May

It was late May. The kids were growing more terrified about the end of the world. Ever since Valerie told me they were just pretending to be tough around me, I could now easily see how they faked being okay. I tried to encourage them, telling them that right now, they should enjoy themselves and create good memories together. But it was useless—nothing that came out of my mouth seemed to change their mindset.

Johan was good at these things. I was a disaster. I never knew what to say in these situations. And lately, the kids couldn’t get distracted by anything. We hadn’t encountered ultramutants in a while, so they had nothing to focus on except survival and walking, a lot of walking. And if you are asking where the horse is, yes we lost it. We didn't eat it, he just ran away while we were sleeping. Who knows why, maybe he saw the world was ending, so he went for a new adventure. 

Right now, we were locked inside a bar, waiting for a storm to pass. Lately, the rain had become more intense and toxic. It was slowing us down more and more. Because of it, we were falling behind on our journey. I was drinking every bottle of alcohol I could find in the bar. I hadn’t drunk in a long time, and I needed to forget about Valerie once and for all.

My nephews looked at me with disappointment. And who cares? They already knew me, and the world was ending. The two of them tried to distract themselves by playing pool, even though they didn’t know how. They made up their own rules, hit the balls in wild ways, or fought with the pool sticks. I would have stopped them or taught them how to play, but I was too drunk and needed a break.

Sometimes, they looked at me and asked if I would let them drink or smoke my cigarettes. But I refused instantly, telling them that if their mother found out when we saw her, she would kill me. I may be a failure of an uncle, but I’m not an idiot.

Unfortunately, as always, something had to ruin our fun.

From the bar’s bathroom, a bald and obese ultramutant covered in tattoos walked out. His arms were terrifyingly strong, but for some reason, he was very short—about the same size as my nephews.

“Uh… uncle?” Andrew asked me nervously.

“Yes, yes, I know,” I said, annoyed, stepping away from the bar with a drink in my hand.

I walked up to the short guy and crouched down to talk to him.

“What’s wrong, little guy? Did you lose your mommy? Sorry, but I’m already taking care of two brats—I couldn’t handle another one.”

I stumbled, and then, because of my drunkenness, I vomited a little on him. He just stood there, glaring at me angrily as the vomit dripped off him. He raised his fist and punched me with all his strength, sending me flying through the bar’s window.

“Get out of my bar!!” the furious little mutant shouted, veins bulging from his head.

He turned toward my nephews, and I yelled:

“Run, now!!” I shouted with what was left of my strength.

This wasn’t an ultramutant we could afford to fight right now—not in my state. The twins bolted, with the short mutant chasing them, throwing objects from the bar at them. I tried to cover them from the window, shooting at him. But for some reason, my aim wasn’t as sharp as it used to be. Lately, I’d been missing the motivation I once had.

When my nephews finally made it out of the bar, we ran through the rain. After putting some distance between us, we realized the little mutant had stopped chasing us and had stayed at the bar instead.

We stopped to catch our breath. I panted heavily under the rain. The kids were soaked too—I didn’t want them to catch a cold.

“Shit, shit,” I muttered, looking around for a new place to take shelter.

“Uncle, are you okay?” Andrew asked, concerned.

“Do I look okay, brat? A short guy with elephant strength nearly killed me while I was drowning in alcohol. I feel awful!!” Without knowing why, I took my frustration out on Andrew.

“Leave him alone, Andrew. He’s just depressed because the girl he liked rejected him,” Rick mocked.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about, tadpole!! That was just the last straw that broke the camel's back! You haven’t suffered the way I have my entire life!!”

Rick lunged at me and tried to hit me. I grabbed him by the hood and held him there for a moment. Andrew begged me to let go of his brother, but I kept him in the air to teach him a lesson. After a while, both of them started crying.

And suddenly, déjà vu hit me. The day their father died. They had cried the same way. No, even worse than now but it still remembered me of that time. That’s when I realized this wasn’t the time to fight over stupid things. They weren’t the only ones suffering. I set Rick down and tried to apologize:

“I’m sorry, kids. You know how I get when I drink. And with everything that’s happening, it was just too much. From now on, I won’t drink anymore. I promise.”

The kids didn’t respond. They seemed a little better but were still upset about my behavior. I scratched my head, trying to think of a better apology, but Andrew pointed at a place in the distance and timidly said:

“Let’s go there. It looks like a good shelter.”

I had forgotten about the rain, and I figured it was best to find cover first so they wouldn’t get sick, then talk like civilized people. I didn’t question Andrew—I just followed his lead and we headed toward the building he had pointed at.

When we got inside, the place was in surprisingly good condition. The kids, just as they got inside, ran around, exploring. I looked around too, and soon, I realized it was a laboratory. There were various machines and complex tools that seemed familiar to me. Everything was clean and organized. And then, something clicked in my head. I realized where we were.

“Andrew, do you have any idea where we are?” I asked, worried.

“Yeah, in a PowerMax lab.”

“Damn it. Where’s your brother? We need to leave right now!!” I grabbed my things again anxious.

“But why? There’s no safer place than this.”

“Andrew, you don’t know what you’re talking about. You’re just a kid. I know these people. They’re capable of anything if they catch us here.”

“But it’s empty.”

“They’re always out on expeditions with the excuse that they’re going to save the world and get us out of this mess. But they come back from time to time.”

“How do you know this?”

“I just do. And don’t argue with me,” I said, grabbing my nephew’s hand firmly. “Come on, let’s find your brother.”

“Ow, Uncle, you’re hurting me,” he said, frightened.

