The Survivor

Chapter 10

  Gael and I sit in the field just looking up at the stars. "Hey Mace?" Gael asks breaking the silence. "Hmm?" "Are you going back?" He asks. I take a deep breath and sigh. "I don't know. I don't fit in here. I'm not the same person I was before I left," I tell him.

  "How so?" He asks. "I'm not sure. Everyone says I've changed and that I'm not the same person I was before I left to serve my country," I explain. "Why do you care on what they say about you? You never did. You never let anyone tell you who you are or what to do. You where always so independent and stubborn that no one even bothered to argue with you," Says Gael.

  I smile at him and face him. Are eyes end up locking and we just gaze into each others eyes. He starts to move closer, in for a kiss. But I pull away and look at my watch. "I should be going home. It's getting late," I tell him. The last time someone kissed me it didn't go to well. "Oh yeah sure thing," he says awkwardly. We get back into the jeep and he drives me home.

  As we pull into the drive way there are still cars everywhere. "Umm here you go. Look I'm sorry I didn't mean to," Gael says. "No sorry it was me. I'm just not ready. I'll see you around," I tell him then leave and head inside. There are drunk people on the couch and well everywhere. I make my way upstairs and as I go into my room there are people getting it on. "Oh nope!" I say shutting the door. 

  I just stand there completely red. "eeewwwww!" I say practically shaking. "That's never going to leave. And I'm never sleeping on that bed again." I go into Toms room and go out the window and make my way to the roof. I look at my watch and it's 00:37. Great. I end up laying there for awhile until I'm over come by sleep.

  All I see is darkness. My ears are ringing and my head is pounding. I hear gunshots but they sound distant and muffled. Then I hear a bomb go off. I stumble to my feet, grab my gun, and start running. "FALL IN!!! FALL IN!!!" I scream at the top of my lungs. As I'm running I see the tree line and make my way there. I feel a stinging pain in my abdomen and then again in my right shoulder. I let out a grunt but I force myself to keep going. As I turn into the tree I'm faced by General Hassan.

  I sit up with a jolt. My breath starts to become broken up. I grab onto my should feeling a piercing pain and I start to put pressure on it. Then with the other I wrap it around my waist. I keep seeing flashes. "It's not real, it's not real."  I tell myself over and over again. I can hear his voice over and over again. "I will watch you fall," he provokes. "I will slice you, I will kill everyone you love." Over and over again I hear him.

  At this point I don't know where I am and can't whether the voices are real or not. And the pain, the racing heart, the ragged breathing, just makes it worse. There's no one. I'm alone. "Mace? Mace, wake up!" I hear a voice but just like before it sounds far and muffled. 

  "Mace," I hear it say again."I will KILL everyone you love. I will make you bleed," Hassan says. "It's your fault! It's your fault she's dead!" My father yells. I open my eyes and see Tom. "Mace what's going on?" Tom asks with a worried expression. "I'm-I'm fi-fine," I say broken up. "Come on let's go inside," Tom insists and grabs my hand. 

  He helps me into his room and sits me on the bed. I try to slow my breathing down but I'm failing. The pain in my shoulder and abdomen is starting to go away. "Hey Mace try and breath. In" and Tom breaths in threw his nose. "And out," he says exhaling threw the mouth. For a while I fallow his breathing pattern and try to match his. 

  Once I'm finally calmed down Tom asks, "What happened? Did something set you off?" "Just a dream," I say still a little shaken. Tom moves to the bed with me and asks, "What happened when you where over seas?" I stay silent, not wanting to deal with the pain. But he deserves to know. 

  "My team and I," I take a breath. "we, we failed. We got captured. All twenty seven of us. Everyone died, because of me. I'm the last of my team. When I escaped I had to leave their bodies, and I couldn't help them. Nor bring their family closer." I say with a single tear rolling down my cheek. 

  "How long where you held captive?" Tom asks. "Nine month's, three weeks, two days, and nineteen hours." Tom gasps and covers his mouth. "Why didn't you tell us?"Exclaimed Tom. "I didn't want you guys to know," I stated. "Why? We're your family," said Tom in a melancholy voice. "Your the only one that cares," I respond. 

  We both just sit there in silence. Then there's a knock on the door. Sharen pops in, "Come down stairs. We're going to announce the wedding date!" We both shake our heads and get up. I turn to Tom and make him promise, "You can't tell anyone. Not now." Tom shakes his head and I can tell that he disapproves but will oblige.