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canyouhearthelight · 2 months

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Chapter 18: Social Engineering

Lights, Camera, Action! Lash and Nils go public and dare people to call their bluff. The interview goes slightly off the rails, with good reason.

@baelpenrose, as co-author and beta reader for this chapter, did a great job making sure the reporters were as 'paparazzi' as possible.

I can fake a smile

I can force a laugh

I can dance and play the part

If that's what you ask

Give you all I am

Christina Perri, “Only Human”

Lash

By the time Lucas had returned to the hospital, Mori had pulled herself together and was in full combat general mode. Neither Nils nor I had clued her in to our plan regarding shaming the hospital into covering the cost of care for everyone involved in the fire, and I was grateful that he hadn’t mentioned it in front of her. With her focused on our parents’ care and haranguing doctors and nurses for updates, I could focus on dealing with the reporters who were already descending on the hospital.

Nils was hovering next to me, his hand close to mine. “Important to ask because a whole lot of people are going to ask unimportant shit and we need to be on the same page to avoid idiot drama that will deflect from our goal: we’re a couple or just good friends? It doesn’t matter what our answer is as long as it’s the same one.” He took a breath. “If you don’t have the emotional bandwidth for that, easy way out is ‘we stick to whatever bullshit they feed us until the cameras go away and something else dominates the news cycle’.”

I thought it about for a brief moment. “We’re going to be doing a lot of lying, let’s have one less to keep track of. Stick to the truth: we’re friends who recently went on our first date and you were meeting my parents when everything went down. If someone sticks a camera in my parents’ faces later down the road, they won’t have to think to confirm that.”

He nodded. “That works well enough. Okay, so to clarify our story: The hospital admins - someone even I, with all my familiarity with the hospital staff don’t know by sight - offered this to the people injured in this crisis as a one-time matter because they recognize the extraordinary circumstances involved. They recognize the crisis in the community and have risen to the occasion. We can say some nice things about the doctors that let them share the glory the local news is going to be throwing at us because hey, local news loves a hero. Hospital will be really reluctant to give it back if they can trade for political favors later.”

“Oh, I cannot wait to hear you say nice things about your father. On camera, where everyone can see it,” I teased, trying to bleed off some of my anxiety. Truth be told, any anonymity I had up until now was about to be blasted out the window when we spoke to these reporters. And I would have to use my real name, or my online persona was toast.

The thought immediately made my heart sink, tears prickling my eyes. Toast. The burned out cafe, all those lives wasted… and for what? Because some hateful asshole thought he had the right to -

I didn’t even realize I was speaking out loud until Nils bumped me with his shoulder. “Hey. I’m not going to tell you it’s okay, because it isn’t. But right now, we can honor the dead by taking care of the living. So let’s focus, okay? We can figure out whoever did this and get it back in blood later.” He offered me his hand. “For right now though, let’s go get some debts waived.”

He gave a very subtle gesture towards the window, where to my horror, I could already see news vans outside, prevented from accessing the building. Vultures. I took a deep breath, took his hand, and squeezed it. “We look like burn victims, right?” When he nodded, I nodded back. “Then let’s do this before someone stops us.”

The moment we stepped outside the door, hospital wristbands conspicuously visible, we were swarmed. I played up my shock by turning slightly into Nils, shielding my eyes. Four microphones were shoved in our faces, a female voice demanding “Were you at the fire earlier this evening?”

“Yes,” I answered. “We were inside with my parents when the fire was started.”

“Are you saying the fire was deliberate?” came a male voice from behind the blinding lights on the cameras.

“Absolutely. Someone blocked the exits and threw a burning bottle of something into the cafe.”

Nils took over at that point. “Molotov cocktails. The cafe had been the victim of several attempted arsons prior to this, according to the late owner, Ahmet Yildiz, who had, by the time this last fire claimed his life, given up on getting a proper investigation. He died attempting to help evacuate his customers and community.” His voice was clear, cold, and his words managed to bring across institutional neglect without actually blaming anyone of importance. “He wasn’t the only one.”

“We were lucky,” I choked out through a lump in my throat. “We have minor burns and some smoke inhalation, but right now my parents and many others are in surgery or the ICU. One is in the PICU.” As that last part sank in, some of the reporters and camera people around us gasped. “And we are all the lucky ones. At least three people never made it out, and we don’t know if everyone else is going to make it.”

