HetaChallenge - Angst Table - #1 Forsaken
Title: Till the End of the World
Author: freakanature88
Claim: Prussia
Character(s): Prussia
Table/Prompt: Angst/1. Forsaken
Word Count: 508
Rating: PG
Summary: The world has ended, but Gilbert is still there. Even though he can't figure out why.
The horizon shone red as the last rays of the dying sun slipped into darkness. Gilbert watched it fall slowly into oblivion, his hands twitching at his sides. He hadn’t been able to stop twitching for days now. Rather than fuss about it and try to stop it, he had decided to just let his hands do whatever they wanted to. It was easier that way. He had plenty more to worry about.
At the top of the list was his own survival. There wasn’t much to eat or drink here, and most of what there was frequently turned out to be radioactive. If he wanted to keep living, he would have to find a steady, healthy water source.
But that wasn’t what Gilbert found himself thinking about as night came on.
They had left him. Every single other person on Earth had gone on without him. Why was he the only one left on this God-forsaken planet?
To begin, there had been so many left alive. Not nearly as many as there used to be, but dozens - even hundreds - of people were still there to comfort and care for each other. Gilbert had felt, at the time, that there was still some hope for humanity’s future so long as they all worked together.
Then the radiation hit. And it hit hard. Most people got sick right away. They died quickly and painfully. There was nothing anyone could do for them.
Gilbert watched it all with growing indifference. They were all abandoning him. By some miracle, he had yet to get sick, but no one else was as well off as he was. And as the last of them finally passed on, Gilbert left without an ounce of remorse.
How could he feel sad for the people who’d left him behind?
Traveling by himself had turned out to be easier than traveling with the group. Whenever he felt the loneliness creeping up, he would remind himself that he was alive and they had left him. There was no reason to be lonely.
Tonight, though, staring at the darkness where the sun had once been, Gilbert had a revelation. Perhaps they hadn’t abandoned him. (His hands shook harder, and he could feel the intense dryness of his throat.) Perhaps, by not following where he was obviously meant to go, Gilbert had abandoned everyone else.
And as this thought burst upon him, Gilbert wept softly. (His eyesight was growing blurred and his breathing more labored with each passing moment.) He wept with regret and sorrow for all those he had lost. (His head was swimming and he could barely form thoughts properly, let alone take a breath in.) But mostly, he wept for joy.
Joy because now he could let everything go. (He sank to his knees, unable to hold himself up any longer.) Relief flooded through him. He didn’t have to keep trying. He wouldn’t be alone anymore. (He stared blankly at the sky before him.)
He wasn’t completely forsaken.
Author: freakanature88
Claim: Prussia
Character(s): Prussia
Table/Prompt: Angst/1. Forsaken
Word Count: 508
Rating: PG
Summary: The world has ended, but Gilbert is still there. Even though he can't figure out why.
The horizon shone red as the last rays of the dying sun slipped into darkness. Gilbert watched it fall slowly into oblivion, his hands twitching at his sides. He hadn’t been able to stop twitching for days now. Rather than fuss about it and try to stop it, he had decided to just let his hands do whatever they wanted to. It was easier that way. He had plenty more to worry about.
At the top of the list was his own survival. There wasn’t much to eat or drink here, and most of what there was frequently turned out to be radioactive. If he wanted to keep living, he would have to find a steady, healthy water source.
But that wasn’t what Gilbert found himself thinking about as night came on.
They had left him. Every single other person on Earth had gone on without him. Why was he the only one left on this God-forsaken planet?
To begin, there had been so many left alive. Not nearly as many as there used to be, but dozens - even hundreds - of people were still there to comfort and care for each other. Gilbert had felt, at the time, that there was still some hope for humanity’s future so long as they all worked together.
Then the radiation hit. And it hit hard. Most people got sick right away. They died quickly and painfully. There was nothing anyone could do for them.
Gilbert watched it all with growing indifference. They were all abandoning him. By some miracle, he had yet to get sick, but no one else was as well off as he was. And as the last of them finally passed on, Gilbert left without an ounce of remorse.
How could he feel sad for the people who’d left him behind?
Traveling by himself had turned out to be easier than traveling with the group. Whenever he felt the loneliness creeping up, he would remind himself that he was alive and they had left him. There was no reason to be lonely.
Tonight, though, staring at the darkness where the sun had once been, Gilbert had a revelation. Perhaps they hadn’t abandoned him. (His hands shook harder, and he could feel the intense dryness of his throat.) Perhaps, by not following where he was obviously meant to go, Gilbert had abandoned everyone else.
And as this thought burst upon him, Gilbert wept softly. (His eyesight was growing blurred and his breathing more labored with each passing moment.) He wept with regret and sorrow for all those he had lost. (His head was swimming and he could barely form thoughts properly, let alone take a breath in.) But mostly, he wept for joy.
Joy because now he could let everything go. (He sank to his knees, unable to hold himself up any longer.) Relief flooded through him. He didn’t have to keep trying. He wouldn’t be alone anymore. (He stared blankly at the sky before him.)
He wasn’t completely forsaken.