Will tomorrow come today?

BOOM!

T/W: fire mention, nuke mention, war mention, death mention, verbal abuse mention, child neglect mention, panic attack(s) mention, swearing, bombing (nobody dies onscreen but yeah)

The fire... it spread so fast." Tom said. They stand a safe distance from the burning mall, the place where there had been so much slaughter, corruption and tragedy that would stay with the four for the rest of their lives, like it was erased off a chalkboard, the mall will be gone in an instant. It was a rather bittersweet feeling.

"The whole mall's comin' down." Becky added, haunted.

"Good." Lex commented, exhausted.

A car behind them honks before coming to a halt. The group pay little attention, still staring at the fire. Until a short woman with brown hair and a beanie runs towards them, "Tom, Tom, oh my god, you're alive!" Emma rushes to his side in shock. This grabs their attention.

"Emma...Pat." Tom said as her boyfriend rushes behind her.

"Paul." Emma's boyfriend corrects.

"What are you guys doing here, where's Tim?" Tom asks, panicked.

"Well, he's in the car, he's fine." Emma tells Tom.

"We saw what happened to lakeside on the news." Paul explains.

"Yeah, and it's not just Hatchetfield," Emma continues, "The whole world has gone crazy."

"Somebody nuked Moscow!" Paul panicked. "The news was saying it might be World War III until the news went out."

"We were sure you were gone." Emma told Tom, "We were gonna take Tim, get out of town. But he wouldn't let us, all he wanted was you."

"Emma, I've been avoiding it for too long. But I think it's time we finally sit down as a family and talk about Jane."

Emma blinks, trying not to let tears form at a time as urgent as this. Paul puts his hand on her shoulder. "That sounds great, Tom, let's talk on the move." He said, filling in for her while she was distressed as she had done for him countless times since they started seeing each other.

"Well where can we go, is anyplace safe?" Becky asked.

"You know, " Emma began, trying to make herself useful, not wanting to focus on whatever Tom hadn't told her about her sister. No, she only had a few people left and she wouldn't let them die like Jane did. "I have this kooky, reclusive biology professor. He lives at the edge of town. His house is like a panic room, we could go there."

"That's a great idea, Emma." Tom responded.

"Well I hope he doesn't mind us showing up unannounced." Paul said, "We can't call him, the phones stopped working." He began to panic more, "I don't even know what time it is. What am I supposed to do without my iPhone?"

"Wear a watch." Hannah stated bluntly after sensing a new presence in the Black and white. the voice that talked to her was not Webby. This was a man in a military uniform and a beret with golden hair and a short beard. Mac.

At the mention, Tom looks down at his watch, "It's 11:30."

"Good, good." Emma said, fidgeting with her hands while thinking, "His house isn't too far away, we should get there in like 15 minutes give or take."

They got into Emma's car. Paul and Emma in the front while Tom, Becky and Lex sit in the back, Hannah and Tim are in the trunk of Emma's hatchback.

As they drove, tension filled the air, there were a million things needing to be discussed, yet nobody said anything. For the first time in what seemed like forever, they could sit and think, process. After a few minutes of said processing, Lex looked up, shaking ever so slightly, worry appearing on their face. "D-do you think Ethan left the mall before it-" Hannah then begins to cry, quiet when his name was first mentioned but now it was a sob. Lex's protective instincts overshadowed their question as she turned and put her knees on the car seat to face Hannah in the trunk and comfort her.