her eyes to stare at him then she spoke “Eric, I want to watch the sun rise. Can you carry me?”
Eric without a word lifted Brianna up and felt her arms wrap around his neck as he carried her out of the room to the hallway. He walked a maze of hallways and stairwells guided by Brianna voicing the directions till he reached an outer deck and there was a metal bench in the hallway. He went to the bench and sat holding her on his lap.
Brianna spoke “Eric, wake me up when the sky is lighter just before the sun rises.”
He spoke “Will do, love.”
Brianna he felt placed her head on his shoulder and fell asleep. Eric frowned sitting on the bench with Brianna sitting sideways on his lap with her head on his shoulder and her eyes on her wrinkled face were closed. Eric sighed breathing the cool air of the night while looking with night vision which showed the scene as daylight in the color yellow. He looked up at the sky to see the moon. Then he looked down at Brianna and brought an arm around her form that stirred but kept on slumbering. He stared out at the moving sea that stretched far beyond the horizon ahead of him. He stared at the sky and frowned as his night vision began to blink out showing day vision back and forth.
He reached a gloved hand to Brianna’s cheek stroking it as he spoke “Brianna, wake up love, the sun will be coming up soon.”
Eric felt Brianna remove her head from his shoulder as he removed his hand as the sky became lighter and lighter announcing the sun’s rise. Eric sighed as the sun peered over the horizon shining rays illuminating the ocean and the sky with colors of sun rise. He blinked his eyes from the sun’s glare as his eyes sight changed from night vision to day vision. He saw the sun slowly rise from peering over the horizon till it was completely above it.
He heard Brianna speak with weariness in her voice “Eric, I’m so tired, I want to sleep, take me home please.”
He gathered her up carrying her as she wrapped her arms around his neck, head touching his. He carried her into the ship walking a maze of hallways and stairwells till he reached the hallway where his quarters were. He carried her inside their room and gently laid her on the bed then stood standing next to it.
Brianna he saw raised a wrinkled hand towards him and he gripped it as she spoke “Eric, I love you. I may not be with you physically but I will be with you in your heart. Remember that you oath to me that you’ll have a purpose to live after I’m gone.”
He stared at her as she closed her eyes and he lowered her hand onto the bed. He went to the armchair and sat. Eric sat in the armchair staring at the wall with his eyes not seeing them. He looked at the bed to see Brianna, laying there asleep while lying on top of the blankets. He could hear her breathing becoming lesser and lesser as her body began to give up its life. He got up from the chair to sit on the bed next to Brianna’s side taking her old wrinkled hand with his gloved hands. Eric held the hand and listened as there was a rasping sound coming from her followed by her breathing cut off. He placed a hand on her forehead and brought his hand back to her hand gripping it in his hands. He let the tears flow as he felt a shaking vibration. He laid his form on the bed on his side and brought his arms around Brianna’s lifeless body weeping as the tears flowed from his eyes.
He groaned out “Brianna.”
He felt the shaking vibration become harder as he lay on the bed clutching her in his arms.
Eric felt the familiar headache followed by Merra’s voice speaking “Eric, the ship is being pulled towards the ocean where it will sink. Get out while you can.”
He spoke “A life without Brianna is a life not without purpose.”
He heard Merra speak “Eric, I oath to you, you will have a purpose worth living but not when your dead. Get out of the ship while you can.”
Eric repeated his words as the shaking continued “A life without Brianna is a life not without purpose.”
He closed his eyes as he felt the headache left him and placed his chin on the top of white haired Brianna’s head.
He felt the headache again and he spoke “Merra, I’m not leaving the ship.”
He heard a male voice speak in his head “What will Brianna want you to do after her death? I’m at the doorway.”
Eric opened his eyes raising his head to stare standing in the doorway was a long black haired Highlander in a uniform with a male form.
He heard the male voice from the Highlander speak again “You oath to Brianna that you’ll live on after her death with a purpose didn’t you? Will you honor that oath?”