I let go of his hand and saw the way he looked at me. Something inside me shattered. Damn it. I screwed up. Again. My nephews hated me. I couldn’t fix this anymore. I was a disaster.

“Hey, come look at this!!” Rick’s voice called from another room.

I ran toward where the voice had come from. Andrew followed me slowly. When we entered, Rick was pointing ahead of him.

There, inside a glass containment chamber, was a strange being. An ultramutant. It was a massive man dressed like a soldier. But he could no longer be called a man. His body was covered in fur, like a monkey, and his hair wouldn’t stop growing the moment he saw us. It sprouted from everywhere—his face, chest, arms, and legs. And with each new strand, he screamed in pain.

For a moment, I locked eyes with the beast’s green gaze and placed a hand on the glass, as if I could feel his pain.

“Tristan…” I whispered, nostalgia filling my soul.

I knew this man. He had been one of my old teammates in my mercenary squad. The best soldier when it came to handling heavy artillery. A beast on the battlefield, but outside of it, he was a family man. And a friend.

"What did they do to you, old friend?"

"You know him, Uncle?" Rick asked, holding his weapon.

"Lower your weapon." I didn’t even bother answering.

"B-but you always..."- He tried to explain himself.

"I know!!- I couldn't think right now, just look at the pain of my friend-"Just let me talk to him first."

I approached the glass entrance. There was a voice and fingerprint scanner to enter. I placed my finger and said:

"Jason Carson."

"Verifying voice..." a robotic voice came from the scanner while my nephews looked at me, certain this wouldn’t work.

"Entry accepted. Welcome, Jason Carson."

"How lucky. Looks like they didn’t erase me from the database."

"But how? Did you work with Dad?" Rick couldn't hide his surprise.

"Something like that. I’ll explain later."

There were still many secrets I hadn't told my nephews yet. And I had no plans to, because if I did, they’d probably hate me even more.

We stepped into the containment chamber. Tristan hid in a corner, terrified, with even tougher and more unbreakable hairs sprouting from his body.

"Hey, hey, calm down, Tristan. It’s me. Jason. I’m not here to hurt you."

"Jason..." the beast said slowly.

"Yeah, Tristan, it’s me."

"What are you doing here?"- He started to talk in a civilized manner.

"I could ask you the same thing. What happened to your family?" I asked, fearing I already knew the answer.

"They... they... AHHH!" he screamed in anguish, holding his head as even more sharp, thick hair erupted from his skin. "They died while I was on one of PowerMax’s stupid missions!!! They promised they’d protect them!! My reason for existing was gone. My sweet Melody and Jessica... Then they used me, experimented on me, and abandoned me here. They said I was uncontrollable. Every hair that grows out of me hurts like a tank is crushing me over and over again!!!"

He tried to rip the hairs out, but his hands started bleeding.

"It’s okay, man, I get it." I grabbed his hands to stop him from hurting himself.

"You... I see you have kids. Take care of them, trust me, and cherish them."- He said, looking at my nephews, as he spoke peacefully again.

"They’re not my kids. They’re Johan’s."

"Oh, that know-it-all. Where is he?"

He looked at my nephews, who seemed downcast.

"I see... You’re all they have left. Stay by their side, no matter what." He raised his hand, and I took it.

"I know. You don’t have to tell me."

Still, I appreciated it. I needed to hear those words. I really did with all the terrible things happening around us.

"You’re as stubborn as ever. Haha." A smile peeked through his thick fur.

"Haha." I laughed with him, like in the old days.

"Now, do what you came here to do. Kill me." His voice turned serious.

"What?" The smile vanished from my face.

"Don’t play dumb. I remember your code—'Don’t let the ultramutants suffer.' It was something like that, right? Come on, do it. I need this. Let me be with my family again and end this punishment."

"But I don’t know if..."- my voide was filled with doubt.

"Yes, you can. You’ve always been the strongest of us mentally, even more than the General."

"But my aim... it’s not as good as before."

He grabbed my hand, the one holding my gun, and placed it against his head, in a spot where no hair had grown yet.

"Now you can. Do it quickly, before it grows back. But first, let me smoke one of your cigarettes."

I pulled out a cigarette and placed it in his mouth. He smoked it slowly, then, ready, he said:

"Alright, do it."

I gripped my gun, but my hands were trembling.

"Be a man for once." he said as his final advice.

I was about to lower my gun when I felt two small hands wrapping around mine, tightening my grip on the trigger. My nephews, smiling gently, stood beside me.

"Like Dad used to say, we’re a family, and we have to share all our burdens." Andrew spoke with unexpected wisdom.

"Yeah, what he said." Rick wouldn't even look at me, but I could feel him lending me his strength.

"Thank you, guys... and goodbye, old friend." I gave Tristan one last compassionate smile.

Seeing the situation, he smiled one last time, letting the half-smoked cigarette fall from his lips.

After a month of failing to shoot anyone in the head, my aim had finally returned—all thanks to my family.

After the shot, we left the chamber without looking back. I couldn't bear to see him anymore or I would cry for the first time in a long time.

We stepped out of the laboratory and saw that the rain had stopped.

"Hey, guys, um... about earlier, when we fought. Let me just say..."

"No need, Uncle. We understand. Just stop drinking from now on!!!" Andrew, ever the gentle kid, reassured me.

I nodded and looked at Rick, waiting for his response.

"The Carsons don’t need apologies." he said, arms crossed behind his head while walking. "Just remember that we’re here for you."

"Yeah. And I’m here for you, too."

The three of us started walking into the sunset.

At that moment, I realized—who needs women to feel whole? I need to cherish what I have and protect them, no matter the cost. They are my support, and I am theirs.

They are my new team. Right, Tristan?