The three children sat in the playroom, surrounded by an atmosphere torn between the innocence of play and a creeping anxiety they couldn't name. Their laughter came in short bursts, as if they're trying to fight off the quiet fear sneaking into their hearts.
The door burst open. Masha appeared, her face was pale, her tired smile unable to hide the fear in her eyes.
"My children… they just announced that the warplanes have entered the capital. The bombing could start at any moment. From now on, no one will leave this house. We'll stay together… no matter what happens."
Ken asked, his voice trembling with childlike worry:
"But Mom… what about Dad? Isn't he going to work?"
She lowered her gaze for a moment, then answered with forced composure:
"Your father… is different. He has to be there. His work… is important."
Silence fell, heavy as a curtain. No one dared to ask more. Suddenly, Emily shrank into a corner of the room, her tears were spilling down her cheeks.
"Mom… are we going to die?"
Masha rushed to her, dropped to her knees, and hugged her tightly, as if she's trying to shield the whole universe in her arms.
"No, my love… we won't die. As long as we follow the instructions and reach the shelters right away, we'll be fine. I promise."
The girl nodded silently, though her tears wouldn't stop.
The next day, Masha sat by the Radison device in the living room. The blue crystal at its center flickered faintly while the broadcaster's anxious voice echoed through the room.
Ken entered hesitantly, stood behind her for a moment, then said:
"Mom… please, let me go to Yoko's house. Just for a bit. I won't be late."
She turned to him sharply, her face caught between tension and instinctive protection.
"No, Ken! It's too dangerous. The planes are flying over the city, soldiers are everywhere! You can't go out!"
He protested, hiding fear behind childish stubbornness:
"But I'll have to go out sooner or later! I can't stay here forever! School will open soon!"
Masha whispered, pressing her hand to her forehead, drained from worry:
"I don't know… I really don't know…"
Before she could finish, a deafening sound ripped through the city, as if the sky itself had split apart. The walls shook, and dust rained from the ceiling. Ken jumped towards her, terrified, clinging to her chest as his heart pounded wildly.
"Mom! What's that?! Mom, what's happening?!"
She held him tighter, her voice trembling as she tried to stay firm:
"The bombing has begun… hold on to me, Ken!"
His small body shivered in her arms, his tears soaking her shoulder. He cried between sobs and panic:
"I don't want to die! Mom, please… I don't want to die today!"
She embraced him harder, her hair falling across his face as she whispered in a breaking voice:
"You won't die, Ken… I'm here… I'll never leave you."
But Ken heard nothing except the thunder of bombs tearing the sky apart. The house shook, windows screamed, and darkness devoured the daylight. For the first time, he felt the world could end in a single moment.
He whispered faintly:
"Is this the end… without doing anything? Without saying goodbye?"
Masha ran her trembling hand over his head, kissed his forehead, then said softly:
"This won't be your end, my son… you weren't born to end here. Just hold on to me…"
Outside, explosions kept shredding the city, while Ken clung to her as if she were the last thing binding him to life.
In the bedroom, Emily hid under the bed, screaming and covering her ears with her tiny hands, while Dan sat on his bed, back to the wall, his eyes were wide, his hands gripping his head like a fragile shield.
In a dark house nearby, eight-year-old Yoko stood beside her brother, clinging to him as tears streaked her smoke-stained face.
"Brother… what's happening?"
Her question came out broken, a whisper in the storm. Her brother's voice tried to sound calm, though it trembled,
"Don't be afraid, sis… everything will be alright."
In Ken's house, an hour after the bombing began, Akako returned from outside, his eyes dull as if the war had stolen something from him. He stood before his anxious family and said quietly:
"Our neighbor Kamo… he and his family are dead. The bomb hit their house directly."
Masha gasped, covering her trembling mouth:
"No… that can't be…!"
Ken jumped up with a wide eyes:
"What about Yoko?! Is she okay?!"
Akako replied:
"No confirmed news. But their house wasn't listed among the destroyed areas… I think they're fine."
"I'm going to her now!"
Ken shouted with a shaking voice.
He didn't wait for an answer. He ran to the door as if his heart itself was pulling him forward, leaving behind stunned faces.
"Why didn't you stop him?!"
Masha cried.
Akako replied without moving:
"If I stopped him, he'd live with regret forever. Besides… their house is just behind ours. It's not far. I'll go out too, before the roads close. We need some food… and soap."
When Ken stepped outside, the neighborhood no longer looked like the one he knew. The air was thick with smoke, the sky howled with aircraft, and the homes that once greeted mornings with laughter were now piles of rubble. He ran, his heart was pounding like a hammer with every step.
When he saw Yoko's house still standing, he breathed out like a man surfacing from deep water. She was in the yard, crouched down, silently stacking stones.
"Yoko! You're okay?!"
She looked up and smiled a child's smile that had defied the end of the world.
"I'm fine… and I'm happy you're alive, Ken."
He ran to her, the tears were gleaming in his eyes.
"Don't die… please, don't die. You're my only friend."
She laughed, waving her hand with the confidence of a child who knew nothing of endings.
"Me? Impossible! I'll live a long life… we'll grow up together… and get married too! Deal?"
Ken's face turned red. He looked away, stammering:
"W-what are you saying?"
Before she could reply, the siren blared through the city, a cry for survival. She grabbed his hand without hesitation, her expression suddenly serious.
"The school's turned into a shelter. We have to go now!"
"But… my family? My mom? Dad? Dan? Emily?!"
"They'll come later! They know the way! We have to survive first!"
They ran hand in hand as the ground exploded beneath them. In Ken's house, Akako was putting on his coat when the siren went off. Before he could move, Masha screamed:
"Ken isn't here!!!"
Everything fell from his hands. His face turned white, as if death itself had entered his chest.
"What?! No… no, it can't be… Ken!!!"
Masha's voice rose in panic:
"Dan! Emily! To the shelter, now!!"
Dan fought back tears, while Emily clung to her mother, trembling.
"Mom… I'm scared!"
Masha stroked her daughter's hair.
"Don't be afraid, sweetheart… I'm here. We'll survive… just stay close to me."
Akako stormed out, slamming the door behind him like a man sealing his fate. Masha stood for a moment, gathering what little strength she had left.
"Dan, get the emergency bag… quickly."
He obeyed instantly. When he returned, he noticed his mother trembling as she dressed Emily in her tiny coat, trying to stay composed though tears threatened to choke her.
Then Dan looked toward the back door, stared at it for a long moment, and whispered inside himself:
'Dad went out alone… what if he can't find Ken? What if he needs me?'
He glanced at his mother one last time, then made his decision in silence. He put on his coat, opened the back door quietly, and slipped out.
'I'm the older brother… I won't leave him alone. This is my responsibility.'
He ran through the alleys filled with smoke, rubble, and screams. Meanwhile, Akako ran through the ruined streets, calling out from the depths of his soul:
"Keeeen!!! Where are you, my son?!"
Every shout was swallowed by the city's roar of planes and bombs. He ran until his legs gave out, fell to his knees in the middle of the road, his eyes searching through ash.
"I'm… I'm a failure of a father… I let you go out today… how could I trust the words of a child?"
Ash fell onto his hair as his heart froze for a moment. Then he rose again, fists clenched, eyes sharp.
"I won't come back without you, Ken… I swear it!"