Moment of Reflection
“Sera's Monologue”
“Entering the empty house now, I realized the weight of my decisions... All of this pain inside me had been growing ever since I found out Reed had betrayed me; he lied to me—he was like a father to me. The pain overwhelmed me, the only person I trusted betrayed me, and all these years I lived with that until I lost him, and the only thing he had from me was my cold behavior.
Did I seek revenge because I was angry with Cassie? Or was I just at war with myself, and all of this trapped me? Yes, I definitely hated Cassie for what she did, she killed him, took him away from me. But maybe I let her go because I realized that the real villain deep down was always me.
Throughout this path of vengeance, I ended up losing everyone I held dear... I took the lives of two innocents, but were they truly innocent? They took Reed from me. My Reed. And in the end, I lost Dina too.I returned to an empty house, and all I feel is an emptiness. Was it all worth it? Or did the pain blind me? I’m to blame. I pushed everyone away with my behavior, with my decisions. I don’t even know who I am anymore.”
Sera sat on the cold floor, her face buried in her hands. It was the moment when she had to make a decision: who does she want to be from now on? What path should she take from here?
She was sure of one thing: she didn’t want to be the broken person she had become—the one stuck in the middle, left alone in the end. She needed to make a change, to free herself from her mistakes, because in the end, it was all her fault. At least, that’s how she felt now.
Sera packed some clothes into her bag and slipped on Reed's jacket. The guitar was the last thing she grabbed before closing the door behind her. She took one last look at the empty house, wondering where Lina was now.Was it already too late? Had she lost her?Would she ever see her again?And Luke Jr—they where her only family.Was it all worth losing it in the end?She walked slowly, but steadily, into the unknown.She didn’t know where she was going or what she would face—but she had a purpose now.And she would do whatever it took to fulfill it.
Starting her journey and passing through various desolate areas, filled with the usual dangers, she managed to reach a city, abandoned, it was clear that few had survived there. There were no resources left anywhere, only rotters and debris. At the end of the road stood a museum, which felt strangely familiar and warm despite the cold that embraced it.
The rain began to fall violently, and Sera ran inside the abandoned museum. She looked around until her eyes, accustomed to the darkness, adjusted. She listened carefully to the sound of the surroundings to make sure the danger wasn’t lurking outside, and then she sat in a room, closing the door behind her for safety.She then took out her guitar and strummed the strings, as if she was playing for the first time. She looked at her left hand, where two fingers were now missing, the ones Cassie had taken from her and she began to sing with a trembling voice, the song Reed had once taught her. But her voice sounded almost like a whisper, as if they had stolen her strength. She needed to find herself again, to honor Reed, to become the child she once was with him, even though she had long since grown up.
The sun had climbed high, and it was time for Sera to continue her journey—but something held her back. This museum, though old and crumbling, felt strangely familiar. The sunlight pouring through its broken windows gave it a warmth that didn’t match the cold world outside. It reminded her of Lina—of their small adventure in that abandoned town. That other museum, where Lina had opened up to her about her family. A moment that brought them closer than ever.She took a deep breath and looked out through the broken window, feeling ready this time, stronger. She gazed at the museum and whispered, “Until we meet again, my love” as she departed from it.
And just like that, she left behind the abandoned town and the warm museum that had filled her with strength and memories—a small push to remind her of the girl she used to be. The girl she wanted to become again. Before everything went wrong. Before she lost her trust and locked herself away in a small box, far from everyone. Before she lost the spark that once burned so brightly within her.
She kept walking along the edge of the road, eyes on her dirty boots, lost in thought. Every now and then, she kicked a stray rock, the sound echoing through the silence. Time had passed—it was already late afternoon, the sun slowly dipping lower in the sky. She felt so alone... but she wasn’t ready to give up.
That’s when she heard something.A man’s voice, distant, muffled but so familiar...Her heart stopped...Luke? She froze in place , her eyes scanned the broken street ahead and then she heard it again, louder this time.Without even thinking she ran towards the voice while shouting “Luke!”.No answer, she ran faster, her heart believed it before her brain could stop her...Luke was dead,Cassie had killed him.
She halted in front of an old truck and inside was a radio crackling.No Luke...No one...Only the cold.Sera dropped on her knees, felt defeated.Her mind had played a cruel trick on her, or she had played it on herself.Then the voice repeated from the radio.But this time was clean and loud.
"Is anyone out there??I repeat, is anyone listening? " The man’s voice was firm, it wasn’t Luke.But it was someone, she wasn’t imagining it.
