Willow and Zoe seemed to drift apart, though Willow was okay with it. Still, Zoe could still talk to her without giving her a second glance, and that's all Willow would ask from her.
After the incident involving Marshell's Electronic Equipment, they were questioned. Both of them feigned innocence and got away with no charges. It was chalked up to an accident: a sentence that Willow would take any day.
She wondered if Zoe lived with guilt. That thought itself brought some form of shame into Willow's own conscious.
I made her a killer...
Willow passed through college, having enough money that kept her at a comfortable level. She noticed that Sammy still had no idea what he was going to do, though it seemed he had better direction than he did 4 years ago.
Now, she was doing what she wanted to do all along, though it seemed a little funny to her- considering the things she had done and gotten away with. Willow decided to push that away, knowing that her actions were already excused. Most of her actions were for survival and justice.
When she finally got her badge, a sense of pride filled into her. When she finally saw a person she thought broke away from her a few years ago, she was filled with anxiety. He never seemed to change, though Willow could tell he matured.
Connor seemed delighted to see her, though that special spark they had was gone from his eyes. He seemed to move on from his long time crush on her. It hurt her, though she knew she could never force him to like her again. Instead, she dug into herself and realized she still loved him. Willow settled on being close friends, hoping that his love for her would soon come back.
It was 2047. First it was spring, then fall, and soon, it was November and beginning to transition into the early winter.
There was a peculiar way to this day. It was November 8th: a Friday. Maybe it was the anxiousness to get out of work and go relax at home that made everyone antsy. It was exceptionally cold that day, along with being oddly quiet; the sun coming through the precinct windows-large half-spheres that let a beautiful curtain of light down onto the floor was a sight that stirred a feeling of serenity into her jumbled thoughts.
Willow was sipping coffee, still feeling drowsy despite she already had her morning coffee. It was around 11 o'clock. Willow was cursing her drowsiness, closing her eyes to try and conjure up some kind of energy. She walked into the kitchen, noticing the emblem painted into the thick glass. A badge-shaped insignia with three towers in the middle, the tallest one being The Queen- that glorious shining symbol of Stratford's freedom and desire to defy rules.
Connor was there, also sipping a coffee.
"Sleep's bad for you too?" Willow asked, sipping more of her coffee. Connor groaned gently as if affirming what she thought.
"Yeah..." He muttered. Connor set down his cup, yawning gently.
"Is it just me, or is there something off about today?" Willow glanced at him, surprised that he could feel this odd feeling as well.
"Maybe it's just the Friday." Willow tried to reason. Connor grumbled gently.
"Yeah... there's nothing special about the 8th." He took a sip before tearing the cup away from his lips. Swallowing quickly, he began to speak again.
"Unless there's a secret holiday I didn't hear about." Willow let a small chuckle escape her lips.
"No, no... there's nothing special about today." She fell silent.
So why do I feel like this? Am I missing something?
As if the TV came to answer all their questions, there was a sudden emergency broadcast. Radios all around the precinct were sudden echoing in the same chatter of request: request for back up. Willow glanced around, heart suddenly thumping wildly. Connor did the same before his eyes went to the TV. It was muted, never drawing her attention.
"Holy shit-!" Connor grabbed the remote, unmuting it. Willow glanced back at him before looking at the TV. It was 11:37AM and The Queen was on fire.
Helicopters were circling the skyscraper, trying to find the source of the sudden explosions within her core. There were bright sudden bursts of fire: gunfire. There were people fighting within The Queen, setting off bombs. A large explosive took out a chunk of the side, leaving that to be ashes and debris as they fell down onto the streets below.
Willow watched, wide eyed, wondering what was happening. Just as she looked, something burned up in the crater the bomb caused. It fell with the rest of the debris, plummeting to the ground. Then, she glanced to her right, her eyes finding their way to the half circles that let her peer look outside.
In the air, swirling as a veil to the sunlight, was black smoke. She looked back at the TV, noticing how the smoke was circling up and following with the wind.
The sun's beautiful rays were blocked out. The precinct slowly became dark. Chills ran up Willow's spine. Another explosion within The Queen, sending out a whole floor. Glass exploded outwards. Adrenaline shot up her spine. Willow covered her mouth, eyes widened as more infighting occurred.
Then, all was quiet.
There were no fires. No sudden explosions. It was still and silent for a moment. Helicopters circled it, trying to find the perpetrators. Willow wondered if it was a terrorist attack, but she couldn't be certain.
Her eyes didn't leave the screen. Suddenly, there was a sound that echoed on the screen. The upper half of The Queen suddenly gave to the large crater in her side. Slowly, it fell, traces of debris following. The antennae went first, spearing into the ground. Floors below the chunk that fell were taken out as it fell not too far from its side. Glass shattered as the top 20 floors toppled over.
Connor exclaimed in shock as he watched the chunk of floors take the police helicopter with it. A large explosion caused from the collision fired out underneath the dark debris. The fall seemed slow, but almost instant. It sounded like a small distant freight train, then a loud explosion as it hit the ground, creating a visible impact. Black smoke swirled up, glass coming down like natural rain.
Willow watched, hopeful that was it. That the pillar of the entirety of her safe childhood wouldn't completely drop from the sky. Then, as if hell heard her prayer, there was a large bang underneath. The light was blinding, the shockwave visible as it weakened The Queen's base. It cracked the pavement all around the tower.
Then, as a whole singular standing pillar, The Queen began to drop.
Willow was silent, eyes wide as she watched the tallest tower she's ever known drop from the sky. Smoke followed its fall. She could almost hear the sound of failing metal. People ran for their lives down below, diving into any unlocked building as large debris chunks and smoke came swirling to them.
Connor was squeezing his coffee cup tightly, mouth open as he watched the news broadcast as it circled around the sight. Right around the crater in the Earth used to be a place that held the most magnificent tower the country has ever seen. Willow could feel her phone buzzing with calls that she couldn't think of answering.
She just stared. The image of that deep crater burned into her memory forever.
YOU ARE READING
The Grean Household
Romance"It was a mistake..." She told her mother, folding her hands into each other. "Marrying him..." Her mother said nothing, she simply sat there as her only daughter stood across from her, on the verge of collapsing from bruised ribs and cracked shins...
