The Tragedy Of Life

Truth

A month later

We settled well into the new area. After the week's journey there with Level, we decided to stay with her and help build her new group. She had two people from her old group at the safe point who were devastated to hear of their comrades tragedy. Tiber and I hadn't left each other's sides for the duration of our time there. But, since we had found our place in the group, it was a chance to find some new recruits, some new people who needed a home. We were sent to a city yet another week's walk away from the safe point and the two of us had enjoyed the journey together. The ground had become familiarly comfortable.

"Hey, Ti? I can see the city." Sure enough the rough outlines of the buildings shine in the sun about an hour away.

"Yeah... It's pretty." Ti rests a hand on my shoulder, by now fully healed. I don't know why his touch always comforts me but, I feel a wave of calm overcome my body until he drops his hand.

"Let's go." We spend the hour walk in silence. It's by far the most comfortable part of the walk. When we can just feel each other's presence. The closer we get, the less beautiful the place becomes. We can see the true tragedy that happened here. All the buildings are rubble and few signs of life remain.

"You think anyone's here?" Tiber asks.

"I don't know. Level never told us what to do in a situation like this." I reply.

"Wanna just sit and see if anyone will come to us." He suggests. I smile at him.

"No! That's not even half an idea! Would you just come out from hiding?" I start laughing.

"Okay.. Well, I was just trying to help." He pushes me to the ground in my weakened state of laughter.

"Stop laughing!" He says loudly but, I know he's about join in. I pull him down with me and let him have a moment of happiness.

"Okay, seriously, stop." He calms himself down slowly.

"Sorry, sorry. But, honestly? Would you just come out? You've been hiding for so long and then you just come out of hiding because you see two guys? For all anyone knows we could be murderers. And this city is so big no one could ever see us from where they were."

He thinks for a second, "You know, I never thought there was anything outside the walls of our city..."

"You mean," I look at him, "You thought we were all that there was?"

"Yes. I don't even know how I thought so small now. The world is so overwhelming."

"Yeah, the world is pretty big."

Tiber looks down and I push the hair out of his eyes, "What wrong?"

Ti catches my gaze, "We are so small in the world. No matter what happens to us, everything continues. I wish it would all stop sometimes. It's so hard. If I fall, nothing changes to help me back up. I need to cope myself. And I couldn't have. If you weren't there, I wouldn't know what to do anymore. You know when you injured your shoulder? Well, you were so close to dying at one point. I thought... I just didn't know what I'd do, how I'd survive. That's when the world would stop for me. Only it wouldn't stop.. Because the world doesn't care about what happens to me. The world doesn't care what happens to you. It'll just keep going on if you don't."

I grab his hand, "Understood. So, do you want to just wait here for a bit then?"

"No. That's stupid." He lets go laughing.

"Then we'll approach this with a strategy." I say.

"Okay, and what does this strategy happen to be?"