A burst of chatter from the back of the reporters, then one of the men in the front asked a question I’d been dreading. “Can I get you two to identify yourselves?”

“My name is Elakshi Botelho. My parents, Sahar and Lorso Botelho, are still undergoing tests and treatment.”

“And mine is Nils Andover. My father is one of the doctors in the hospital, and my mother works as a lawyer.”

“We’ve heard both of your names from other witnesses at the scene, several of whom credit the two of you with a bulk of the rescues, what exactly happened during the evacuation?” Nils’ eyes flicked towards me.

I gave the tiniest of nods and took a deep breath. “The only exit was on fire. Nils was able to open one of the metal gates over the other exits. He, my father, and Uncle - Mr. Yildiz helped carry people out while my mother and I wrapped everyone in whatever cloths we could wet to keep them from getting burned or inhaling smoke. Nils and my father managed to get me and my mother out just before the cafe exploded.” My voice was trembling towards the end, and I let the tears just roll down my cheeks. I was too tired to fight them, and it probably helped our cause anyway.

“Have you spoken with authorities about the attack?” the first woman asked.

“With all due respect, I have been more concerned about my family and my community,” I responded. “We plan to speak to authorities when they reach out.”

Nils gave my hand a small pump, as though communicating silently that I’d said the perfect thing, then responded to the next question. “What went through both your heads when the fire went up?”

“Need to exit, wait, the exit is on fire, hey the windows, wait, the windows are blocked and they’re hot, oh wait, I have a leather jacket that can protect my hands while I open them.” Nils managed to drag his normal sarcasm with a trace of entirely uncharacteristic humility as though that was a chain of thoughts that would have occurred to a normal person to describe it all so dismissively. “Following that, ‘hey, leather jackets are fire resistant, I should probably help get people out,’ and somewhere in there is ‘thank God everyone here is sane, compassionate, and also helping’.”

He took a breath. “Genuinely though, it’s amazing how much everyone came together in the fire, her dad, the cafe owner, her, her mom, everyone just kinda went for it and tried to help as much as possible, evacuate people as fast as possible, tried to help medic as much as possible. The hospital’s risen to the occasion too, in the face of all this: they said they were going to take care of the victims of this attack without charge, and they’ve been giving the victims amazing care.”

The reporters went wild when Nils dropped that bit of ‘news’ on them. One managed to shout above the others a question about whether Nils’ family connection to the hospital had anything to do with that decision. “Both our fathers work for the hospital,” I confirmed when I felt him jerk like he’d been shot. “But the hospital has very much made this decision out of recognition for what can only be called a heinous act of terror committed against a small community.”

“Is it appropriate for you two to apply terrorism charges to an unknown…”

Nils’ voice cut across the question, coldly. “We just walked out of a building that exploded - killing at least three people - because a bunch of people set it on fire because they didn’t like that the owner was from the Middle East, after the building had been graffitied, repeatedly, with anti-Arab racial slurs. Terrorism is ‘violence committed against civilians for political reasons’ - what the FUCK would you call this if not that?”

I noticed that Nils left out the ‘by nonstate actors’ part from the definition of ‘terrorism.’ Regardless, murmurs rippled through the crowd. The point had been gotten across and given them something to chew on for local reports. The first reporter to recover decided to pursue that point. “Is there anything you would like to say to the people who are responsible for the fire?”

By this point, I was shaking with emotion and dying to go back inside and sit down in a quiet place, see my parents breathing. “You burned down a popular shop full of customers who were minding their own business. There are women dying upstairs for drinking tea and gossiping about their grandchildren. My cousin, Imran, is dead because he was picking up pastries for his wife and daughters. My parents are severely injured because they were there to meet the young man I had just gone on a first date with. You attacked people for being people and having lives. You are a coward, and I hope you have every day you deserve for the rest of your life.” In that moment, I couldn’t handle it anymore. I spun, pulling my hand free from Nils’ and storming back into the hospital.

I heard Nils answer one more question in a capacity that barely managed to conceal impatience verging on contempt - though that might have been my familiarity with him, the reporters seemed charmed - before I heard him rushing after me.

