"Most of the car is filled with water. Her head is above it, so she can breathe. However, we can't get her out of the vehicle without shifting its position, and… unfortunately we don't have the sort of machinery to pull it out of the river. The roots on the bank are holding the car back, but they won't hold for long. You only have five or ten minutes before her heart stops, for she's been in the river for a long time now. I'm terribly sorry for this-"
The voice of the doctor faded into quiet muffles as I let go of my dad's hand and took steps toward the car. My eyes were wet and glassy with tears, but none had fallen down my cheek yet. The cold wind froze them before they could.
Dad noticed me walking off and was about to follow in protest, but knew that I was old enough to handle this. It would only anger me if he tried to keep me from seeing my mother before she died. For a small child, my mother's theme of untimely death would seem nightmarish, but I was mature enough to know the reality of it.
The frozen snow cracked and crumbled under my slow steps. Overhead, it seemed the trees had made it a task to make as little sound as possible under the blowing wind. As if they had souls, they were lowering their voices so that my voice may be heard when I spoke.
People surrounding the car heard me coming, and cleared away so that I could reach the front of the left side. I could see the window of the driver's seat was shattered, and the windshield cracked. It was the windshield that kept the water from flowing into the car and drowning my mother on the inside. Taking a few shaky breaths, I kneeled down on the bank and lowered my head to peak into the vehicle. My breath hitched though, when I saw the condition of my mother.
She was white as a ghost, her lips almost as blue as the day sky. Her breaths were shaky and accelerated, making her look like she was having a seizure, but I knew it was because of the cold. When she sensed my presence she turned her head towards me, pulling as much of a smile as her numb muscles would allow.
"H-hey sweetie." She cracked in a husky voice.
"Mom." I choked through the lump rising in my throat, causing more tears to fill my eyes.
When my face twisted in grief, and I began to cry at the site of her condition, she looked at me with her motherly love.
"D-d-don't cry…Kyra. It… isn't… t-the end of…" She coughed, and it sounded painful. "… the world."
"Mom." I said again in a pleading tone, voice ragged.
"It's ok." She said in a raspy voice.
"You're freezing to death Mom. It's not ok." I argued, reaching into the car and under the ice cold water to find her hand. "Oh Jesus." I cursed in horror when I realized the temperature she was sitting in. I managed to find her hand, and held it as tightly as my strength would allow, ignoring the cold.
"It's not as… bad as it s-seems. I can b-barely feel the… cold anymore. A-at least... it will be p-painless." She said shakily. I couldn't find any words to say, and probably wouldn't be able to speak them if I did. It was always hard for me to speak when I was crying. Then her face went serious, and her eyes caught mine.
"I need you… t-to listen to me… Kyra." She said. I nodded and wiped my face with my sleeve, sniffing and taking in deep breaths to calm the tears. "You know… h-how sensitive… your brother is. I need you to take c-care of him. You're mature enough… to handle t-this. He's not… ready. I want you t… to be there for him. Do you understand?" She asked, squeezing my hand.
"Yes Mom." I answered, rubbing her hand in assurance. She smiled at my answer and her eyes turned soft.
"Good. I love you sweetheart. Life… is so much h-harder than you… think. This is only the start… of the hard things you must accept. Sometimes l-life is more unfair than usual. It's up to you… to face those things… and protect t-the ones you love. Remember… these h-hardships make… you stronger. Eventually… you'll live a happy… and p-peaceful life… because many things… won't seem so hard anymore. Look after your b-brother for me Kyra. He… needs you… more than you k-know."
"I'll do that Mom. I'll take care of him the best I can. I promise. You can count on me." I assured her, wanting her to know that I meant every word I said to her before she died.
"I know." She breathed happily.
I pulled her hand up to my lips and kissed her softly.
"I love you Mom. I love you so much. I swear I'll do my best to make you proud, because I know I haven't been the best of daughters lately." I told her anxiously.
