Bloodbath [Inanimate Insanity Fanfic]

Chapter Fourteen

Day Fourteen

Before I knew it, the entire basement was falling apart. The walls were crumbling and the ground was shaking. Even the AC nearly broke in half.
"Balloon!"

I quickly glanced over to the other side. The roof was caving in even faster.

Oh no..Taco!

The floor suddenly split in half as more gunshots exploded left and right.

"Taco, are you still there?"

A huge chunk of debris flew in and hit Taco's shell. My eyes widened.

"Taco!"
"Yes, Balloon. Before you ask, I'm alright. That gave me quite a scare, though."
"But-"
"We need to get out of here, Balloon! Fast! If you want to save me, you'll have to jump. There's no other way, you know!"

......

Why am I crying now?

"Taco.."
She huffed from the other side of the destroyed room. More debris fell around us.
"Don't worry, Balloon. You..can do it, okay? I believe in you; so does OJ."

..OJ, huh.

If only I was as brave as him.

Because..

"We'll always be best friends, Balloon. Even after this war, you will always be in my heart."
"I'm afraid of losing you.."
"Don't be. If I die, I want to die knowing I protected someone I care about."
"OJ.."
"I wish I could fight for you."
"No, Balloon. I need you to be safe."
"But what about you?"
"Your safety is my priority, Balloon. If I can protect you by fighting alone, then that's good enough for me."
"Well, whatever happens, I want you to know that you'll always be my hero and my closest friend."
"Likewise, Balloon. But I want you to know something."
"What?"
"I know it'll take a lot to survive this mess of a war, but I believe in you. You'll see it through, just you wait and see."
"Really?"
"..You're a lot braver than you think, Balloon."

I really miss him. My tears were unstoppable now.

But..he's the reason why I've come this far. OJ has done so much for me, for Taco - and that cost him his life. We were still alive because of him.

So..

I won't let him die in vain!

He was brave on the battlefield, and now it's my turn to be brave!

I furiously pushed my tears away and hurriedly floated towards Taco.
"Balloon--!"
As more and more debris and gunpowder smothered the air I yanked her arm, and we bolted directly out of the basement.
Despite the bullets and grenades flying through the sky I pulled on Taco harder as we ran faster and faster. 

That flashback rang through my head as Taco and I raced throughout the destroyed area. The more I thought about it, the more determined I was to survive.

After a while, we stopped running. I had lost the sense of time, and I felt like I couldn't run anymore. We stopped near the beach, which was destroyed with war. As the lone moon glowed I'd dropped to the ground.

"Hey, Balloon?" I looked to my right; it was Taco. She sat beside me on the sand.
"Yes.." My high-pitched voice was weak.
"I wanted to say thank you. That was highly brave of you. You saved me, you us both. You should be proud of yourself. You're..my hero." Taco flushed a little as she looked away.

"You've always been brave, though. From the beginning of this war, you pushed your silent tears away and faced forward. That's very impressive alone," She chuckled lightly. "You're even redder than usual."
.....
"I'm just glad we're safe." I said looking at the sparkling sea. An invisible weight lifted off my heart. It felt good.

"So am I," Taco agreed, glancing at the night sky. "Hm, is the sky glowing, or is it just me?"
"Huh?"

Taco and I stood up, and the moon was slowly disappearing beneath its horizon. For some reason the world was completely quiet, and neither of us heard bullets, gunshots, debris or grenades. 

It felt as though the world had stopped, but not time itself. As if the world..was different.

"..Is it over? Is the apocalypse over?"
Before we knew it the moon had disappeared, and we were met with a glowing sunrise as the sky morphed into a beautiful morning.