After their solemn conversation, Uncle Shawn clapped his hands, breaking the heavy silence. "Alright, boys," he said, turning to Jay and Nicolas. "Jay, show Nicolas around the house, and both of you wash up. Dinner will be ready soon."
Jay stood up and motioned for Nicolas to follow him. The house was modest but well-maintained, a stark contrast to the crumbling buildings and filth Nicolas had grown used to. Jay led him through a small hallway, pointing out the rooms.
"That's Uncle Shawn's room," Jay said, gesturing to a door on the right. "Mine's next to his, and you can take the spare room at the end. The bathroom's here—go ahead and clean up."
Nicolas nodded silently, stepping into the bathroom. He stared at the mirror for a moment, barely recognizing his own reflection. His face was gaunt, his cheeks hollow, and his hair was a tangled mess. As he turned on the faucet, he gasped at the sight of clean, running water. It was the first time he had seen such a thing in years. He washed his face, letting the cool water run over his skin, and for a brief moment, he felt like a human being again.
When Nicolas returned to the dining room, the table was set. His breath hitched at the sight. Plates filled with chicken, crispy bacon, freshly baked bread, and a variety of green vegetables were spread across the table. It was a feast—a sight he thought he would never witness in his lifetime.
"Take a seat," Uncle Shawn said with a warm smile. "You've had a rough day. You need to eat."
Nicolas hesitated, feeling almost unworthy of the bounty before him. But his hunger won out, and he sat down. As Jay and Uncle Shawn began to dig in, Nicolas reached for a piece of chicken. The taste was overwhelming, rich and savory, unlike anything he had ever experienced.
But as he ate, tears began to stream down his face. He couldn't stop them, nor could he stop the sobs that escaped his lips.
Uncle Shawn paused, concern etched on his face. "What's wrong, kid? Is the food not to your liking?"
Nicolas shook his head, struggling to speak through his tears. "No, it's... it's amazing. It's just... I wish my mother could have experienced this too. She never had a chance to eat like this. She worked so hard just to keep us alive, and we never had more than scraps."
Uncle Shawn set down his fork, his expression softening. "I'm sorry, Nicolas. Life out there is cruel, and it's not fair. But you're here now. It's okay to grieve, but you've got to eat. You need your strength."
Jay, sitting across from Nicolas, gave him a small, encouraging smile. "Your mom would want you to eat, right? To take care of yourself?"
Nicolas nodded, wiping his tears. He forced himself to continue eating, each bite a mix of pleasure and pain. As he ate, he couldn't help but feel a deep sense of guilt. He was here, in this place of abundance, while so many others—including his mother—had died hungry and hopeless.
After dinner, Uncle Shawn cleared the table while Jay led Nicolas to the spare room. The bed was small but clean, with soft pillows and a warm blanket.
"Rest up," Jay said, patting his shoulder. "Tomorrow, we'll show you more of Heaven. Maybe it'll help answer some of your questions."
Nicolas nodded, lying down on the bed. For the first time in what felt like forever, he felt full, clean, and warm. But as he stared at the ceiling, his mind churned with questions.
Was this place truly heaven? Or was it just another part of the cruel system that had destroyed the outside world?
As Nicolas lay on the unfamiliar bed, staring at the ceiling, he couldn't shake the images from his mind—Jay's story about being lucky, Uncle Shawn's cryptic remarks, and the overwhelming abundance of Heaven. The questions swirled in his head, refusing to let him rest.
He turned to Jay's bed, where the other boy lay still. "Jay," Nicolas whispered cautiously, "are you asleep?"
There was a pause before Jay replied, his voice low. "Not yet. What's up?"
Nicolas hesitated for a moment before sitting up. "If you don't mind me asking... what happened to your parents? You don't have to answer if it's too personal."
Jay shifted in his bed, turning his back to Nicolas. For a moment, it seemed like he wouldn't respond, but then he spoke. His voice was quiet, almost detached.
"We were living in a fancy house. My family—my mom, dad, and sister—we were happy. I didn't know anything about the outside world or the movements happening at the time. We had everything we needed, and nothing else mattered."
Nicolas nodded silently, encouraging him to continue.
"But then my dad's business went under," Jay said, his voice hardening. "I didn't understand it then, but everything we had was taken away. Our house, our car, even the small things we thought we could hold onto—they were all confiscated by the government. It was like we stopped existing overnight."
Jay paused, as if struggling to keep his emotions in check.
"My mom decided to work outside, thinking she could earn enough to keep us afloat. My dad... he didn't take it well. The authorities came for him, claiming he owed too much to the system. They took him away, and we never saw him again. It was just me and my sister after that."
Nicolas's chest tightened. "What happened next?"
Jay let out a bitter laugh. "We waited for our mom to come back. Every day, we told ourselves she'd walk through that door. But she didn't. We reported her disappearance, and do you know what they said? They told us she was either dead or had abandoned us. And then they turned on us."
"What do you mean?" Nicolas asked, his voice barely a whisper.
Jay sat up slightly, his silhouette illuminated by the faint moonlight streaming through the window. "They told us we couldn't stay in Heaven without a guardian. They said we were liabilities. They gave us a bag with what little we had left and ordered us to leave."
Nicolas felt his heart sink. "What did you do?"
"My sister and I begged them to let us stay," Jay continued. "We told them we'd do anything. But they didn't care. To them, we were just two more mouths to feed, two more problems to get rid of."
Jay's voice grew quieter, tinged with pain. "Just as they were about to throw us out, one of my dad's old friends showed up. He managed to pull some strings and convinced them to let me stay. But only me."
Nicolas's eyes widened. "Only you?"
Jay nodded, his voice breaking. "They took my sister. They said there wasn't room for both of us. I... I still remember her screaming my name, begging me to help her. But I couldn't do anything. They dragged her out, and I never saw her again."
The room fell silent, the weight of Jay's story pressing down on both of them.
"I'm sorry," Nicolas whispered, his voice thick with emotion. "I didn't mean to bring up painful memories."
Jay shook his head. "It's fine. We've all lost someone. That's just how it is in this world. You survive, or you don't."
Nicolas lay back down, staring at the ceiling once more. The more he learned about Heaven, the more he realized it wasn't the paradise it appeared to be.
As the night stretched on, he couldn't shake a single thought from his mind: Was this place truly Heaven, or was it something far darker?