"I've always… been proud of you." She said with an assuring smile. "Go after your dreams Kyra. I don't c-care… what you do. Just do what you… wish to do the most. You're a determined… gal. Whatever it is you w-want… I know you'll get it. J-just make sure… it's for the r-right reasons."
"I'll do that. Don't you worry about a thing Mom. I promise I'll take care of everything." The tears were flooding back to my eyes. I saw that she was fading, because the light was being drawn from her eyes. They were turning dark. "No." I whispered hoarsely.
"Tell your b-brother… and your father… t-that I love them." She whispered in a faraway tone. "I love you."
"No. No Mom, don't leave me! Please. No no no…don't go!" I pleaded, tears cascading down my cheek. "Mom! Mommy! D… don't leave…"
She closed her eyes, letting out the air from her lungs in acceptance. Her head leaned back on the seat, and a few seconds later the grip of her hand loosened on mine completely. Wails escaped my throat in ragged tones, and I kept calling for her, never letting go of her hand.
A few seconds later arms wrapped around my body and forcefully, but gently pulled me away. I let go of my mother's hand and held onto the arms holding me. They set me down and turned me around, pulling me into an embrace. I found that it was my dad, and he held me tightly while I soaked his jacket with tears. Will was staring at the car with teary eyes. Then he came over and joined Dad and I as we all held each other. I put an arm around him and pulled him extra tightly to me, making sure as much comfort was passed through the embrace as could be given. I would make sure I held the promise I had given my mother for as long as I lived. No matter what it will take.
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The details of what happened to one of the small town's few neighbors spread very quickly. People came to our front door to share their grief and sympathy. I stayed locked up in my room, only coming out to use the bathroom or eat. My friends came over to try and comfort me, but my dad turned them away, telling them I didn't want to talk to anybody right now.
For days I never went to school, and the teachers weren't concerned at all. They knew what I must be going through, and decided to just leave it alone for now. However, my English teacher called Dad, asking him to possibly have me go see the councilor, because she was concerned for my mental health. Dad thanked her for her concern, but said I refused to do anything of the sort. I can make it through on my own. Mom said life is hard, and it makes you stronger. Can't get stronger if I have help carrying the load. I want to do this by myself.
My brother went through the days in silence. Unlike me, he kept with his daily routines instead of staying in his room. Even the boys who bullied and teased him at school didn't have the heart to torment him. They knew that he was in enough torture as it was, so they left him alone. Even his friends stayed away, fearing that if they try to talk to him that they would say the wrong things and just make it all worse. He didn't seem to care much, or at least he didn't show that he cared.
Dad seemed to be taking Mom's death much better than my brother and I. Of course, he's lost people he loved in the past, and knows how to deal with it better. He accepted the pity and comfort of other people, and took into consideration the things they advised him to do in order to help with the pain. Some people even offered money or gifts, but he always kindly turned them away, and accepted no charity given.
So this was it. This was how it felt to loose somebody you loved, and realize for the first time that… they're never coming back. That truth hit me harder than I ever dreamt it could. It was difficult to deal with, and so much more different than knowing a relative has a disease that will eventually end their life. My grandmother had a liver disease, and if it was in its third stages then she would die. I remember crying for hours, but a few weeks later found out she would be ok. Losing someone so suddenly, and without warning… can so easily break you if you aren't strong. I'm glad I got to speak with my mother before she died, so she could give me what wisdom she could.
I tried to hold onto some of the things she had, like her jewelry. She always wore this gold necklace that her father gave to her before he died. When I was a baby she said I used to play with it while she nursed me. I still remember her lullabies. She had such a nice voice, and she would sing stories. My mother was a storyteller, and she told her stories through song like they used to do hundreds of years ago. She sang fantasies, of exotic creatures and heroic adventures. And she never ran out of stories. Imagination has no limits, and she always kept her mind wide open. That's what she used to tell me, and I never understood it. I never tried to. I thought it was a bunch of nonsense, but it wasn't. Nothing she said was nonsense, I was just too young to make sense of it all. She was a very wise woman. But… now, she won't be here to share any more of that wisdom with me. Now I wished I had paid more attention to what she said.
