The Life Union

For a moment Max sat, staring at this figure, then he stood.

"Lead the way."

OUTSIDE:

"The Bunker! For Christ’s sake Tyler, it’s the Bunker!"

Tyler couldn’t hear the words. His mind was elsewhere; maybe searching the sky for the spirit of Haley, or maybe just plain blank from shock.

"We need your help, damnnit! You're the only damn surivor of the original designers! You're the only damn person who knows how to get that damn wall back up before sunset! Shit Tyler, say something! Bah!" With that the man ran off in the direction of the Bunker.

Tyler sat there, still in the same spot were Reeves had left him sobbing after he’d been told his wife had died during the operation. Only a few moments ago David had come running up screaming bloody murder about a collapsed wall in the Bunker.

End of it all. It all had ended long before the Bunker was built, long before the mighty Complex was raised, and maybe even long before either Tyler or David had been born. Man doesn’t have to perish for the world to end.

What was the point of repairing the Bunker before nightfall? Who cared if everyone died? Everyone, that’s who. Everyone it seemed, but Tyler. But twenty minuets ago would he have cared? When his wife was still a living breathing soul amongst the others, when her life was at stake? He would have cared then, but now he cared less and less every moment.

His feet moved and he made his way up and across the stretch between where he’d been sitting and the valley where the Bunker was nested. There at the top of the dale he stopped and looked down at the commotion. Men ran from inside the Bunker carrying tools and other unless gadgets. David was right, none of them had any clue how those walls stood. Not one of them would know the first step to rebuilding one, except him.

Tyler sighed. What did they think they were doing? They were going to cut off their legs to live a few more days that’s what. Why couldn’t they just take death straight on and forget this rollercoster of pain?

"We’ve only got an hour till sunset!" A voice cried from somewhere admits the confusion. One hour. Time enough to say goodbye to loved ones, but no, they would spend their hour cheating death. And if they succeeded they would only live so long before they were forced to cheat death again and again until they finally lost. Then they would regret all the time spent cheating and all the time missed proclaiming their love for each other.

His hands could do nothing, Tyler knew that. One more set of hands wouldn’t stop the world from ended, if it already hadn’t, and one more set of hands won’t stop death in His tracks. They were playing Death's game and there was but one rule: Death always wins. So he stood with his hands by his sides and watched from atop his perch.

Fools! he wanted to cry out. He wanted them to all know they wouldn’t keep this up forever. He wanted them to know that maybe death held rewards beyond survival, that giving in may be a greater bliss then being cold forever.

They would never see. They never could and never would. Maybe they had a chance, but it wasn’t worth the time spent preaching. Instead Tyler turned and walked off into the approaching night and sank into the shadow of the towering Complex.