“I think we did it, Lash. You alright?”

Brushing tears from my cheeks, I laughed bitterly. “I am the furthest thing from alright. I want to see Mama and Baba, and I want Baba’s beard to scratch my cheek when he hugs me, even though I know his face is burned and his beard is gone. I want Mama to be nosy and pat my cheek and her bracelets clatter and her rings to bump my cheekbone like they do. I want Mori to be here to visit, not to help make sure my parents are going to survive. I want to go get coffee and have Uncle wink at me when he sneaks me extra baklava, and I can’t have any of it.” Without even thinking, I turned and buried my face in his chest, charred leather smell be damned.

“We’ll stay here for them, okay? We’ll be the first thing they see when they wake up. Promise. Your mom isn’t going to be long - it’ll be longer for your dad. But your mom should be coming out within an hour or two at this point.” Nils hugged me then, as though on impulse. His chin fit exactly on top of my head, and he was patient enough to let me ugly cry on him until all I was left with were sniffles and hiccups.

He said nothing about what I must look like after all that, only steadying me. “I think you need your sister right now. Let’s go find her. She reminds me of your mom, so she probably knows exactly what to do.”

#original fiction #nihilus rex #traumatized characters #original writing #modern dystopia #afterverse #writeblr #the miys #arcadian inquisition #science fiction #original science fiction #original sci fi #my writing #friend’s writing

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c0smic-petals · 7 months

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Hello everyone! First post on tumblr ^^

This is a character design or my friend’s ( @idomybest12 ) au. This is afterverse (post-incident) dream or in this au his nickname is phoenix. If you want to know more about them my friend will post more about the au soon.

Spoilers and art for later in the story below cut

The black thing on his left side is his arm, it’s all corrupted/shadowy.

He’s kind of the worst but I still like him ❤️

#undertale au #utmv fanart #utmv au #utmv oc #utmv #undertale #Dreamtale #undertale alternate universe #undertale alternate timeline #art #oc #friends ocs #digital art #digital illustration #Dreamtale au #alternate universe #dream sans #afterverse

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idomybest12 · 7 months

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Chapter 1 - Beginning - Afterverse au

Duce's Pov: I've always heard rumors of the Negative guardian and Positive guardian that live on the hill, never have I thought I'd meet them. I've heard so many tales of Phoenix, the guardian of positivity being this hero that saved them all from the other, Blackwell. I mean, I don't want Papyrus to worry... "Hey Papyrus?" I called for my brother who was getting orders prepared. "What's up?" He asked, while coming down with 2 boxes. "Need something?" "I was wondering if I could help you with some orders today, I mean I know you have a lot to deliver, and I just-" I felt his cold skeleton hand on my shoulder. "Yeah, I could use the help..." He said looking at thousands of boxes. "Business has been pretty good, though it is much harder to deliver these orders...." Papyrus read through the weapons and addresses as he wrote down some of the addresses handing it to me. "Here's some of the orders, I'll be on the other side of town, be safe Duce." Papyrus warned. With that I went out the door with small boxes in my hand taking them all over the place. After what felt like 30 minutes, which was more like 6 hours, I was done. I walked home when I noticed a crowd forming, I see an extremely bright light, blinding. I get a better look and then I hear it, the crowd yelling over and over; "Phoenix!" I realized then it was the "hero" of the town, and I just continue on my way home, knowing that Papyrus was probably waiting for me.

As expected I see spaghetti on the table with Papyrus in the living room watching the news. "Hiya bro!" Papyrus casually waved, welcoming me inside. "Heh, did you hear about what happened to the Italian chef last night?" He asked me, as if he hasn't told me this joke over and over. "I don't know, what happened?" I sarcastically responded. "He pasta-way-!" He cracked up at his own joke.

I rolled my eyes as I sit down to eat the Spaghetti on the table. It tasted better than usual. After eating I set the plate in the sink as I sit next to my brother.

"So.. I was wondering, since you have had experience making weapons, can you show me how?" I questioned. I heard a sigh, and I knew what he was going to say... "Duce listen, the thing was, it's been years since I last crafted a weapon, and you know how he is.." He sighed, the 'he' he was referring to was Ink or most people called him Arther, not only did he design weapons, but he also crafted them, he liked to work alone, but was cheery to customers.

