159 The Herald

IRID

Sgt. Maraya….

No, it can't be. This can't be true. He was just there, and now he's….he's…

I feel my knees weaken at the sight of the sergeant's unmoving body, half expecting it to suddenly move, to stand up, laugh and say it's all a prank, and have a good laugh at our shocked faces. I'm still half expecting him to somehow come back to life, to somehow still be alive, for Lt. Song's announcement to be a fluke.

But the more I look at his face, the more the truth forces itself in front of me. He won't be moving anymore, ever. He'll be like an empty shell for the rest of his life. His heart will forever be beating, his body will continue to age, but he will never again wake up, he will never again move, speak, live. He will be just a living corpse. 

No, no….this can't be happening right now. This can't be happening.

I feel myself shake, my whole body trembling from the realization that I just lost one teammate.