That was the night the sun went out for good.
Looking back now, standing in the ruins of the Stronghold years later, I realize we never truly left that kitchen. We just grew taller and learned how to carry weapons. The world outside didn't just break..it transformed into a nightmare where the things that hunted us looked like us, or worse, used to be us.
We spent three days in that cellar. When we finally came out, the adults were gone. Seth, Arthur, Leon's mom... they were just names on a wall we'd eventually build.
Maya became our general, her seriousness turning into a shield that kept us alive. Maverick turned his anger into a blade, arguing with the world because it was easier than grieving. Aaron became a ghost, writing his poems in the dirt because paper was too precious to waste.
And Leon... Leon stayed the same for a long time. He kept laughing. He kept making those stupid jokes to keep my head up. But I see it now. Every joke was a brick in a wall he was building to hide the rot inside. He was fighting a war in his head that I was too blind to see.
He wasn't just bringing joy to the light anymore. He was trying to outrun the darkness that had started in that kitchen.
And now, that darkness has finally caught up to him.
It was turning him into something that none of us could fix even me,now I regret not seeing anything,I regret not telling him to open up,I was taking granted of his jokes,we all were,we were trying to grab onto one light bulb that was soon going to lose its light and shatter leaving Everyone in the dark.