Echoes of roaring gunfire travel throughout the city, quickly drowned out by ear-splitting explosions sprouting chaotically around the entire island. The cold, ash-covered sea washes ashore as the tide rises, taking heaps of sand with it as it's pulled back into the ocean current. The water slowly washes away the sand from around Axel's body with each splash onto the shore. Uncovering his wrinkled and dehydrated skin, overrun with crabs crawling over him as they make their way to the sea.
A chilly breeze graces him with a gentle touch, while a few crabs crawl over his face. His fingers and eyelids begin to twitch, shivering from the cold splash of the waves swallowing him to his neck. Suddenly he jumps up from the wet sand, causing all the crabs to scatter from around him. He breathes heavily with his mouth wide open, lips dried and crusty, eyes red and irritated. He stares blankly at a crab crawling towards the water, being pushed back by the incoming wave repeatedly. Then he notices he doesn't hear anything, no explosions, no gunfire, no screams.
Axel: "Was it all a dream?"
Axel rocks his head back as he sits in the wet sand underneath him, looking up to a jet black sky.
Axel: "Rain clouds?"
As he stares at the sky a little longer, he notices little black specs falling from the darkened sky. Bits of black ash land on his face, he slowly wipes his face and glances at the palm of his hand, noticing the crumbled bits of ash on his fingers. He then realises that the sky isn't filled with rain clouds but instead flooded with thick, black smoke, raining down showers of ash. He quickly spins around to look behind him, witnessing the tall trees now charred completely black, with no leaves or extended branches, like spikes in the pit of hell.
Axel: "It wasn't a dream..."
Axel rushes up the hill of sand, climbing over the gathered ash resting on top of the dry sand. As he reaches the top, with his hands, knees and feet now covered grey with ash, his face sinks into pure despair as he stares out to the city that was once his home for the past 8 years. Now laid to waste, burnt flat to the ground, still smoking and covered in small fires as massive clouds of smoke burst out from the charred ruins.
Axel: "Zaiinnneeee!!!!!!!? R3!!!!!!? MOOOOOMMM!!!!!!!? CEAASSAAARRRRRR??!!!!!!! Scrappy?! Scrap girl where are you!!!!... Anyone..."
Axel slowly makes his way down into the city, dripping wet of the cold seawater, covered in ash as it blows heavily through the air, sticking to his wet skin. As he walks through the ruins of his old home, passing by the burning flames, the ground is painted black and red from the tons of ash and dried blood.
Axel: "No... No... Noooo! This can't be real... This can't be real!!! Where is everyone?!"
"BOOF!" A bright flame burst out from a crevasse next to him, causing him to step back, tripping on a metal arm. He falls to his knees, holding over a pool of warm blood running out of the burnt down door frame. Axel stares at his reflection in the murky blood, covered in ash.
Axel: "This must be a nightmare... Why won't I wake up? WAKE UP!!!! FUCKING WAKE UP!!!"
Tears begin to gush from his eyes, streaming down his ashy face and dripping into the pool of blood below him rippling his reflection. Axel stays crouched on the floor, sobbing softly in the rain of ash.
Axel: "I'm all alone... Where do I go? What do I do?"
He looks around from his seated position and notices the metal arm that tripped him. Stained red from the blood-drenched all over its clenched fist and forearm. He grinds his teeth together as he rises to his feet, arms tremblings from anger. His lips quiver and his eyes lids wrinkled as tears pour down his cheeks.