Lesson learned: live every day like it's your last. I've heard that said too many times, and I never took it seriously because I never believed anything bad would happen. At least, nothing really bad. Common thoughts of a naïve youngster. You want to believe that the world is a good place, and all those things you see on TV are just people who want to think that it's a bad place. Nobody kills in cold blood! Who does that? Or maybe: Wars aren't real. Why would they want to fight over that stupid piece of land? That's stupid.
Another lesson learned: not everyone has an open mind. Maybe if everyone was like my mother, there wouldn't be stupid fights over stupid things. Maybe people will make smarter choices about even the smallest things. Like pregnancy. If you don't want to get pregnant, don't have sex. Period. Abstinence is the best policy. And smoking. It's bad for you, and it's bad for the people around you, so don't do it. If you don't start then you can't stop.
My mother was too good of a person to have this happen to her. Why couldn't she die instantly in the crash? Why did it have to run into the river so she could slowly freeze to death? Who on Earth deserves that? My mother didn't.
"My mom was a good person!" I screamed into my wet pillow. "She was a good person." I whispered.
Things won't be the same. It will take a while, but I'll get used to the fact that she won't be there when I need her most. She was my best friend. I could share my secrets with her, expect to have her shoulder right there when I needed to cry, ask for advice when things just weren't going right. You're not supposed to lose someone like that. It's just not right, because they're meant to help you. They're the heroes in your life. Heroes never die, right? They never do in the stories, so why does this have to be any different. Why can't the world be like the stories? Wouldn't it be a better place?
I wondered if God even cared about what He was doing to me. He's the master of all things, right? Why did He let my mother die like that? Does He care that I had to watch her slip away right before my eyes, listening to her struggle with her last words through shivers? Does He even care about me?
Well, God sure must have cared. The next day, He sent my angel-of-a-brother to my room, and he sat down next to me on my bed. While I wept, he put an arm around me, saying things like, "She wouldn't want you doing this." "She loved us… and I know it isn't fair that she's gone." "We'll make it through Kyra. I love you, so I'm gonna stick by your side, and you, me, and Dad are gonna pull through."
It helped, and it gave me enough strength to go to school in the morning. Since then, we've stuck together like glue. We inspired each other, took care of each other, and for the first time… I felt like a big sister; because I was taking care of him. Before I never saw it as a responsibility, but as a chore, I guess. Now, taking care of my little brother is the highest responsibility I will ever have, and one that I will never give up. I promised my mother that, and I'm damn well keeping it. Even if my life depended on it… and I had to stomp through Hell to do it, I refuse to let my brother die before me.
I was standing in front of the Ark, gazing into the liquid structure with a golden necklace in my hand. It was my mother's, and I kept it in my gym short pocket. That memory just came back to me without warning. It reminded me of my promise to my mother. Things haven't changed since that snowy day when I got home. I'm still losing family, and I don't want to lose any more. It's hard to think about that, because you know you'll be alone, without a mother, father, or sibling. My brother's all I have left. To rescue him, I'll have to stray from my position as a Marine. Already I've abandoned the squad once, and put not only a comrade, but a close friend in danger by doing so. I needed to watch myself. I don't want to be responsible for the death of one of my own, especially if I care about them, like Duke and Reaper. Especially Reaper. But… family has always come first.
Even if it means me dying, I won't leave this place until my brother is released from that demon's grasp. That's a steel promise.
My brow narrowed. Then, without a word, I took a step towards the Ark and leaned forward, getting sucked in. My body felt compacted once again, and it moved at a fast speed towards Earth.