"I can try to convince him, Duce." Papyrus said, "not guaranteed though." He rubbed my skull, "Well, it's late, I'm going to go to bed, good night Duce!" Papyrus headed to his messy room. I wondered how he could stay in that pig stye he called a room.

#undertale au #new author #alternate universe #blue sans #underswap papyrus #story #chapter 1 #afterverse

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writing-with-olive · 2 years

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I made a short comic based on the Hymn of Trials from Arcadian Inquisition by @baelpenrose a while back (also has some references to Miys by @canyouhearthelight)

Lyrics to the original song can be found here (imbedded)

#art #my art #artists on tumblr #writing #arcadian inquisition #ai #comic #song #hymn of arcadia #ave terra mater #hymn of trials #miys #afterverse #clifi #post post apocalypse #olive's writing vibes

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deltastriker · 1 year

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Rock Bottom

Almost a decade after the city of Mahri Nui sank into the sea, the Matoran who live there discover a new and dangerous threat from the deepest depths.

Rock Bottom features a mixed cast of canon and fanon characters in the watery setting of Mahri Nui. It remixes the story of '07 while maintaining the dark and moody atmosphere of Mahri Nui and the Pit.

You can read Rock Bottom in full on the Custom Bionicle Wiki, or follow its weekly releases on Ao3:

Rock Bottom on the Custom BIONICLE Wiki

Rock Bottom on Ao3

(Banner image credit @invader39)

#bionicle #deltastriker #fanfiction #fanfic #stories #afterverse (bionicle)#mahri nui #fiction #text #lego #lego bionicle #matoran

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always-a-joyful-note · 1 year

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@lady-merian Sorry for replying in post but....KNOW HIM??!?! YEAH I KNOW HIM!!!!

He is literally one of my favourite authors. The way I SCREAMED when after two or so years of silence we heard from him again (with relief that he was all right).

I strive to match his chaotic writing style, his balance of emotional beats and ridiculous humour, the way he looks at his plot and goes "actually, we need more threads," the way he blends genres of portal and time travel and gaslamp fantasy and westerns and and and.....and also the way he shows his love for literary mythos (he has done his RESEARCH) with not just fairy tales and myths but also childrens lit and gothic fiction (the jekyll and hyde short story!!! the hints of dracula we're going to get in the next crockett and crane book).

Seriously, I love how he will make you cry with laughter and then actually just cry, but also how despite how heavy his books can get plot-wise, there's such a thread of lightness and fun even during the darker moments. Also absolutely obsessed with how all his characters will commit theft, arson, crimes against the time stream continuum and multiverse, and still believe they're the most sane of their group.

Sorry, this got a little rambly but I really love KRS.

#maybe im overhyping the books but i dont think what i said above was exaggeration #but seriously i will never understand how krs manages to just....throw together literally dozens of plot threads #without making us go too crazy? except we absolutely do later on?#krs isn't for everyone obviously but his books do have EVERYTHING from mystery to romance to fractured something to lots of refs #but the thing that i really just most love about his books is how chaotic they are but how....well cared for they seem at the same time #they read like someone hyped on steroids wrote them but there's such careful planning like the combo....#but i dont know its been a while since ive read them and i really do have to reread so i can get at hare and hatter #aaaand rambling in the tags again XDDD #anyway happy to find a fellow krs fan and pardon the lack of replying #as you know i don't do likes/replies cause main blog hiding shenanigans >:)#fandom spamdom #note's nonsense #the afterverse #oh edit! I should mention you dont need to reply to this XD i just latch at anything that lets me ramble about an interest

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cupids-valentina · 1 year

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Little AU Idea.

Undertale aus, they kinda exist y'know? And I've been thinking abt making one for a while. Underfell, UnderLust, ____Tale, Xtale. Kind of interesting a small indie game managed to create an ever-expanding ever perpetuating fanbase like that. So, if you're interested in my incoherent rambling.

