Pulse

Her eyes opened.

Her nanosuit activated.

A single breath uttered from her mouth. Her wide-spread arms tucked near her hips where the blood spewed from. She placed both of her palms on the weighted foundation pinning her and Corlean down and pushed it with full force. Her muscles began to expand drastically as Sumire released her full strength to make it budge. Heaps and piles of sweat formed on her forehead, shoulders, and arms as juice for making one final attempt at movement.

She had everything to lose and win. Death departed from her mind to commence one final act of returning to sanity instead of heaven. She pushed, and pushed, and pushed with all her might, but nothing came to work.

"Come on," Sumire whispered, smashing her left palm against the slabs piled on top of her. The mag booster on her nanosuit was dysfunctional, rendering it completely useless to use its abilities. She pushed once more with all her might, tearing through her arm muscles instantly. Her face bulged with veins pulsating through, and her teeth clenched themselves as tight as the Earth's core.

"Come on," Sumire repeated once more after suffering through the pain of her muscles tearing. She pushed once more and part of the foundation above her budged a tad bit. A glimmer of hope was waiting for her. She pushed, and pushed, and pushed with all her might, and more work was done with each push. This time, her wound began to pour out with more blood. Her consciousness was about to be lost once more, and her nanosuit was breaking apart. Its nanomachines were shattering into pieces behind the pressure.

"Come on," Sumire said once more, pushing through again. The slabs lifted themselves from her strength to the point where she could lift her entire body. She summoned her full strength and rested her shoulders and back against the slab to push with her entire body. Her weakened legs extended themselves and tore apart the muscles on her shins. But she had to keep going. She would not go out without hurling the stars by herself.

"Come on, Sumire," She said to herself as she supported the slabs with both of her palms. Small glimmers of light opened where dust and ash seeped in, meaning more movement was possible but incomprehensible. Her face blossomed into a full crimson-red as she summoned the strength of all of her hopes and dreams to her side. By the time she continued lifting, the more she thought about her future. She soon saw Corlean's unconscious body laying by her side after pushing more and more extensively through the rubble.

"Come on, Sumire!" She cried at the top of her lungs, pushing even further until more light rays formulated between the cracks of the debris. Dust and ash began pouring in. The hope that she found in her dream began giving her endless amounts of strength to press against the obstacle. She cared nothing more than getting the first opportunity to hurl the stars.

"Fucking come on, Sumire!" She screamed once more, lifting the entire foundation and pushing it behind her with her full strength. Sweat pools formed underneath her neck, dripping down towards the ground. Saliva drooled down her mouth and mucus trailed down her nostrils. The veins on her legs were about to burst from the immense pressure, but she would not let it happen.

"Come... on... Sumire...!" She shouted once more, shoving all of the debris on top of her behind her. The ray of light from outside the dome-shaped building shined against her face.

The sunset was finally here.

She collapsed on her chest after being affected by lethargy and loss of feeling. Her palms lay flat on the dust-ridden floor. Her infected wound stopped pulsating in blood altogether. Corlean's unconscious body remained still. Her goals of hurling the stars and wishing for her dream seemed to dwindle to a complete halt, until-

"Sumire!" An excessively unrecognizable faint voice called from the distance. Her name dragged on for a very long time as Sumire's face was flat on the collapsed floor.

"Sumire!" Another voice called again. Sumire's palms rotated around sluggishly as she lifted only her head. Silver dust and dirt riddled across her face, eyes, and lips as she tried her best to squint at the light source at the door. Dried scarlet bloodstains remained on her nose and forehead. Her breaths were shallow and slow as she summoned the last of her strength to pull herself forward.

"Sumire! Corlean!" The voices began to become more recognizable. Sumire closed her eyes and reopened them, seeing three figures; only two were recognizable. Charlotte and Ziko sprinted at top speed and slid beside their bodies.

"Sumire, Corlean, wake up!" Charlotte called to both of them. Sumire's hearing was extremely muffed. Much of what they had said after was barely audible.

"She's alive," Ziko said after checking their pulse. "Good, they're both alive."

"Holy fuck," Charlotte gasped after shaking Sumire's lifeless-appearing body. "What the hell happened to you?! Sumire, wake up, please! Help's here! Do you hear me? Help's here!"

Sumire's mouth opened slightly. Her body was much too frail to move a single inch. "Help...?" She uttered. "I think... I could... use some help..."

"Then let me help you." A deep voice invited Sumire in front of her. "You and me. Together."

Sumire recognized those words. Those words reinvigorated her strength and stamina, allowing her to lift her head from her crumbled position. Charlotte and Ziko moved aside for the person standing above her to reach Sumire with their extended arm. Sumire's eyes fidgeted as her eyes connected with the person above.

Without uttering the person's name, Sumire lightly smirked before closing her eyes. "The fuck took you so long...?" She asked before falling unconscious once again.