I flew out the other side and rolled, standing upright and erecting the pistol. Instantly voices came to my ears from the right, and I turned. There was Sarge, Destroyer, and Sam, and it seemed she was trying to convince Sarge that not everyone was infected. I lowered the pistol and stood up straight. Reaper then burst through behind me, standing and erecting his gun. He noticed the voices too and turned, then lowered his weapon like me.
Our presence was quickly noticed, and when Sarge's eyes fell on me, I saw fury written all over his face. He was about to pop a cork on me, and I wasn't worried in the least. Ever since I changed, I've been getting a little too big for my breeches. Sarge didn't faze me as much for example, with his harsh voice and intimidating appearance. Of course, he's no where near as dangerous or intimidating as a demon. At least, not to me.
He stormed over to me. I stood there with a straight back, arms hanging from my sides sternly, and my face fixed in the most apathetic look I could muster. My lack of emotional reaction to his usually intimidating anger just made him even angrier. When he stopped in front of me, looking down at my smaller figure, he hit me hard across the face. I took a few steps back at the blow, flexing my jaw and turning back to him.
"What the fuck do you think you were doing?" He shouted, spraying spit on my face.
"Killing monsters." I said sarcastically. "Look at me! What do you think I was doing?" I then shouted back, presenting my blood soaked clothes.
He hit me again.
"Don't speak to me in that disrespectful tone soldier! You disobeyed an order! Do it again… and I'll kill you!"
I took a step forward to show I wasn't fazed by his blows. Everyone was watching me with wide eyes, because I was talking back to Sarge. No one ever talked back to Sarge, unless you had a death wish.
"I survived wounds from three monsters. I don't think a bullet would make any difference. Where the fuck do you think all this blood came from?" I said slyly.
"I don't give a shit what you are! You're still an RRTS soldier and I expected a hell of a lot more out of you than this, Ice! You are part of a team, not your own little world!"
"So take me off the team! I don't care anymore! I don't even care about this mission anymore! My mission is to save my brother, and anyone in this facility who can be saved! Things have gotten out of control Sarge! At this point we can't really do anything about the Hell running around this base! I think we should blow this place up, destroy the Ark, and get to the surface!"
"You don't call the shots soldier, I do! A Marine doesn't let personal matters affect their performance in a mission! I figured you might know that!" He shouted, pointing a strong finger at my chest.
"Personal? How personal do you think this is? My brother was mutated into a monster! How do you expect anyone not to let THAT interfere with a mission, especially when the mission is to wipe out the threat, which just so happens to be my brother right now?"
He didn't have an answer to that. Who would? I had a point, and he didn't have anything to knock it down. It only got him more pissed though.
"Let's evacuate the uninfected and blow this place." I insisted.
"We have orders to protect this facility." He said menacingly.
"Fuck the orders! What are they gonna do, shoot us for getting rid of a facility we can't get back?"
"Orders are orders." He fought.
"We don't have orders to kill innocent people! Not all of them are infected!" I shouted angrily.
"We have to stop anything from getting to the surface by any… means… necessary!" He shouted back, a tone of finality in his voice. The tension was rising, and I saw that Sarge was about ready to hit me again.
Then I heard the hum of a machine coming from the corridor leading into the Ark room. When I looked, there was Pinky, rolling in on his little wheelie legs, Duke behind him.
"Found this little chicken shit hiding under a pile of dead bodies." Duke said, sounding a little pissed, probably because he had to deal with the little dip-shit all the way here.
"Am I glad to see you guys." Pinky announced in relief. "That thing cut right through the door. I tried to use the grenade but it came at me too fast." He explained, while Sam was at his side and checking his neck. "It followed me through the Ark and started to kill everybody. It was horrible."
"Don't make excuses you coward. You had plenty of time to throw that grenade, it only takes two seconds." I spat. That's when Duke saw me, and his eyes went wide.
"What the fuck happened to you Ice?" He said in shock, looking at my clothes.