Imagine you're Sans, specifically an UnderSwap Sans. Blue, your nickname is. And you're forced into a multiversal war. You're family, the people in your home are either dusted, dying, or by some miracle, barely surviving the fallout. You travel from universe to universe with others who have been ripped from their homes. A red, edgy Sans. A calm, cyan Sans. A melancholic, galaxy Sans, and their supposed leader, the 'saviour and protector' of the multiverse, an Ink Sans. Imagine you're travelling with them for some time now. Seeing universes being created and destroyed all by a singular person's whim. Millions of billions of humans and thousands of monster lives can vanish in an instant, if this Ink, and his so-called league of creators, wanted them to. Imagine you've been living your life. It wasn't the best sure, but it was what you could ask for. A loving family and friends who you had failed over and over in resets, vowing to protect them from or with the human of your world, clinging to the faint hope that you matter. That they matter. Only for it to be snatched away, as your universe, your home, is destroyed in a matter of minutes. And why?

"It's all just a game!"

"Because it's so interesting?!"

"I wonder what would happen if..."

Voices from high, low, all over. Whisper and taunt, create and destroy, throw their lives away with reckless abandon. And ultimately, bring them back, just to bring his life, his, no, the multiverse, back to square fucking one.

It would hurt, wouldn't it? Knowing that your life doesn't matter, that all your sacrifices, how hard you tried to protect those you love and those you don't even know but were undeniably in need of saving. Imagine that, for all of that to happen, for your multiverse and existence to be driven to the very brink of collapse, only to wake up the next morning, in your bed. In your universe. Underground, under Mt. Ebbot. 4:30 in the morning.

What would you do?

#undertale #undertale au #undertale au sans #underswap #underswap sans #swap sans #blueberry sans #underverse #undertale au concept #simplysalem'saus #re!afterverse

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gamexplode-gxp · 2 years

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PK XD

With more than 100 million gamers around the world playing this game today, we know it rouses interest in you to have a taste of this game. Well, the PK XD the game welcomes you into a virtual world where you create your avatar, construct a home, meet new people, and go on new adventures. This amazing creation by PlayKids Inc is an adventure game that immerses players in an open-world recreation.…

View On WordPress

#Adventure #Afterverse Games #PK XD #Unlimited money #gems

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beejuicey · 7 months

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Some art of Phoenix from Afterverse, an AU by @idomybest12 !!

Check out @c0smic-petals as well!! She drew the design!!

#digital art #digital artist #digital painting #art #illustration #undertale au #undertale fandom #undertale fanart #my art #finished drawing

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canyouhearthelight · 2 months

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Nihilus Rex, Ch. 16: "...and Tragedy"

Pretty sure that title says it all, so I apologize in advance. Please don't kill me!

Co-written and beta-read by @baelpenrose, so he's partially to blame. But he did pick out the song lyrics!

Warnings for racism, hate crimes, off screen deaths of minor characters.

Save yourself a penny for the ferryman

Save yourself and let them suffer

In hope, in love

Mankind works in mysterious ways

Nightwish, “Planet Hell”

Lash

Despite Nils’ earlier errors, the conversation with my parents was going surprisingly well. At some point, Nils had let slip that he didn’t get along with his father, and Baba just let the floodgates open on how hard it was to deal with man. Apparently, Mr. - sorry, DOCTOR - Andover was a complete and utter bastard, even by Baba’s very forgiving standards.

To say Nils and Baba got along was a huge understatement. “Oh no, sir, I’m not offended, everyone knows that he’s a great surgeon and an amazingly mean person. I think there’s a running gag somewhere about not letting him near the patients until after they’ve gone under?”

Baba chuckled - practically a roaring laugh for him - and nodded, knocking one hand on the table. “Yes! The nurses are the only people who are not intimidated, and seeing them physically drag your father away from a patient is often the highlight of my day.”

“It’s probably the highlight of the patient’s day too, they just don’t know it. Trust me, waking up to that frowny, disappointed-Catholic face when you’re already in pain…not ideal.” Nils grinned.

Mama started to say something, but I didn’t hear her as the sound of broken glass made Nils’ head jerk over to one side. “Nils, it’s a cafe. Glasses break all the - “

“Something is burning,” he cut me off. “Chemical burning, not food burning.”

