Three years had passed.
The only people left alive in the shelter that day were Mía and me.
When I searched every corner, I found four more blood-covered bodies the big man, the old man, the woman… and a boy who was my age at the time.
It seems Dad managed to kill them with the sharp piece of metal.
But he was badly wounded too.
He bled out by my side.
Why… did you do it?
I know I was bad .
But Mía needed you.
Now we're alone.
That day, I carried Mía out of the shelter while she was still asleep.
When she woke up, I gave her the piece of bread I had saved.
I told her Dad had found it.
She looked so happy while she ate it…
Then she tilted her little head and asked,
"Papa...?"
I told her he had asked us to leave before him, that we'd meet him later.
She believed me.
We started walking through the streets.
We slept behind piles of rubble or under bridges.
It was way worse than the shelter we had been in.
We were lucky that Dad taught me how to make fire with rocks and branches.
We survived by eating insects or rats we cooked however we could.
Still, there weren't many around where we were.
Dad used to say that if we were ever alone, we should try to get to the center. That because of our age, maybe someone there would take care of us.
That's why Mía and I kept walking, slowly, hoping to reach the center.
Now and then, Mía would ask when Dad was coming.
I'd tell her, "Soon…"
After a while, she stopped asking.
We kept walking.
But…
The days passed. Then weeks, then months… then years.
Despite all that time, we never found the center.
I thought if we kept walking in a straight line, we'd eventually get there.
Sometimes it felt like we were just going in circles.
Maybe I should ask someone else...
But…
It's scary.
They're so much bigger than me.
If they wanted, they could kill me easily.
That's why, whenever I saw someone, I'd grab Mía's hand and hide.
But if we don't do something…
We'll walk forever.
I turn and see Mía sleeping next to me.
Well…
Tomorrow will be another day.
---
A few days later.
It was already getting dark.
Mía and I were looking for a place to sleep.
"Brother, look," Mía said, pointing at something with her finger.
Far away, I saw a light.
"Let's go," she said, walking toward it.
"Wait," I said, following her.
We walked for about ten minutes.
Eventually, I realized the light came from a campfire.
A man was standing by the fire, speaking to four people sitting nearby.
I took Mía's hand, and we hid close enough to hear what he was saying.
The man raised a book and shouted loudly
"Oh, tired souls, listen! The Kingdom of Heaven awaits us, and its gates are open to those pure of heart!"
"Paradise, brothers and sisters, is not a place of golden walls and shining streets… it is the eternal embrace of God!" he exclaimed. "There, there are no tears, no pain, no night to darken the soul. The sun of justice shines without end, and the angels sing a song that the saints understand without words."
"Evil exists… it lurks in the shadows, tempts with poisonous whispers. But good true good is stronger. And those who follow it, even if they stumble, even if they fall a thousand times… will find the door open in the end. Because Love is the key, and faith, the path."
"Do not fear, for the Father is waiting. And in His house, there is room for all who choose the light."
I didn't really understand what he meant.
God, light, evil, Heaven… none of it made sense to me.
The other men didn't seem to care much either.
When he finished speaking, they stood up and left without a word.
We should go too…
I reached out to grab Mía so we could leave, but I felt nothing.
"Mía?" I said.
But she wasn't there.
Panic hit me.
I looked around, searching for her.
I found her just a few steps away from the man.
No!
I jumped to my feet and ran toward her.
But it was too late.
The man had already seen her.
"Sir," said Mía.
"What is it, little lamb of the Lord?" the man replied, a bit surprised by her sudden appearance.
"Does Heaven really exist?"
"Oh, I see you were listening, child. Of course. All pure souls have a place in the Creator's Kingdom," he said with a smile.
Mía stared at him, eyes wide and shining.
I'd never seen her like that before…
Then suddenly she turned around and shouted:
"Brother, did you hear? Heaven is real!"
The man spotted me.
I walked slowly toward them and took Mía's hand.
"Is she your sister, little lamb?" he asked kindly.
"Yes… sir," I said, nervous.
"What are your names?"
"My name's Aiden, and she's Mía," I answered.
"Oh… beautiful names."
"Are you two alone?"
"Yes… it's just us, sir. We're heading to the center."
"Oh, the center… that's quite far from here."
"You know," he added, "I was planning to go there myself, to spread the Lord's message. You can come with me if you like."
"The Lord?" Mía asked.
"The Creator of all things, little one."
"He owns Heaven?"
"Exactly, child. Are you interested in learning His teachings?"
"Yup!" she said, nodding enthusiastically.
Mía…
"Hahaha, child, if you come with me, I promise I'll tell you everything I can. The Lord will rejoice in having a new believer to share His word," the man said brightly.
"Brother, let's go with him!" Mía told me, eyes sparkling.
He says he can take us to the center…
And he doesn't seem like he wants to hurt us.
"All right…" I said.
"Yay!" Mía cheered.
"Hahaha. Then come, children. Let me take you to my shelter. We'll leave for the center at dawn."
We followed him to a shelter that looked a lot like the one we had stayed in three years ago.
The man said his name was Angus.
He was thin, with long black hair streaked with white. His eyes were green, and his face was lined with wrinkles.
Mía talked with him the whole way.
He told amazing stories about Heaven a place where no one dies, where no one goes hungry, and everything you could imagine exists.
I… don't believe a place like that exists.
But Mía seems to.
It was the first time I'd seen her so interested, so excited.
It got late.
Mía and I were trying to sleep, holding each other like always since we'd been alone.
Angus was asleep a few meters away.
Suddenly, Mía whispered to me:
"Brother… Heaven is amazing, right?"
"Yes… Mía."
"And we just have to do good things, and we can go there. Angus says the people who went through the worst things and still did good… will be the Lord's favorites."
"That's great," I replied.
"Brother…"
"Yes, Mía?"
"Let's do our best in this life… so we can go to Heaven together," she said, smiling brightly.
I had never seen her so happy.
It would be amazing if Heaven really did exist…
"I'll try my best," I promised.
She hugged me tighter and rested her little head on my chest.
"Brother… let's go to Heaven together."
"Yes, Mía… we will."