Zach sat back, resting his tired body against the mangled corpse of the freak. He was covered in blood, much of it his own. His chest rose and fell gently, as his head drooped downward and his eyes closed. He barely noticed when Emily slid up against him, wrapping her uncle in a gentle hug.

“So, that’s it, huh?” She said casually as she held him.

“I hope so.” He replied weakly. “I don’t have anything left.”

“Yeah,” Emily chuckled, looking around the wrecked square. Bodies were strewn all over the place, mixed in with massive amounts of debris. Vaguely she could make out the sounds of the wounded and dying. It seemed no one had made it out unscathed.

Emily thought about that for a moment.

“I guess the mayor’s dead, isn’t he?” She said suddenly, a realization dawning on her.

“Yep.”

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“What’s going to happen to the city?”

Zach let out a sound that sounded almost like a laugh while at the same time making a halfhearted attempt at a shrug.

“Who cares?” He muttered. “They’ll figure something out.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right.” Emily returned, giving a shrug of her own.

“Of course I am.” Zach responded with a slight smile.

Emily grinned, but didn’t say anything. She thought about giving him a light tap for his arrogance, but she decided against it. Instead, she just leaned her head on his shoulder. He’d sacrificed so much for her, he deserved a little hubris.

As they rested, the sun began to slowly peek out from behind the city’s skyscrapers. Bit by bit, the darkness that had enveloped them for so long, fled from its presence. They’d both seen it hundreds of times before, but this time was different. This felt like a new dawn as Zach forced his eyelids open, and they both watched that great light of hope appear.

“It’s beautiful.” Emily breathed, wide-eyed.

Zach just nodded. It really was.

They sat that way for hours, just watching the dawn as it appeared. There was a lot they needed to do, but that could wait. For now, they were together, and they were going to make it count.