Bitten Hearts

Chapter 17

"But I've found you... the person I've always wanted to be with. You've made these last few days... the best days of my life."

Raven looks up at Jake, her words catching in her throat before she continues. "I feel like the world has taken everything from us, and from you... but it gave us something incredible in return." She looks back at Jake and smiles at him gently, the rain still falling all around her. Raven looks at the rain for a moment and takes a deep breath again.

"We don't have a lot of time now... but... Jake... I don't want to lose you." Raven looks up at Jake, the fear beginning to fill her mind and her heart. She can feel her mind racing a million miles an hour as she considers their options for survival in the next few minutes. "Do you want to go try and find a bunker somewhere?" She asks Jake with a sad expression on her face. "Or, do you just want to stay here and... spend these last few minutes with me?"

"I don't want to go anywhere else. I want to stay here with you." Jake whispers to Raven, wrapping his arms around her in the rain as he hugs her. "I don't want to go anywhere else but here... I want to be with you. Even in the end, I want to spend these last few minutes with you." Jake says softly, looking up at her with tears in his eyes and a sad expression on his face.

He takes Raven's hand and gently places it on top of his chest. "I don't want to spend these last few minutes in a shelter or bunker... I want to spend them here with you." Jake says quietly, as if it's a huge confession to make in the face of death. "I don't need to be safe... right now, all I want is you."

Raven and Jake are surrounded by the rain and their love for each other. They stand together in a romantic moment as the rain continues to fall all around them. And just as the broadcast on the radio says that there's only a minute until the nuke hits, they feel each other's hands tightly wrapped around each other, loving each other with all their hearts. 

Suddenly, the ground shakes, as the nuke hits the ground. Raven and Jake's embrace is interrupted for just a second, as they feel the vibrations of the ground and the wind blows violently all around them. Time seems to slow down as Jake and Raven hold onto each other tightly, their faces inches apart from each other as they both know that this is their end. They close their eyes, enjoying this last moment of peace together before the blast wave comes. It's as if the world is trying to let them enjoy each other for just a little longer before their time comes to an end.

Jake and Raven's eyes remain closed. They can feel the rain hitting their bodies, the grass beneath them moving with the rain and the wind blowing against them. Jake opens his eyes one more time and looks at her, his face filled with love and adoration, loving every second he spends together with her. The nuke's blast wave is almost upon them, but they continue to hold onto each other tighter and tighter, savoring this moment together before their time comes to an end.

Suddenly, a flash of light as everything around them turns white. Their bodies are blown backwards by the force and the heat of the explosion, but the two of them remain locked in a final embrace. The two of them can feel the heat from the blast and the light and energy from the explosion surround their bodies.

Jake opens his eyes one more time, his consciousness beginning to slip away, as he sees Raven's face for the last time. She looks at him, her face filled with love and affection, and for a split second... they share a smile.

 The noise is deafening, and then everything falls into place... as the darkness of the void awaits them both. Raven and Jake are gone, and the world continues with nothing left of their existence but their memory with them. Forever united in the void, having their story heard through the void and the wind of time. Their love will always remain, and their light will continue to shine throughout eternity.