Chapter 1: Unavoidable End

There was a safe shelter under the earth inhabited by a group of surviving humans, hiding from the dangers lurking on the surface. And in this settlement was a dimly lit room in the home of an older brother and a younger sister. But at the moment, they were not alone. A woman wearing a white coat stood beside the younger sister laying down on the bed. A doctor.

She had a device in hand, pointing at the girl on the bed. The little girl with dark hair appeared sickly, her normally light skin was paler than normal, and eyes were drowsy, her breathing almost faint. The older brother, with similarly dark hair and brown eyes, stood behind the doctor, gently rubbing his hands anxiously. He directed an extremely worried gaze at his young sister.

The doctor pressed a button on her gadget, and light was emitted from it directed at the girl. The doctor slowly scanned her from the feet going up to the head. Various data about the body being scanned were displayed on the device’s screen. The older brother glanced at it for a moment, but he couldn’t understand what the numbers and words exactly meant.

The doctor did another round, from the head to the feet once again. She had a grave look on her face, but she immediately returned to a composed expression. Once she was done, she checked the monitor beside the girl that showed her vital signs, from heart rate, blood pressure, respiratory rate, and so on.

The older brother wanted to ask how it was. But he didn’t want to disturb the doctor while she was still doing something. He had to have patience, no matter how utterly worried and scared he was.

The doctor pulled out her tablet and began going through previous records. She seemed to be comparing them. And a moment later, she forced a smile, gently patting the girl on the head. As if giving the impression that there was nothing to worry about.

“How are you feeling?” She gave her a tender and loving look.

“... N-Not as bad as yesterday…” The little girl looked up at the doctor with wide, adorable brown eyes.

“I see. That is good. Rest well for today.”

“Okay…” She pulled her sheets to cover herself.

The doctor nodded and turned to face the older brother. “We’ll talk outside.”

The doctor left, and the brother was about to follow her when his little sister called out to him.

“Brother…”

He turned around towards her and formed a gentle smile. He placed his palm on her hand. “I’ll be back in a moment. I need to talk with the doctor, okay?”

“Okay.”

With that, he left the room and closed the door. He let out a tired sigh and continued on to the living room. The doctor was reading on her tablet with pursed lips.

“How is she, doctor?”

“You need to sit down.”

Her saying that only served to make him more anxious. However, he still did what he was told, and he sat down on the shabby couch. The doctor sat on the metal chair as she placed her gadgets on the table.

“I’m sorry. But I’ll say this straight,” she said with a sad look on her face. “She’s getting worse. Your sister is not long in this world.”

The older brother pressed a hand on his lips, eyes wide in shock and disbelief. A heavy weight hung in his heart. Hearing those terrible, unbelievable words felt like his world came crashing down. And still, his entire being refused that possibility, that reality. It just couldn’t be. What he had heard was so terrifying of a thought to hear or ever happen.

“Why? We did everything to make her comfortable. Gave her every treatment we can… W-Why?”

“Her organs are still slowing down, her body is gradually dying inside. No amount of treatment can save her. The most we can do is make her comfortable.”

“... Please don’t say that, doctor…” He placed both his hands to cover his face.

His mind was focused on his adorable little sister. That optimistic little girl, so small and pure in this world. The thought of her dying was so unimaginable for him. He held back the tears coming out of his eyes.

“I’m sorry…” the doctor said in a low voice. “We can’t do anything with what we have in this shelter.”

Perhaps in another time in history, she could have been saved…

He thought. The doctor was likely implying the same thing.

Indeed, that was true. Equipment and resources were pretty limited here. And with his little sister’s condition, none of their equipment available could save her. Perhaps in the past, when everything was different, she could have been saved. She wouldn’t have to suffer.

“Is there really nothing we can do…?” He asked. There was no point. But he just couldn’t help asking in desperation.

“I’m sorry…”

“... H-How long… How long does she have?” It hurt his heart just to ask that grim question.

“... A month or two.”

“That’s too short, doctor…” he muttered.

The doctor only stayed silent.

“She doesn’t deserve this…” Tears touched the palms that covered his face. His shoulders shuddered ever so slightly.

The doctor picked up her equipment before speaking to him again. “Spend time with your little sister. Enjoy the remaining time that you have… That, that is all that we can do now.”

The doctor stood up, and as she left the room, she directed a sympathetic look at him. The door closed.

The older brother rubbed his eyes and clasped his hands together. His chest felt tight, and knees were becoming weak. The lingering terror lurked deep within his heart. He glanced at the door leading to his little sister, and he took a deep breath with closed eyes. He forced himself to regain his composure. He shouldn’t show this depressing side of him. His little sister already had things to worry about, she shouldn’t get worried about him.

A moment later, after regaining just a tiny amount of strength, he stood up. However, the weight of his feet was heavier than usual. Even so, he continued on. He touched the doorknob, but he paused before turning it. He was worried about how he should go on about this. He took a deep and shaking breath again.

Then he turned the doorknob and opened the door. The first he saw was his own small little sister lying on her bed. She was tucked in. Her adorable wide eyes, full of light, turned towards him. Seeing how precious his little sister was, he couldn’t help but smile tenderly. Despite how miserable her condition was, she always had eyes full of life and anticipation.

