Everything was gone. One second was all it took for the world to crumble around us. The once vibrant city now lay in ruins, engulfed in smoke and flames. The sky was a dark, angry red, and the ground was covered in dirt and debris. The acrid scent of burning filled the air, stinging my eyes and clogging my throat.

Five had tried to prove our father wrong. He wanted to show him that he was ready for time travel, that he could handle it. But, of course, he wasn't. None of us were prepared for what happened next. In his arrogance, Five had jumped too far, and everything was torn apart. And like a fool, I ran after him when he stormed out, refusing to be left behind. Why did I follow him? I still don't know. Five had always had this hold over me. Maybe it was because I liked him, more than I cared to admit. I didn't want to be left in the academy, trapped in that place while he explored the world alone. So I went with him.

And now, here we were. The world had ended, and it seemed like Five and I were the last two people alive. We ran through the streets, dodging falling debris, trying to make it back to the academy. My heart pounded in my chest, both from fear and exertion. When we finally reached the academy, the sight that met us made my heart drop. It was destroyed, burning, and crumbling to pieces.

"Allison! Klaus!" I screamed, hoping, praying that someone was still alive. But there was nothing. No response, no sign of life. Just the crackling of the flames and the groaning of the structure as it continued to collapse.

"Ben! Vanya! Anyone!" Five called out beside me, his voice frantic. But there was nothing. No one.

I turned to him, panic rising in my chest. "Five, take us back!" I shouted, my voice almost breaking. I needed him to undo this, to fix it. But when he tried to use his powers, nothing happened. His brow furrowed in concentration, and he tried again, but still, nothing. My heart sank.

"Five, try again," I urged, my voice trembling. He tried once more, his face a mask of frustration and fear, but his powers failed him again. "Come on!" he yelled, his voice echoing in the empty, burning wasteland.

He turned to me, his eyes wide with fear. I knew that look. It was the look of someone who had just realized they were out of options. I shook my head, refusing to believe it. "No," I whispered, my voice barely audible over the roar of the flames. "No. They have to be here. We were here!"

I ran into what was left of the academy, my hands frantically pulling at the broken pieces of what was once our home. "Y/n, stop!" Five called after me, but I ignored him. They had to be here. They just had to be.

"They have to be here! We were here!" I repeated, more to myself than to him, as I kept digging through the rubble, my hands becoming raw and bloodied.

"Y/n!" Five shouted again, louder this time. "They're not here!"

"No! They have to be!" I screamed, my voice breaking as I continued to dig. I felt a tear slip down my cheek, but I ignored it. I couldn't break down now. I had to find them. I had to—

"They're not, Y/n!" Five yelled, his voice breaking through the haze of my panic. His tone was sharp, filled with a mix of frustration and fear. I stopped, my hands stilling as his words finally sank in. I looked around at the desolate ruins of the academy, at the fires that continued to rage around us, and the weight of what had happened crashed down on me all at once.

Tears blurred my vision as I sank to my knees, the reality of our situation hitting me like a punch to the gut. Everyone was gone. We were alone.

I knelt on the ground, my hands gripping the dirt beneath me as if trying to anchor myself to reality. The world around us was unrecognizable—everything we knew was gone, reduced to rubble and flames. I could hear Five's footsteps crunching on the debris behind me, and I sensed him coming to stand beside me. He didn't say anything, didn't try to comfort me. He just stood there, staring out at the destruction that surrounded us. I knew he was doing the same thing I was—trying to process, to understand how everything had gone so wrong so quickly.

After what felt like an eternity, I pushed myself up to my feet, brushing the dirt off my hands. I turned to Five, but the sight of him—standing there, looking lost and defeated—was too much to bear. Without a word, I turned away and started walking. I didn't know where I was going; I just knew I needed to get away from here, away from the academy, away from him. I needed to think, to breathe. I could hear him calling after me, his voice strained with desperation.

"Y/n," he called out, but I didn't listen. I kept walking, my footsteps crunching over the broken ground. "Y/n!" he called again, his voice a little louder this time, but I didn't stop. I couldn't. Not now. "Y/n, we need to stick together!" he shouted, and finally, I stopped, turning around to face him. My chest heaved with a mix of anger and despair.

