When Death Became My Brother

Time seemed to slow down as the choice stood before him.

What would any human do?

Hold onto a little girl, trying to save her from death, knowing you'd both die together?

Or let her go… and live?

Although it seemed like Seran had plenty of time to think, in truth, he didn't.

The moment demanded a decision , die trying to save her, or survive by leaving her behind.

*******

BOOM!

The meteor collapsed with a thunderous impact, kicking up smoke and debris.

Everything beneath it was gone crushed.

"Cough… cough… are you okay?" Seran's voice broke through the dust, and he coughed weakly.

Beneath him, a pair of tear-filled eyes stared up at him ,the little girl.

She began to cry, trembling in fear. The sight of the massive rock falling had broken her completely.

"Shhh, it's okay," Seran whispered, smiling softly.

His clothes were torn, his body covered in dust but he didn't care.

She was alive. Safe.

Even as he soothed her, she continued crying.

Seran knew she needed to let it out so he held her close, becoming the comfort she needed.

Just as her sobs began to settle, a loud rumble echoed in the sky.

Choppers.

Military helicopters of all sizes flew overhead. Trucks and armored vehicles rolled in.

Seran's lips curled into a weak smile.

The military was finally here.

They were saved.

*****

Soldiers jumped from the choppers, rushing toward survivors.

One approached Seran.

"Are you okay?" he asked, eyeing Seran's torn clothes and dust-covered form.

"Don't worry about me," Seran replied. "She needs help more than I do." He looked down at the girl still in his arms.

"I see. Hey there, little one you're safe now. Come here," the soldier said gently, reaching out.

But the girl clung tighter to Seran, burying her face in his chest.

She was scared. But she had found comfort in him.

The soldier raised an eyebrow. "Is she your sister?"

"Just a passerby," Seran replied.

The soldier nodded solemnly. "Rare these days… risking your life for someone you don't know, especially in times like this."

Seran tried to smile. "End times?" he thought.

No… this was just a terrorist attack, right?

That's what he told himself to stay sane.

"Come with me," the soldier said. "She trusts you. Follow me to the medics , they'll help her. And patch you up too."

Seran nodded.

******

At a red-cross-marked military truck, Seran was treated and given clean clothes.

He sat quietly afterward, staring out at the chaos.

Smoke, fire, distant cries… the apocalypse was real now.

Earlier, he had stayed calm ,for the sake of his mother and brother. But now, the weight of loss, of grief, hit him.

His father… gone.

And not even a body to bury.

A heavy thought crept into his mind.

What happened back there?

He remembered clearly just before the meteor fell, he had been within its shadow. The pressure of gravity had already begun to crush him. He was just centimeters away from death.

Yet… somehow…

He'd appeared outside the shadow. Alive. Unharmed.

How?

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted.

"Mom. Nerez!" Seran jumped to his feet.

He ran toward the place he had left them.

"Hey! Where are you going?" a medic called, tending to another patient.

"To get my family. I'll be back!" Seran shouted, disappearing into the distance.

******

There they were.

His mother sat beside his unconscious brother, gently caring for him.

Relief hit Seran like a wave.

Among the smoke and death, this was his light , his family.

"Mom! The military's here. Let's go!" Seran called.

His mother looked up and smiled softly.

"Did you save them?" she asked gently. She knew her son well kind, calm, selfless.

He'd always been that way.

Unlike Nerez , selfish, closed off. But maybe… that could change.

She looked down at Nerez's face. Still unconscious.

"I couldn't save them all," Seran said, kneeling beside her. "I… I only saved one. A little girl."

He paused.

"Mom… I'm sorry. Dad is gone… and Nerez got hurt because I wasn't there."

His voice cracked.

And for the first time, Seran cried ,truly cried in his mother's arms.

She held him close, tears welling in her own eyes.

"Sometimes… saving one life is worth more than the world," she whispered. "You did well, son."

In her arms were the only family she had left.

Her husband was gone and now she had to raise these two boys alone.

Nerez clenched his fists.

He had woken up earlier, but stayed silent — too weak to move.

Now, he had regained a bit of strength, and he had heard everything.

"Mom… Brother… I want to be strong," he whispered hoarsely. "If we had power, money… if we were stronger… that bastard Lucas wouldn't have bullied us… Dad wouldn't have had to go to the police station…"

"Dad wouldn't be dead."

Tears streamed down Nerez's face.

And so, the family of three wept together huddled amid smoke, ash, and ruin.

They didn't know it yet, but this exact scene…

Would someday be recreated.

*******

The military transported all survivors to a temporary base nearby. But they gave no answers.

"Is this a terrorist attack or what?" Seran asked one soldier.

"Please stay calm, citizen. All questions will be answered shortly," the soldier replied mechanically.

Seran sighed and returned to the survivor zone.

He'd asked several times. The answer never changed.

As he walked among the injured, he saw despair everywhere , families huddling, people bandaged and bruised.

The girl he saved was now in a special zone for children, receiving proper care.

They must've had hundreds of kids suffering trauma.

The adults weren't much better.

In one of the tents...

"Any news?" a voice asked as Seran walked in.

"No, bro. Nothing yet." He looked at his mother. "Mom… how are you?"

"I… I'll be fine," she said, though her voice cracked.

Seran's heart ached.

But not just his.

Nerez looked on too, his heart equally broken.

He and Seran had already spoken they had to be strong for her.

For the mother who had lost her world, They had to be her new world now.

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