Eric stared at the Highlander with shock on his face as he continued mentally speaking “I know from your mind that she talked to you about living your life after she dies. Brianna made it clear to you that you were to live with a purpose as you oath to her.”
Eric turned his head away to stare at Brianna’s face who’s eyes were closed as he heard the Highlander mentally speak again in his mind “Your time with Brianna ended doesn’t mean your life is finished. There’s a new beginning with a new life. I know that you love Brianna but will you honor what she wanted?”
He raised his head to stare at the Highlander who raised a gloved hand out towards him. He heard the Highlander add “You can take Brianna with you. There’s a place prepared for her to rest for eternity until the day comes when you will join her. I’ll see to it that you can visit Brianna and look at her from time to time.”
Eric sighed as the headache went away and got up from the bed picking up Brianna’s lifeless body cradling it in his arms. He paused to look around and followed the Highlander out of the room into the hallway where lights were blinking on and off. He kept his eyes on the Highlander’s back as they walked a maze of hallways and stairwells till they reached the outer deck with a gangplank leading towards the land deck. He could see a crowd standing on the land deck and heard cheering like sounds coming from them as he followed the Highlander down the gangplank to the land deck. Once on the land deck Eric turned around to see the gangplank twist on its side before breaking in two falling into the ocean water below. He stood watching as the ship moved in a fast speed sailing past the land deck going into the horizon and soon was out of sight.
He felt a hand clawed on his shoulder and heard a voice he recognize belonging to a male Akylah a bird headed humanoid speaking in Basic “Today’s a black day with the loss of your home.”
Eric looked at the Akylah and spoke in Basic voice breaking “And the loss of Brianna, my mate, who I hold in my arms.”
He saw the Akylah turn his head to look at him with goggles covering the eyes and speak “That makes the day even blacker.”
He turned his head towards the open sea and felt the Akylah release his hold on his shoulder with a pat.
Eric stared at the moving sea as he heard a male voice of a Highlander accent speak in Basic “I’m not lying when I said there’s a place prepared for Brianna. Come with me as I take you to the place where Brianna can have her rest.”
He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked at the Highlander standing at his side and nodded his head. Eric numbly felt the Highlander let go of his shoulder and followed him through the crowd that parted forming an aisle going silent. He kept his eyes on the Highlander’s back who led him to a car like vehicle sitting with rumbling noises. Eric got inside following the Highlander who sat across from him as he felt the vehicle lift up in the air flying in the sky like a helicopter. He allowed the tears to flow as he held Brianna in his arms and buried his face on her chest weeping loudly. He felt the vehicle hover and land with a thud then was rolling followed by a stopping motion.
Eric felt a hand on his head and looked up with tear stained eyes at the Highlander who spoke “Follow me, we’re here.”
Eric kept his eyes on the Highlander as he followed him out of the vehicle passing by identical vehicles parked in a large room. He with the Highlander reached a metal door in a wall that separated in two showing a small room liked an elevator which they both got in with the doors closing. He felt the elevator go down
with a humming sound then stop and then the doors opened showing a hallway with a large metal door at the end in the wall and two large barrel shaped devices besides it showing a green shield field between them in front of the door. Eric followed the Highlander out of the elevator towards the large metal door where they reached the shield field in front of it. He watched as the Highlander took off his glove and stuck his hand in the shield field which disappeared as the door slid open showing its thickness. The Highlander put on his glove as they both entered the doorway and went inside. Eric stared at a lighted by circular lights hanging from the ceiling vast room with shock as he saw too many to count long glass rectangular boxes some with bodies in them sitting scattered in the room along with some on raised platforms.
The Highlander spoke “A former Americanian Presidential ruler was said to discover this room by accident in his grief of losing his mate to child birth. He saw this room and its contents and ordered his mate put here. The shield guarding the door he discovered has a mind of its own and would only admit a select few to rest here. The shield has accepted me once because of your loss of Brianna and would not accept me again should I come back to visit.”
Eric looked around the room with a frown and heard the Highlander speak again “It’s your choice on where you wish to