Ruth adjusted her nursing cap and took a breath.

It was hot and she had been on her feet for hours.

She stepped out of the horrid small hospital tent outside the city into the night sky.

Caring for revolutionaries, freedom fighters, dignitaries, and people from another universe, in a world that never moved on or changed.

Because Ruth was from here. This was her life.

As normal as life was for Ralph in his universe, this was normal to Ruth. And while Lenny and Ralph pondered who these people were, stuck in these copies and simulations, to them, it was their life.

Nobody tried to understand it or complain about it.

It was a life. A worker bee like life.

She had dark skin like Ralph. But she was neither African or American. Those didn't even exist in After.

Ruth took a deep breath and looked at her life, and smiled as the man from another universe walked into hers.

Ralph smiled as he slowly walked up.

"Wow. You are still here," Ruth said.

"Hi Ruth. Are you okay?"

"No. No, I'm not okay. I got pieces of young men in my hair. Their blood on my shirt. All for what?"

Ralph didn't have an answer.

She adjusted his collar on his shirt.

"Wolfram is still alive," Ralph finally said.

"You say that like I care."

"You should. He's been terrorizing here. The planes - "

"I know. There are no more planes. Thanks to you," Ruth chuckled.

Ruth came closer to Ralph.

"You know, I keep hearing about this warrior around here. The boys I’m putting back together talk about him. He’s a killer.

Legendary, some say. A morale booster nobody has ever really seen. No one can contain him. He answers to no one. Sounds like a ghost to me."

Ruth then came almost for a kiss but stopped.

"The problem with someone like that, Ralph, is they are never around when you need them. And when things get complicated, they run off. So.

Wolfram. What are you going to do when you find him? Killing him didn't work before."

Ralph stayed silent.

He eventually spoke though.

"After this is done, I'm going to find you and take you away from here."

"That's funny. You said After," Ruth joked.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

"You know what I mean," Ralph replied.

"There might not be After," Ruth said.

She kissed Ralph on the cheek, and turned to leave.

But a sound filled the air and stopped both of them.

They looked up in horror.

People started running in the countryside.

A small plane was above them all. A mixture between an old World War I plane mixed with a cardboard box a kid would play with.

Except it had guns and bombs on it.

"Run!!! Run!!!" Ralph yelled.

People ran for cover.

The machine guns on the side opened up.

Small bombs were dropped.

The explosions rocked everyone.

Dirt and trees were lifted, as whole hills and trenches disappear in blasts.

Soldiers run and try to fire at the small noisy home made plane.

Men and women from all the freedom fighting groups screamed and pointed and ran for cover, some literally digging and crawling into holes with their hands.

Ralph pointed for Ruth to hide under a series of rocks, and ran into the madness. He pulled Deerborne and prepared to use it.

Lenny is still confused by the conversation with Ralph when the plane is heard and starts dropping bombs.

He grabs his light switch, making sure he has it just in case.

Suddenly, across the sky, a small portal opens.

Lenny has excitement and horror on his face as the light switch shakes in his hand.

I must get closer to close it.

The plane sees it too and aims its crude flying box towards it.

Lenny runs as fast as he can, past the flames and explosions.

Suddenly, he is lifted and is flying.

Lenny smiles.

Dania holds him, her hijab floating in the air, as she carries him with her flying gift.

They fly above the madness below, but not as high as the plane.

"You're the best!" Lenny yells.

"I know!"

The sights and sensation of flying over a copy of an ancient war and city are thrilling and mind numbing.

"Does it get old?!"

"Never," Dania laughs. "I'm all out!"

Dania and Lenny start gliding back towards the ground, almost underneath the portal.

The plane puts towards the portal.

"It's going to be close!"

The plane drops a bomb.

It explodes as Lenny and Dania are landing.

They are thrown across the dirt, rolling into the hillside.

The light switch box skips away.

Lenny is hurt, rolled ankle, and looks back.

Dania is also hurt, but throws a thumbs up.

Lenny limps towards the light switch.

The plane is almost there.

Lenny leaps and flicks the switch.

The portal shuts just as the plane is there, and it keeps floating in the air.

Suddenly, the plane explodes into pieces and fire.

Lenny looks as Ralph is right underneath it, firing his huge pistol.

The plane falls to pieces and collapses on the ground.

Ralph runs over to what is left of the body.

He pulls the brown sack of a smiley face off the body.

Not Wolfram.