USS Apocalypse

Sea Day

It only took a few hours for the ship to grow quiet again, the wails of the dying finally fading away. Their bodies locked away, out of sight. The coastline soon disappeared beneath the horizon as well, leaving the Breeze to be surrounded by water once again.

Mitch walked alone through the halls, enjoying the silence. He was alone... just like he wanted.

Eventually, he returned to the observation deck, to watch the sunset. It was the same place where he and Andy danced, the same place where...

"So, you got what you wanted?"

Mitch didn't have to turn around to know who it was.

"I thought you would survive."

"I can't die," Andy replied. "And neither can you, apparently."

She walked up beside him, looking up at his face. "But now, you got what you wanted. You, this ship, just the two of you."

"And you, apparently," He replied snidely.

Andy rolled her eyes. "I'm not really here. I never was. Nothing here is real. But you knew that already."

Mitch's grasp tightened on the railing, the salt splitting beneath his fingers.

Andy narrowed her eyes. "You aren't the first person like this. I've met many. Those stuck in the valley of denial. But none have stayed as long as you... and they say Purgatory is bad."

"Andy... why did you try to help me?"

"They always tell us that there's nothing we can do. Fate is fate... everything you do has already been decided. But still, I can't accept that. Every time... I try to save those I meet. But, I- I can't. I can't do anything..."

Her voice was suddenly broken by a sob, and she collapsed on the railing. Mitch reached out and put a hand on her shoulder, trying to comfort her.

"I'm sorry I couldn't stop you, Mitch. You deserved so much better."

Mitch sighed, and, to his own surprise, smiled. "You know... you should have seen this ship when I first got assigned. I was just a janitor at the time... But I was amazed just the same. Everything seemed so elegant, so refined... everyone was having a good time. I was proud to be placed on the most beautiful vessel in the world. I worked day in and sat out, sending all my money home. My mother, she needed all she could get for the surgery. But in the end, it wasn't enough."

Andy sighed and straightened up, not saying anything.

"And then the years went on. I got old, I got promoted, and this felt less and less like a job. This was a home. But I couldn't see what was happening around me. I can see it now." He gestured around them. "The salt, the sea began to reclaim this ship. It got older with me, the decorations were now tacky and unneeded... It became obsolete. Like myself, apperently. But you can't stop change, no matter how much it takes. Maybe I was desperate to escape it all. I didn't really think things through. So I created all of this to preserve what little I had left... But maybe it's better to just have nothing."

Andy took his hand. For the first time, Mitch looked down into her unearthly eyes. He knew who she was. She wasn't Andy, she was Andrew. Andrew Jackson, the Dark rider on a Pale horse. Her black dress motionless in the wind. No, she wasn't Andrew...

"Your middle name... must be Azrael." Mitch's words were soft, broken. "It really is your job to worry about me."

Andy nodded. "Mitch... will you please come with me now?"

Mitch turned and looked back through the door. He could see the silent slot machines in the casino, the busy floor tile designs, and the funky light fixtures. His home...

"Was there a future for me on land?" He asked.

"Yes. There is always a future. I wish you asked me that before."

Mitch shook his head. "No, it wouldn't have changed anything. Like you said... This was predestined."

He looked back down at her. "Yes. I'll go with you."

Andy smiled, in relief. "Thank you, Mitch."

She reached out and placed her hand on his heart.

Mitch let go of the railing.

He fell, the impact jarring him to his core. The water was so cold, and it immediately pulled him down into it's embrace. Salt stung his eyes, but he didn't want to close them. He didn't stop the water from invading everybody of his body, crushing everything it could. It was terrible pain at first, but eventually dulled down to nothing.

Why was I so stupid, he thought, the words loosely connected as his brain lost function. After this for now, there is a forever. But it could have been different.

The pain was gone now, and suddenly, a bright light engulfed him. Andy. He didn't fight her this time, he let it all slip away.

Jordan.

Kathan.

Evan.

Ryan.

Ocean Breeze.

Home.

His apocalypse was over.