"I'm Here"

It could all end today and they were all aware of it. They knew it right when they set foot in this mess. Sounds of gunshots and screams were echoing in the once abandoned building and the air reeked of blood and destruction. Her companions were fighting for their lives in all directions and it took everything in her to not drop her weapon and rush to every familiar face twisted in pain. This was war and there was only room for madness and agony.

When she wasn’t firing off, she stole glances at him, making sure he was not being compromised. She knew it would mean the end of her if he was. He fired his way into the army of troops they had been surrounded by. There had been an ambush and the enemy had hopelessly outnumbered them. But there was no way they would succumb. From the very beginning, it was clear that they would not willingly accept defeat. They were prepared to fight till the end.

She continued fighting for her life as thoughts of death occupied every part of her mind. As a little girl, death was a terrifying concept. The church was her favorite place back then. Naïve as she was, she prayed for ridiculous periods of time, assuming that if God liked her, he would make sure she’d never die. As a teenager, death didn’t seem that scary. Everyone would have to meet death eventually and there isn’t much one could do about it. It was when she chose a life of violence as an adult when the fear set in again. Death wasn’t too far she thought then. It was in constant wait for her. But it was when she met him, when the thought of it left her truly disturbed. They had both chosen a lifestyle that did not warrant an average lifespan. Falling in love with each other would only lead to them feeling shattered when one of them would meet death a little sooner than the other. It was so horrifying that it left her sleepless and anxious through several nights. Death did not care about love. It was always merciless, with the threat of it alone leading lovers down a road of despair. It was always looming around, ready to snatch you from the world.

Even as she was fighting her battle against death, she couldn’t get her mind to stop thinking about him. Every glance in his direction was akin to inching closer into death’s embrace, but she couldn’t help it. She watched as he barely escapes a bullet to his face, the graze leaving a trail of blood across his cheek. He does not acknowledge the pain. He mindlessly continues his dance, body moving gracefully as he simultaneously dodges every incoming hit, his fingers never leaving the trigger. Even in that moment of madness, she couldn’t help admiring his level of skill, which she had always aspired to master. She was falling in love with him all over again, as his beautiful eyes furiously look across the room, in search of her.

Behind him, one of the enemies aim right at his head. Without a thought she aims at the threat to his life. Only when the body drops behind him does he find her, after following the direction in which the bullet came through. They stare into each other’s eyes, looking for any indication of pain. They were both unharmed for the time being, their bodies barely registering any distress because of the raging adrenaline.

Suddenly, a wave of nostalgia hit them, causing a beautiful distraction amidst the chaos. She could tell they were reminiscing about the same memories. Profound memories of the day they met—both of them enchanted by the other, all the nights spent in each other’s embrace after the physically taxing hours they went through during the day, all the joyous declarations and promises they made to each other…The message was clear in both their eyes as they gazed at each other from across the distance—today might be the end of everything. There might not be any more memories.

Right when the wave of sadness hit them, he heard it. The distinct sound of a bullet making its way towards him. He heard her shriek before he felt the pain in his chest. This is it, he thought as the darkness began to creep in, not letting him sense anything around him. In that moment, he couldn’t ask for much besides her soothing presence. He simply lay there, yearning for her.

She couldn’t move at first. She could do nothing besides scream his name repeatedly. When he collapsed, she sprinted towards him—her legs unsteady and her hands weaponless. She shook him, even begged him to look at her, but his gaze remained fixed at the ceiling.

“I’m here”, she told him, right when pain spread all over her body.

“I’m here”, she said, not acknowledging the redness spreading rapidly all over her abdomen. She said the words repeatedly as her eyes fought to stay open. She wanted him to know he wasn’t alone. That she would be following him wherever he was being lead. That she was coming with him. That they would always be together. She would not let death separate them.

“I’m here”, she whispered one last time as her body collapsed on his, their fingers interlocked, as they lay still in each other’s presence.