PART FOUR: REGRET

Chapter Fifteen

| THE LAST CITY, OUTSKIRTS |

I still had the marks of her tears left on my uniform as I neared my destination. I had received a tip about another person of interest to me. My initial intention was to come here within the following twenty-four hours, but now I see that is far too long. My ghost and I stop at the edge of a gravel pathway, far from the buzz of the city centre. In front of me is a damaged home; moss crawls up its walls and it barely stands on its axis because of the crater beside it - presumably a remnant of the red war. I approach the door and knock.

"Who is it?" An Exo yells.

"I hope I'm not intruding, Leo. May I come in?"

"I'm not going to stop you."

The door had been left ajar. I step inside and take off my beret. The building was incredibly small, and its wooden walls were rotting. Buckets laid across the ground to collect the drips from the ceiling. The construction may have even taken place before that of the city wall. A bed filled most of this room, surrounded only by a couple of lounge chairs. Leo sat in the chair beside the bed.

"Don't let the draught in, shut the door," he says.

"Sure." The boards screeched under the weight of my shoes as I moved. "May I sit?" Gesturing to the lounge chair nearby him.

He nods his head.

I rest the beret beside me. "This is quite a strange place to get some quiet, if you don't mind me mentioning. Is that why you came here? Apparently, you haven't left in a while."

His eyes were content on watching the bed. "My reasons are probably the same as yours."

"I'm here because I wanted to make sure a friend was okay," I reveal.

"Then well done. I'm okay."

"This endless night has taken its toll on many people," I begin.

"Respectfully, I couldn't give a shit about this night, Commander. I'm not afraid of the darkness."

I wait for him to elaborate.

"Could you ask your Ghost to leave," he asks.

"Of course." I nod to her and she disappears. At that moment, the image of my surroundings began to click. The piled stacks of vegetables and canned foods. The faded paintings leaning against the wall. The mess of clothing on the floor. Blankets on the bed. "Has someone else been living here?"

He leans forward and shuts his eyes. "A woman. Dianne Feldon."

"A friend?"

"More like a grandmother. I met her here every night."

"And she passed away…" I conclude.

He doesn't react.

"How did you meet?"

"Brought her medicine once. When I was still one of your new light recruits. Her son had died, and I had to be the one to tell her. When I came in, she thought." He hesitates and brings a hand up to his forehead. "Her brain was entirely fucked up from what they call Alzheimers. Isn't that funny? When she heard me, she thought I was him. 'Leo, you're back,' she called out."

He takes a breath. "So I lied. Said I was. Leo the exo. Reintroducing himself every night." He begins chuckling to himself. It was desperate and forced. Trying to express whatever emotion was stuck inside that metal body. "I'm not Leo. I just pretend. Looking for someone to be. Looking for a shell. Like a hermit crab."

"What made you want to see her?"

His eyes snap at me. "If I had not made the decision to see her every night, then who would have?" It immediately reminded me of one of my own thoughts.

Again, I hide within the silence to choose my words.

"I had to bury her." He reveals.

"That… must have been hard for you."

He says nothing.

"Do you have anyone else you can talk about this to?"

"Ten minutes ago I would have bet everything I own against the possibility of talking about it to you. But I realised. You're… one of the only few left who I can."

"Your ghost."

"She's here."

"I'm sorry for your loss Leo. This situation, I was never made aware of it."

"I know. I removed her from your papers long ago."

I didn't know what else to say.

"Thanks for checking in Commander, but I want you to leave."

"Of course…" I stand and put my beret back on. "And thank you for talking to me Leo. This situation that you're in is unique to you in a way that I could never fully understand. But you've helped me understand better than I otherwise would have. So maybe I now know how I can help. I would like one last thing from you. It's important. I need you to meet me somewhere."

The Story Continues... ? (Currently Being Written)