"Together?" I repeated, my voice sharp, almost a snarl. "No, this is on you, Five. You did this. I'm done with this—done with you. I'm leaving this place and finding a way out."

"Everything is gone! There is nothing left!" Five argued, his face twisted in frustration. "We have to stay together. We're all we've got now."

I shook my head, the tears stinging my eyes again. "I can't be here right now, Five. Don't you get it? We're stuck here! We're trapped!" I shouted, my voice breaking. "And it's all your fault!"

"My fault?" Five repeated, his voice a mix of shock and anger, his eyes wide as he processed my words. He looked at me as if I'd just slapped him.

"Yes!" I shouted back, frustration boiling over. "You had to screw this up by trying to prove Dad wrong, and now we're stuck here!" I waved my hand around us, gesturing to the apocalyptic landscape—the charred remains of our world. Smoke billowed from what was left of the academy, ashes still falling like snow. "All of this is because you couldn't let it go!"

He took a step closer to me, his face twisting into a scowl. "I didn't drag you along with me," he shot back, his voice rising with frustration. "I walked out that door by myself! You're the one who followed me, like always, trying to do what you thought was right!" His words cut through the air, sharp and stinging. "Trying to prove Dad wrong, just like me!"

We stood there, our faces inches apart, both of us breathing hard, our anger like a living thing between us. I could feel the heat radiating off his body, the tension in every muscle. We were both so angry—angry at the world, at each other, at ourselves.

"Maybe I did follow you," I said, my voice quieter but no less intense. "But I didn't think it would end like this, Five. I trusted you. I believed in you. And now look where it's gotten us!" My voice broke on the last word, my eyes burning with tears I refused to let fall.

Five's expression softened, just for a moment. I could see the guilt in his eyes, the regret. But then it was gone, replaced by that stubbornness I knew all too well. "I never asked you to come after me," he said, his tone defensive. "I never asked you to stay with me."

I laughed, a bitter, humorless sound. "No, you didn't," I agreed. "But I did. And now we're both paying for it."

He clenched his jaw, his hands balling into fists at his sides. "So what now?" he asked, his voice low, almost a growl. "You just want to give up? Walk away from everything?"

I looked at him, really looked at him, and for the first time, I saw not just the boy I'd grown up with, the boy I'd followed into this mess, but the man standing before me—a man who had lost everything and didn't know how to fix it. A man who was as scared and angry as I was.

"I don't know," I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper. "But all I know is that I can't even look at you right now, Five."

Five looked confused. "Where are you even gonna go?" he asked, his voice sharp and desperate.

"Anywhere but here!" I shot back, the words bursting out of me in a rush of frustration.

"There's nowhere to go," he said, his voice quiet but firm.

I turned away from him, determined to put as much distance between us as possible. I started to walk, my steps quick and uneven on the broken ground. But before I could get far, my foot caught on something, and I stumbled forward, hitting the ground hard. A sharp pain shot through my hands and knees as I landed, and I let out a frustrated sigh.

As I pushed myself up, I saw something out of the corner of my eye—a hand sticking out from under a pile of rubble. I blinked, my breath catching in my throat. I crawled closer, my hands trembling as I reached out to touch it. It was cold, lifeless. I followed the arm up, my eyes tracing over the familiar tattoo—the umbrella.

My heart stopped. "Klaus?" I whispered, my voice breaking. I looked at the face, covered in dust, but unmistakably his. My eyes widened in shock, and I froze, unable to move or speak.

Five ran up behind me, his footsteps heavy and hurried. He followed my gaze, his face going pale as he saw what I saw. He looked behind him, scanning the area, and I did the same.

Scattered across the ground, partially buried in rubble, were the rest of our siblings. Allison. Klaus. Diego. Luther. All of them, motionless and covered in dust and debris.

I gasped, my hand flying to my mouth as a small tear rolled down my cheek. They were gone—really gone. The reality of it hit me like a punch to the gut, and my knees gave out, dropping me back to the ground. Five moved toward Luther, reaching down to lift something from his hand. I squinted, my vision blurred with tears, and saw it was an artificial eye.

