When I arrived back to the spot, no one was there. Disappointed but already expecting it, I placed what I had collected on the ground, hoping they would at least take it back to the village with them. Not wanting to return to an empty home, I spent the next couple of days examining the cities's permiters, trying to avoid looking at the frozen corpses of the enemies I encountered on the ground. After gnawing on ice cubes I created with my hands to stay hydrated, my fatigue finally got the best of me on a still afternoon. Once I located an abandoned graffitied bus stop that was somewhat still standing, I settled on the bench, deciding to close my eyes for a short moment.

* * * * * * *

The earth shook so hard rocks broke apart and fell upon my head. Glass shattered on the ground like hideous crystals. Groggy with sleep, I frantically struggled to sit up, coughing in the dense smoke. The sky was pitch black. What once resembled the bus shelter was now a pile of rubble and splinters wood. Ashes and cinders filled my lungs, and the sound of machine gun fire peppered in the distance. Fighting back the nagging pain in my bad leg, I began to crawl on my hands and knees through the crumpled, torn roads. Dozens of fires were burning amongst the piles of rubble.

Licking my lips, I slipped off the strap securing my rifle hanging from my right shoulder and reloaded, shakily pushing up the magazine cartridge up. The bandoliers slung across my chest glowed in the faint orange and red light. Another blast echoed in the distance, throwing me off my feet. As I paused, crouched on my knees, I could make out frantic footsteps coming my way. My head was starting to hurt already, but I managed to slow down my breathing. As my left index finger curled around the trigger, the shadow grew closer.

My heart skipped a beat. Slowly, I lowered the weapon. Ki's face was smeared with ashes, and he clutched a bulging sack tightly to his arms. His shirt was torn across through the middle, his nose bleeding. Panic rushed through me when I saw how exposed he was in the open.

Before he could open his mouth, a fiery blast erupted from one of the crumpled buildings. I somehow managed to throw myself on top of him, and we tumbled head over heels in a ditch as more concrete and rubble rained upon our heads. A thick layer of it had settled over us like a blanket. After it was somewhat quiet again and the gunshots in the distance were muffled, I released him and leaned my back against the dirt, breathing heavily. Ki weakly sat up, coughing. His dark red hair and eyebrows were covered in dirt.

"You alright?" I asked. My right arm shook as I held out my palm, concentrating for brief moment. Several large chunks of ice formed on my skin, and his eyes slightly widened at the sight. "Here."

"What?" he rasped.

"I don't want you to die of thirst." I paused for a moment before speaking again. "Where...where did you both go that day? I waited but didn't see anyone. So...I figured you had all left."

"Covey forced me to go back to the village," Ki panted. "Said that he didn't want anyone associating with you. I managed to tell 'em I'm leaving for good."

"Did he take the supplies I left, at least."

"I don't know."

I bit my bottom lip.

The man slightly hesitated, before scooping them from my hand. My eyes fell on the bag he carried. We both ducked again when another blast shot through the destroyed road, kicking up more dirt. His hand wandered down the small handheld pistol that hung by the waistline of his ragged pants. As he popped the ice in his mouth, he quickly began to open the bag and dig out its contents. Confused, I watched him pull out two Red Mamba uniforms, netted helmets, and a canteen. He shook the sack so ferociously that these items all landed on the ground with a thud.

"What's this for?" I asked. "You shouldn't be here. Now hold on. Go on back with the others before you get yourself killed. You crazy? You're too young to be going out here on your own like this."

"I'm not going back to that damned village. Don't tell me what to do." He loudly smacked and chewed, fumbling with his shirt and pulling it over his head. "I'm coming with you. I'm gonna help you. George got real mad when I told him and kicked me out. It doesn't mean a thing to me."

"Where's...where's Covey?"

"Back there with the rest of those old fools, who just want to sit and talk and do nothing. And stop asking so many questions." Ki tossed the other gray uniform jacket at me, tugging on the large pants. "I took these off the two fat bastards I shot the other day. Should be an alright fit. It'll be a nice source of protection for us both, don't you think?"