"Ran into a few dogs." I answered.
"Dogs did that to you?" He walked over to me, then saw Reaper and the blood on his suit.
"What about you man? You get caught up in it too?" He asked.
"A few scratches." Reaper answered, glancing at me. Sam finished checking Pinky and looked up at Sarge.
"He's clean. There are no wounds on the side of his neck." She stated in a pleading manner.
"I say who's clean, and who's not." Sarge responded, cocking his gun and pointing it at Pinky.
"I mean… it wasn't my fault." Pinky whimpered in defense. "Hey, I'm not a soldier. You shouldn't have left me-"
Before Sarge could shoot however, Kid's voice rang out just in time. There was a certain hint of excitement in his voice.
"Sarge." He said, taking his gun off his shoulder. "There's a store room with like, twenty people holed up inside it. We've got to do something."
"Your orders were to clear that sector, is it cleared?" Sarge asked, narrowing his eyes at Kid.
"No, I told them to stay put." He answered in disbelief. "They're ok. They're just scared shitless." He defended.
"We kill them all." Sarge stated. "Let God sort them out."
I couldn't believe what I just heard, and was about to say something about it, but Kid took it into his own hands. For a second, I had to admire his courage to talk back to Sarge like this. He really had some guts to do that, especially for someone his size and youth.
"This is wrong. I think…" He stuttered, but Sarge interrupted him.
"Son, you don't think!" He exclaimed. "That's an order. We're in the field soldier." By Sarge's tone I knew he was getting to his last strand which held his temper back.
"Sarge, if nothing's found them…" Reaper began, but Sarge interrupted once again.
"You will obey… the direct order… of your commanding officer." Sarge said menacingly. Kid stood there for a few seconds, looking like he was under quite a bit of stress. I stepped in and stood by him, and his eyes met mine. I gave him a wink of reassurance, with which he turned back to Sarge and shook his head.
"No." He said defiantly.
"Now." Sarge growled, a tone of finality in his voice, this was the last chance he would give, and I could tell.
Kid felt comforted having me stand by his side. It let him know that he had somebody on his side, willing to confront his CO. He put on a determined look, making sure all fear was erased from his face so that Sarge new he was dead serious, and threw his gun to the floor in protest.
"Go to Hell." He said.
I saw Sarge beginning to lift his gun, and instantly I was jolting to step in front of Kid. The bang sounded, and I flew back, Kid catching me. The bullet had hit me just below the neck, causing blood to spew from the wound.
"No!" Reaper yelled, rushing towards me.
"Holy shit!" Duke swore in shock, also coming to my side.
Kid laid me down. The blood stopped as the wound began to seal, and before long I could breathe again. Destroyer was looking at Sarge in disbelief, like he had gone crazy or something.
"I'm ok." I wheezed, looking flustered. I started to sit up, and Duke helped me to stand. Reaper was making sure that Kid still stayed out of harm from Sarge's gun, but also hooking his arm around mine so that I had some leverage while pulling myself up.
"Mutinous insurrection is punishable by death, Ice." Sarge growled, and I met his gaze with my own hard stare, taking in a few needed breaths after the sudden malfunction of my respiratory system.
"I'm well aware of that Sarge." My hand gripped the handle of my pistol.
"I need soldiers! I don't need anybody else, but soldiers!" He shouted in frustration.
"You need balls Sarge. You're too much of a coward to save a bunch of people whose only hope is us. They're not even infected for God sa-"
Sarge cocked his gun again, and shot me in the chest twice, then the neck, causing me to fall to the ground again. This time I didn't heal so quickly. My lungs weren't functioning, and my throat was clogged with blood. I couldn't breathe at all, which was throwing my mind into shock. Duke kneeled down at my side, putting pressure on my neck wound in haste. He was shocked out of his mind at what was going on. Sarge just shot Ice four times, and that was shock enough for him. Reaper was looking at me, eyes filled with anger he never thought he had. No one… shoots me… and doesn't get an answer from him.