He turned to me, his face ashen, holding the eye up for me to see. We locked eyes, both of us realizing what this meant—this was the end. Our family was gone, and we were the last ones left.

A choked sob escaped my throat, and I felt the overwhelming urge to scream, to let out all the pain and fear and anger that had been building up inside me. But all I could do was cry—deep, gut-wrenching sobs that wracked my whole body. Five turned quickly, and in one swift motion, he wrapped his arms around me, pulling me into his chest.

I buried my face in his uniform, my hands clutching the fabric as I cried harder than I ever had before. Five's hold tightened around me, his hand gently stroking my hair, trying to soothe me.

________________________________

It was night now, and the darkness pressed in around us, broken only by the flickering light of the fire Five had built. We sat in front of it, the flames crackling and snapping as they devoured the bits of trash and debris he tossed in. The orange glow danced across his face, highlighting the lines of worry etched into his features. I sat across from him, my knees drawn up to my chest, staring blankly into the fire, still trying to process everything we had seen today.

Our family—our whole world—was gone. The image of their lifeless bodies, covered in dust and rubble, haunted me. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw them again. Klaus's arm stretched out from beneath a pile of bricks, Diego's face half-buried in dirt, Luther's massive frame slumped against a broken wall. And the worst part was, I didn't even know how it had happened. One moment, everything was normal, and the next...it was all gone.

Five had found a newspaper when we were walking earlier, buried under some debris. The headline was smudged, but we could still make out the date: today. He'd done the math, and it all added up—the world had ended today. But why? What had caused it? It didn't make sense. I kept going over it in my head, trying to piece it together, but every time I thought I had an answer, it slipped away like smoke.

We both stayed silent for a while, the crackling of the fire filling the heavy air between us. I could feel the tension still hanging there, unspoken words lingering on the tip of my tongue. I kept my eyes on the flames, letting their warmth seep into my skin, trying to draw comfort from the only thing that still seemed to make sense.

"I'm sorry," I heard Five say, his voice soft, almost hesitant. I glanced up at him, my eyes meeting his across the fire. "I didn't mean what I said. About you... thinking you were right." His tone was apologetic, almost vulnerable, and it was strange hearing him sound like that.

I didn't know how to respond at first. It felt like there were a million things I could say, but none of them seemed right. "I'm sorry too," I finally managed, my voice barely above a whisper. "None of this was your fault. You just wanted to prove him wrong." I looked around at the charred remains of the world we once knew.

Five's eyes flickered with something I couldn't quite place—regret, maybe, or guilt. "Yeah," he muttered, his gaze dropping back to the fire. "Well, the old man was right... like always."

Silence fell between us again, heavier this time. I didn't know what to say. What could I say? We were stuck here, in the aftermath of a world gone wrong, with no way out and no one else to turn to.

"I'm sorry that I followed you," I said suddenly, surprising even myself with how small my voice sounded. Five looked up, his eyes narrowing slightly as he tried to read my expression. "I was stupid enough to follow you, and I made it worse for you. I just wanted to get out of that place, that... prison." I barely managed to get the last word out, my voice breaking slightly.

Five was quiet, just watching me. I could see the conflict in his eyes, the way he was trying to find the right words. Finally, he sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. "You weren't stupid," he said, his tone softer now. "You were just... you. Always trying to escape, always trying to find something better."

I felt a lump form in my throat, and I swallowed hard, trying to push it down. "Yeah, well, look where it got us," I muttered, my voice thick with emotion.

Five scoffed, a sound that was more amused than bitter, and we both turned our attention back to the fire crackling in front of us. The flames danced, casting flickering shadows on our faces, reminding me of how everything we once knew was now reduced to ashes. We were stuck—truly stuck—with no way out, no family left, and no familiar place to call home.

And all we had was each other.

"I'm scared," I whispered, more to myself than to him, but I knew he heard me.

"I know," he replied, his voice steady. "Me too."

I looked over at him again, and for a moment, we just stared at each other. There were no words left to say—nothing that could change what had happened or bring back the people we'd lost. But in that silence, there was a sort of understanding between us. A silent agreement that, no matter what, we'd face this together.