The little sister smiled the moment she laid eyes on him. The older brother slowly approached and pulled in the nearby chair to place beside her bed. He sat down and gently grasped her small hand.

“Hello, brother.” She tilted her head slightly. “Are you okay?”

“I’m okay, Mila. I should be asking you that question.” He caressed her head gently with a smile.

“I think I can walk if I try.”

“That’s good, that’s good. My sweet little sister is strong, after all.”

The little sister, Mila, chuckled softly. “I guess I am…”

“You are… You take after me, you know. Isn’t your brother strong?”

“Yes! My brother is strong!”

He chuckled. “See?”

“What did Doctor Ruby say about me?”

The older brother didn’t answer immediately. He was hesitating, having no idea on how to respond. It felt wrong to tell her the truth outright. To tell a child that she was going to die was just… too cruel. Every moment, after realizing such a thing, it would be agonizing. He would never want that to his dear little sister.

He contemplated for a moment on how to proceed with this.

“... You just need to rest well. Meaning, don’t overdo moving around, and sleep early.”

Mila pouted. “I do sleep early.”

He chuckled. “Of course you do… But for today, rest well and set aside your video games, okay?”

She nodded. “Okay.”

He noticed her eyes seemed to be drooping. “Are you sleepy?”

“... Yes.”

It was only a few hours since she woke up. Her body truly was weakening.

“Then close your eyes. I’ll hum you to sleep. I won’t leave until then.”

Mila smiled adorably. “Thank you.”

She closed her eyes. The older brother tenderly and gently caressed her head and patted her arm as he hummed a gentle song.

“Hmm~Hmmm~...”

He stared fondly at his little sister as she gradually fell asleep. She had always had hope that things would turn for the better. And despite their situation, the older brother would always play along. For inside, he as well had always hoped things would turn for the better. That by some miracle, all would change for the better.

He gently moved a strand of hair covering his little sister’s face. He continued humming the beautiful melody. And a moment later, his little sister had completely fallen asleep. He let out a quiet sigh and gently kissed her on the forehead.

When things turn grim, many carry hope in their hearts. Despite knowing, when hopes fail, they would fall apart. But, what was wrong with holding on to hope when it’s all that you have? Nothing, even if it might hurt in the end.

The older brother left the room and quietly closed the door. He walked over to the table by the kitchen. He leaned his hands on the table as he closed his eyes. He took a deep breath, his head lowered, pursed lips, and tears slowly crawled down his cheeks.

His fist clenched tightly.

Why?

Why her?

His hands tightened even more, trembling as they did so. His heart within his chest began to boil. An image of his little sister coughing in pain appeared in his mind.

“IT’S NOT FAIR!” He slammed his fist onto the table, unable to contain his emotions. He violently swept all objects placed on top of it, and they fell to the floor with audible thuds. Metallic cups, metallic and porcelain plates. “WHY HER?! Why does she have to suffer?”

He slammed his fists onto the table, again and again. His hands were turning red, but he felt no pain whatsoever.

“She doesn’t deserve this! It’s n-not fair!”

Mila was only a little girl, so young. She had not experienced what it meant to truly live. She had yet to discover what she wanted to become. She had yet made a group of friends. She had yet lived a life a child should have. To have fun, to play to her heart’s content, to have a crush, to grow frustrated, to hang out with friends for a whole day, to develop new skills and talents, everything that children should experience. And instead of it all, most of her life, she was stuck in this house.

“It should be me that should suffer!”

He would gladly take all of her sickness if it meant for her to have a better life. Many times he had prayed to God. To heal her or perhaps let him take all the suffering. But nothing changed. There was no God here. No miracles.

“W-Why is this happening? Why does she have to die…?” He collapsed to the floor as his tears dropped from his eyes.

The sister he loved so much was about to die. That thought was unbearable.

She has lived most of her life in her room… And now, she’s about to die? Just like that? A short life…?

It was unfair. It was terrible. For her to die in this place beneath the earth. He didn’t want that for his little sister. She had always been sickly. And it only got worse as she got older. Every day, every morning, he had hoped for her to get better, but it never happened. And now she was about to die at such a young age? It was too painful and tragic, and it caused him to feel intense despair.

“Mila…”

His tears never stopped. And he remained sitting on the floor, his back leaning on the wrecked table along with the broken objects scattered all over the floor around him.

Suddenly, knocks came from the door. “Dariel?”

The older brother, Dariel, was so lost in his thoughts and weeping that he couldn’t hear anything else. His thoughts spiraled around the inevitable loss of his little sister, one he could never bear.

The door opened after a few calls. What entered was a girl around Dariel’s age. She was a close friend. She gasped upon seeing the room, and Dariel crying on the floor.

“Dariel…” She quickly crouched beside him with a worried expression and gently reached out for his hand. “What’s wrong?”

Dariel slowly looked up at her. “... Mila… doesn’t have long.” He closed his eyes as he shed more tears.

“No…” The girl was in disbelief. She glanced at the little girl’s room with visible heartbreak, her breath shaking ever so slightly.

She slowly pulled Dariel into her arms, and let him let out all the tears he had in her warm embrace. But the girl herself could not hold back her own tears. For she too loved Mila.