4.The Closure
964 Words
# Part 4. The Closure
He chose death rather than hurting the people he loved.
“NOOOOO!” Lily screamed.
Ethan immediately locked Lily inside a room before the infected could reach her.
Lily collapsed onto the floor crying uncontrollably.
“I should die too,” she sobbed. “Why am I even alive after all this? I can’t do this anymore…”
Ethan knelt beside her and hugged her tightly.
“No,” he said firmly. “You can still change everything.”
Lily looked at him helplessly.
“You’re going to go back eventually,” Ethan continued. “And when you do… you can stop all of this from happening.”
Ethan wiped her tears carefully.
“You’ve already prevented many things before. You can do it again.”
Later that night, Ethan brought Lily a thick notebook filled with information.
Inside it were detailed notes explaining everything that had happened over the years.
How Bright died.
Why his uncle shot him despite loving him like his own son.
How his uncle had even planned to marry his younger daughter to Bright one day.
Ethan also explained how the infection spread across the country and how the zombie apocalypse slowly destroyed society.
But there was still one terrifying problem.
Nobody knew who originally caused the virus.
And nobody knew how to stop it completely.
Lily sat quietly for a long time before finally asking:
“If I really can go back… then how do I do it?”
Ethan stayed silent.
Lily continued nervously,
“I tried waking up before. Back in the quarantine cell. But nothing happened.”
Then another question entered her mind.
“And why am I not infected?”
Neither of them had an answer.
Lily looked down at her trembling hands.
“And even if I go back… how will I know whether this was real or just another nightmare?”
Ethan suddenly remembered something.
“Wait,” he said. “When exactly did you first come here?”
Lily thought carefully.
“It happened after we fought because you threw ice cubes at me,” she said. “I fell near the table and hurt my shoulder. That’s when I suddenly felt that strange pain… like I was bleeding.”
Ethan blinked.
“We fight almost every day, sis. Be specific.”
Lily sighed.
“August, 2056.”
Ethan started thinking deeply.
Then suddenly, his eyes widened slightly.
“Okay… listen carefully.”
He sat down beside her.
“In October 2056, Lisa is going to join the military. She’ll serve for one year and come back in October 2057.”
Lily listened carefully.
“And around that same time,” Ethan continued, “Ryan is going to propose to you.”
Lily looked terrified.
“Do I really have to wait that long to know whether all this is real?” she whispered. “What if I actually go insane before then?”
“Then let’s test it,” Ethan replied.
Lily immediately looked at him.
“Tell me something that’s definitely going to happen soon.”
Ethan thought for a moment before answering.
“Preet’s graduation ceremony is happening later this year,” he said. “And during her speech, she’s going to thank you personally.”
“Me?”
Ethan nodded.
“You were her inspiration to study medicine harder.”
Then he suddenly laughed weakly.
“And Arjun’s about to get dumped by his Australian girlfriend.”
Despite everything, Lily blinked in confusion.
“What?”
Ethan smirked sadly.
“She’s going to break up with him in less than a week.”
“Why?”
Ethan sighed dramatically.
“Because apparently her parents would never accept an Indian guy.”
For the first time in hours, Lily let out a tiny laugh through her tears.
Then Ethan added quietly:
“And after that…”
His expression softened.
“I’m going to propose to Preet.”
Lily stared at Ethan in complete shock.
“Whaaaat?! Since when did this happen?”
Ethan looked embarrassed and rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.
“After her graduation,” he admitted quietly. “I proposed to her during my graduation party.”
Lily blinked repeatedly, still unable to believe him.
“See?” Ethan said firmly. “Remember these things carefully. They’re enough for you to understand that you’re not insane. This isn’t just a dream.”
Then his expression turned serious.
“Now close your eyes and concentrate.”
Lily looked nervous.
“You have to save all of us,” Ethan whispered desperately. “Please… just concentrate.”
Suddenly—
CRASH!
The door burst open.
The infected started rushing inside the room.
Lily screamed.
“DON’T OPEN YOUR EYES!” Ethan shouted. “Just keep concentrating! You have to go back to your present… and I’ll handle my present.”
Tears filled Ethan’s eyes.
But despite everything—
He was smiling.
Then the infected dragged Ethan down violently.
“ETHAN!” Lily screamed helplessly.
The infected surged toward Lily next.
One of them grabbed her and bit her near the throat.
Blood immediately started gushing out.
Lily collapsed onto the floor in pain.
Through her blurry vision, she saw Ethan lying motionless.
Dead.
At that moment, a horrifying thought entered her mind.
Ethan had made everything up.
The theories about teleportation.
The parallel universe.
All of it was wrong.
He had only wanted to give her hope.
Their entire plan had failed.
Lily cried uncontrollably as she dragged herself toward Ethan’s body and held his cold hand tightly.
Her body was losing too much blood.
Pain spread through every part of her body as she lay there crying beside him.
Still holding Ethan’s hand, Lily slowly closed her eyes.
**To Be Continued…**
- Writer