Just as he said that, another crash led to one of the aunties we had been watching earlier jumping up with a scream, beating at the hem of her skirt. Another auntie threw the contents of the nearest cup on it, steam pouring from what had been a burning piece of fabric. Nils stood, yanking me to my feet by my arm. “Start getting everyone out of here,” he demanded. “If you smell gas, find another exit.”

I grabbed my parents first. “Someone is setting the cafe on fire,” I explained. “We need to go. Find an exit that isn’t on fire, and go through there.”

They took off, grabbing people as they went. Usually, Uncle’s shop was wide open, with doors that rolled up rather than windows, but tonight was especially chilly, so most were closed and locked down. Each one I touched was scalding hot, and the only option was one that wasn’t on fire yet but reeked of gasoline. “Lift your skirts!” I shouted, heaving the door up and gesturing people through. “Don’t drag it in the gas!”

Another wash of heat from behind, and I heard Nils shouting something, along with Baba and Mama. Both my parents were determined to help get as many people out as possible: Mama hurling any available liquid on clothes as they caught, Baba carrying older women out and rushing back in for another. Nils had pulled his leather jacket’s sleeves down over his hands and wrenched open one of the latches on the rolling window shutters before shoving it up. Flames roared on the other side, and I saw my father pick someone up and rush through, shielding them from the heat with his own body.

Mama and I took the hint and started yanking cloths from tables and shoving them in a sink full of dirty water, ignoring complaints as we wrapped them around people who could not get out fast enough under their own power. Each one, Baba or Nils would lift and carry out while we found the next, dunking whatever cloth we could in any water we could find. “UNCLE!” I screamed. “You have to get out! UNCLE!”

I couldn’t see him anywhere. “Did Uncle get out!?” I shouted at Baba.

“He is not on the outside,” came the response as a young mother and her baby were wrapped and ushered through the flaming exits.

Smoke started filling my throat, and I dropped to the floor, coughing for cleaner air. Someone pulled at my arm, and I yanked it back without looking. “UNCLE!” I screamed again before another coughing fit.

“We have to get out of here!” Mama was pulling me, Nils was pulling. A blast of fire came from the kitchen as shocking cold, stinking water poured over my head. “NOW, Elakshi!”

Mama and I were ushered out by Nils and his singed leather coat, Baba on the other side. I fell into the cold night air, gasping thirstily for it, as Baba ran back in one last time, shouting something I couldn’t understand. My vision swam as I tried to look around and count faces, desperate to find all of them.

I was still frantically looking for a handful of people - Imran, Uncle, one of the aunties who constantly tittered at me and Nils - when I was shoved to the ground by an unearthly noise. I shoved myself from the ground, hands cutting on the asphalt, to see Mama hit the ground coughing, Nils barely standing and holding up Baba.

“Lash, help!” Nils was coughing. “Press your hand down, here,” He planted a point on my father’s thigh. “Broken glass hit him. Hold it down no matter how much he yells. I have to get a belt off and make a tourniquet or he’s gonna die.”

Hot tears streaked down my face as I did what he told me. Baba groaned, and I pressed down like I was trying to crush his leg into the pavement. Nils ripped Baba’s belt off and tightened it around his leg, hard, twisted it, pinned it there with a pen, hard enough to make Baba shout. “Sorry, hold it here. DO NOT TAKE THIS OFF until the doctors look at it. Please.” His eyes were blazing.

“Check on Mama!” I begged, cranking the tourniquet as tightly as I could, slamming my shoulder into Baba’s chest to both keep him from moving and hide my sobs. “She can’t breathe.”

Nils sprinted over and I couldn’t see what he did, but he seemed to be giving Mama an airway check, then water, and pulled her over towards me, slowly sitting her down away from the fire. “Your dad got the worst of it. Your mom needs oxygen when the medics get here, best I can do is keep her from overexerting in the meantime. Keep her calm. I’ll keep an eye on your dad.”

Frantically, I ran my hands over my mother, checking her for any hidden injuries. I took several slaps to the arms and two directly to the face, but kept checking. When I was satisfied, I turned to Nils and Baba, where Nils was doing the same I had done - pinning Baba to the ground with one shoulder while cranking the tension as tight as possible on the belt around his leg. A smaller explosion within the cafe snapped my head up, and I started running. “UNCLE!” I screamed, still not having seen his face outside the now-burning shop.