________________________________

                  TWO YEARS LATER..

Two years. It's been two years in this empty, broken world with just Five and me. The apocalypse had stripped everything away, leaving us with nothing but each other and a burning need to survive. In that time, we had changed—we had to. There was no choice but to grow up fast when every day was a fight for survival.

We'd been on the move constantly, wandering through dead cities and ghost towns, exploring places that had once been alive and full of people. It was all gone now—just ruins and rubble, reminders of what used to be. But somehow, it was still fascinating. There was something almost hauntingly beautiful about seeing the world like this, empty and still, like it was holding its breath. We made the best of it, finding small joys in the strangest of places, learning to adapt to this harsh new reality.

We'd gotten good at surviving with so little. Food was scarce, and water was even harder to find. We'd learned to make do, scavenging what we could, rationing every bite, every drop. I'd taught myself how to make a bow and arrow out of whatever I could find—sticks, string, bits of metal—and I'd gotten pretty good at it. Enough to catch us food, at least. Sometimes it was a rabbit or a squirrel; other times, it was something less appealing—bugs, even roaches. Anything to keep us going.

Right now, we were staying in an abandoned mansion we'd stumbled upon a few days ago. It was falling apart, just like everything else, but it had a roof over our heads and walls to keep the wind out, and that was enough. We'd made a small camp in one of the rooms on the second floor. There was a fireplace, and we'd managed to get it going, the warm glow of the fire casting long shadows on the dusty walls.

I was kneeling by the window, sharpening my makeshift arrows with a piece of broken glass, the wood smooth and worn from use. I glanced over my shoulder at Five, who was sitting by the fire, examining a map we'd found. He was always thinking, always planning. I could see the wheels turning in his head, trying to figure out our next move, our next step.

"Any luck?" I asked, turning back to my arrows.

He glanced up, his eyes meeting mine across the dimly lit room. "Maybe," he said, folding the map and setting it aside. "There's a town a few miles east. Could be something there worth checking out."

I nodded, focusing on my arrows again. "Worth a shot," I replied. "We need supplies anyway."

"Yeah," he agreed. "Food's running low again."

I smiled wryly, glancing over at him. "Could always go hunting again," I suggested, holding up one of my arrows. "See if I can catch us something better than roaches this time."

Five chuckled, a rare sound that warmed my heart. "I'm all for that," he said, leaning back against the wall. "But let's hope there's more out there than just bugs."

I laughed softly, nodding. "Yeah, let's hope."

Silence settled between us again, the crackling of the fire filling the room. I finished sharpening my arrows and set them aside, stretching my legs out in front of me. My muscles ached from all the walking, all the climbing and crawling and running. But it was a good ache—a reminder that we were still here, still alive.

I moved closer to Five, sitting down next to him, feeling the warmth of the fire on my skin. He was still staring intently at the map, trying to figure out our next move. His brows were furrowed in concentration, but I could see the tiredness in his eyes, the exhaustion that never seemed to leave him. It had been days since we'd found anything substantial, and the weight of it all was starting to show on both of us.

I had something for him, though. A small gesture, something I'd made while he was out looking for supplies this morning. It wasn't much, but it was something. A reminder that even in this desolate world, we could still find moments of normalcy, moments of care.

"Hey, Five," I said softly, breaking the silence between us.

He looked up, his eyes shifting from the map to me. "Hm?" he murmured, curiosity flickering in his gaze.

I reached into my jacket pocket, my fingers brushing against the smooth wood. I pulled out the small wooden train I had carved for him and held it out in my hand. I offered it to him, feeling a bit nervous for some reason. "I got you something," I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

Five looked at the train in my hand, his expression shifting from confusion to surprise. He reached out and took it from me, examining it closely. "What's this?" he asked, turning it over in his hand.

I couldn't help but smile at his confusion. "A train, you idiot," I teased lightly, trying to hide my nervousness.

He let out a small scoff, but I could see the faint hint of a smile tugging at his lips. "Well, I know that," he said, his tone playful. "But where did you find this?"

I bit my lip, feeling a bit shy now. "I... made it," I admitted, glancing at his face.

