and wondered and wished. He wished for a way out, he wished his mom would walk out of the door behind him and hug him. Most of all he wished to wake up from this heinous dream. He raised his head slowly, it was puffy and red. Tears and snot stuck to his sleeves while his lip quivered. In front of him stood another soldier, tall and covered in heavy armor. Abel's eyes fixated on him scanning every part of his body and uniform.
His eyes wandered lower before stopping and fixing his vision on the man's sidearm. It was a tan handgun, with a slightly shorter barrel than Abel had ever seen in video games and movies. He rose to his feet slowly. He approached the holster where the gun rested. He wrapped his fragmented hand around the textured grip, placed his quivering finger beside the matt black trigger, and pulled it from its holster. The weight of it surprised him as he bounced it gently in his hand.
He pointed it out in front of him and peeked down the sight while pretending to shoot it. Then his memories began flooding his mind. He thought back to Sunday breakfasts before his dad lost his job, he remembered playing pirates with Amanda and Miles in their treehouse mounted in the large oak that sprouted in their backyard. A broken smile spread across his face as he stood with his eyes closed and the barrel of the gun to his head.
"Time to wake up," He said, squeezing the trigger firmly.