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From Here [002
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The two collapsed, soaking wet and tiered from their journey through the sewer after being blown from their feet and pulled down by the strong water current caused by the blast into a small backwash river leading out into the country. From there, they climbed out of the river and fell tiered, dirty and stunned onto the warm river bank. Doyle closed his eyes and took steady breaths trying to regain his breath pattern. The over powering smell of sewer water mingled and hung in the air like a thick smoke. A smoke that smelt of elephant shit, piss and rotten food. Opening his eyes he turned to look at Scarlett who sat curled up into a ball, shaking.
"Hey," he sad reaching out to her, "Hey what's wrong?"
He touched her arm slightly. She slapped his hand away and looked to him in rage.
"You want to know what's damn wrong? It's this is what's wrong!"
She smothered her face in her hands and began to cry.
"You were right. It's all fucked, it's just all fucked."
Doyle sat up and crawled to her side.
"They'll be just fine I know it. They're strong-"
"But they're just kids. They're so young and to have seen all that, all that blood and death and their father he...Andy said... It's just all fucked!"
"Oh no, don't do that, please don't."
Doyle placed a comforting hand on her back and squeezed her shoulder tight, as if to insure her that she was not alone.
"We're soldiers, we've got to be strong."
She lifted her head and met him eye for eye, "But that's just the problem, we are, but they aren't. They haven't had to kill anyone before, they haven't have had to see or do any of that."
He looked back out to the entrance of the sewer.
"I know. I know."
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Later, Doyle returned form his quick washroom break and sat with Scarlet by the fire witch they had set up under tree not to far from he river in witch they had come. All his gear including the heavy bulletproof vest, amo and other wieghted things he carried with him sat in a pile to dry. All except his gun that is, witch stayed at his side at all times. Just incase. He did leave on though, his boots pants and black short sleeve undershirt. Scarlet too took off her sweater and also laid it in the pile by his things. She sat with her knees up to her chest and watched the small fire as it flickered out into the night.
"Feeling better?" he asked her.
She smiled and nodded. "Thanks for that and everything." she added.
"No problem."
They sat in compleat silence for long moment, drinking in the silence of the night.
"So," she said while stretching her legs out and leaning back onto her hands. "Safe place to rest or no?"
Doyle looked around then with a sigh laid back and stared up through the tree branched up to the sky.
"For now yeah. Bastards couldn't have made it out this far yet. By the looks of things, we got carried out to the East of London. Not too far from Cambridge."
"There's a base 10 miles from there." Scarlet said looking to him."Do you think we could make it? It's what... 5 days maybe? Probably less?"
"Well, it's not like we have much choice unless you want to go back to that shit hole."
Scarlett chuckled. "Point taken."
Once again silence.
"Oh yeah," Doyle said recalling something, "how's your leg doing?"
She looked down to her leg and sighed. The red rim around the wound was dark red and stained with blood. The clean grey bandage wrapped tightly around her upper thigh and gave off an erie glow in the dim fire light.
"Surviving." she said bluntly.
Doyle gave another sickened look at the wound and shook his head.
"Looking pale again there soldier." Scarlett joked.
"I told you once and I'll be happy to tell you again, I hate blood. Can't stand the sight of it."
"Must have been hard back there then huh. Seeing all that blood form all those poor people... and the soldiers. Running around like mice in some sort of maze." She stared into the fire, brow curved in an angry and threatening gesture.
"So that's why you joined?"
Scarlet turned to him. "Pardon?"
"The army I mean, that's why you joined the U.S. army. To save people... soldiers?"
She smiled, "Not exactly."
A puzzled expression came across Doyle's face.
"Me my mom and my dad lived in this small little house in Detroit. One day, I was inside doing my home work, when there were these loud banging noises outside. I ran out to see what was wrong, but when I got there... my dad, he was laying in this awful position on the lawn and when I went over to see if he was ok, blood. So much blood. It was all over my hands and on his clothes. A drive by shooting. I called 911 and an ambulance came to take him to the hospital. I was 12 at the time." she paused and threw another stick into the fire.
"When we got there, they were able to take all the bullets out but he still needed immediate surgery. One of the bullets had hit a major artery close to his heart and he was well, dying. We didn't have enough money to pay for the surgery and he had on insurance, so they just let him die. Right there in the hospital bed. They could all do it in a heartbeat and I knew, hell, they even knew, but yeah.. After that, I moved on with life and went on to finish elementary school and high school as valedictorian of my class. Straight form there, I joined the army. Through them, I got the money to be able to go to University and became a doctor for the force. Then I studied and worked for a few years and somehow ended up here. You know the rest."
Doyle sat there for a few moments not wanting to say anything.
"When I was a kid, the same age as Tammy, I ran away from home just angry at everyone. Angry at my dad for divorcing my mom, angry at her for marrying another man and leaving with my dad. A few years later, I came home early this one day and on my way, passed this house on the corner of a street not to far from my school. There was loud laughing coming form the open window in the front and I guess you could say I was curious..."
He chuckled for a moment at the thought.
"...so I walked up to the window and looked inside. There, standing there with these two kids playing and laughing was my mom. She looked so happy and just so... She never loved me. I guess she just forgot." he scratched his head.
"So I ran away. Came to the army and grew to be an army brat. Years passed and we traveled around he world from place to place 'maintaining the peace' and loads of shit like that. Then when we were in Afghan a few months back, we got the order to come out here in England."
Doyle chuckeled. "Not as intresting or heart breaking as your story I'm afraid."
Scarlett didn't laugh, but reached out and placed a hand on his arm. Her touch was warm and loving, comforting even and calmed his senses.
"Well we better get some rest. We'll need it if we'll want to make it Cambridge by noon tomorrow." Scarlett said, removing her hand then reached up over to their pile, taking her now-dry sweater and bunching it up into pillow between two large roots that patroded from the side of the tree near witch she sat earlier.
"Yeah." Doyle said returning his gaze to the fire.
"'Night."
They could never really be sure that they'd be safe for the night, but they both really did need the ret if they wanted to make it anywhere the next day.
Doyle turned his head again to Scarlett and watched her as she drifted of to sleep and stared, her features lighted perfectly in the dim fire.
"'Night."
