Goodnight Museworld, Part 2

Something spread around us then like the spirit of a brand-new holiday.

With hands together, be they clutched in fear or desperation, ignorance or joy- most everyone’s final day was welcomed in with open arms.

Brice Gills thought about his lost friend for the first time in many, many weeks when he saw the tragedy above. He’d escaped that trauma for so long that it felt like an old friend itself when it came back to him. But he didn’t let it control him, not this time. He just smiled. He’d be happy to see Brice thinking of him now.

Umi, too, remembered the evil inflicted upon her by fate, if it could even be called such a thing. Her bringing peace to others had been little more than a way of moving past her origin- an unfourtunate time for her, not unlike Frankie. But like Brice, if she did regret any of it, that was so miniscule an itch in comparison to the love she’d fashioned herself for everything around her that it was drowned out entirely. She remembered those she loved, and she smiled, too.

Within the Oval Office, somebody named Gesus was still at a loss. He spent his time with the people he loved, like anyone else would. It stung, having to accept that he didn’t matter anymore than any of those other people before they were all crushed under the same pressure together.

Kiddie and Drew Parker too watched the fireworks together, hand in hand.

“Kidney… that bastard.”

“…Do you hate him, dad?”

“Only so much as I hate myself.”

Drew looked at his feet.

“…I don’t hate you, dad.”

The parkowner took his son’s advice as he took his damaged hand off the boy’s and rubbed his hair down instead, turning its crown-shaped visage into little more than a yellow pile of spaghetti.

“…Guess I can’t hate me either, then.”

Saint was living the life of his dreams inside the Pop Household. Even though he missed his two new sisters, his old one was right here with him, and for the first time he could remember, two adults were actually caring for him.

Still, a heavy air held over their heads.

“…They aren’t coming back, are they?”

Hugo had never been so grim as he had that night. It was fine. Somebody had to say it, they all agreed.

“…That’s a shame.” Suzy bemoaned like it was but a slight disappointment.

Cheryl cried over her macaroni.

“It’s okay, sis.” Saint tried to make it better. For once, she needed him more than he did her. Yet even then there wasn’t much he could do.

With how much it hurt, she almost wished the good things she’d experienced never happened it all.

Then, her phone rang.

There was so much despair in her heart that she almost didn’t think to pick up. That last little flicker of hope inside her was all that drove her eyes to glance down at the name displayed on the dim screen.

Frankie

When she finally rushed to pick it up, she was so scared it would be too late.

Then she heard her voice, and put it on speaker.

“H-Hi, Cheryl.”

The young woman was at a loss.

“Me and Katie are safe here in Wirestone. How is everybody?”

She couldn’t say anything. Not a word.

“Frankie!” Suzy was the first to leap up onto the table, spilling noodles and cheese all over the place to speak to her daughters. “You’re okay! Are you okay? Katie! You there?”

“A-All good, mom.” The older girl’s voice sounded off. She was laughing.

“Katie! Frankie!” Hugo finally shook the sadness off his head. He ran around the table to shout into that girl’s phone as loud as he could.

“Is Saint there?” Katie asked, making him perk up at the sound.

“Y-yeah!” He was so excited, he couldn’t decide whether to scream or whisper.

“I’m… so sorry! I should’ve- I should’ve… no. I… I didn’t have a chance to play with you, Saint.” Katie’s voice lost the antics and came out with the honest sound of human regret. “But I hope you’ll forgive me anyway. Y-You’re the best, kid.”

“T-thanks…” He gripped his hands like he had stage fright. The person to make him feel like a kid again eased his heart once more.

Commotion suddenly blared out of the phone.

“Wait, Katie, it’s dying!”

“What?”

“Hand it to me!”

Frankie seized the device on the other end.

“Cheryl? Cheryl you there?”

The sharpshooter snapped back to reality. She was missing her last chance. Her only chance to speak to her ever again.

“Y- Yeah…!”

“YESS!! AHA!” It almost scared her how Frankie giddily shot to life on the other side. She thought she’d sounded so excited already, compared to how she usually was. Until that very moment, she’d forgotten just how much this woman loved her. She made sure to tell her she felt the same way.

“F-Frankie, thank you for calling! I-I love you! I love you so much!”

“Turn on the camera, let me see you one more time!”

Disregarding what was left of the battery, Frankie stared into her lover’s eyes in silence for an undyingly long amount of time.

“…Thank you.” Frankie murmured. “For everything. I’ll always love you.”

A tear streaked down her face, miles apart from the object of her desire.

“Y-You too, thank- thank you.” Cheryl murmured. “And- and you’re welcome.” She hiccuped.

“I-I love you!” The image began to break up. “Um- Bye!”

“Y-yeah!” Cheryl shouted, watching the screen go dark as the call ended.

Tears dotted her eyes.

“Bye.”

Within an office in a useless park in Kansas, of which many copies existed, Willow walked in on an old man playing video games, refusing to sleep.

“…This is your fault, isn’t it?”

He nodded his head.

She hugged him anyway.