Reaper stood up quickly and turned to Sarge, fury evident on his face.
"You son of a bitch!" He shouted, charging at his CO so fast that Sarge had no time to defend himself.
Reaper's fist pulled back and landed a crushing punch across Sarge's nose, making the large man stumble back at the blow. He then moved forward and was about to give a breaking kick to Sarge's stomach, but a gun shot sounded and everything ceased.
"Drop the weapons!" Pinky's voice rang out, and everyone's eyes shifted to him.
My wounds were finally closing up, causing my throat to lurch. The blood that had been clogging my throat came up into my mouth, and I spat it out. I could breathe again. I looked at Pinky, and he was pointing my pistol, which I had dropped, at both Reaper and Sarge.
"I mean it! I have no intention of being killed by a madman! Drop the weapons!"
Then I heard it, the dull pound of heavy footsteps, and I looked behind Pinky. Everyone saw it.
Will.
Many eyes widened, for it was going straight for the handicapped man holding the gun. Pinky paused and loosened the grip on the pistol, realizing that no one's attention was on him. He heard the pat of drool hit the floor behind him, and had a pitiful look of despair on his face.
"There's something behind me isn't there?" He squeaked.
The monster wrapped its long claws around Pinky's head, causing him to scream, and lifted him into the air. Anyone with a gun, erected it, except for Reaper. He knew it was my brother.
In defense, the creature swung Pinky around, causing people to duck or fly back. The wheel of his wheelchair clipped Reaper across the face, causing him to fly back and hit the floor hard.
The monster then ran towards the corridor, trying to get away with its prize. Instantly I grabbed my pistol and was on my feet and following it within two seconds flat.
"On me Ice! Get the fuck back here!" Sarge ordered, recovering from his blow to the face to focus on the fight.
I wasn't listening. I was going after my brother. Sam helped Reaper to his feet, but he was speeding down the hall before she was. Duke, Kid, and Destroyer were right behind him, with Sarge following in anger. He ordered his men to stay on him, not go running off, and boy… was Reaper going to pay for that blow.
I turned the corner, coming to a nano-wall which was already open. Quickly, I went through it. The hall was darker on the other side, so dark I couldn't see what was coming down the corridor. The power must have been cut off in this sector. That didn't matter to me. I kept going, running into complete darkness almost. My eyes were beginning to adjust, so I could now see the walls of the corridor, and a turn coming up ahead.
"Ice!" I heard Reaper call behind me. They couldn't see me, even with the torches on their rifles. "Ice, come back!"
I ignored his words and kept going down the hall, turning a corner and coming smack into the face of a zombie, causing me to stop so suddenly my feet slid. It made a guttural scream and was about to launch itself at me. There were more growls, and I realized that more were coming, and they were already close. It lurched and knocked me to the ground, causing me to let out a pained gasp. Saliva dripped from its mouth and landed on my cheek, making my face twist in disgust and frantically wiping it away.
"That's just sick." I muttered, then curled my hand into a fist and knocked the zombie across the face. It flew back at the blow and I quickly got up, springing back around the corner to get away from the advancing mutants.
Ahead, I could see Reaper, Sarge, and Destroyer pointing their guns down the corridor, waiting for something to pop up. I came in front of one of their torches, and Destroyer almost got trigger jumpy at my sudden appearance.
"Get back through the wall!" I shouted, going past them and through the wall. Kid, Duke, and Sam were there waiting on the other side. Then I heard gunshots, and Sarge's voice rang out.
"Withdraw! Withdraw behind the nano-wall!" They started to back up, Destroyer coming through first.
"Move!" Duke yelled.
"I can't see. I can't see!" Reaper yelled, the blood from his face had seeped into his eyes, almost blinding him. I went through the wall again, grabbed his arm, and pulled him backwards. He came through, almost falling from the sudden jerk, but I was there to stable him.
