The Hope Of Humanity (Discontinued)

Chapter 8: Not Normal

The night after the fire we had camped in the wilderness. Not only was it hard to sleep on the dirt, I was also haunted with nightmares.

Faceless shapes pleaded with me before being swallowed by black flames.

My brother, a bullethole in his head, stumbles towards me with arms open before falling into a pile of machine parts.

Water surrounded me, and blue spirits floated around me, pulling me deeper into an abyss of darkness. When my feet touched the bottom, the water started to boil and the ground opened up to reveal everyone who I had ever loved, drowning. They pulled me into the crevice and it closed around me, sealing me in the ground forever.

Finally, a blue sign glowed in the sky, when suddenly fire rained upon the green land. The fire destroyed humans, plants, and nonliving things like houses and cars. Soon the world was as barren as it is now, and I couldn't help feeling it was all my fault.

All of it.

I was woken by Petro. He seemed a bit worried. "What's wrong?!" He yells at me as he shakes me awake.

It took me a moment to realize I had been screaming and crying. My cheek was wet and my throat sore. I took a few short, gasping breaths and I turn to Petro with a panicked look.

"It's all my fault." I say to him, my eyes widening in absolute horror.

I lean over away from him and puke, the dinner of mushroom stew and metallic water spewing everywhere. I tried closing my eyes, but the faceless corpses of those I killed swam in front of my black vision, blaming me for their entire tortuous lives.

Petro seemed hesitant to touch me, like trying to comfort me would earn a metal slap to the face, or worse, a gun to the head.

I wiped my mouth and stood up. "I need a moment to myself." I say quietly. I walk always away until I find a boulder and sit on it. I bury my face in my hands and cry. "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. If I could take it back I would. I'd take it all back. I don't know what I've gotten myself into..." I sob, shakes taking over my body. "How did the world get even crueler while I was away? Is there truly no good in anyone anymore? Where has humanity gone?"

I look up at the sky. Despite being in the middle of nowhere, few stars were seen. The pollution from the nuclear blasts really messed up the atmosphere, I guess.

Petro POV (you're gonna see more of this)

I stared at the girl in mild concern as she walked off. She was in no shape to protect herself from ghouls or bandits, so I follow her silently after picking up the camp.

I arrive just as she starts to speak. For a moment I think she is talking to me, but it is soon clear she has no idea I am here.

"I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. If I could take it back I would. I'd take it all back. I don't know what I've gotten myself into... How did the world get even crueler while I was away? Is there truly no good in anyone anymore? Where has humanity gone?"

I stand silently and take her in. She has to be has Angel. I have never seen someone so affected by death as she has. She was showing signs of PTSD, which doesn't make sense. What exactly happened in her past to make her hate death so much? Not even death, but the act of killing?

"AJ."

She snaps out of her trance and turns to me in shock. Her eye was even more red than it was when I woke her up.

I felt like comforting her, but I had no idea what to say to a girl who has a heart. I was used to killers, not humanitarians with PTSD.

"It's getting daylight. We should head out. There's still a lot of places we need to hit before the week is over."

A/N:

So, I know this chapter is really short. I kind of just wanted to show how this PTSD was affecting her. In case you were wondering, she did have PTSD before the Fallout. The why will be revealed next chapter. If you don't know what PTSD is, have a screenshot.

Ignore the other tab or I will stab you