Apocalyptic Rebirth: With a repairman system space, she rises again.-Chapter 556: A chilling reminder

Father Nicodemus stood at the altar of a church in the third wall of the mountain base. He was a man whose face was a map of every tragedy he had witnessed since the world ended. Before him, lined up in a grim, silent row, were the coffins of the people who hadn’t made it back from the forest.

Their presence a chilling reminder that life was not guaranteed in the apocalypse. One second, they were preparing for their return to the base, and the next, death sought them. Those who had survived the trip had harrowing tales to tell, especially about the hum sound which had stripped them of all their will to move and left them vulnerable.

Many were not too eager to creep around in the parts of the forest that were deep and not under the protection of the bubble. In fact, even with the bubble, the forest was still deadly.

The grieving families filled the first two rows on the right; the sounds of muffled sobbing touched every heart in the church. Some were unable to contain their grief, like old Simon’s granddaughter and Private Pamela’s sister. Their grief was loud for all to hear.

The Quinn family took their seats on the first two rows on the left, right in front of the members of the billionaires club whose presence was a surprise. Sunshine felt dozens of eyes on her back. Some were people that were looking to her for strength. Some were scared, hoping she would say some reassuring words. But there were others whose stares were accusing: they blamed her for the death of those who had gone to the forest.

A few loose lipped people were claiming that the reward she offered for the Watcher’s leg was the source of death. To them, the calculation was simple: No reward, no trip to the forest, no death. These opinions were whispered only behind closed doors and in corners where guards could not hear. Badmouthing the person who fed and protected them was not welcome in the eyes of almost all the residents.

To do so was to risk isolation or being kicked out of the fortress. And nobody wanted that. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Father Nicodemus cleared his throat, his voice deep and resonant. "It is sad that we have to meet under such circumstances today, but again, we live in sad times. I know that some of you are looking for who or where to place blame. Some of you are angry. I understand. God understands."

He continued on with words of consolation.

While the priest was talking, Sheldon leaned forward and whispered to her, "You know that the death is not on you, right? Old Simon was like one thousand years old. He had no business in the forest."

Sunshine shushed him while Jon pulled him back.

After glancing briefly in their direction, Father Nicodemus said, " I want to talk to you about grief. People ask me whenever they lose a loved one, ’Father, why does it hurt so much?’ And I tell them this: Grief is just love that has nowhere to go." He looked out at the weeping mothers and the stoic fathers. "It is the love you wanted to give them today. The breakfast you wanted to cook for them. The hug you wanted to give them when they came home. When they are gone, that love stays inside you, building up until it overflows as tears. Don’t be ashamed of it. It means you loved well."

He leaned over the pulpit, his eyes burning with a gentle fire. "Be kind to one another. Love one another fiercely. Because in this world, we don’t know how many breaths we have left. Don’t leave words unsaid. Even when Jesus was leaving us for heaven, he left the disciples with parting words. Open your bibles to the gospel of John, Chapter fourteen."

The service was short, but the weight of it lingered. Afterward, the grieving families gathered at the crematorium. In the apocalypse, land was too precious for graveyards.

As the smoke rose into the gray, smoggy sky, the ashes were collected and placed into small, simple urns. These were handed to the families_ the final, physical remains of heroes who had fallen.

Sunshine watched Mr. Stone clutch an urn to his chest, his knees buckling. Hades caught the man before he hit the ground, helping him to a bench with a tenderness that most people didn’t realize the ’strict man’ possessed.

Sunshine looked at her sons, who were watching the scene with wide, haunted eyes. They were learning the most important lesson of the apocalypse: the cost of a mistake isn’t a lecture or a time-out. It’s an empty chair at the dinner table.

"Ready?" Hades asked, returning to her side.

"No," Sunshine whispered, watching the last of the smoke dissipate into the heat. "And I do not think I will ever be."

After that ceremony ended, people set out to return to their homes, towns, or duties. A group of refreshed travelers was driven into the third wall and pointed in Sunshine’s direction.

Arwin led the way, squinting against the rising glare of the midday sun. He reached up, adjusting his wide-brimmed sun hat with a practiced flick of his wrist, and offered a respectful nod. "Mrs. Quinn," He greeted, his voice raspy from the heat.

"Arwin. I’m glad you and your people could make it," Sunshine replied, her voice softening. She turned to her husband. "Hades, this is Arwin. He’s the one who led his group that helped our squad in the forest."

Hades stepped forward, his presence immediately commanding the space. He scanned the faces of the group, recognizing several from the drone footage and squad reports he’d perused over last evening. He extended a hand, his grip firm and sincere. "I know your faces. Thank you for standing by our people when the mutants closed in. Fortress four never forgets a debt."

Arwin looked impressed but didn’t let the flattery distract him. He was a man on a mission. "I appreciate that, truly. But we’re looking for someone. You could pay that debt with information, maybe?" He reached into a weathered leather pouch and pulled out a crinkled, faded photograph. The edges were curled, and the colors had been bled dry by the sun, but the face of the young woman in the picture was clear.

"The watchers carried one of ours towards the West from the Drift Lands," Arwin explained, his voice tight with a mix of hope and dread. "The captive was my sister. Have you seen her? You literally own a big chunk of the West."

Sunshine took the photo, her eyes widening as she looked at the woman’s sharp features and determined gaze. A slow, knowing smile spread across her face. "The world really is a small, strange place, isn’t it?"

"You know her?" Arwin asked, his breath hitching.

"Paula Burton is your sister?" Sunshine asked with a light laugh.

A wave of hushed whispers and gasps broke out among Arwin’s people. They crowded closer, eyes darting between Sunshine and the photo.

Arwin nodded vigorously, his hands trembling slightly. "Yes! Paula. Is she... is she alive?"

"More than alive," Sunshine said. "The Watchers literally dropped her on our doorstep_ or, well, our perimeter. She was hostile, we took her prisoner initially, but once we realized she wasn’t a spy or an enemy, we gave her the choice to leave. She chose to stay. She’s been working with together with Townsend at the prison base ever since. How in the world did you make it all the way here from the Drift lands?"