One week had passed since Snake had finished his war. That war he thought would never end was over. He'd taken his family away and disappeared into the one place that felt like home, South Dakota. He didn't tell anyone, not yet anyway. This was a breath after the storm. Years of storm he'd endured, almost forty years of war and storm.

Snake walked away from the secluded ranch he'd rented for the summer. He could still hear the kids behind him down the hillside somewhere. He needed this break. His legs had started to hurt, old knee injuries coming back to haunt him. The summer air though made that all melt away. Plissken sat down on a stump looking down at the rather inconspicuous house. It needed work and he needed something to keep him busy.

There was something Snake needed to do. Fulfill a promise of sorts that was made long ago. The flask he pulled out was tarnished and aged. The liquor in it had to be good by now. His father had sent him the whiskey in the military. They were supposed to share a drink when his tour was over. He'd get off the plane and have a drink with his dad. That was a long time ago and Snake still had that one drink. Shame he'd be drinking it alone.

Plissken frowned as he turned the silver flask over in his hand. There were so many people he wished were here for this drink, so many lost. He couldn't help but think of them as he began unscrewing the lid. It was his dad though that was on his mind. He wondered if he'd be proud of him and which side of this mess he would have been on.

It probably didn't matter. The long war was over and his dad was dead, had been for a long time. Plissken had always missed his parents and he still did even now. It was too late for that. Snake took a long drink of the strong biting whiskey. It was good but could have been better with company.

Snake had so much time behind him that his mind went logically to the other end. For the first time in all his life he wondered what would happen when he died. He really wondered if he'd see all those people he missed again. Snake found it odd to think about it now instead of before when his life was in danger on a regular basis. No matter, there it was. He was thinking about death.

The flask was empty before he went far down that dark road. He knew now for all his desire to be left alone, utterly alone for awhile that he was no longer suited for it. His whole dream of walking off into the sunset like a cowboy was never going to happen. The revelation saddened Plissken as he stood and started back down the path. He'd have to forego the hero's good-bye and make the best of it. He couldn't disappear just yet.