"My eyes." He hissed in pain. I took the bandanna from my vest and put it against his eye. He took the cloth himself and furiously wiped his eyes to clear them. I looked towards the nano-wall. Sarge was only now coming through, and he kicked the console that was supposed to close the wall, causing sparks to fly from it. The bullets from our guns still went through.
"The wall's not closing!" I cursed, raising my pistol and shooting to keep the zombies back. Then I heard a scream behind me. It was Sam. I turned and saw Duke with a creature's hands wrapped around his ankles through a grate in the floor. I stepped over and started shooting furiously through the floor, hearing the monster roar in pain. It let go of Duke and he stepped away from it to safety.
"Thanks Ice." He cracked.
"What friends are for." I stated, turning back to the wall to see Sarge on the floor, half his body through it. He was clinging to the side for dear life, but the strength of the zombies was much more than he could handle.
"I'm not supposed to die." He growled, looking up at me as he was pulled through. Then something burst through, one of the fully mutated creatures, knocking Reaper and Destroyer to the floor. Duke, Kid and I combined our fire power to kill it. However, it wouldn't die so easily, and went for Kid. The young Marine began backing up, dodging the claws flying at his face. I cursed at the monster's endurance and threw the pistol down at the floor in frustration. Then I took a long blade from the sheath on the back of my belt, getting a good head start towards the creature, and jumping up onto its back. It stopped in shock, and started flailing its arms above its head to hopefully get a hold of me.
While one arm hung over its shoulder to keep me on, the other went round its neck, slicing the throat as deep as it could go. It wailed in gurgles and swerved back and forth for a few seconds, then hunched itself, falling to the floor dead.
I stood up and smirked at Kid, his face white with shock after he just almost had his head dislodged from his body. Then I heard bullets clink against the wall. It had solidified finally.
"Let's go!" Reaper shouted. He could see now, and in haste we all gathered ourselves, running back down the corridor towards the Ark room. The loss of Sarge had little effect on the squad in the heat of the action.
Behind us the sounds of the zombies were disappearing. They weren't going to get through that nano-wall. It was busted, and closed up for good now. We arrived at the Ark room, and some of the squad dropped to catch their breath.
"You ran off again." Reaper said angrily to me.
"So sue me." I said coldly. "I didn't want to lose my brother's trail."
He shook his head and turned away from me. He wasn't in the mood to argue right now. It never got anywhere anyways, just gave him a headache. It really pissed him off though, that I didn't learn from my mistake of running off last time. The last thing he wanted was to see me taking the knocks I did before, because he didn't want me getting hurt like that. He had hoped that him risking his life for me would strike some sense into my head, but what happened just now has proved that a failure. What would it take?
I noticed Reaper run his hand through his hair and sound a low growl in frustration. He balled a fist and was about to hit the wall, but stopped halfway and instead put it against his mouth, closing his eyes and taking deep breaths once again to calm himself. For a moment I stared at him, feeling like a kid who knew they were putting heavy frustration upon their parent. I shouldn't have run off again, and shouldn't have spoken to him like that. He's only trying to keep me from getting hurt again, so he doesn't deserve to be spoken to in the cold manner that I did. I'll have to apologize later, when we get time alone. I looked away from him and towards Kid, who was resting.
"Kid, where did you say you found those people?" I asked. He looked up from his sitting position on the floor, taking in breaths.
"The eastern sector." He answered.
"Good, we should be able to get to them." I said to myself
"You mean we're going after them?" Kid asked in excited disbelief.
"Yep. I have a plan you guys." I said loudly, and the whole squad looked at me, besides Reaper. I didn't want him to anyways, for it would only cause me discomfort. He appeared to be listening though. I looked directly at Destroyer, the man with all the big guns.
"Destroyer… you got any charges?" I asked. He just gave a broad grin in my direction, and I took that as a great big 'yes'.