SKY POV
Another day of mourning had come upon us. Though not evident on my face, the sadness and pain I felt were profound. Not only for Lola Vemine, but for everyone. These people were my friends back when we were still in the facility. They were the ones who made my day whenever I couldn't play with Alex due to his evaluations.
We shared laughter and tears. We sometimes argued about trivial matters that weren't really a big deal. Sometimes, we did foolish things that annoyed the doctors, ate together, went out even when it was forbidden, and so on. And they all became a part of that.
Especially Thirty-two. He was always there for me, looking after me. He brought me food during meal times and took care of me when I got sick. He was like a father to me, and he also treated me like a son. And he stood by that when Glias first attacked the facility. Knowing his limits, he pushed himself beyond them just to save me. He was captured instead of me, which is why I followed them and left Alex behind. I wanted to know where they were taking them so I could save them at the right time.
Well, we did save them but failed to save them from death. According to the autopsy report, the part of their brain where the chips were installed was burned. Dao speculated that the chips were programmed to self-destruct whenever the transmission was interfered with or interrupted. We never knew about it because it wasn't mentioned in the files we retrieved. It seems that Glias still had some secrets that we didn't know about.
Speaking of Glias, the General reported that they caught the intel they sent. They probably suspected something when they found out about our ambush on the four.
The burial ceremony would commence later in the afternoon. They were still digging the grave that could accommodate forty-six people. If anyone was feeling more sorrowful and mournful today, it would be Alex. He was the only one who had a strong bond with Lola Vemine. Two important people were lost to him, so I understand what he was feeling right now. I know he was blaming himself again for failing to save them. And even though I was annoyed because I'd told him several times not to blame himself, I couldn't do anything but let him.
People emerged from the bunker and returned to their respective quarters. The unregistered individuals also returned to their tents.
Alex was with Alissa since his mom was still in the infirmary. He was forcing himself to smile in front of Alissa, trying not to upset the child. Seeing him like this, pretending to be happy, was something I couldn't bear. I knew he needed some time alone. But I could feel that he needed someone to share his tears with. And that someone was me. So, I caught up with them until I reached his side.
"Hi, Kuya Sky!" Alissa greeted me. I messed up her hair and then looked back at Alex, who was smiling while looking at the child he was holding.
"You okay?" I asked him, catching his attention.
He nodded, forcing a slight smile of reassurance. "Just tired," he replied. I noticed his voice was a bit hoarse. Probably from crying all night.
We reached the tent and entered. Alissa bid us goodbye to play with other children, which Alex allowed. The girl ran towards her friends, happy to see them. Carlo was with them, as usual.
I was surprised when someone suddenly hugged me from behind. Hands were wrapped around my waist, and a head was placed just below my nape. Then, I felt his body jerk successively, indicating that he was sobbing again. I just held his hand and let him cry on my back. I couldn't do anything else. All I could do now was to console him over his grief. I couldn't talk to him because I guessed he wasn't in the mood to talk.
An hour later, he was lying on my lap, asleep. His eyes were swollen and slightly reddish. I also noticed the wound on his hand, which I suspected was from punching a wall or something. Even in his sleep, he was still in pain, after I noticed tears falling from his eyes.
Everything will be okay eventually.
******
ALEX POV
I was not actually sleeping. I was in the subconscious world of my mind right now, trying to escape the painful reality outside. But no matter how much I tried to escape, I still felt the pain. The pain lingered like a stubborn thorn stuck to me. I wanted to get rid of it, but I didn't know how!
"Death was indeed painful, Alex," my alter pointed out.
"Seems like you can feel it too," I sarcastically replied.
"I felt it, Alex. I felt it because you felt it. I'm your conscience, your second self. So whatever you feel, I feel it too," he explained.
"Then why does it seem like you're not hurt at all?"
"I am hurt, Alex."
"Well, you don't look like one."
"Because I didn't let it consume me. And you should, too," he suggested.
I looked at him, scowling. "Are you implying that I should just forget what happened?" I asked him, hinting at a bit of anger.
"It's the best thing to do. To forget—"
"Easy for you to say, because you weren't the one beside her!" I yelled angrily at him.
"Sorry if I'm not beside her because I'm just a conscience!" he shouted louder, surprising me. "Sorry if I'm not the one beside her because I'm trapped in this small damn room! I should be the one depressed right now. Because I'm the only one here, inside this boring room, no one to talk to, in short, trapped! And then you add on top of that. Do you know how hard it is for me right now? No, because you're not me!" I stared at him as he screamed his rants at me. It was my first time seeing him like this, so I was quite shocked.
"I always wanted to be on the outside. Doing what people always do. But I can't. But did I give up? No. Because I always think that someday, everything will be okay. That's what I want you to do, Alex. Think about the future rather than the present.
