Music filled the evening air while people amassed at the intersection in the center of the city with celebrations. Ace, together with Ingrid and Steven, had to squeeze through to get to Hopper's house. A cheer came from everyone inside when they saw Ace go through the door last. His pack surrounded him, happy about the rare occasion.
Hopper's house was near the walls of the city which was away from the noise of the central avenue, convenient for them. Every feast night, they'd go there just because of the location. It was extra special tonight because everyone was celebrating it for him. "Glad you could make it, old man." Harry shook Ace's hand as Stubs took the crate from him to set it down somewhere inside.
Ace goes to Hopper's family first. "Mary, Stephanie. We are forever grateful for everything. We promise to keep coming back here every month to disturb you. Right boys?" He looks back at them already getting their bottles from the crate of Dana's, Ingrid's mother, special brew. They all raised a bottle and cheered. Mary hugged and thanked them one by one calling them to start the festivities by having dinner. Ace sat beside Ingrid and Steven, listening and trading stories that made Hopper a legend in the guild, laughing at funny memories that brought them closer together over the years, the alcohol doing them wonders. Steven cherished that moment, he knew it would be a memory he'd carry with him forever. At eighteen, he only remembers glimpses of how they were rescued by the Irish Naval Service during the flood, he was only eight, hearing stories about how life used to be in the old world, he felt the pain of nostalgia over something he never got to experience fully. He had undivided attention as the pack shared their favorite stories of the old world, fascinated with every single detail doing his best to imagine how the rest of the looked like outside Belfast.
The center of the city was still loud as it got late, but inside it had gone quiet with the pack. They were sharing about how they survived the flood, and Steven was more attentive than ever despite the fact that it was his first time drinking and he'd downed three bottles already. "Oh, man. I was lucky to have been in the army which meant I got access to a chopper." David recounted. "I was in Korea, Camp Humphreys. It started with endless showers of rain for days. Then on the third day, the wind carried the waves with it. We had no idea where to go, no towers, no visibility especially during the night with the moon being shattered, it was just us trying to fly through the storm, trying not to spin out of control." His deep voice boomed above the distant beats of drums and music, his skin glowing dark and golden with the dim lights of the indoors, his hazelnut eyes shining. "We flew for a little more than five hours, pushing the chopper's limit. We didn't see any other aircraft and crashed towards the highest point we could find. There were seven of us, only three of us made it to a makeshift camp we found, as we wandered for two days." Everybody was silent now, the twins were upstairs and asleep, you could feel the weight of the mood in the air.
David was the same age as Ace and they were both not married. Steven thought it's the reason they're fearless. David had no family, he lived alone. While Ace only had his mother next door, but according to him she's fine with it if ever something happens to her or Ace because she's lived a full life already, surviving the flood was already the biggest blessing for her. According to Ace she said that she couldn't wait to be with his father again. It was just a matter of having the perfect bond, knowing each other so well that you get to that point of mutual understanding that whatever happens, you have the strength to accept and respect the other person's wishes even if it meant that they finally have to go. That, for Steven, was the true meaning of family.
Stephanie inched closer to the table, a barbecue stick on hand. "Tell us about the first jump, uncle Harry." Her eyes lit up even though she'd heard the story hundreds of times. "Oh, you want the whole thing? Ask Ace." Everybody shifted their attention towards him, in turn he smirked at Harry. "You're a real lazy friend, Rabbit." He chuckles. "We were like what? Sixteen?" Ace asks. "Seventeen." Harry corrected him with a laugh to urge him on. "Jesus, well-" A scream from next door made everybody jump. It was shrill and piercing. William was first out the door followed by everybody. "Harry, stay with the girls." Ace ordered as he rushed after them. The buzz inside their heads gone, all of them suddenly alert.
They heard a window shatter behind the house as they approached the house. "Steven, William, get inside! Go around back with me, Dave!" Ace ordered as he squeezed through the small gap between the houses, followed closely by David while Stubs stayed behind because he was too big to pass through. They heard footsteps on the gravel and metal walkways, running away from them. As they got through the gap, the two of them pursued the suspect through alleys and makeshift fences. They were chasing someone clad in black, wearing a balaclava and gloves with a knapsack on his back. He was skilled and quick even though he was carrying things, the two of them had to keep their focus to keep up. "He's headed towards the avenue!" Dave yelled through the howl of the evening wind. Ace looked for a way to cut him off, but he realized he was already taking the fastest route. "Shit, we can't let him get away!" The culprit turned and jumped over obstacles with as much ease as they did. Although they were catching up, eventually they got to the main avenue where the crowds were still loud and packed. They pushed through keeping their eye on the man they were chasing. "He's getting away!" David yells as they squeeze through the crowd, only catching glimpses of the man in black until they lost him.