I hid a smile and quickly removed my shirt, slipping in into the military jacket. My fingers shook as I fumbled with the buttons, frantically trying to get it on as fast as I could. The material was heavy and itchy against my sweaty skin. I had a mightly inclination to rip off the Red Mamba emblem on the right sleeve, but instead, I tried my best to not look at it. As I finished drawing on the pants, Ki glanced up at the dark sky with its reoccurring orange and yellow flashing lights. He handed a small knife and gestured to my head.

Instantly, I knew what he meant. I undid the scrap of cloth holding my hair back, letting it tumble down my back. As I sawed it off as close as I could to my scalp, the sound of rumbling tanks against the broken street grew louder, only half a mile away. My arms burned as piles of my red hair landed on the dirt. Once my ears were cold and poking out, we both slipped on the helmets, scrambling out of the ditch. The sharp pieces of concrete dug into my bare feet as we ran in through the dense air, gasping and fighting for air.

"Sispann!"

Ki slid and ducked behind a broken brick wall just in time, shaking. In the corner of my eye, I witnessed him draw out his pistol, clutching it to his chest as if he were praying. I slowed down and carefully turned around. One of the metal tanks had rounded near a corner of the ruins of a drug store. Two men were sitting on the top, staring tar me. A general had his firearm pointed at me. Definitely a high ranking officer, due to all the ephaulets on his uniform. I slightly squinted my eyes in the dull light to see better. An AK-47.

"Lage zam ou," he demanded.

I tossed my rifle to the ground and slowly raised my hands. It took everything in me to not look at Ki. The general frowned and aimed the barrel right at my forehead. A bead of sweat ran down my neck. I was infinitely grateful that my face was so dirty he couldn't have distinguished my features if he tried. I knew Baldwin had facial recognition software somewhat introduced into the military what developed while I was in Jova. But I didn't see a device anywhere on this man.

At least, I hoped there wasn't one.

"Ki kote ou soti? Kisa ki rive ploton ou a?"

"Nou t ap eksplore yon koup nan bilding epi yo te anbiskad." I made a backwards gesture with my hand. "Se sèlman kèk nan nou ki te siviv, mwen pa konnen kote lòt yo te ale."

"Kite kote sa a imedyatman, ti gason. Rapòte tounen nan kan an!"

"Wi mesye," I murmured.

The general narrowed his eyes, but grunted as he lowered his weapon. He gave me a hard glare as the two men on top of the tank laughed and pointed at my bare feet. I gave a strong salute, and silently watched him get back into the tank. As it slowly rolled away in the distance, I solemnly began to focus. The pressure in my head subsided and shot through my body as a large ice boulder broke through the ground, impaling the machine straight in the middle. It reared up like a horse swatted on their behind. An orange blast filled the air, as severed arms and legs rained upon the ground, followed by an expanding puddle of blood. Fire crackled in the distance. I didn't even notice that my right hand was balled up until I heard Ki's panicked shout.

Slowly, I released my fist, waiting for the ringing and pain to subside. After a few moments of regaining my composure, all I could make out was his shaky breaths. When I stared at him, his eyes darted from me, to the roaring flames, then back at me. He didn't say anything, his eyes big as saucers. There was no need for him to, either.

* * * * * *

We had no choice but to hide out in the ruins as more tanks and soldiers marched in. While I attempted to slaughter out as many as I could without drawing unwanted attention to ourselves, my mind could only deal with so much pressure at a time, and I believed I would I had passed out had Ki not been there. Amidst the frozen bodies around us, I was struggling to stand up properly, and found myself leaning against him for support. For a moment, I squeezed my eyes shut and waited for the pounding in my head and the metallic blood tricking down my nose to cease.

"You're going to burst your brains wide open if you keep carrying on like that," he muttered after I managed to successfully ambush a group of sleeping soldiers in a tent. The mound of ice and crystals held their final, still forms, and I was gasping, coughing as he made me sit. Fortunately, he seemed to have gotten a bit used to the ice and snow that poured from my hands. I wouldn't have to worry about him fleeing from me out of fear. His company was a light in the dark city.