"Death is inevitable, and no one, not a single person, can stop it. All we can do when death comes is to accept that life is just temporary. That everything dies someday." I hung my head. All his words struck me with pure guilt. They dug deep into my soul, like nails in wood. Everything he said made sense and was accurate.
Death was indeed inevitable. That was why lots of people were scared of it, including me. But if I was fated to die, which would happen eventually, I wanted everything to be okay first. I wanted the people I left behind to be safe. I didn't want to regret leaving the world.
But now, I'm not ready to die yet. Not yet.
******
Forty-six lifeless corpses, wrapped in white cloth, were arranged inside a dug hole. Surrounding them were some soldiers and us, Maica included. Enigma, along with their parents, were here too. Jerick, Carlo, Reif, General, and several curious onlookers were present as well.
We were in the forest now, in a glade. It wasn't very spacious, but it was just enough to accommodate all of us. Gasoline was poured into the hole, soaking the bodies with the stench of fuel. When the five gallons of oil were used up, General was the first to toss flowers. Jerick followed, then Reif, the soldiers who volunteered yesterday, and the Enigma club with their parents, Trisha, Maica, and Sky.
Among us, I was the only one without flowers because I was tasked to ignite them. Sky gestured his head, indicating that I should start before the fuel evaporated into the air. I took a few steps until I reached the edge of the hole, not even worried that the ground beneath me might give way. I didn't care. I would just levitate if that happened.
I looked at the corpses, unable to identify their faces because of the cloth covering their entire bodies from head to foot. But one caught my attention. At the top of them all was Lola Vemine. Even though her body was wrapped in white cloth, I could feel it was her.
Memories of my time with Lola flooded back into my mind. All the happy and melancholic memories flashed before me as I recalled and reminisced about them all. In cases like this, I would likely cry. But there were no tears left in my tear glands. I probably used them all up earlier when I cried behind Sky.
But it was probably for the best because I was already tired of crying. Crying wouldn't change anything and definitely wouldn't bring them back to life. All I could do was to accept it—that they were really gone and wouldn't come back. So, I held out my hand and opened my palm, facing upward. A psi ball appeared from it, which I then transformed into a flower, the same flower that everyone threw into the hole.
The flower was beautiful. The way it changed color from orange to red to yellow made it look alive. The heat was released as well, warming my ice-cold hands. My body tends to feel cold whenever I'm deeply saddened or depressed.
I didn't waste any more time and released it. The psi ball, shaped like a flower, descended into the hole like a leaf falling from a tree. It swayed through the air, turned, flipped until it reached the bottom. The moment it touched one of the corpses, it gradually caught fire until everything was engulfed by the devouring heat of the flames.
I could feel the heat from where I stood. I also noticed the smell emanating from burning flesh, but in our case, human flesh. The flames soared into the sky, as embers and sparks flew along with them. Smoke was visible as well, but since we were in an open area, it wasn't a problem for us.
The crackling noise of what I think was a bone caught our ears. The fire itself created a faint sound that we could barely hear. I stared at the fire, burning wildly throughout the atmosphere. It reminded me of what one of our professors mentioned in college.
He said that burning the corpse gives its soul a better chance to enter heaven, as the smoke and embers will push it towards the sanctuary. Maybe that was why the General decided to burn the corpses. Or maybe he had no choice but to burn them since the hole was not deep enough to bury such a large number of corpses?
Whatever the reason, I would stick to what my professor had said. That these forty-six souls would enter the kingdom of eternal life and paradise. A place where everyone wanted to live and spend the rest of their lives, even if they were already dead.
General was the first to leave, as he was the busiest person among us now. Jerick, Reif, and the soldiers followed him. The parents of Trevor, Calli, and Wernie also left, until they were all gone. The only ones left here now were the four of us—me, Sky, Trisha, and Maica.
The four of us stared at the corpses, now turned into black charcoal-like substances after the flames devoured their lifeless bodies. Then, someone hugged me from the side. It was Maica, trying to lighten my mood.
"Don't worry, I won't cry," I joked, making her smile.
"Did I say something?" Maica protested. "I just hugged you," she continued, tightening her embrace until there was a cracking sound of a bone. That felt nice. "You're welcome?" she joked, which made me laugh.
"Should I get a massage?" I joked back, which amused them.
"You should. I bet Sky knows how. He can crack your bones later," Trisha teased.
"Crack a bone, or crack a moan?" Maica teased, which made the two laugh. I couldn't help but laugh too. At least I'm not crying anymore.
"You guys are gross!" I complained as we walked out of the forest and back to camp, leaving the corpses still engulfed by the fire.