The tunnels beneath Scratch City had always felt comforting to me, even before I became mayor. Even before Scratch HQ grew into the bustling place I'd dreamed of, the metro was always alive. Kids would race each other to the platforms after school. Parents would chat while waiting for trains. Employees heading to HQ would complain jokingly about deadlines that they'd inevitably finish anyway. Musicians would play near the entrances, and every now and then someone would recognize me, wave excitedly, and ask what new coding projects were coming next. I loved every second of it. Now... It echoed. Every footstep bounced off empty concrete, every flickering light buzzed just a little too loudly, no trains came anymore. The electronic arrival board above Platform Two still desperately tried to function. 12:05 PM — DELAYED 12:12 PM — DELAYED 12:18 PM — DELAYED As if the city was merely running late, as if the world hadn't ended. I slowly slid down against one of the tiled walls until I was sitting on the cold floor, my legs wouldn't stop shaking. I wrapped my tail around myself, pulled my knees into my chest, made myself as small as I possibly could. Maybe if I stayed small enough... everything else would stop feeling so big. ... It didn't. I pressed both hands over my face, trying to stifle my own breath. Don't cry, I told myself. I was supposed to be stronger than this. I was Scratch. Founder of Scratch HQ. Mayor of Scratch City. The person everyone looked to when something went wrong. You're supposed to help people. Instead... I had ran. My breathing hitched. Giga... The image slammed into my head again. Her reaching toward me, her voice, that writhing, glitchy thing eating at her arm. "Scratch!" I shut my eyes so tight they hurt. Stop, please stop.. but they didn't, they kept coming. Pico's smile. Only... it hadn't been his smile anymore, it was wearing him. Using his voice, talking like he was still my friend while it tried to... I couldn't finish the thought. A sound escaped me before I realized I'd made it. Then another. The tears came anyway. Hot, heavy, uncontrollable. "I..." The word never made it past my throat. Instead, I buried my face against my arms and cried. I didn't know for how long... maybe minutes, hours, time had stopped meaning anything. Eventually... My eyes wandered upward. There, hanging crookedly on the metro wall, protected behind dusty glass, was one of the city's old commemorative photographs. I remembered approving it. "Founding of Scratch HQ" January 8th, 2007 The picture had been taken in front of the original headquarters. Back before the renovations. Back before we'd expanded. Back before... everything. I stared at it, and there I was. Standing beside Giga, both of us throwing up peace signs toward the camera like complete dorks. I'd insisted we do it because it would make us look approachable. She'd argued it looked unprofessional. She'd done it anyway. Tera stood nearby with that small, amused smile she always wore whenever the rest of us acted ridiculous. Pico had somehow leaned close enough to her that they were practically shoulder-to-shoulder... even back then we couldn't tell if they had feelings for each other or if Pico was just being Pico. He'd probably made some joke right before the photographer counted down. I could almost hear him. Nano was laughing so hard he was barely looking at the camera. In his arms.. was Gobo. Flailing. Completely incapable of reaching the camera's frame by himself. "I don't need help!" he'd complained. "You literally aren't tall enough," Pico had laughed. "I AM TALL ENOUGH!" Nano had picked him up anyway. The photographer had snapped the picture right as Gobo started waving both arms. None of us had wanted another take. We'd liked that one because.. that was us. Loud, messy, happy.. Another sob escaped me. I looked away, I couldn't bear to see it anymore. The station blurred behind tears. I didn't even notice someone approaching until a voice spoke from a few feet away. "...No way..." Footsteps slowed. "Is that.." They stopped completely. "Hey," the voice was young, concerned. "Are you alright?" Brown hair peeked out from beneath the hood of a dark green jacket. Their hands floated a short distance from their sleeves as though gravity had forgotten about them. I don't know them. The realization came immediately. I knew everyone in Scratch City. Or... I had. Every family, every neighborhood, every volunteer, every teacher, every programmer, I'd made it my mission.
This person wasn't from here. Were they from Junior County...? No, they don't seem the time to enjoy the quiet life.. Turbopolis? That seemed more likely. There were enough commuters between our cities that it wasn't impossible. I was so lost in my own thoughts that I didn't realize they took another careful step closer. "You don't look too good." I couldn't answer. I didn't trust my voice. Instead... I curled tighter into myself. The stranger hesitated, "...Do you wanna talk about it?" they walked up to me like I was a scared animal, which well.. I guess I was. "I'm here." I shook my head, just once. No, please... Don't ask. If I started... I wasn't sure I'd ever stop. Another wave of tears spilled down my face. I hated this. I hated crying. I hated feeling helpless. I hated that somewhere, my friends were.. no, don't think about that. Don't think. The stranger didn't press. For a long while, neither of us spoke, the metro lights buzzed overhead like gnats. Somewhere far down the tunnel, a loose sign clanged softly in the stale air. Finally, the stranger spoke again, quietly enough that it almost blended into the silence. "...You don't have to tell me anything." They rested their hands against the cool concrete, white eyes staring back at mine. "We can just sit." I stared at the empty tracks. Why? Why stay with me? They didn't know me. Didn't know what I'd done, didn't know that I'd left Giga behind, didn't know I'd run while she screamed my name. The guilt clawed at my chest until it hurt to breathe. I'm sorry. The words echoed only inside my own head. I'm so sorry... Beside me, the stranger remained still. No questions, no pressure. Just quiet company in a station that no longer had trains. For the first time since I'd fled the city streets... I wasn't completely alone. That only made me cry harder.