They stopped just before the center intersection where the crowd amassed the most, the heart of the city. "Fuck! You see where he went?" Ace pants, his hands resting on his knees. "I lost him." David coughs, both of them dripping cold sweat as steam blew out their mouths. David straightens up, "Damn it. We gotta get back to Hopper's, Ace." They made their way back to the Montassers' neighbors and the girls were already there, a whole family was stabbed and looted, Ingrid and Stephanie had blood on their hands from failing to stop the bleeding of the woman lying between them. "Her name was Grita, her husband was Maro." Mary said, covering the bodies with white sheets. "Their son was an apprentice to the Electrician's Guild. Maro was a craftsman. They came from Croatia, and have been our neighbors for as long as I could remember." A tear was trickling down her cheek. "I knew Grita too. She used to work at command." Ingrid put her hand on her shoulder and for a while everybody was silent. "Who would do this?" Stephanie cried out. Ace ushered her away from the bodies, looking at the others who looked back. "We'll have a meeting with the council tomorrow and search the whole city. He will pay for this." The pack cleaned up the scene and settled them on their beds, and decided that they will take the matter to the council tomorrow since they'd probably be hard to find right now and they didn't want to spread panic. "Alright," David speaks up. "Go home. Be with your families, I'll stay here until you come back tomorrow. It's a night of celebrating lives they have lived. Remember them as they were and how they would be if they were still with you. This is the best way to honor them. I got this, go." Everybody tried to protest against the fearless and legendary Deep, but everybody knew it was useless arguing against him because they all felt weary from the long night so they thanked him and wished him a good night, giving him the food left from the gathering was the least they could do. "I'll come back early tomorrow. Thanks for this, Deep." Ace shook his hand as the rest of them shuffled outside.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
Ace walked home with Ingrid, agreeing on taking the long route to wrap their minds around the whole thing, he kept his hand on his knife the whole time just in case the robber recognized him. "I know that look." She nudged him with her shoulder. "Hey, it's going to be alright. We'll get him, I don't want you overthinking. At least just for tonight." They stopped walking, standing near a street light, finally the city has gone quiet, the houses gone dark. The distant roar of the waves beyond The Drop was now heard carried by the wind.
"What's become of this world?" He sighs.
"What happened, happened. We just keep on going, we promised that not just to each other, but to both our mothers, and now to all the people important to us. To humanity."
"I know, it's just... Is it too much to ask for more than just a few happy moments?"
"Ace." Ingrid reaches out for a hand, feeling a scar she tended to during one of his earliest dives.
"Hopper was the first one to die in front of me and it really took a toll on me, I won't lie. But I can't stop right now, and I won't stop."
"You know you can, Ace. I know you're just trying to be strong for us, but I'm here to tell you that we understand that you have limits too and honestly we've been talking about how to convince you to take a rest. Maybe these days you're better in some... Other place than out there."
Light snowfall started around them, the steam of their breaths felt warmer and got thicker. "Ings, the sea is my rest." She gave out a confused look. "I don't know what's wrong with me, but I can't leave it. I know that I was offered to be a part of your council and have been asked to stop collecting for good because you think that it's a good thing that I have a strong influence on the people without being part of it, you asked me to imagine what more if I was in the council. But beyond The Drop, there's comfort that I cannot explain. Call me an idiot or something, but I love the thrill it's when I feel alive most, it's the closest I will ever feel to getting behind the wheel again, going fast." Ingrid held his hand a bit tighter, worried of what she's hearing out of him, completely against it. "I am aware of putting myself in danger, but wasn't that what I've been doing my whole life? I have never been worried about myself, because everything I do I make sure I don't regret. It's the pack I'm worried about, they'd follow me anywhere. I was almost Steven's age when I made my first dive, younger even, and I've been lucky my whole life. I've had kids Steven's age die under me, and now that this chain of events happened, with Hopper and the murder, I just feel like I should make sure that he at least makes it a year or two. I feel responsible, starting all of this, him looking up to me like that, only seeing the good side of it all, not knowing how to process the bad side, you saw him earlier and at the funeral." Ingrid processed all these, starting to walk again and tugging him with her. "That's it." Ace pulled her to a stop again to get her to face him. "Two more years, Ings. That's all I'm asking, convince the council, please." She laughs at this and now it was his turn to get confused.
