Ava And Ivy

18 (Truth)

*Ava's POV*

"Ivy. You promised to answer my questions."

"Technically did not promise, but," she sighed mid-sentence "yes. I am willing."

"Tell me. Everything that happened. I want to know. I think I deserve to." I took a deep breath.

"I, as you know am an inventor or something like one. With my ambitions it is one of my goals to keep myself and those I care about that are around me safe, which currently means eliminating the infected."

"Just get on with it. I don't want your whole entire life story." I rolled my eyes.

"I was working on explosives." I swerve right into a bush at that.

"Ava! Concentrate!" Ivy gripped the sides of the seat and started muttering another prayer under her breath.

"Go on." I whispered.

"Explosives that kill only infected. I had not tested them in action yet-"

"Them? Multiple?"

"Versions. All not supposed to go off unless I decided so."

"Then-"

"I was not in the house when he died. He... Reese must have set an explosive off while I was not supervising him. Oh god." She buried her face in her hands and sniffled.

"Normally he would have listened when I said not to touch crap! I just don't get..." Ivy stopped to breath, struggling to inhale and exhale.

"...Normally?" I thought out-loud, trying to drive straight. I would comfort her but I didn't know how. And my whole being felt like it was tearing itself apart at the fact he wouldn't have known he'd die. That he thought he would return unharmed, that nothing would happen when he touched the explosive that ended his short life. Maybe he thought Ivy was just overreacting when she told him not to touch anything and he was messing around out of curiosity. Or he simply knocked into it or tripped. Felt panic and dread as he hit it. I couldn't help wonder how painful it was. If he just died on the spot or got thrown and felt himself suffocate or have his body torn apart.

"I'm sorry," choked out Ivy, "really really sorry."

I bit my lip to stop myself from letting my eyes get blurry wit tears.

"So am I."

We finally got to the street where Ivy had lived. I had no idea how I hadn't stopped the car to just cry.

We turned the corner and the house appeared. What remains, at least.

The house itself in ruins, barely a single wall still standing with windows blown apart and the roof destroyed, half of it laying on the ground. The garden was crushed by parts of the house blown outwards and a single caravan stands in the center, a large metal pole tearing right through the roof. The wheels had fallen off and there was ash everywhere.

"I really do have nothing left now." she sighed, chuckling under her breath until she was laughing loudly, in a way that could just have been crying.

I started the car again and began to drive back, trying not to burst into tears while Ivy had a mental breakdown about her belongings. She whispered the occasional apology, and thanked me when I helped her out of the car.