Apocalyptic Rebirth: With a repairman system space, she rises again.-Chapter 684: Letting go.

Emmet let out a long sigh, "This bed is very comfortable, and I would hate to leave it, but I do miss my friends. I don’t like the silence; it brings back bad memories."

Sunshine smiled, "If it is any consolation, they miss you too. And don’t hate on silence, it allows you to think about your life and how you want to live it."

The boy winced. He did not want to think, he just wanted revenge. Until it was over, he would never move on with his life. So, he used a question to change the subject. "What about the very young ones?" Emmet asked, his voice cracking slightly. "The younger set of twins... they’re only four. They don’t understand any of this, or the fact that their parents abandoned them along the side of the road to save themselves. They cry when you do not sing them to sleep. They think the monsters are just a very long game of hide-and-seek."

Sunshine leaned back against the reinforced wall, her posture relaxing to match his height. "That has been taken care of, Emmet. Caretakers were assigned to them immediately. I’ll admit, the guards we picked were a bit grumpy so they sacred them. But, once they were taken to the kid’s park in the abbey, they relaxed. Last I checked, a six-foot-four tactical guard and a priest were playing tag with them and losing quite badly. They’re loving the place."

Emmet’s brow furrowed in genuine confusion. "A kid’s park? here? During an apocalypse?"

Sunshine gave a small, proud shrug. "We do things differently around here. Fortress Four is your home now, Emmet. We’ve worked hard to make life as normal as possible for the residents. We have gardens, a library, and yes, a park, a recreation village, farms, markets and malls. Just because the sky is broken doesn’t mean your childhood has to be."

"How?" Emmet whispered, looking around the stark concrete cell as if trying to see through the window to this mythical park. "How did you make it possible when everything else is... gone? It is bad out there, many collapsed buildings. All the plants are gone and most animals have mutated."

"Well, you know what they say. When life gives you lemons you make lemonade," Sunshine said with a wink. "I and my husband did not do this alone, everyone pitched in, a lot of people who refused to let the dark win. We don’t just survive here; we live fully."

She paused, watching the gears turn in his head. She decided it was time to drop the heavy news_ the kind that didn’t involve maps or bunkers. "Emmet, there’s something else. There are good families here. Families who lost their loved ones, or who just have a lot of room in their hearts. Some have already been asking about you all. They want to adopt the kids who need a home."

Poncho’s family was the one that was willing to take in Emmet. Apparently, Poncho liked the kids guts and his leadership display. His mother had already sent word that she had room for three kids.

Emmet’s head snapped up, his eyes wide with a mixture of shock and something that looked suspiciously like fear. "Is that true? Like... real families? With dinner tables and stuff?"

"Real as it gets," she promised.

"But..." Emmet looked down at his hands. "Do we deserve it? After everything that we have done. We have really done some bad things.... stealing, killing...?" This boy was nothing compared to the one she met in her past life. Then again, according to Carson, it had only been a few months since Emmet took on his new kid’s overlord persona.

Sunshine felt a pang in her chest. She moved closer, sitting on the edge of the bed so she was eye-level with him. "Listen to me. Everything you did out there was for survival. The situation forced your hand, and you did what you had to do to keep those little ones breathing. In here, you don’t have to carry that anymore. The adults look after the young ones. That’s the deal. That’s how a real world works."

Emmet bit his lip, his gaze flickering. "But...."

"Everyone makes mistakes, kiddo," Sunshine said gently. "Even me. The difference is realizing it and working to be better. You spent some time with no adults looking out for you. But you have them now. You have us. You have to learn to accept us. Your father would have wanted you to find a safe home. Isn’t that why he took you to Cross town?"

That was the breaking point. The armor Emmet had built around himself_ the mini-soldier persona_ it all shattered. He let out a choked sound, covered his face with his scarred hands, and burst into tears.

They weren’t ’quiet child’ tears; they were the heaving, soul-cleansing sobs of someone who had been holding the weight of the world on his shoulders for far too long. Sunshine didn’t hesitate. She pulled him into a tight hug, tucking his head under her chin.

"Let it out, Emmet," she murmured, rubbing his back. "Cry the pain out. You don’t have to be the leader today. You’re just a kid. Let us handle the rest."

She held him for a long time, letting his tears soak into her tactical vest. Slowly, the heaving breaths slowed down. Emmet pulled back, wiping his nose with his sleeve, looking exhausted but somehow lighter.

"Better?" she asked.

He gave a shaky nod.

"Good. Now, there’s one more thing," Sunshine said, her tone turning a bit more serious but still kind. "You and your friends... you’ve been through things people three times your age couldn’t handle. I’m going to have you see a kid therapist. Her name is Dr. Aris, and she’s great. She will help you process the ’traumatizing stuff’ so it doesn’t stay stuck inside."

Emmet went quiet, processing the idea of talking about the torture, the ditch and the hunger. He didn’t argue, though. He just nodded again. He was tired of everything.

"Come on," Sunshine said, standing up and offering her hand. "Let’s go find your friends." 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Hand in hand, the woman who carried the weight of the base and the boy who had carried the weight of more than a dozen orphans walked out of the cell. The transition from the hallway to the common area was like stepping into another world.

As soon as the door opened, a blur of blonde hair and new sweater slammed into Emmet.

"Emmet!" Estella cried, nearly knocking him over as she jumped into his embrace. "I knew the crazy woman would let you go after I threatened her."

Sunshine’s jaw dropped. "Crazy woman!" she muttered.