I wiped my bloody nose with my dirty jacket sleeve. "It's no use. We're going to need help."

Ki sighed and pulled off his helmet, taking a deep breath. Water dripped from the ice mound in front of us. "I already told you that it wouldn't be wise to go back." He stuck a thumb in his chest. "I'm not."

"Would you rather we ask the soldiers instead?"

"What makes you think that they would listen to you? If they despise me, they do so more with you." The man paused, bit his lower lip, before looking down, kicking a stone across the ground. "I'm sorry."

With a grunt, I slowly rose to my feet and reached for my walking stick. Ki hesitated, before straightening up, cursing the pain rushing through my legs. I had only moved a few feet forward when he blocked me, holding his hands out, shaking his head. His breaths were frantic.

"Excuse me," I quietly said, staring at the ground.

"You can't go back there! If George sees you he'll have you killed on the spot. Are you mad?" When he began tugging at my elbow, attempting to keep up with my stride. "What good will come out if it?"

"Stay hidden here and keep watch for any soldiers." I handed him my rifle and what left I had of my magazines. I wasn't sure if he knew of my involvement in Fritz's death, but there was no time to sit and dawdle. "Here. Use these wisely. I'll return as soon as I can."

Ki stared at me in disbelief as I continued to limp through the piles of rubble. He stood in a daze. It was only after I had made it down the street in the dense smoke did he grimace, before yelling, "You're crazy!"

* * * * * * * * *

The earth was barren.

Stripped from its green glory, the former land resembled an empty husk of dried, hardened soil. For miles, nothing grew except for raging flames that consumed every inch of life. My ears rung badly; I had to stop every once in a while to wait for the dizziness to subside. In a way, I felt naked almost, without nothing to hide my face away again. To my relief, there were no tire or tread tracks in the dirt, meaning only that the tanks hadn't been able to cross over past Navu.

As I stumbled down a hill, trying not to further bust up my ankles on the protruding rocks, my mouth went dry at the sight of the dead crops. What once were abundant corn and wheat fields were withered, broken stalks that were easily snatched away by hot wind. The huts were still standing; although a few roofs had been rotted through the material and had fallen into great disrepair. The rotting corpses of pigs and goats attracted flies that hovered over their shrunken flesh. And the greater the voices came in the distance, the faster my heart began to beat. I had just made it across the clearing when the sound of bullets rang out.

I dropped to the ground, flat on my stomach. In the dense night air, torches were lit far away. As several holes formed in the dirt, I scrambled behind a bush, gasping. A sharp pain settled in my left arm, and I examined the wound. It was but a graze, but I could make out a shadow heading my direction. When I got to my feet, a woman with seashells in her hair had an M4 carabine pointed at my chest. Immediately, I held my hands up.

"Drop any weapons you have," Jene snarled.

"I...I don't..."

"I said, drop it!"

"I don't intend to cause any harm," I quickly said. By now, a large crowd of people had gathered around the clearing, whispering and pointing. A thick layer of sweat had gathered under my clothing. Two men were pushing through them, and my stomach went weak when I noticed George appearing in the distance. He appeared haggard, thin, dark circles under his eyes. Silently, he drew a large machete and made his way towards us through the grass. His gaze never left me, and the undeniable rage on his face made my hands shake. Wisps of his hair blew in the wind. A circle of glowing lights surrounded the clearing.

Jene narrowed her eyes, finger lingering on the trigger. On hand on a torch, another on the rifle. "I will not ask you again."

"I come in peace," I whispered, taking off my netted helmet. It fell into the soft grass below. "I don't have anything on me. I swear."

The woman moved to the side as George's shadow came into view. Lines were on his face.My wound began to weep blood, staining my right sleeve. The edge of his machete gleamed in the dull yellow light, and he raised it at me, his hand firmly clenched around the handle.

