Strafe was much of a rebel, a criminal, but more like THE criminal. He was a serious guy, well, more or less, but with an heroic attitude when it was necessary to keep some iron nerves. A guy with green hair, literally, with brown and orange clothes. Dark colours, which reflected his spirit.
He walked upstairs, smiling while he watched some of the photos in the wall. Photos of he and a girl, a girl of blonde strawberry hair and purple-coloured clothes
He knocked the door. One feminine and soft voice replied. He asked who was knocking. He smiled, looking at the door while hiding a little box on his hands. Well, who else than he could be knocking? The door opened, and then, he saw her blue eyes.
- So here you are again - she said, with a smile in her face. - And what do you want now? - she asked
- Why don't we go to... take a walk? - replied he, taking her by her hand and going downstairs. Ella was a little reluctant.
- Where are we going? So suddenly? Come on, Strafe -
- Don't be so negative, Ella. We'll go to the beach. Today's a pretty wonderful and sunny day - he said, looking from side to side. After going out of their house, he started to run along with she. When the two were on the beach, he sit on the sand, while holding her hands. Nothing could make him sad that day. It was pretty special. In fact, it was the day he was going to propose Ella marriage.
Meanwhile, in a factory near the houses, the machines were still working. Robots and robots were being constructed, and eventually fulfilled some tests, such as aiming and shooting, mostly for classification as Defective or Working. One little drone, a white metal ball with six walker legs and one mechanic red eye, just watched everyone shooting and attacking in the test, while yelling “meep”.
Eventually, he needed to do a test. And he needed to aim… and attack at fast speed. But his AI thought something. Why attack? Was there any reason to attack if no wounds were done? He refused to run into it and simply smash it. He simply couldn’t harm anyone without thinking it. Then, he thought he did a good thing. While he was jumping in happiness, some claws took him, while a technologic voice said “Defective”. Then, he fell onto a machine… which would later throw him into the sea.
He tried to flee, but he couldn’t do anything. Just yell “meep”.
Back in the beach, the sunset had already come. Strafe looked at Ella, happy, and, looking down, searched for the little box in his pocket. He took it in his hand, and saw Ella’s eyes.
- Ella. I want to tell you something… - he said. She was a little surprised. – Would you… -
He couldn’t end the phrase.
Ella screamed, and ran to the sea, as if see had seen something. He chased her, while screaming for her to stop running. She was looking even more surprised, and, after looking at the sea, Strafe had no doubt on why.
She had seen two bodies floating in the water, along with some wooden pieces, which would surely be part of a sea ship. One of them was a guy with light brown hair, a captain hat and a pale cyan shirt. He nearly drowned, but was saved by Ella just in time.
The other one was a guy completely made of water: that’s the first thing you’ll think after seeing him. He had a necklace with a sapphire shaped in the form of a tear in it, and wore some black-and-red robes. Ella tried to take his pulse, but her hand just got through the water that made his body. However, he didn’t seem to be dead, neither polluted.
This attracted the attention of two guys in the forest. One of them was a green haired dude, in his teens, with some nature-themed clothes, but everything in a pretty formal and royal style. He was going along with a little kid, with blonde hair (which slowly graded into dark hair) and golden clothes. He looked certainly happy, but when he saw the bodies in the ground, he panicked and asked the other one, certainly older than he, what happened. The two came outside, most likely, to ask.
But they weren’t the only ones attracted by it. A child demon, with a scarlet-coloured body, looked at everything from some bushes. His form changed into the body of a normal child, with clothes resembling that of the blonde that first walked out of the forest. The main difference between him was his eyes. He had black eyes, completely black. Nothing could be seen in them. Some may question if he even had eyes. After the transformation, he came out of the bushes, looking at everything from behind them, while smiling and running into the beach.
The robot also saw everything, while slowly being more and more near the sea. Desperate, he still tried to escape, until he found out something weird. He wasn’t being held by the claw anymore. The claw, and he, had fallen into the ground. The claw seemed broken, disconnected but mostly completely grey. Even the lights of it were grey. He looked at it, and ran away. Then, he saw how all the factory was becoming grey… and how strange that was. Leaves started to grow… and the factory slowly became ruins.
