***
Lincoln ignored his emotions. He grabbed everything he could and shoved it into his backpack, and when it was full, he ran to his door and felt the unusually cold metal of the doorknob bite his palm. His eyes glazed with tears, he stifled a sob; he didn’t even get to look out the window or see Abigail again, but the warped thousand yard stare that came from the shards on the TV screen would be the first thing in his mind for the rest of his life.
***
Elliot couldn’t hold it anymore. He choked and sputtered on his own tears as they tumbled down his face. His throat was raw from screaming, everything ached, and the cave that was supposed to be security gave no protection at all. Dread sank its unforgiving claws into his soft flesh while watching him drown in the pain he would cause others. Elliott thought that being in the Army would’ve given him thicker skin, but there’s a certain kind of work that people aren’t cut out for.

“Three seconds till the mission is complete.”
***
Lincoln stared back at his house and felt the whir of cars zooming by him as they sped away. Abigail had fallen to the floor in a heaping pile of sobs. Elliott held onto his swollen joint, just hoping that someone could understand him, but he knew that he was just following General Cooper’s orders and doing what wars were meant to do: kill innocent people.

“Two seconds till the mission is complete.”

Elliot moaned in pain. Red, white, and blue were supposed to represent liberty and free will and give safety and hope, but they made people quake in fright. He could lie to himself all he wanted, but he knew that the colors on the flag weren’t shining and glorious; they were tainted with blood. His country was supposed to be supported by peace, not dead bodies.
***
Elliot rolled around in a fruitless attempt to stand. It was too late to do anything; he was as good as gone. Tears stung his eyes, and all he could do was suppress a whimper. Agony clouded his vision, and a dreaded cry of anguish escaped his lips. The wind came stronger than before, and Elliot was lost in the overpowering sound.

“One second till the mission is complete.”
***
When the bomb detonated, there was a flash of light visible from the heavens. The shimmering palette disappeared, and so did everything around it. Nobody saw the blast or heard the clock ticking, but everybody felt it like a punch in the gut, splattering their dreams across the earth. There was a story behind everything, including the way Lincoln pounded against the glass, Abigail lost her control, and Elliott lay restlessly underneath a stone blanket, and there were more stories than anyone could hear in the wind that rang clearly amidst the madness.

Maybe Elliott was forgotten, or maybe General Cooper deemed him a hero. Maybe a new reporter who always controlled her reactions replaced Abigail. Maybe people like Lincoln fought against the glass boundaries that confined them. Maybe the wind would always show its scars and tell stories, even if no one cared enough to listen. Maybe the world did keep spinning even if something went wrong in a man’s heart.

Maybe the world really could have changed before everything went black.
※