City of the Dead

Chapter 16

Throughout the majority of my life, I've often pondered the idea of death. Or rather, I've always been faced with death itself. Not that I myself wanted to die, but death always follows me. Maybe that is why I left my home. Because the outcome of my stay was either I watch my father drink himself to death, or he kills me. Everyone would probably think that I was acting selfishly in my decisions, but that was my reality. It's like you said Dr. Robinson, 'you can't save everyone.'

"They killed Isaac..."

The very words that no one wishes to hear, is that a loved one has died. But even I know that death is inevitable. I looked at David to see if he was joking and I responded, "Stop joking David, where's Isaac?"

"Anna, I..." David didn't know how to respond back. But little did he know that I was beginning the spiral down a dark path, one of which I don't think I will ever get out of.

"Stop bullshitting David! Where is he?" I demanded.

David's expression was fear, fear of the monster that is hunting him, but also fear of me.

"Tell me where he is David!" I pushed him to stop the act, but he didn't say anything. He just stood there and took my wrath.

"David please!" I pleaded, hoping it wasn't true when Ardeth grabbed me from behind and said, "Anna, calm down."

"He said he was coming back, he promised. He promised we would be together, that we would go home together, that's what he said!" David and Ardeth helped me to the ground as I fell to my knees and cried. My cries were so painful, that I felt that I would die of a broken heart. As the news of Isaac's death settled in, my body started to react in a way I have never experienced before. I felt numb and empty, like someone ripped out my heart and left me as an empty vessel. The tears would not stop, and the only thoughts I had left were of our last moments together.

"He promised we would go back home together." I repeated.

"I know" replied Ardeth.

"He said we would be together."

"I know" replied David.

"Then why did he leave me?"

Once David heard that, he turned away as though he was about to cry. Ardeth pulled me in to hug him and grabbed my head with his hands to say, "He did not leave you. He will always be with you, even if you can't see him, he is with you. You two had a connection that only a few can experience and no matter where you are or what you do, the memories you had with him, will never change the way you felt about him."

The way that I felt. Yes, Isaac was someone very dear to me. But it wasn't what Ardeth said that prompted me to ask this question, but the way he said it. "How do you know he will be there for certain?" I asked.

"Because destiny has a way of placing you where you need to be."

I leaned my head against Ardeth's chest as I continued to cry. Ardeth said nothing after that, he just kept holding me and brushing the top of my head to keep me calm. Moments passed and the only thing in my mind was the creature. How he took the one person I hold dear to me. My pain and sadness turned to frustration and anger. Angered that he took Isaac from me and frustrated that I couldn't do anything to stop him. I lifted my head from Ardeth's chest and said, "It's not over yet." As I said that, everyone turned towards me. "We need to put an end to this nightmare." I try to stand up as David offers me a hand to help me up. As I wiped the tears from my eyes, I reassured David, "He's not getting away with this."

As I looked towards our group, Rick, Evelyn, Jonathan, David, Dr. Bay and Ardeth, looking to me to see what we should do next.

"Rick, where did the creature attack?" I asked.