When the World Ends

30; Angel

I chose to walk behind Micah and Alfred, which gave me plenty of time for thinking. Daye genuinely did seem better than he did at the apartment before we convinced - coerced - him to come to the hospital. Perhaps with the proper medicines, he will continue to improve. We are nearly back at the emergency room entrance, and I have no idea where Micah parked the car. I hope it's not a long walk; I suddenly find myself exhausted.

Patting my mouth to cover the tail end of a yawn, I toss my coat over my shoulder and take out my cell phone. Slowly, I navigate to the messaging app and open the chat log for Astrid to send her a message on our whereabouts in the hospital. Luckily, Alfred knows where he's going or I'm certain Micah and I would be lost by now. 

Tonight, the emergency room is quite empty, which is great. The least amount of people having an emergency the better. A few steps later, we are through the lobby, stepping into the cool breeze of the early evening. Something bumping my left shoulder draws me away from my thoughts and when I glance up, I'm startled to see Micah standing beside me gazing down at me. 

     "Something troubling you?" He questions, raising a brow. 

I shake my head, anxiously tucking a tuft of hair behind my right ear. "No, not really. Just thinking. I let Astrid know how close to the entrance we are." I offer a quick smile, casting my gaze to the ground.

     "Oh, well... then I suggest we get to the car as quickly as we can." He turns back to Alfred, who is waiting near the curb. "I couldn't get too close. About the second or third row back."

The two begin to walk away, leaving me behind again. Sighing, I tug my coat off my shoulder and begin to pull it on as I follow behind them. I really hope Daye won't continue to get into these incidents. Not that I asked to be a cronie but living with Astrid for the time being sort of indirectly-directly involves me. As a human, I'm glad he's safe. As the son of the man who took me from my family and made my childhood one of slavery and humiliation, I'm not too heartbroken at the idea of him having a permanent ailment. Cruel of me? Perhaps. But nowhere near as cruel as his father was to me, to his own wife and children, his citizens... Although, I will admit that so far, Daye seems honest and adamant about making positive changes that will genuinely benefit the longevity of Syra as a whole. True, a child should not pay for the sins of his father, but some apples don't fall far from the tree, either.

     "Angel-" Micah says softly, once again luring me from my thoughts. Casting a shifty glance in Alfred's direction, who is now walking ahead of both of us, he adds, "I can tell there is something bothering you. Are you sure you're alright? You can tell me anything. I'm no friend of the Elector and I can keep a secret." 

I shake my head. "Nothing that serious, I promise. I'm just really tired and want to go home." I smile softly. "I naturally have a lot on my mind. That in and of itself is exhausting." I pat his upper arm, looping my arm into the crook of his own. Anything to get him to stop interrogating me long enough to get to the car. 

Eventually, winding around car after car, we come to the sleek sports car we arrived in. Alfred helps us into the back and the slides into the driver's seat. Starting the car, he adjusts the air and some other settings before expertly backing out and pulling up in front of the hospital. Putting the car into park, he jumps out of the car and comes around to the passenger side door. When we had originally got in, Micah scooted all the way to the left, I am in the middle and we left the right-side seat open for Astrid who will jump in before Daye, who will pull the door shut - that is, if everything goes according to plan.  At the front of the hospital, some people with cameras have showed up, but not nearly as many as I was expecting. They don't know this car full of people is with the Elector or they would probably be trying to break the windows and ask us questions. 

The buzzing of my phone startles me, pulling me back to reality. Tugging it out of my pocket, I see a reply from Astrid that says, 'Excellent. We're on our way out right now. Make sure everyone is in place!' 

Reaching forward, between the headrest and the side of the car, I knock on the window. Alfred spins around, cracking the door just enough for my voice to escape. "Alfred," I start, making sure he can hear me. When he nods, I continue, "Astrid said they're on their way out right now."

Nodding once more, he closes the door and resumes his position, facing the emergency entrance. I can't wait to get home. A comfortable bed is something I'm still getting used to. I need to check my emails, but I don't even know what those are. They're something Astrid had mentioned to me; she said that's how the contractors for the apartment complex would contact me. Sighing, I close my eyes and lay my head back. There is a quiet melody coming from Micah's phone, almost like a lullaby. I lean my head to the left and peek down at his phone. He's playing some sort of game, I suppose. A sudden loud chattering makes me sit up, glancing out the small window in the back of the car. 

Astrid is on the outside of the duo, shielding Daye from any reporters or cameras. At once, they are at the car. Astrid dives in beside me, Daye plops into the front seat and immediately tugs the door shut as Alfred rounds the car and jumps in. A few seconds later the engine roars to life and we're speeding off. As fast as the duo was moving, any pictures the reporters got are sure to be blurry and unuseable. 

Collectively, we all sigh in relief and spend most of the ride home in an anxious silence, Micah playing his game, Astrid reading what she can about Daye's medication as we pass under the drones that illuminate the street. I keep to myself, pondering the life I was just thrust into. 

Pulling into the apartment complex parking lot, Alfred parks in the spot closest to the front, presumably so Daye can put the minimum amount of stress on his body possible. Once we're all out of the car, we amble towards the entrance and stumble into the lobby. Micah bids us farewell and crosses the lobby, taking the stairs which at the moment, do seem faster than the elevator. Alfred briefly speaks to the lady behind the counter, alerting her to turn away anyone that might show up with a camera. She nods, waving at us as we mosey towards the elevator and practically fall into it.

When we reach the third floor, Alfred says that he will stay with Daye so the two of us can rest. Barely hearing what Astrid, Daye and Alfred are talking about, I turn around and open the apartment door. When I turn around to close it, the last thing I see is Daye looking at me, a worried expression plastered on his face. I fake a gentle smile and then make a beeline directly for my room. Dropping my satchel in the floor with one hand, I lock the door with the other. A trail of clothes follow behind me as I wrestle them off and get my pajamas on. I'll pick them up tomorrow but for now, I must sleep. I barely get the blanket over me before my eyes are sliding shut and I'm out.