The Last Hope

"Hey I'm done with the farming. "A voice spoke. Amil turned around expecting a random farmer.

"Oh! It's you. "Amil blinked several times in shock.

"Expecting someone else?" Leah asked.

"Yea...Sort of. I mean being the leader of the last hope means meeting random people constantly. "Amil sighed.

Leah just silently nodded agreeing with him. Honestly everyone would agree with him. I mean, imagine you were stuck in space with such little resources and earth is literally inhabitable, of course the people will be frantically trying to survive right?

"Anyways, could you check the engines? "Amil changed the subject. "Call Derek if any help is required. "Leah laughed.

"Yes boss!"She mocked him.

"What's so funny? Hey don't laugh at me.Hey!"Amil finally started smiling.

"That smile looks good on you."Leah smiled.They stood there in silence enjoying each other's company.

"I should get to work."Leah suddenly spoke as she turned around awkwardly.Amil nodded in acknowledgement as the awkwardness gradually started to sink in.

"Hey Derek, engine 2 seems to be smoking."Leah talked over the phone."Hear this.It's like some weird buzzing noise."She placed her phone near the engine.

Bringing it back to her ear,she then continued speaking to Derek, the technician and engineer, oblivious to her sister who was waiting for her turn to speak.

"Yea, ok bye,"Leah put down, sighing."That's 3 more to go."

"Before that, could I steal you for a while?"A familiar voice caught Leah's attention.

"Sorry.Didn't see you there little sis."Leah apologized shoving her phone down into her pocket.

Suddenly, Selene's expression changed to a solemn look."It's Dad…"Her voice filled with guilt."I didn't know what to do when he started to hurt himself...So I accidentally knocked him out-"

"Where is father?"Leah cut her in between face , changing quickly to a worried expression.

"Med bay."Selene replied almost instantly.Leah ran off immediately leaving Selene shocked."She didn't kill me?"Selene asked herself as if she was anticipating her death.

"Hi, sorry which room is my father in?Mr Holland."Leah frantically asked the front desk nurse, her body fidgeting constantly.

"Room 108."The nurse's monotonous voice showed no sign of empathy for her.

Leah immediately thanked her while running off managing a small bow. As she entered the room,her footsteps slowed down. She looked around to see curtains which acted like walls separating the large room into even smaller rooms.The smell of the disinfectant reminded of her mother's last days.

"Hey!"Amil ran over to meet Leah."I heard about father."He tried to catch his breath while trying to synchronize his footsteps with Leah's.Leah didn't answer. She was too busy anxiously looking for her father.

"Dad?"She called out softly.

"Father?"Amil bent down and pushed the curtains that separated every room entering the room.

"Dad?"She called out again, hoping for a reply.

Her father's unconscious body laid onto the bed unbeknownst to many it also laid heavily onto Leah's and Amil's heart.Even though Amil was just Leah's best friend,her father was his father figure.

They stood there taking care of their father for hours.

"Visiting hours are long over, please leave thank you."A nurse entered the room.

"But-"Leah was cut off.

"Sure."Amil helped Leah who was reluctant to leave by gently pushing her to make her leave.

"C'mon let's go.Let father rest ok?"Amil whispered into Leah's ear trying to soothe her.Leah looked at the ground solemnly nodding.

"Good now c'mon."Amil strained his voice trying to persuade her.

As they entered his office, Amil sat Leah down before pouring a drink for her.

"I'm tired, I'm going to bed."Leah slowly stood up.

"It's 3am."Amil immediately ran towards her, sitting her down again."How about you stop running from the pain but accept it."Amil gave her a glass of whiskey before taking a seat to talk to her.

"Oh please, accept pain? Listen to yourself speak."Leah rolled her eyes, annoyed."3pm huh? And you are serving whiskey?"Leah tried to change the subject to distract herself.

