Hatchetfield.

It was Inevitable.

The last floor of the Clivesdale hospital was more eerie than you'd think it'd be. It was mostly quiet, about 3 or 4 patients made up the residence in it's history, and there wasn't much traffic. It was mostly for folks that needed to be left alone for whatever reason and for Emma's case it was so little to no one could hear the chats her and Colonel Schaffer had about the 'Hatchetfield Catastrophe'.

The past 2 weeks the small town of Clivesdale was in a panic about what happened to their sister city; wiped out in one day almost out of nowhere. Many saw the meteor hit but had no clue just what it would really mean for the citizens of the small island town. And now the only thing on TV, the radio, newspapers and chat between friends, family and coworkers was the tragedy of Hatchetfield.

But Emma knew, oh Emma knew just what really happened there. In one day, the small, boring, shitty shitty town she grew up and hated had become hell on Earth. A flamboyant and obnoxious hell, but hell nonetheless. Homes, shops, the park, even the alleyways were filled with singing and dancing, the jolly sign of an alien race set to destroy earth starting in a small remote town. Anyone infected had their minds turned to mush and was reconstructed into a happy, thoughtless slave to the Broadway-style melodies that the extraterrestrial visitor brought with them.

According to Colonel Schaffer, had it not been for her friend's brave sacrifice, destroying the meteor, the aliens, and himself, the virus would have spread and it would mean the end of both human life and possibly the destruction of Earth itself.

And now, here she sat, the lone survivor of possibly the shortest apocalypse in human history, in the Clivesdale Hospital, waiting for someone named Ben Bridges. Schaffer said they were close but Emma had no clue who the hell he was. She didn't have many friends back in Hatchetfield and on her backpacking trips she wasn't too social either. She didn't know anyone named that. She was scared, to be honest. Some random stranger was gonna walk through that door and drive her across the country, alone. Of course she trusted the Colonel with her decision but it was still nerve-wracking; who is this guy?

The sound of footsteps came down the nearby hallway, and soon around the corner came the figure of a tall, gangly man in a deep brown suit and tie. His eyes were closed as stepped into view, about 8 feet from Emma, but they opened and a look of surprise and excitement spread across his face.

Emma's face was more or less the same, but more confusion in her mind than anything. It couldn't be...right? This...she must be dreaming!

"Paul..!" Her voice wavered, about to cry in disbelief and thankfulness as she shot out of her chair and ran to him, as best as she could with a healing leg, and gave him a huge hug. She held him tight as she wiped her tears on his suit, not meaning to but she kinda couldn't control it. "Oh my- oh my God, you made it! We made it!!" There was a knot in her throat as she looked up at him, his silent but genuine smile showing how much he was happy too. She buried her face into his chest some more, feeling so safe, so relieved. Her hold on him only got tighter when he rested his head on hers, holding her close.

"E..." he finally spoke up but quickly stopped himself as he tightened his grip on Emma; she could feel him shaking as he did so, "Emma...I'm sooorry...you loooost~" He sang.

He sang.

Emma's eyes quickly shot open, and her heart almost stopped. She glanced up at him, giving a nervous smile. "Paul?" His eyes were closed again, it was almost like he was trying to avoid her gaze, but that same grin was still on his face.

"Emma....I'm soooorryy," his grip loosened as he rested a hand on her face, positioning her to look up at him. His eyes opened, half-lidded but she could see the color and expression in them. Once a soft and comforting brown color were now a piercing and horrifying bright cyan blue, one she knew all too well, "You loooost~"