Hal looked up through the trees, half scouting for enemies, half enjoying the way the sun shone through the many bare branches, striking the ground in long, twisted streaks. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, noticing how his breath created tiny crystals of ice. It was the heart of winter.

He wasn't on patrol, but he made sure to keep a close eye out for Skitters and Mechs. Sometimes, like today, he found himself wandering out into the woods by himself, patrolling the area, even if he was off duty. It wasn't that he didn't trust the others. He just felt safer seeing things for himself. Plus, it was nice to get away from camp every once in a while.

He found a wide, flat rock and sat down, resting. He rubbed his eyes and yawned a little. He could use some sleep, but there had been a lot of alien activity recently, so he felt it best to stay on patrol as much as possible.

Hal heard a twig break from somewhere behind him. Without hesitating, he jumped up and whipped out his pistol, facing his predator.

Hal lowered his weapon and chuckled nervously. "Christ, Maggie. You trying to give me a heart attack?"

Maggie walked closer to him, her arms raised defensively, and laughed. "Sorry, Soldier Boy. Didn't mean to sneak up on you."

He smiled and tucked the gun back into the holster on his belt. Hal sat back down on the rock with a grunt. Maggie sat next to him, but made sure to keep a certain distance between them. Hal wished she felt more comfortable with him, but he didn't say anything.

They sat there silently for a long time and just listened to some birds singing off in the distance. Maggie was the first to speak.

"It's such a beautiful day." She said quietly, seeming afraid that if she spoke too loudly all the beauty would disappear without a trace.

Hal nodded and glanced over at her, feeling slightly intoxicated by her own beauty.

Maggie spoke again, her voice sounding almost sad. "It reminds me of the day they came."

Hal sighed and Maggie turned to him. They looked at each other for a while, and Hal finally glanced away, sighing again. "Yeah. It does me, too."

Maggie kept looking at him, questions filling her big Hazel eyes. "Hal?" She said after a moment.

"Mmm?"

"What was it like? When they attacked, I mean. What was it like for you? Where were you?" Her voice sounded cautious.

Hal closed his eyes, memories flooding back to him, threatening to wash him away. He looked away from her and smiled slightly, hoping to hide the pain he suddenly felt from remembering.

"I, uh. I was at my, um.. My house. Dad and Matt were still sleeping. Ben and I had gotten into it, arguing about something ridiculous. I can't even remember now." I said slowly. Maggie waited for me to continue, watching me closely all the while.

Hal cleared his throat and continued. "Mom broke us up, like always. Ben was so frustrated. He said he was going to take a walk, clear his head. When he had left, Mom told me.. She told me to promise her I would always watch out for Ben, take care of him. That he needed me, and I needed him, too. I told her I would, and she left. She went to get food with a friend of hers and my Dad."

Hal swallowed a little too loudly, and continued. "I, uh.. I had just gotten settled on the couch when they came. It was like a million earthquakes hit at once, shelves fell to the floor, people ran out of their homes screaming, guns went off. I ran outside and saw.. Them."

He laughed a little. "I was so confused that I didn't even feel afraid. It wasn't until my dad came to me that it all hit me. He told me to get Matt, said we were leaving. I found Matt hiding under his bed, whimpering. I picked him up, and we ran."

Hal paused for moment, remembering it all. "We ran for hours, without stopping, though we weren't able to get very far from home. We searched for Ben, my mom. We couldn't find either of them. Night came and we found an abandoned car garage and took shelter. The next morning I went out, hoping to find other survivors."
He closed his eyes. "There were so many dead. The streets ran red. There were so many Skitters and Mechs, I was lucky to have stayed hidden. I kept moving, certain I would find at least one survivor. And then I saw her."
Hal stopped for a few moments. This was the hard part. "My mom. She was laying a few blocks away from our shelter. I knew she was dead the moment I saw her. I don't remember much except for all of the blood around her. Her blood. I took my father to her. I remember Matt crying so hard he threw up."

Hal shook his head and laughed. Maggie sat there silent, watching him intently. She finally looked away from him and cleared her throat. "Hal. I'm... I'm so sorry..." She looked back at him.

She took his hand slowly. Hal looked down at their interlaced fingers and spoke quietly. "It doesn't matter now. All that matters is killing them, every last one of them."

Maggie hesitated before speaking. "It matters, Hal. You found your mother's body. That matters."

He looked at her, and chuckled after a moment. "We should head back to camp. It's almost dark." Hal got up from the rock and started to walk back to camp. Maggie closed her eyes, feeling helpless in her effort to comfort Hal. She waited a moment, sighed and followed him back to camp.