Ch9 Happy Birthday.

Opening his eyes for a brief moment to brace for the impact, Ash found himself still alive; as his view got cleared, he could finally see a man—William—standing above him, shielding him from the impact, using his own back to cover him.

The relentless fire of the tree did not stop as a grunt escaped from William's mouth, who has succumbed to weakness since the tree drained his energy previously.

Ash tried to speak, to urge him to escape, but his voice failed. Darkness crept into his vision again as he slumped, his body giving in to exhaustion.

'Urgh, it's been 10 minutes,' groaned Ash, again trying to open his tired eyes, forcing himself to check what was happening.

It has not been more than some hours since he awakened, hid, fought, and lastly confronted the abominations present in this current godforsaken village.

He was right now being carried on someone's back; a burned smell was coming from below, but he couldn't distinguish if it was from him or the person carrying him.

Trying to see the blur view, he saw a reliable back of his grandpa, who, while stumbling, was carrying him somewhere. His was body burned,bruised and very weak.

Asher again tried to raise his voice, but no words came. To no surprise, it was already a miracle how he could even see; his head was thumping like never before as his eyes were bloodshot from the strain of using 'static' on so many, as well as strong, enemies just before.

His eyes watered once again at the sight of his grandpa, who was carrying him somewhere safe from these flames he himself has started to burn the enemy and to save the survivors, if any.

Ash finally lost his senses, not able to see left or right. He closed his eyes. But he still tried to show his desperation by twitching his finger which where currently being held by William.

"Sleep, Ash... huff... I will take you out of here." William as he finally notices Ash desperation to leave him, couldn't help but feel proud. He was out of breath, burned from saving his grandson, as well as got his life stolen.

William stumbled once again and fell on the ground, his face getting burned by the rising flames. "Aah!" Letting out a growl, he did not let Ash fall from his back.

Ash has saved William by fighting with his life on the line. To William it was so much more frustrating to see his kid fight against such frightening monstrosities, the same creatures from beyond that had taken his wife and only child from him in the past. He couldn't let it happen again.

Even if he where to die here right now, he would save Asher life no matter what.

He pushed himself with all the strength he had left, reaching the outside of the village. The night sky, a stark contrast to the fiery hell behind them, loomed above. The cool breeze caressed their burned skin, bringing slight relief from the scorching heat. With a grunt, William stumbled over to the nearest tree, its branches acting as a silent sentinel over the chaos. He collapsed beside it, his breathing labored, the weight of his grandson a testament to his love and determination.

Gently, William placed Asher's head in his lap, the soft fabric of his shirt sticking to the boy's burns. He winced at the pain but held back his tears, not wanting to show any sign of weakness. Despite his own suffering, he had to keep it together for Ash. He had to keep fighting. He looked down at the unconscious boy, the firelight dancing in his reddened eyes, and whispered, "It's okay, I've got you."

The flames grew more distant, the roar of the fire fading into the background as William's vision grew blurry and hazy. His heart beat with a rhythm that grew slower with each agonizing breath he took. The smell of charred wood and burnt flesh was thick in the air, but it was the smell of victory, of a battle won. With trembling hands, he reached for the twigs beside him and gave Asher, who has fallen asleep in his lap, a peaceful smile as if content with what William has accomplished in his small life.

.....

Asher abruptly opened his eyes as daylight hit his face and groaned in pain, his body stiff and still injured from the battle.

"Where am I?" Asher looked confused for a moment before clarity came back. 'It has been 24 hours!!' Asher, astounded at the time, was unconsciously lying down, looked around, and saw his grandpa lying figure and sighed in relief.

"Stupid grandpa, why did you do such a reckless thing trying to save me? What would have happened if you got seriously hurt" ? Asher crawled towards William's lying body as he mumbled in happiness as they both had survived.

Seeing no response from William, Asher tried to get up, but his body still refused to move as he wished to. Struggling to move, Asher finally reached William and shook his body but still got no response.

"Hey, Grandpa, are you playing a prank on me because I called you stupid? Wake up! It's not funny. Really, I will get angry. Please wake up!." Asher shouted as he shook William's body again and again.

William's body, which had fallen toward him facing upward, was wearing a peaceful smile. Looking at this, Asher's hand stopped moving as he stopped shaking William's body and was speechless.

"Why?" Asher couldn't help but question why Willima was full of smiles. Why was he not responding to his plea? Why was he not moving?

Ash's eyes noticed the small twig grabbed by Williams's right hand; following its trail, he witnessed something written on the ground. Moving toward it as he dragged his body there.

"Happy Birthday, Ash." The words were written in simple manner; the writing was not as good as the last words, which were curled down. Reading those words, Ash, who was denying his grandpa's prank, got his eyes filled with tears as they rolled down his cheeks.

He knew now what had happened. His grandpa had sacrificed himself for him, to save him from the flame. A pain so sharp and profound hit him that it felt like his chest was on fire. He threw his head back and screamed. His voice raw with grief, echoing through the barren landscape that was once a bustling village.

He cried for hours as his tears finally dried up. His hand holding Williams's burned hands as he laid beside him, thinking of this as a bad dream. When he wakes up, everything will be alright. His grandpa himself will wish him happy birthday.

Ash closed his eyes, his silver eyes, now dulled and lifeless, matched the charred remains of his clothes.

A faint voice cut through his haze: "We've got a survivor!" Footsteps approached, frantic but distant, as Asher's mind slipped further into unconsciousness not wanting to be bothered.