"Yes embrace it.Feeling pain is what makes us human.It also means that we have felt happiness before."Amil shrugged."And yes it's 6am. Whiskey can be served anytime."Amil rolled his eyes at her.

"Can't even show your emotions to me?Oh our years of friendship means nothing to you huh."Amil sighed, disappointed.

"Your office is made out of glass."Leah pointed out the obvious looking down hoping to not be seen while swirling the whiskey in her hand.

It was pretty difficult to keep her tears in all the time.

Amil laughed dumbfounded."I see…"He took out a controller to close the curtains.

"Better?"Amil laughed, allowing Leah to finally loosen up.

Silence washed the room but it was not those awkward kind but more a calming one.The two best friends grew up together all their life and realised that friendship is not always about sharing conversations but sharing silence,comforting silence.After a while, Leah seemed to have been recharged by the silence, she asked a question Amil was not ready for.

"Do you miss your father?"Taken aback,Amil didn't know how to answer.

Well…"He dragged his words hoping to buy more time.

"Sorry ignore the question please."Leah apologised almost immediately upon seeing his uncertainty.

"No no...I don't miss him."Amil replied instantly.

Silence washed the room once again but more of an awkward kind of silence this time.

"But he's your father!"Leah's tone was harsher and her brows furrowed in confusion.

Her body leaned forward curious to know the reason.Amil was never an unreasonable person and every feeling or action he always had a valid reason behind it.

"A father would care about spending time with me. A father would actually try to give me some actual good memories. A father will make sure his wife would die knowing damn well that she was loved.But he never did any of that.It feels like i never had a father.It was your father whom i really felt safe with like he was my own father."Amil explained himself with a harsh tone as if he had bottled up this issue for quite some time.

Leah was taken aback. She was completely speechless. She felt glad to know that she was right. He had a valid reason.

"Why didn't he tell me?"She blamed herself.

"Sorry did I scare you?"Amil apologised instantly upon seeing her face of pure shock.

"No...Actually you just made me realise something…"Leah dazzily replied.Amil blinked his eyes in confusion tilting his head.

"Now I know why you laugh so often?"Leah trailed off, unsure if she should continue to speak.

"What?"Amil laughed trying to shake off his confusion.

"You're just scared of your anger…".Amil was taken aback, he was speechless.

He realised that she was right.He always replaced his anger with laughter.

"Anyways…"Leah continued trying to change the topic,"Have you fixed the astronaut suits?"Amil shook his head disappointed at himself.

"Somehow it's burnt?"Amil's confusion was killing him."We don't have the materials to fix it either."Amil was embarrassed.

How can the leader of an entire ship fail to fix a suit?

"You tried your best."Leah comforted him but he still dared not look her in her eye.

"The last time we tested out the suits,we almost killed them. I swear I'm not doing that again."Amil laid back in his chair as silence recharged them.

"I can't forget seeing how they were so scared when they realised that there was no air for them. How they struggled…"Amil trailed off unable to continue.

"Sometimes a five minute rest will really do you some good."Leah admitted.

"It's late now.I'm going to bed."Leah stood up about to leave so that Amil would have some alone time to rest.

As her hand touched the cold silvery metal handle

Leah spoke with a soft and calm tone.

"Promise me you will sleep in early?"Amil nodded despite knowing that it was a lie.

As Leah left the room, Amil poured himself another glass of whiskey.

"How time flies when I'm with her."He sighed, pouring yet another glass for himself.

Time passed, minutes turned into hours.It was already 3 am and Amil was passed out on his office's couch.His pain seemed to take a leave from work. They would however return back to their office again when he wakes up.Who knows whether they would recruit more workers into the office?

The next morning, he woke up hungover."Holy shit I can't stand…"At that word, he fell hitting his back on his bookshelf."Jesus!"He yelped, the bookshelf suddenly opened like a door."Am I going nuts or is this a door...?"He asked himself before going into the newly discovered room. "Holy crap I am not crazy, it is a secret library."