Someone struck me from behind, and I landed on the ground. A knee was dug into my back, and I clenched my jaw as I felt the blade slice into my skin and rough hands pat me down, searching every inch of my body. Something warm and wet trickled down my back, and George slammed me against a tree trunk, causing loose leaves to rain down from above. The edge of the blade dug into my neck, and I didn't breathe. I stared at his angry, hardened eyes. His pupils were dialated.

"Leave."

"You...you don't understand," I breathlessly said. "The Red Mamba troops--there are directly in the city of Navu. You need to evacuate everyone from this area as soon as you can. They are surrounding your--"

His fist colided with my face, causing me to grunt and sink to the ground in excruciating pain.

"I am not asking you. I am telling you."

"But--"

"You have already done enough damage here as it is." George leaned forward, his nostrils flaring. "Do not think that I am completely naïve. Nor would I ever be inclined to receive help from one who has slayed our own kin." His voice grew louder. "Take this as my only warning. Get out of my sight, if you know what's good for you. And if we do see you here ever again, we will kill you."

When his shoe collided with my ribs, I doubled over, coughing blood. The barrel of the firearm connected with my skull, and the crowd was getting restless now, starting to throw animal feces and rocks in my direction. Yelling. Some struck my shoulders and legs. And I realized that he did indeed have a point: why would one accept advice from his friend's murderer? I wondered why he did not take out his revenge on me directly on the spot. As their chants grew louder, it was impossible to think clearly. George gave me a sideways glance--before slinking away. One by one, they all filed away like schoolchildren at recess, back into the safety of their wilted huts.

And soon, it was so silent that even the birds stopped singing. My fingers dug into the soft soil. I remained hunched over, spitting up blood, breathing heavily. The dark red nick he had left beneath my neck stung so bad it hurt to swallow.

* * * * * *

When I stumbled to my cave, I was stunned to find it empty, so much so that dead leaves had found their way in and littered the ground. The straw broom rested against the uneven stone wall, coated in a layer of dust. My head pounded, and I limped around the empty flower fields, the dead vegetable garden, the knocked over clothesline. I called out my beloved's name, but nothing but the air replied. After standing out in the open for a while, the smell of decay filled my nose. What remained of Eli's corpse was being consumed by several vultures, and his bones were nestled in the dirt. After gazing upon the sight for some time, I reentered the cave once more, shivering. How long had it been since I had fed him? It couldn't have been but yesterday. And then it had hit me how long I had been away for. White ashes from where our fireplace used to be blew in the wind.

In the corner, in a dim patch of light, sat the cradle.

Slowly, I dropped to my knees, ignoring the gravel digging into my skin. I reached out and picked up the tiny clothes in the bedding made out of moss and thick palm leaves that curled at the edges. I slowly opened the sketchbook full of watercolor paintings. The material of the baby shirts and pants was soft, so small in the middle of my large palms. I buried my face in them, the scent releasing memories I didn't even know I had. When I raised my head, I found myself blinking back moisture forming in my eyes.

Think. Think. Think.

In the distance, another explosion went off, causing vibrations to shoot through the earth. Tearing off a piece of paper, I scrawled out a note for her in berry juice, telling her all that I knew and what I was supposed to do. I had folded it back on top of the cradle when a loud growl caught my attention. Immediately, I spun around, startled.

Here Boy had his teeth bared, saliva falling from his jowels. He barked, tail thumping against the ground. I threw off my helmet, causing it to clatter against the ground. He tilted his head as I smiled.

"It's me, boy." I held a hand out. "It's me."

As he rushed into my arms, licking my bloodied face, I began scratching his large, floppy ears. His paws were coated in dirt, and he looked a little thin. But he was alive. After giving him something to eat and cleaning him off the best I could by the stream, I couldn't help but wonder where he had wandered off to due to his love for chasing squirrels. Knowing how easily distracted he usually was, I had worried about his whereabouts for days. I caressed his head in both of my hands, where his tongue was lagging. He began to whine.