"Have you ever thought that it's what makes those happy moments special? It's few, and so it's much more valuable. It's how you guys survive out there, you cling to these moments because they're important and worth experiencing again. I think it's what keeps everyone going, even you and David. Everybody has something to fight for." She lets go of his hand.
She starts walking, Ace catching up to walk beside her again. "And why the fuck do you even have to say so much? What, you thought I'd talk you to committing to the council? Ace, I love you and as much as I care about your well-being, I know it would be hopeless to force you into the council." The gravel was crunching beneath them as they walked through the sleeping city. "It's no use putting you in work you won't be happy with. You'll be nothing but deadweight. I'll make sure to talk to them, I think they'd understand. I'm your oldest friend, I know too well when you can't be stopped once you've decided on something. I also know that you hate being looked up to, but unfortunately you're a natural at being a leader, everybody sees it. So stop trying to convince people you're not and capitalize on it. You invented collecting, I'm sure you'll come up with more ways to help what's left of humanity to progress. Like I said, it's in our nature, only in this case this nature is stronger on you than most. But... Alright, two years. You take care of that boy, and you teach him all you know so you won't have to be this worried when you finally step down, alright?" Ace nods in reply, being a man of few words he tries to muster what words he could. They walked a few more feet before he actually thought of something to say. Which he knew was dumb, but it was all he had.
"You always know what to say." He does his best to smile.
"I know. But the thing about Steven, the funeral? Earlier? It's not because he doesn't have a stomach for it, he's actually worried about you. Not in the way he wants to meet the pack's expectations, he's more mature than you think and you need to treat him like he is, just a tip for you first step. No need to thank me." She returns the smile.
"Jesus, thanks." He laughs a little.
"You care for Steven because you see yourself in him, and I'm here to stop you from changing that, which you're totally planning on about right now I can see it on your face, because there's nothing wrong with how you turned out to be." She looks at his eyebrows scrunched together, already deep in thought. "Okay, maybe one or two. Like, you know, always trying to carry the weight of responsibilities meant to be for the whole pack on your own."
"Fuck, I get it, okay." He laughs some more.
"Well somebody had to plant the idea in your head, you idiot." She pokes his temple.
They approached the slope of fused metal roads leading up to their houses as they continued to joke around more from memories together in this world, old and new. Ace still looked after the surroundings not letting his guard down despite fooling around, the events earlier that evening not slipping his mind. They got to Ingrid's doorway, a dim light shining through the window her mother left for her. "Well, this is me. Most thankful for the walk home, my lord." She bows, faking an English accent. "I missed you, Ace. You should know that. And before your stupid clueless ass says anything about walking to work everyday, the real you." Ace looks down on her, meeting her eyes. "I guess what I'm really trying to say is... Thank you for tonight." She pulled him for a warm and tender kiss. Ace was ready for every danger they might have faced walking home, but not this kind of danger. Although he didn't do anything to stop it either. "I know, I know. We had to end it. Like I said, I could never change your mind when you've already decided. But I still-" She caught herself and looks down, sadness starting to fill her with regret.
Ingrid suddenly feels a wave of nauseous nostalgia wash over her. A feeling she's suppressed for eight years but never lost ever since Ace and her decided to end things between them, "For the better." As Ace put it. She was starting to overthink and reach for the door when Ace opened it for her, she felt the tears welling up in her eyes. "You also forget that I'm your oldest friend, stop overthinking. Thank you for everything, Ingrid." He kissed her cheek. "Nothing about the way I feel has changed and it hurts, but we have to settle for the few happy moments for now." She nods, keeping her head bowed, not meeting his eyes for a while but decided to look at him one last time as the shadow of the door closing slowly eats the soft warm light on his solemn face. When the door finally shuts, she hears him hiking the remaining distance up to his airbus waiting until the sound is gone. She lets go and sobs on the doorway.