A hand darted out and yanked an ankle out from under me, just in time for a lanky, leather-clad leg to pin me down. “I have two horribly burned and wounded Botelhos right now. I do not need a third. You can’t help him. Your mother starts,” he coughed, then finished in a snarl, “screaming she’s gonna die. Her lungs can’t handle that right now. Keep her calm.” Nils' voice was furious, and panicked, but as driven as I’d ever heard it.

I nodded numbly, going to reassure Mama while glancing around frantically. The young mother Baba had practically carried out was bouncing her screaming baby, and my nerves unexpectedly started calming. I don’t know that I had ever been so happy to hear a baby scream so hard in my life, but it was the reality check I needed in that moment. Those of us out here were still alive, by inches or miles, and we had to stay that way to keep the bastards who had done this from winning.

I pulled Mama to a sitting position. “We need to keep everyone calm,” I told her, well aware of what drove her more than anything else. I saw Nils mouth something that could only mean ‘tell her not to start shouting’. “I am going to prop you up where you can keep an eye on Baba, and I am going to bring people who are upset but not hurt. Can you help me keep them calm?”

This woman - my magnificent monument of a mother - looked at me like I had deeply offended her and all my ancestors. “Set me right there,” she gestured to a spot close but in clear line of sight to Baba and Nils, “and bring them to me.”

I did exactly what she asked. As neighbors came down to bring water and blankets, Mama commanded them like a general with her armies so that I could focus on those who were injured and needed more. Even then, Nils would shout what people needed, and Mama would command if someone didn’t listen. Someone would start wailing, looking for a family member who was unaccounted for, and after Mama started coughing, I did my best impression of her.

“It is the living who need us now. We will attend the rest when these are in the hospital.”

Baba was the first to go in an ambulance, with Nils shouting down his objections. “You may have waited too long to save the leg already and I don’t want you throwing a clot. GO!”

Every argument of “damn the leg” was met with an aggressive “you could still die, and then who will make sure the babies stay still for an x-ray”, until Baba surrendered under a murderous glare from the three of us. After that, it was the elderly, burn victims, smoke inhalation victims - a whole new argument from Mama, one which required sedation - and finally those of us who were part of the walking wounded were left to lick our wounds in peace.

“You should go, Lash. Your family’s hurt.”

“I need to call Mori,” I responded before adding lamely, “My sister. In case you didn’t pick up on that. She… she’ll want to know.”

“I can drive if you need. Call on the way.” he paused, then added, “Since the hospital is on the other end of town, it’s…probably better if someone drives you anyway.”

I felt myself falling into my mother’s role, unexpectedly and out of a habit I hadn’t realized I had until now. “The apartment needs to be locked up. I need to do that. And I need to let Uncle’s widow know… she shouldn’t have to hear about this from strangers. Baba and Mama will ask, so I can’t go to them without doing those things.”

Nils looked at me. “Lash. If you don’t want to go yet, if you can’t face it, I won’t make you. But your sister can lock up if she lives with you. Since you’re calling her. And Uncle’s widow is another call you can make. It’s a bit of a drive, it’s on the other end of the city.”

“No,” I cut in. “Mori lives an hour away, with her family. And I don’t know how it works for your family, but I do not want Uncle’s wife hearing this from a stranger. I can - and have - faced what is happening to my parents. But, when they wake up, they will ask these things, and I have lied once today. I will not lie about something so important.” I drew myself as tall as possible and sniffed back a sob. “You may escort me, if you wish, and then drive me to the hospital. Baba is in surgery, and Mama is in triage, so I can do nothing for them right now. But I can do the right thing for other people.”

Nils looked at me for a long moment, then he nodded. “Come on, then. Call your sister on the way to meeting with Uncle’s widow. We’ll tell her first.”

His phone started ringing, and he glanced at it and hung up. I only barely made out that his father had called him. “Come on. Let’s make sure you tell who you need to tell.”

#nihilus rex #afterverse #prequel #traumatized characters #the miys #arcadian inquisition #original fiction #science fiction #original writing #original science fiction #writeblr #modern dystopia

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