"You know where they are?" I whispered. "My family. My wife and my child. She is pregnant. You remember her, don't you? You do know her. You think you could keep her safe for me, bud?"

Here Boy dug his right paw in the dirt. After releasing a shaky breath, I stared at the ground again as he placed a slobbery kiss on my chin. I dug into my pocket and fished out one of the baby shirts Honda had sewn. As Here Boy began to sniff the material, he looked up. His ears were raised. His tail thumped harder against the dirt.

When he began dragging his nose across the dirt, he barked once more and scrambled up the grassy hill. He turned and glanced at me, and I stared at him, fighting back my blurry vision as hard as I could. He released a howl, before disappearing over the top through the tall grass.

* * * * * * *

Thunder rumbled in the distance. What started as a fine drizzle soon began to pour heavier until my clothing was drenched and water began to bounce off the tip of my helmet. I sneezed uncontrollably; making my way past the rubbled remains of Navu. I tried to make out Ki's shadow in the distance, but there were nothing but the skeletal remains of buildings and tanks. I leaned my arm against the cold concrete, trying to see through the downpour. As I called out his name, my voice got carried away in the wind, the rain, the fires cracking in the distance. I was covered in head to toe in soot.

A few hours later I located his still form in a ditch. The bright, red circle in the middle of his forehead indicated that his brains had been blown clean off. His eyes lifelessly stared up at the dark gray sky, when white bolts of lightning shine through. After a moment of sitting next to his body, I slowly closed his eyes with my fingers, gritting my teeth. I had to look away. As I began pushing away rocks, my breaths were heavier, shakier. Why hadn't I told him to come along with me? What was I thinking?

Or perhaps I had never been thinking the entire time.

Ignoring the stinging sensation in my arms and legs, I managed to dig up enough of a shallow grave in the rushing mud. As I slowly lowered his body down into the hole and covered it up until a mound of soft soil, something finally erupted from me, like a lid flying off a boiling pot. I began to scream, not caring who could hear me. I cursed Plod. I cursed my birth. I cursed everything. And as I heaped mounds and mounds of wet sand and muck over Ki's body, these screams slowly transitioned into deep, bellyaching laughter until my voice was gone and the water had lifted.

I raised my head and took a deep breath, closing my eyes. With each shaking hand, I carefully layered each stone after another and placed two sticks at the head of the grave, facing west. After whispering a few prayer, the sound of tires rumbling over the rocks filled my ears. I was coated entirely head to toe in mud, but a smile curled around my lips. I kept my back to the voices of men behind me.

"Hey!"

The engine turned off.

"I said, hey!"

My fingers gripped the helmet in my hand. The sound of boots squelching in the mud. Would they have believed me if I told them I hadn't worn shoes for six years? It would be like learning how to walk all over again. When I felt a heavy hand clamp my shoulder; only then did I turn around. I found that I was looking in the green eyes of a sergeant. The straps of his helmet hung by his chin. He was chewing on a wad of tobacco, and stubble lined his chin. His eyebrows were creased. The headlights of the military vehicle shone like two suns in a pitch dark sea.

"You alright? What the hell happened here? Where's your platoon, boy? The others?"

I stared at him, nursing the fire in my throat.

The seargant spat on the ground and rolled his eyes at his comrades. "Another one, here. Get him back to the main camp. Looks thinner than a blasted rail. Methinks he has shellshock." His eyes wandered towards Ki's grave. "Without question."

Silently, I limped towards the back of the truck, not surprised that he didn't recognize me. My hand was shaking as I slowly settled on the bench, the heat spreading down my thighs and to the soles of my bare feet. The other soldiers remained quiet and avoided looking at me.

As the vehicle began to roll away, Ki's gravesite became smaller until it was only a mere dot. The ride was bumpy, and we went over several pot holes in the road. My head was numb, but my mind was ablaze as the sky gradually turned purple and pink. I planned to have each man's bones scattered across the grass like Eli's, dust so meaningless that the vultures would not want to touch them.

With my right hand, I secured the strap of my helmet under my chin.