Darkest Night

It has been three days since Hugo was killed. Three days since she watched his body be ripped apart by the defense ring. Three days since she held him, only to watch him drop through the clouds as she split the sky with her sorrow.

Alita sits in her room, holding his old, beat-up leather jacket. She rocks back and forth, her eyes open, though staring at nothing. Her hands sluggishly move over it, feeling the creases where the leather was most broken. The night is dark, with heavy clouds suffocating the stars and moon. Her hands move sluggishly over it, feeling out the pockets as her mind runs over the events of that day, again and again. She’s vaguely surprised through the fog that clouds her mind when she feels an object in one of the pockets. Her hands move sluggishly over it, fishing out the object and finding the necklace which he wore; the reminder of his quest for Zalem.

It’s as if a dam has burst inside of her. Figments of their time together flash across her mind.

“Outstanding!”

The afternoon sun on their trip to the cathedral.

“… the most human person I have ever met.”

The slick rain on the pavement mixed with his blood.

“I love you.”

She finds that she’s screaming, white hot-rage flooding through her veins. She needs to break. Something needs to break. The mirror splits in half, shards flying everywhere as she lashes out. Next, the desk crumples; a long crack created by a furious slam. The wall; paint chips and drywall caving in around her first. She rages and cries. Time flattens. It feels like hours later, but eventually she ends slumped on the floor, tears streaming down her face as she sobs. Every breath is painful. Every breath reminds her of him.

Suddenly, a pair of arms softly wrap around her. She follows their guidance, eyes blurred with tears and chest wracked by silent heaving. They’re on the bed now and she hears Ido’s voice piercing through the blackness.

“Shh, my little angel. You are safe here.”

So he holds her, and the waves of grief wash over her again and again. It seems the swell will never end, but eventually her eyes dry, and the sobs grow less and less. The pain inside, the raw wound stings, but she feels something settle over it. An iron shell. She finally looks up at Ido, and the steel in her eyes is unmistakable.

“I have to go hunting.”

The words hang in the air. Countless emotions run across his face, until eventually it settles on a kindred sorrow.

“I understand.”

The night is dark, with heavy clouds obscuring the stars and the moon. The night is dark, but then, so is she.