The End

Hope

"Hurry up Jason we're almost there!" said Myles excitedly, almost running towards a turn in the road. "Slow down Myles!" I gasped jogging after him "we've been running for ages!"

"I'm sorry!" said Myles over his shoulder "but I haven't seen my wife and son in 12 weeks!" "Ok, ok!" I shouted back, clutching a stitch in my chest.

Myles had reached the corner and went round it almost laughing with happiness as he caught sight of something, "it's hope Jason!" he cried.

I caught up to Myles and rounded the corner. I could see why it was called hope. The town hit the eye from where it sat in the huge field and it gave a sense of hope that humanity could indeed rebuild itself.

"Wow..." I breathed. "I know right!" said Myles enthusiastically "let's go!", and without further ado he ran off across the field towards Hope. I smiled warmly and followed Myles. There was something enormously heart-warming and comforting to see a father so excited to be reunited with his family.

I looked ahead to see Myles stood still staring at the Walls of hope. "Myles?" I asked suddenly feeling uneasy, I caught up to Myles who was still staring transfixed at the walls.

"Myles what's wrong?" I demanded, Looking at Myles's now frozen face. "Where are the guards?" muttered Myles continuing to stare at the walls.

Ice cold fear stole into my heart at these words, and I looked carefully to see that the guard towers were indeed empty and that plumes of smoke Rose from within the walls.

Without a word Myles sprinted off to the left along a wall to the gate, I followed without hesitation joining Myles in his desperation to find out what had happened to his home.

The large wooden gate at the front was blasted off it's hinges and the guard post next to it was bloodstained and smashed. A single arm was protruding from behind the sandbags of the ruined guard post and rested bloody and twisted in full view.

Something was definitely wrong here and as we sped into the town through the gate, complete carnage met us. Blood and gore lined the streets in great swathes and ran through the gutters like a river.

Body parts scattered the street and a glance down an alleyway revealed what looked like a whole body sitting slumped against a wall. "Marietta! Mike!" shouted Myles as he ran "it's me! It's daddy! I'm back!" Myles sobbed desperately "please answer!".

I felt deeply for Myles as we ran and I also joined him in calling for his wife and son. After several minutes of running and yelling Myles had led us finally to a short. line of modest looking small houses.

"Marietta?! Mike?!" yelled Myles up to the windows of the middle most house. Most of the houses in the town had blood splashed in the windows or along the path but Myles's one did not, and I felt a surge of hope for Myles.

Myles evidently felt the same and raced up the path yelling "daddy's coming!" and hammered on the front door, but the door was jammed shut, so Myles shot the lock off the door without hesitation before kicking it in.

I followed slightly more cautiously as Myles charged in tearing up the house calling for his family. After a couple of minutes the calls stopped, to be replaced with sobbing.

I entered what looked like the living room and saw Myles sitting in the middle, clutching a slightly worn photograph, sobbing uncontrollably.

I approached him slowly and sat next to him on the floor and patted him consolingly on the back. "I.... failed, you know..." gasped Myles between his sobs. "When........ When..... my family..... needed me the most....... I wasn't there....." he heaved with another sob "I.... Failed to.... Protect them.....".

"I know how you feel....." I managed to say "I also failed, to save my father....". We sat there for what seemed like a long time, and Myles's sobs slowly subsided.

"Here" said Myles showing me the photograph. "Marietta and Mike" he said. I looked at the picture. It was slightly worn and torn but the main picture was untarnished.

It showed Myles standing in the centre tall and proud, a smile of true happiness on his face. To his right stood a slender beautiful woman with waist-length blonde hair. She had watery blue eyes and a kind face. Between them stood a small boy of around 9 years old and he was smiling as widely as his parents, his innocence radiating out of the photo.

"You're lucky you have a family Myles" I said sincerely handing the photo back to Myles. "Had" said Myles sullenly, "I have nothing now....". I sat there thinking about whether I should confess my mission to Myles.

To hell with it, I thought. "Myles" I said looking at him. "Yeah?" croaked Myles. "I've been given a mission" I said "I'm travelling to the Gherkin to deliver a message about a new threat, which I'm sure has something to do with what happened here.".

Myles lifted his head and looked at me. "Really?" he asked. "Yes" I replied "and also, if you've noticed, all the houses that have dead inhabitants are covered in blood, but in this house there's clearly been a struggle, but no blood, right?"

"Right..." said Myles turning to me quickly, now suddenly hopeful "so that means they're alive?" he asked me "I think so" I said looking into Myles's eyes.

Myles's face brightened slightly and he smiled at me. "Thank you Jason for coming this far with me." he said with deep sincerity. "Don't mention it" I replied just as sincerely. After another minute of silence Myles said "I'd like to return the favour Jason." "What?" I asked, not sure whether I had heard properly. "I'd like to join you on your mission to deliver that message and do something about that threat" said Myles calmly but with a powerful determination burning in his eyes, "The threat that has taken my family from me".

I looked long and hard at Myles and considered him, I now considered Myles as one of the few people I would take a bullet for and I didn't like the idea of potentially getting him killed. Then again, his knowledge and skills in trading and routes would be invaluable for my task... and he had lost his family...

Finally I said "You would be most welcome to join me". "Thank you Jason" said Myles "this is for family." "I understand" I said smiling, "hopefully we make it and we save your family". "Yeah" said Myles also smiling as he stepped forwards and grasped my hand in his,"let's do this!".