Trouble in Tiltown

Ashes

I sat into the seat, sinking along with the rest of my friends who wore tired expressions across their faces. Abraham goes to drive off, but I smack my hand down onto his arm, stopping him.
"We have to wait for Diego." I remind him. West and him exchange looks to one another, as if they were talking telepathically, before he looks to me once again.
"We'll drive to the edge of town and wait for him." He tells me. Before I could argue back, we're already driving to the welcoming sign. My eyes take in my friends that sat by me, Jerrick holding a sleeping Kat in his arms as James sat in the middle, quiet but awake. West's eyes were glued to the side of the road, watching it as we raced the line that had been painted on the side years and years ago. Clearing my throat, Abraham flinches.
"West, Uhm, how's your family been?" I asked him as he readjusted in his seat, tilting his head to the side as he looked at me in the corner of his eye.
"We're good, they're good." He simply states, tightening his lips. Abraham rubs his chin with his hand, thinking hard as his eyebrows furrowed together.
"So, Amber. You, Uh-, still together?" Abraham questions.
West glances at him before returning to leaning against the window, "Yeah. And Scott, we had a child, by the way." Abraham's eyes widen for a moment before a frown appears on him.
"Yeah, of course. I heard. I wish I could've came back before now." Abraham quietly spoke.
"Well, things happen." West replies.
"I'm sorry, for all of this. This is was all my fault." He states.
"Yeah, it is your fault. But you helped us, I think that about makes up for everything."
"I still have one more thing to do though."
West looks to him as we come to a stop, "What's that?" Abraham takes out the key and suddenly it's dead silent in the car.
"I have to be a brother to you." He answers. Jerrick softly awakens Kat who whimpered awake. We all leave the car, stretching our bodies. I stepped in front of the sign that read, in bold, white writing.
WELCOME TO TILTOWN.
Population, 2,000
I turn over to Jerrick who had his arms wrapped around Kat who continued standing with her head into his chest.
"Do you have a marker?" I asked him. His eyes searched my face, confused but obliged as he pulled out a black sharpie. My friends surround me in a circle as they watch me write on the big green sign. I cross out the 'welcome to' and replaced it with a 'trouble in' before stepping back and handing the marker back over to Jerrick.
"Trouble in Tiltown? Really?" West scoffs with a smile, looking over to me.
"I learn from the best." I smirk at him. Silence came over us as we overlooked the town.
"Where's Diego?" James suddenly blurted out the question. We all looked at one another with concern expressions.
"I'm sure he'll find us." West reassures the group as we grow more and more anxious as we waited his arrival. Jerrick suddenly stands in front of us, his hands up.
"We all need a moment to calm down. Think of everything we've accomplished, I mean, we should be proud, right?" Jerrick spoke with energy, his eyes bouncing off one to the other person.
"I suppose so." James spoke, his head facing the grass below us.
"Laurence!" Jerrick exclaims, "If we didn't spend so much of our time exploring, we would've never fixed Tiltown." He says with a goofy smile, gripping me into a hug for a moment. My sleeve suddenly turns wet as he pulls away quickly. He wipes away at his eye before I could say anything else.
"Uhh, hello?" West says, his hand pointing at himself. Jerrick walks over to Abraham and West who were standing side by side.
"And if it wasn't for your strange and ominous radio show, we would've been on our own. That wouldn't have turned out as well." He admits with a shy laugh as West smirks proudly, until it stops abruptly.
"Wait a minute, strange? Ominous?" West repeats, offended. Jerrick laughs nervously until he returns back to Kat.
"With each other, we make a good team." He finishes as he squeezes his hand around Kat. As the sun slowly begins to come down and a dark glow overlooks us, suddenly things become a bit more eerie.

"Okay seriously, Diego isn't here and it's been about thirty minutes." I say with frustration, running my hand throw my hair, accidentally messing it up as I do so.
"Calm down!" Abraham yells at me.
West takes his brother back with his hand, "Hey, watch your tone."
"It has been a while." James agreed along with me.
"Guys." Kat spoke quietly. Jerrick comes up beside me, scowling at Abraham.
"Don't yell at him." Jerrick defended me against Abraham.
"Guys!" Kat hollered. All of our heads snapped back at her, as she stood with her eyes at the town.
"What's wrong, Kat?" Jerrick asked, running up to her. Instead, she raised her arm and pointed ahead of her. We looked to what she was pointing at, and it didn't take us long to figure out. Flames running throughout the town as groups of people and families limped their way down the streets, leaving a burning Tiltown behind. West takes a few steps closer, taking the scene in.
"What's happening?" West wondered aloud. Families continued to past us, one after another. Safely, and not hurt. I attempted to stand taller to see if any of them were Diego until Jerrick pulled me back by the shoulder.
"We gotta go." He tells me as the rest of the group suddenly rushes into the car frantically.
I glance back as I see the flames grow higher, "But, Diego!" I attempt to fight against his strength but despite my efforts, he pulls me along with him to the car easily.
"We're going, Laurence!" He yells to me as he tosses me gently into the backseat along with himself behind me. Putting my hands on the window, I watched the town burn to the ground rather quickly. My eyes glanced back to the sign, the lettering melting away.

WELCOME TO TILTOWN
Population, 0

We drove back to Elm's Rest. Abraham allowed us to sleep over at his home after explaining vaguely as to what had happened. Jerrick and Kat made a makeshift bed out of blankets on wooden floors. James slept on a couch and West took the guest room upstairs. My spot was by the window as I watched for hours, hoping to see Diego.

I awoke with a jump suddenly. Looking back, everyone was still asleep. I looked down to my watch, reading 1:30 am. I sighed with frustration and decided I needed to look for Diego myself. I tip-toed out the front door and began with my search until I came across a hospital. My gut twisted as I had hoped to myself that he was at least alive, inside.

"Diego, uh.." I tell the front desk. She looks up at me with a raised eyebrow.
"You have to know his last name, sir." She says with an apologetic voice. Before I could reply, an arm wraps around me tightly into a hug. As we let go, it was my mother.
"Mom?" I breathed with surprise.
"Don't worry, I'm okay." She reassures my worries.
"Then why are you here?" I inquired her. Suddenly, her face drops into seriousness. Instead of a response, she takes my hand and leads me to a room. There laid Diego, with tubes in his arm. I rushed up to his side as my eyes turned glossy.
"No!" I yelled, my voice cracking.
He softly placed his hand on my arm, "I burnt Tiltown to the ground, like I always had planned."
"But, you.." My voice trails off as I sniffled the tears away.
His chapped lips turned in a weak grin, "That's it. That's the end."