- Strafe…. Do you know if they are going to get well? … And what were you going to tell me? – asked Ella, exhausted. He looked down. – Nothing… - replied he.
- What’s going on here, everybody? – asked the royal teenager. Behind him, the child, a little timid, was looking at everything, curious. – Yes, couwd you tew us? – he said. He seemed to have a speech impediment.
- We have found these bodies in the sea. They nearly drowned. It’s a miracle they survived – said Ella. However, when she finished telling them, she saw something really awkward. The people from the beach had started to disappear. The city was slowly becoming ruins. Everything was turning, simply, grey.
- … Strafe. Do you know what is happening? – asked Ella. He didn’t know anything about what was happening, in fact. Not even a thing. Ella panicked. – We need to get outta here! – she screamed. The water-like being opened his eyes. - ... What? ... H-hello... -
- You woke up!... but I think we're in trouble... we can't get outta here... - Ella said.
- I'M FINDING A SOLUTION TO THAT, DAMMIT! - Strafe screamed.
- ... I think I c-can... find a quicker solution... - said the water guy. He quickly became some wet water over the sand, but slowly fell into the sea… and then, started to form a small ship out of ice, coming out of his own body.
- But… what do you think you’re doing!? – she asked. She didn’t know what was going to happen. She didn’t have any clue. She just asked Strafe to take the body of the captain, and Strafe did so. When she saw the ship that was forming of the water, she quickly ran into it, knowing she had no other possibility.
Strafe saw everything turn into nothing. The sky was not orange, blue or anything anymore. It was just plain black. Black, like their future would be if they did nothing. Black.
He threw the body of the captain to the ship. Ella asked what the hell he was doing. He quickly told them to stay in the ship. The royal guy quickly took the child by his hand, and ran to the deck. The demon-like one also did, waiting for Strafe to come.
- Hey, you! You want to suicide!? Haha, that’s funny! – screamed, in laughs. Strafe looked at him, angry. – I’m trying to SAVE you. Are you going to rely on a stranger you just found NEARLY DEAD in the water!? – he said, pissed off.
- … Strafe! Everything is going simply so fast! We have NO OTHER CHOICE! COME INSIDE HERE! COME! I’M TELLING YOU TO COME HERE! STRAFE, DO YOU HEAR ME!? –
He just looked at the grey sparks in the sand. The same ones at were slowly covering up all of the beach. He took his guns, and started shooting at the sand. It didn’t do anything. Even though it would take him his own life, he would try to stop whatever was happening. He wasn’t going to rely on some stranger just to save his life.
- … I’M TELLING YOU TO FREAKING COME HERE! ARE YOU AN IDIOT!? YOU SHOULD VALUE YOUR LIFE MORE! COME HERE! DON’T BE A TOTAL JERK! –
He didn’t listen. He just tried to stop it.
- COME HERE! … COME HERE! COME HERE! FUCKING COME HERE! STRAFE, I’M TELLING YOU TO COME HERE! STRAFE! PLEASE! PLEASE, DO IT FOR ME! STRAFE!
He wouldn’t listen until he had stopped it all.
Meanwhile, walking in the beach, the Scouter Drone was still pretty much lost. Someone behind a palm tree looked at him, with a knife in his hands. The scouter drone slowly climbed upstairs to the ice ship, looking at Strafe. He didn’t know where he was going to do, but that place seemed like it had so much people. He just followed the people.
The guy behind the bushes quickly ran behind the Scouter Drone. He did the same as him, and when Ella saw him, she panicked, thinking he was a thief. But she screamed even more when she saw Strafe was turning into stone, and the sand was becoming water.
- … STRAFE! NO! STRAFE! STRAFEEEEEE! –
The guy, chasing the Scouter Drone, cut the ropes. The ship was slowly moving away from the beach, and from the grey sparks. Strafe was becoming a dark-coloured statue, with a blue shining pattern on it, until he fell into the water. Ella panicked. She had lost him.
She had lost him forever.
Then, she saw something had fallen in the ship's deck, along with the body of the captain.
A little black box. She opened it.
When she saw the ring inside, tears dropped from her face.