He turned his full attention to me, his eyebrows raising in surprise. "Made it?" he repeated, looking at me as if he couldn't quite believe it.

"Yeah," I said, nodding. "I remember back at the academy, you used to like them. You had a couple of them in your room, remember? So, I thought... I'd make one for you."

Five was quiet for a moment, just staring at the small wooden train in his hand. I watched him carefully, wondering what he was thinking. I couldn't tell if he was touched or if he thought it was silly. My heart was beating a little too fast, waiting for his reaction.

After what felt like forever, he looked up at me, his eyes softening in a way I hadn't seen in a long time. "Thank you," he said quietly.

"You don't have to thank me," I replied softly, smiling at him. "I just... wanted you to have something, you know? Something to remind you that... we're still here. We're still us."

Five nodded, his gaze lingering on the train for a moment before he looked back at me. "I love it," he said, and I could hear the sincerity in his voice. "Really. Thank you, Y/N."

I felt a warmth spread through me at his words, a small comfort in this cold, empty world. "You're welcome," I said, my smile growing. "I'm glad you like it."

He gave me a small, genuine smile—one of the few I'd seen in a long time—and I felt my heart flutter. It was these moments that made all of this bearable, that made everything worth it. The little gestures, the small acts of kindness that kept us going.

_______________________________

Years went by, and somehow, against all odds, Five and I managed to survive. We moved from place to place, scavenging what we could and learning how to make do with what little was left. The apocalypse had stripped the world of so much, but not of us. Not yet.

The days blurred together, one endless struggle after another, but Five and I remained side by side through it all. We learned to rely on each other in ways I never thought possible. I'd like to say that it was always easy, that we were always perfectly in sync, but that would be a lie. There were days when we fought—fought hard, with words like weapons and tempers flaring. Sometimes, the fights would last hours, sometimes even a whole day. We'd scream at each other, each of us convinced we were right, our stubbornness clashing in the empty silence of this dead world.

But no matter how heated things got, no matter what harsh words were thrown, we always came back to each other. It was like an unspoken rule between us. We could fight and argue all we wanted, but at the end of the day, we were all we had left. That was enough to bring us back together, to make us forgive and move on.

We found different places to settle for a while, abandoned buildings or crumbling structures that somehow still stood. We learned to survive together, to hunt for food, to find water, to build fires. Every day was a new challenge, a new lesson in survival. And through it all, we had each other.

And then there was Delores. She was a mannequin we found in one of the old, abandoned stores we stumbled upon. At first, I thought Five was joking when he decided to bring her along, but it didn't take long to see why. In a world where everything was dead or gone, Delores was the closest thing we had to something, anything, that resembled life. Even though she wasn't real, she became part of our little group. Five would talk to her sometimes, share his thoughts, and I'd find myself joining in, almost forgetting she wasn't alive. It was silly, maybe even a little crazy, but it gave us a sense of normalcy, a reminder that we weren't completely alone.

As the days turned into months and the months into years, I found myself learning more about Five than I ever thought I would. The more time we spent together, the more I realized how much we had in common, how much our lives had been shaped by our father and the academy. We shared stories about our siblings, our memories of the academy, the good times, and the bad. We laughed over Luther's awkwardness, Ben's quiet wisdom, Klaus's antics, and Allison's kindness. We talked about Vanya's talent and Diego's stubbornness. For the first time, we really talked about our family, about what it meant to be a Hargreeves, and how we had each dealt with it in our own ways.

There were nights when we'd stay up late, just talking under the stars, forgetting for a moment that the world had ended. We'd share our hopes, our fears, our regrets. I learned about the things Five missed the most, the things he wished he could change. And he learned about me, about the things I'd left behind, the things I'd never have again.

Somewhere along the way, I realized just how much I'd come to care for him. He was my partner in this broken world, my anchor, my friend. And maybe something more. I couldn't quite put it into words, but I knew that whatever it was, it was real. It was something I never wanted to lose.

We were two survivors in a dead world, but together, we made it a little less lonely. And that was enough to keep going, to keep fighting, to keep hoping. As long as we had each other, I knew we could face anything this world threw at us. We'd survived this long, and I knew we'd survive whatever came next. Together.