At World's End

Entry 1

Where am I?

Why's everything so dark?

Am I dead?

No wait... Ugh, my head hurts. 

Everything is coming back now... The last thing I remember was talking with dad. 

We went out for a walk and then… blank. 

Damn it! 

Why can't I remember anything? 

"Jerry!... Jerry!" 

Is someone calling for me?... Ah, it's rather faint though. It might not be me after all. 

It's not like Jeremy Walker was a special name. 

Most parents would name their kids' one-of-a-kind names to highlight their uniqueness, but it seemed like my father was too busy to do that. 

Not like I blamed him though, I also believe that unique names are a waste of time. 

It's not like it adds anything to you, just a form of identification. 

Hah, enough with the soliloquy… I need to get out. 

I tried to open my eyes but it felt like they were glued shut. 

What in the world? 

Fine then… I tried to move my hand to my face to help pry my eyelids open but my body might as well be lead. 

I couldn't move even as I kept on trying. 

It was becoming a pain. 

"Jerry!... Jerry!" 

The voice was closer now and the tone… it's rather familiar. 

But why the sense of urgency? 

Feeling curious, I go ahead and fuck it.

What's the worse that could happen? 

Even as it felt like my flesh was peeling apart, I opened my eyes, releasing a scream from my throat to cope with the pain. 

I blinked a couple of times to get rid of the pain before glancing left and right to survey my surroundings. 

Thankfully, my neck isn't affected by the immobility afflicting the rest of my body. 

A couple of crates at one end with labels on them, and at another side, a table with jars filled with weird stuff soaked in different chemicals. 

It was easy to identify where I was now, after all, I spent quite some time here with my father. 

It was one of my best spots for our weekly father-son bonding when he was around. 

It was the storeroom! 

But how did I get here? 

Just then, I hear my name once again. 

"Jerry!" 

This time it was clearer and came from the other side of the door. 

Checking to see if my jaw still worked, I replied as loudly as I could. "I'm in here." 

Silence reigned before I heard the voice again. "He's in here!... The door is locked!" 

I furrowed my brows due to the commotion on the other side. A lot of people must be home which was weird since Dad hated having too many people over. 

Did something happen? 

Just then, there was a loud bang followed by the door collapsing, allowing me a glimpse of what lay on the other side. 

What caught my eyes first was the glowing colors of ember, a clear sign that there was a fire. 

I went wide -eyed just as two people walked in. 

One was a man dressed in light Exo armor while the other was quite familiar as I had seen her one too many times with my father. 

With blonde hair, blue eyes, a slender physique, and her hair tied in a bun, Leila was my first crush. 

She was also my father's assistant and my babysitter. 

In some ways, I saw her as my sister and she didn't seem to mind as she encouraged it. 

Anyway, there was no time to reminisce as I saw the fear and sadness in her eyes. 

She was quite agitated as she rushed toward me, crouching down before picking my head up. "Oh thank goodness, I thought something happened to you." 

Her body trembled even as she tried to sound relieved. 

A weird thought came to mind but I quickly did away with it. 

"I'm fine, Big sis. Just feeling a little immobile, that's all." I answered hoarsely before asking the question on my mind. "Is something wrong?... Why are you sad and also… is the house on fire?" 

Leila didn't respond as she cradled my head to her chest, hugging me tightly at which point I could have sworn I heard her sob. 

The other man suddenly interrupted. "Miss, we have to go now. This apartment is too dangerous to remain in." 

I frowned at the weird comment. My home is too dangerous to remain in? 

The home of Timothy Walker, the greatest scientist known to Haven... was dangerous? 

That didn't make any sense! 

If anything, it would be one of the safest places in the Tower if those crazy Otherworldly dad normally talked about dared to attack. 

So what the hell was this armored guy all about? 

But then Leila's response surprised me as she agreed with the man. "Yes, please help me." 

I tried to refute the man's words but none of them were willing to listen as the man walked over and picked me up like I had no weight to speak of. 

Just like that, the man carried me and Leila followed behind. 

As we stepped out of the storeroom, a wave of heat came down heavily on me. 

Flames danced about the place I once called home, eating up everything in sight. 

From my favorite chair to my favorite chemistry set. 

Everything within the space big enough to fit twenty people if the demarcations erected to separate different areas were torn down, was consumed before my eyes. 

I had no words until we were out of the house and I was laid in a stretcher with Leila at my side when a certain thought came to mind. 

"What about dad?" 

I turned to Leila to find tears trailing down her cheeks. 

A deep sense of foreboding crept up my spine as I asked again. "What about dad?" 

Leila couldn't take it anymore as she broke down completely, bawling her eyes out while leaving me in suspense. 

I wanted to ask again when the armored man that carried me tapped my shoulder. "I'm sorry… your father…" 

! 

It was at that moment reality dawned on me even though I tried so hard to not accept what was handed to me. 

But no matter how much I denied it… the truth remained that today was the day my father, Timothy Walker, the greatest scientist in Haven, met his end.