Chris kept the package of cigarettes on his suit's inner pocket along with a plastic lighter he bought at a liquor store on his way to the funeral; he didn't plan to start smoking again but the sole thought of having them with him seemed to put his mind at ease, at least for the time being.

The funeral was set in a military fashion by the request of Piers' father, Norman. He stood there stoic beside his wife in a blue suit that he recognized as the formal attire of the Army; his wife was weeping and brushing her tears away with a white handkerchief. He recognized from pictures the man standing between them as Piers' brother, John, who was clad in a black suit and trying to comfort his grieving mother with no avail.

For Chris it had always seemed ironic that no matter how hard, painful and horrible death was, the cemeteries were always so green, almost as if trying to distract you from the pain of losing the ones you loved. And here, on this part of D.C. where the sky was clear of any clouds and the sun delivered its pleasant warmth all he wanted to do was get back to his apartment, put a distance between all Piers' family members and friends because deep inside he couldn't help to blame himself for allowing Piers to make such bold move in the underwater facility; it was his job to take care of the men under his command…

The empty mahogany coffin adorned with the American flag on top was put in the center by six men dressed in the same uniform as Piers' father, no doubt about some of them being at least in the same unit Piers had been in the time he served in the military. After initial prayers the microphone was left in the open for the family members; he watched Norman step forward but was stopped by John who held his hand up and said words that he couldn't make out before taking a place in the wood podium placed behind the coffin.

John cleared his throat before looking down at the file that laid down on the podium and closed it as he took one glance at the crowd before speaking. "First of all I'd like to thank everyone for being here today, I speak for my family when I say that we are truly grateful to have your presence in this hard time." He looked down at the coffin and smiled slightly before speaking again "There are many things I can say about Piers, he was not just my brother, but my friend; I had the honor of naming him after pestering my parents about it. After all I didn't want him to have a boring name like mine." Some members of the crowd laughed, Chris could only bring himself to give a small smile.

"From the very beginning when Piers said he wanted to join the Army we were ecstatic, he was a good man with excellent manners and soon enough he made his way up into the Force as one of the best marksmen of D.C. and aiding his team to earn the Valorous Unit award on his third year in service and gaining the Distinguished Service Cross but that didn't stop there; in 2010 he joined the BSAA and fought heroically until early July of this year. He was a remarkable man who didn't pass a chance to help out if he could, even if it meant putting aside his own needs and wishes."
John stopped and sighed to control himself before resuming his speech "So now my friends let's never forget about his actions, for the nation couldn't be what it is now if there weren't good natured individuals like my brother was. He will be sorely missed and we will forever have him in our hearts." Chris, amongst many others, clapped at the end of his speech, earning a small nod in thanks from John. "If anyone would like to state a few words the mic is all yours."

For a moment nobody rose from their seats or took a step forward, not even Norman; Chris absently looked around before gathering the courage to walk towards the podium and take John's place.

"My name is Chris Redfield, I am the captain of the SOU unit Piers was in." This was even harder than he originally thought it was going to be; all the eyes were focused on him, the man Piers sacrificed his life to. The sole thought of that made a dull aching appear on the back of his head, similar to the one he had in stressful situations.
"Piers was a brave soldier, I was the one that picked him among one hundred applicants in Fort McNair in 2010; he showed skills, courage and mostly obedience, a trait that now seems to lack in today's society." His words sounded foreign to himself, forced and robotic. But this was his last chance, Piers might not be here physically but he could only hope that somehow God would want him to hear his words. "He reminded me of myself when I was his age." He paused and looked around to the solemn faces who stared expectantly at him.

"I wanted him to take my place as captain," Chris continued. "He had a natural leadership personality that influenced the rest of the team's choices to take the right path along the way; his perseverance was the one that saved my life when I found myself lost and incapable of thinking straight. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for his brave actions, first of all for doing a six month search in Europe to find me and then saving my life from a B.O.W. in Lanshiang with all the implications that held." It wasn't necessary to cause more pain to the family with the details, he knew it.
"Piers' actions will prevail for the better of mankind and his memory will never be forgotten, after all the things he went through and saw he still believed that there was hope left. What we do for ourselves dies with us, what we do for others and the world, remains and is immortal."

He stepped out of the podium and returned to his spot, nodding in appreciation to the ones that clapped after his speech.
The American flag was folded by one of the men that carried the coffin into a perfect triangle and handed to John in a sign of respect. Soon after he heard the volley shots being fired in the background as the coffin started to slowly descend to the ground. The last honors made to Piers Nivans.

People left soon after and Chris found himself staring at Piers' tombstone. How many promises has he broken now? How many friends did he had to lose to finally earn peace in this world plagued by Bioterrorism?

"Captain."

Chris turned around and faced John; from up close he looked as tired as he was and he couldn't help to notice the similarities he held with Piers, starting with the same shade of green eyes he possessed.
John was carrying the folded flag on his right hand and gave one last look to the stars on the blue background before stretching out his hand for Chris to take it.

"I can't do it."

"He would want you to," John said simply, Chris took the rough fabric with hesitation. "You were his role model."

"Thank you, it's an honor to have this." John smiled slightly before he returned to his parents who watched from afar. Chris watched Norman saluting him and turning around before he could answer the gesture. He was alone now.

Chris rummaged through the contents of the suit's inner pocket, ignoring the cigars and lighter and got out a small golden insignia with Captain carved in silver letters. He left it on the grey tombstone beside the white bouquet of roses.

"Heroism doesn't occur from taking orders, but rather from people who through their own willpower and strength are willing to sacrifice their lives for an idea."- Thor Heyerdahl

Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it.

Disclaimer: Resident Evil and its characters belong to Capcom.