The bite of a chilled, desert evening nipped at the man who was perched on a rock. The ridges of overturned soil lay at his feet, and the crest of the crude head marker was sprouting out not far from there. Sniper sighed, he found himself doing that more and more lately, and cleared his throat. The makeshift graveside was quiet and a sense of finality was in abundance.
"Hey, mate," Sniper paused, sighed, and continued, "It's been a while, I know. I'm sorry. The lot of us have been a bit preoccupied." He shifted and listened to the cry of the wind around him. It felt almost surreal, the onslaught of Grey's machines was over. It had been for a few days now, most of the men getting proper treatment and scheduling flights back to their homes. After respawn failed, it felt as though all of the other mechanics followed suit. The Medic's Medigun included.
"I don't know if someone else told you, but Scout woke up from his coma the other day. The damage isn't as bad as they thought it would be. He'll only loose his legs. That's good. I wish you had woken up." Sniper laughed; a bitter, humorless exhale of breath.
"Spook's goin' home today. I won't ever see him again, hell, soon enough I'll be saying my last goodbyes to the lot of 'em. I'm going back to Australia in a few days. This will probably be my last time talking to you. Doc's got a few things he wants to look at before I go, but I don't think I'll be here by weeks end."
"It's strange. I've spent years working with these men, and soon I will never see them again. I died for them and they took bullets for me, but soon enough they won't be but a distant memory. I suspect I'll forget their quirks before I die, but I don't think I'll forget anything about you."
"What I mean to say- What I should of said, is thanks. For everything. I'm sorry I didn't say it while you were alive. That will be my biggest regret to my dying day." Sniper took off his hat, wrung it in his hands, and laid it gingerly on the grave.
Sniper sighed, the finality of this one-sided conversation was eerie and unpleasant. It shouldn't have ended the way it did. No one should have died, not permanently, especially not him. The blast took out more than just his best friend, it caused a wicked splash effect. The inferno blinded anyone looking at it. The blinding light and heat left nothing but searing melted and melted flesh.
" I always looked out for you, mate. I gave it my all, I swear it. I didn't mean to let it happen, so I'm sorry for that, too. I'm finding that a have a lot to be sorry for recently."
" You managed to become my best mate, Truckie. I'll miss ya, Dell."
With that, the blind man grabbed his cane and made his way back to the base.