Domingo was tired. There was audible gasps for air coming from the other side of the rope between us.
"Don't worry Tuesday, we're both going to make it out of this one. We will make it to the mayors office and you can go to teaching and I can go back to cooking." Domingo said.
"That's comforting. I appreciate it Domingo. I know we're going to make it."
"We're not too far. I remember this area well. We used to survey the metro system while we got the entrance security maintained."
Domingo kept the distance between us needed to guide me with the tension of the rope.
"Don't worry." Domingo said.
He was tired. It seemed like the earlier stand against the undead took everything out of him. We both also sustained some sort of damage from the fall we took.
"Did you get hurt from the explosion earlier?" I asked.
"Yeah, I think my wrists were sprained. I'm going to see the doc when we get to the settlement." Domingo replied.
Domingo slowed down in his steps. He didn't want to bring it up but it was obvious. Each step forward was slower than the next.
"I'm gonna have to rest here, Tuesday." Domingo said.
The rope sloped down and Domingo thumped to the ground besides me.
"We have to stop for a moment. It won't be long." He said.
Domingo rummaged around and dropped something in front of him.
"I'm going to take a nap. If something happens, please wake me up Tuesday."
"You've got it." I said.
The rope slumped down further.
Domingo rested for what felt like days. I was only able to tell the passage of time occurred because of the rumbling of my stomach.
"Man I'm getting hungry." I said to myself.
The space around was silent to my struggling.
Once again I find myself throwing fighting words to the world to only be met with a silent response.
"Is this how you treat me? After watching the entire world dissolve into cannablism, you're watching it crumble into nothing?"
The gods must have decided this world was nothing but a plaything. The world we live on has turned into a planet waiting to be taken out of its misery.
"Fine. If you abandon us the moment things got ugly then I will be the ugly to keep this world going!"
In this moment of despair it might have been my declaration against the gods but a voice rang out.
"You will soon meet the requirements."
"The requirements for what?" I asked.
There was no response again. The world heard me and sent me a small but meaningless response.
"If you're trying to incite my anger then fine! I will make sure I get out of here and save this world!"
This is the moment I gained the motive to become something that I couldn't have been as a writer.
"I will lead this world. I will. For the good of those like Domingo and the forsaken that abandon the weak, I will be the leader of this war torn world."
"You wait and watch. When I'm done here I will make sure to live the best life." I said.
Domingo was still out. It seemed like nearly a week of time has passed. The voice I heard a few days ago never replied again.
"If it's my delusion of grandeur or not, my motivations don't change. I will make sure this world doesn't end with one small stroke of bad luck." I say out loud.
"Huuuh- please Tuesday, you need to get help." Domingo muttered.
"Friend, I thought I lost you." I said.
"I don't feel too good. I think you might."
"Don't say that. We're going to get out of here." I replied.
"Tuesday, I thought I could take you to safety before I had to tell you… but I was bit in the fight we had earlier." Domingo said.
I felt something was wrong with Domingo earlier, but I thought it was from over exerting himself in the fight. His aura was near a boiling point, it seemed like his life was steaming out of himself.
It seemed like Domingo didn't have much time left. It really was if he was boiling water with his life force.
"Tuesday, if you follow the wall we're up against then you should eventually meet the outer entrance. There should be guards, but the moment you meet someone ask them to take you to the mayor." Domingo said.
"Domingo, you're not going to die here. You can't!"
"Listen to me! You have to go. Cut the rope and leave. I don't have much time!" Domingo said.
"It's just- I wanted to thank you for saving me back then. You saved me from myself. I can't be alone anymore! It's not safe!"
"Tuesday, you're not alone. You have the weight of all those who died before you. Today is not the day to let them and me down! We all sacrificed ourselves for the future of humanity. Now go!"
Domingo rummaged around and dropped something in front of my feet. It rang as it hit against the cold hard floor.
"It's my favorite knife. She's gonna take good care of you." Domingo said.
As I planted my hands on the floor where the ring of metal hit the floor, I found the blade and almost cut myself. After patting a little more I found the handle. It seemed to have been somewhere around fourteen inches.
"Fine. Domingo. Fine. If it's come down to this then I have to go." I said.
"Uhm- yeah, otherwise you'll just be tied up with an undead trying to bite you everywhere you go." Domingo joked.
"Haha-"
I gathered my strength and stood up. I put some distance between myself and Domingo so that the rope between us had tension, I wrapped it around the palm of my hand the same way I did when I first met Domingo and cut it clean with a single swipe.