-An Ill-Fated Day-
Weeeooo... The alarms began to blare clamorously. Beyond the window, people could be seen fleeing in a frantic panic. Submerged in confusion, everyone wandered this way and that, not knowing where to go. Some simply ran in the direction those ahead of them were running, then turned back doubting it was the right way, only to be swept up in the torrent of people pouring forth like waves. At times, some lost their balance and fell, and in the end, there were even those trampled by the crowd, unable to rise again.
It was a sight truly no different from hell itself.
Screech! At that moment, a thunderous roar erupted from the road. A single car swayed precariously, dancing this way and that as if heavily intoxicated, until it finally crashed into a large street tree. Kwaaang! It was a violent impact, enough to shake the nearby windows. Before long, flames ignited on the car's hood with a flash!, and soon the blaze devoured the entire vehicle. A hair-raising scream burst from within.
The flames only grew fiercer. They spread in all directions like a plague. The voices of people steeped in chaos and their howls spread like wildfire as well, filling the city. Before long, even the sky seemed to have dyed itself a deep crimson.
Jian, who had been gazing out the window with a deathly pale face, bit his lower lip hard and turned his head. On the bed, his mother was gasping for breath. Her breathing shook with such precarious fragility. Ah! It seemed the thread of life she was barely managing to cling to might snap! at any moment.
Restless with anxiety, Jian approached her and tightly grasped his mother's hand, which lay limp and slack.
"Mom... I don't think we can hold out here anymore."
"So... it's come to that... Jian... You should run away, at least you."
The child called Jian shook his head. Instead, he gripped his mother's parched hand even tighter.
"I'm fine... I'm fine, so... hurry and escape to a safe place..."
"How could I do that! How... could I leave you behind? Stop it! Don't say such things. I'm fine! And no matter how dangerous it is outside, if we hide quietly here, we might be okay. So please, think about your own health first."
Jian insisted stubbornly. The more he did so, the more his mother's expression darkened with heartrending sorrow. Her labored breathing, which seemed as though it might cease at any moment, her haggard features—the shadows on her face deepened even further. Perhaps she was blaming herself. She seemed to feel guilty that her son was trapped here, unable to flee because of her.
Jian could read his mother's thoughts. He wished desperately that she wouldn't feel guilty. Just as she had always protected and saved him, this time, he wanted to be the one to help her.
Meanwhile, the sirens echoing from outside and the howls of people steeped in chaos were only growing louder. Even so, Jian tried his best to act as if everything were fine. He was anxious and afraid, but he wanted to become a reliable protector for her now, to stand in the place of the mother who had protected him all this time.
He would grip his mother's hand tightly. He would never let go of this hand.
"Jian..."
A metallic rasp mixed with his mother's painfully forced voice. She looked as though speaking was difficult. No, even breathing seemed to be a struggle.
"You shouldn't talk anymore. I'll get you some water."
"Jian... haa... haa..."
His mother seemed to be trying to say something, but Jian didn't listen. She would only tell him to run away alone again, and he didn't want that. He didn't want to flee alone. Even if he ran away by himself—where could he possibly run from here? Moreover, he held no hope that he, left alone, could survive well in this cruel world.
The world had grown far too harsh for a young child to survive in alone. In the end, parting with his mother was little different from giving up on what little hope for life remained. Jian left the room and went out to the living room. Fortunately, there was still some water left in the kettle that had been warmed over the butane gas stove. He poured it into a chipped cup and returned to the room.
"Drink some water."
He carefully handed her the warm water.
He skillfully supported her body, helping her sit up in bed. His mother's body was burning hot. She was drenched in sweat from head to toe, emitting a sour odor. And she felt even more withered than yesterday. Jian forcefully suppressed the tears that threatened to burst forth.
"It's still hot, so drink slowly."
He carefully brought the cup to his mother's lips.
"Thank you..."
At that painstaking voice, a single tear finally rolled down from Jian's eyes. He took a deep breath and tried his utmost to soothe his anxious heart. The more precarious the moment, the more dignified he had to be. For the sake of his sick mother, he had to show a mature and trustworthy demeanor. Just as she had done for him.
She carefully took a sip of water. Her throat, like a shriveled prune, moved with difficulty. Ah... yet even drinking water seemed to be a struggle. That sight felt so pitiful that each time Jian saw his mother weakening by the day, his heart felt as though it were being torn to shreds.
Now Jian was gradually beginning to realize. That the time remaining for her was likely not long. They had struggled desperately all this time to survive. They had fled from the approaching death with all their might, yet in the end, they had been driven into a corner.
"Mom is sorry... my son... I wanted to protect you longer."
"No... don't say that. Now I will protect you."
It was the same thing every time. He didn't want to hear such words. Even her apologies had grown sickening. She had already protected him enough... no, more than enough. So now it was his turn.
"I'm fine. I'm really fine... just sleep a little more..."
Jian carefully laid her back down on the bed. Then he tucked her in with a thick blanket. Ah! It was so hard to control the emotions that kept surging up. His vision kept blurring with tears. He rubbed his eyes hard with his sleeve and spoke to his mother as calmly and composedly as possible.
"Sleep well. Then... then everything will be okay."
They were words his mother had once said to him. When he was afraid, she had always told him that everything would be okay once he slept and woke up. And truly, after sleeping and waking, things had magically become okay again. He had been able to gain the strength to move forward once more. He had also been able to recover lost courage. He had even found the hope to keep living in this world that had collapsed so tragically.
His mother's kind and loving embrace had always been, as ever, a sturdy shield, like a tree that blocked the pouring rain.
But now... she, who had been like an unchanging pine tree, was withering away so pitifully. The sturdy shield had slowly chipped, crumpled, and broken apart through countless hardships and adversities. And so now, he had to protect her.
Holding her frail hand, he spoke.
"Rest peacefully."
"Yes... thank you..."
Letting out a breath that sounded like air escaping from a punctured lung, she nodded with difficulty. Just then. A loud crash! echoed from outside. It was extremely close. By now, even the sirens had abruptly! gone silent. Thanks to that, the screams beginning to surge from all directions rang out even more clearly. And amidst it all, the explosions spreading here and there didn't stop either.
That wasn't all. Among them, there was a roar similar to yet clearly different from that of a beast.
Jian squeezed his eyes shut. And as if by habit, he thought: If I just wait a little longer, things will surely quiet down. Everything will be okay. Yes, just as it always had. The crimson burning sky would regain its original form. This cruel time too would eventually flow on like a river...
As if nothing had happened, a normal day would return.
When that time came, Mom would rise from her bed too...
Jian buried his head in her hand and stayed with her until she fell asleep. Now, she spent more time asleep than awake. So he was afraid. If like this... if she never woke again, if she never rose again... what was he to do...
He was still so young. In the old days, he would have been nothing but a student. To him, his mother—his only family—was far too precious.
So please... please...
'God... I beg You. If... if You still have any love left for humanity... please watch over my mother. Please grant her even a little strength to endure. I... I can't be without my mother. Please don't take my mother away from me.'
The tears he had held back finally burst forth.
After sobbing in secret for some time, Jian carefully released his mother's hand. Fortunately, she seemed to have fallen asleep, breathing faintly and evenly. After checking on her once more, he gently pressed his lips to her wrinkled forehead and approached the window. The sky was still dyed red. Flames were shooting up in all directions. The streets had grown quiet by now, but grotesque corpses were strewn about here and there along the roads.