7 Chapter Seven

Day 20 : In his loving arms

She gets awake because of the car engine noise that she hears; she immediately gets up even though she still feels sleepy hoping that it is Sergeant Herrera comes back from the war against the Sans Serif Terrorist. She went out of the tent to see who was riding in the military truck she hoped was with Sergeant Herrera.

She dazzled from the light of the head truck that is why she couldn’t recognize the faces of the soldiers who got off from the military truck. She ran closer when she saw Sergeant Herrera getting off the military truck; she couldn’t stop the joy she was feeling she burst into tears. She suddenly hugs the Sergeant tightly a feeling of missing him for so long, she didn’t want to let go of from Sergeant Arms.

The Sergeant wipes her tears and kisses her right now, his kiss is aggressive and passionate, she feels that the Sergeant kiss is full of love. She opens her eyes and finds herself lying down in her bed, she suddenly gets up from the bed and she hurries to go outside. Is that only a dream Sergeant Herrera is here she knew it.

She looks around and she looks one by one to the trucks hoping that Sergeant Herrera was there, but no trace of the Sergeant the one she love is nowhere, she tried to ask his colleagues if there is something happens to him, but, they just shocked their head and walks away. She left alone thinking, there is so much in her head right now. Does he forget he promised? Does there something bad happened to him? Is he okay? Where is he? Did he just walk away from her or maybe Sergeant Herrera doesn’t love him.

A soldier comes over to take her in the tent to get rest, but she refused to come with him and walks away, away from this place, on this moment she wanted to be alone, she doesn’t want to cry, she is trying to be brave, maybe he is not here right now but soon, maybe tomorrow Sergeant will be here with her.

She walks in the woods place and she doesn’t care the cold of the wind that enveloped her body, she suddenly stops to walk and sit at the bark of the tree she breathed deeply and trying to calm herself she keeps wondering what was happening to the Sergeant, he promised that he will come back. Her tears suddenly fall. There are so many questions in her mind, nobody tells about what had happened to him? Are they keeping this as their secrets.

She hears footsteps and later she clear her throats before she starts to speak.

“ahheeemmm…”

She turned around suddenly to find out who that person was; she got surprised when it was Amanda a lady soldier she met from the camp a few days ago when Sergeant Herrera proposed to her to be his girlfriend. She wipes her tears and tries to smile to Amanda.

Amanda sits beside her and she looks a far before she speaks a word.

“What are you doing here? It’s cold here…Don’t you feel cold”.

She just looks at Amanda and shook her head.

“I do, but I need to be alone and go to the place like this”

“I know what you feel right now. Our job is not that easy just, like what other thinks, we need to sacrifice our lives for the sake of others…We need to forget everything and our love ones once we are in the mission.”

“Even the promises, isn’t it?”

She started to cry again trying to be calm, she don’t even know what she feels right now, She knows it hurts him, she doesn’t want to hold it back because that’s really hurt her a lot.

“Can you tell me what happen to him?

Amanda hugs her trying to comfort her; she let her tears flow, reduce the hurt and pain she feels. She could not explain the pain she felt right now her heart seems like to explode because of the pain, she wanted to see the Sergeant that she loved she wanted to know what had happened to him?

Until the sun came up and she was left alone, staring into the distance, hoping Sergeant Herrera would come and from here in her seat she saw a military truck approaching, she suddenly stood up and her heart beats fast she is hoping that Sergeant Herrera was there. And he will run coming into her and from that moment she could feel again, his kiss and she can hug him tightly.

But her hopes suddenly disappear without Sergeant Herrera appearing to her, the military trucks loaded the wounded soldiers who fought against the Sans Serif terrorist. She saw the commander got off the truck, so then, she quickly approached the Commander and she wanted to ask what had happened to Sergeant Herrera.

“Excuse me commander”

The commander looks at her with a tiring eye, and he knows what she wanted to ask of him.

“Yes, Ms. Chyrill?” The commander answered her.

“You know why I am coming to you right now”

The commander just breath heavily and trying to stay away from her.

“I just wanted to know what happened to him”. Is that too difficult for you to answer me?

Her eyes beg the commander to answer all what that really happened to Sergeant Herrera where is he now? Is he still alive? The questions that running in her minds wanting an answer. The commander tried to avoid looking at her as he could not tell Chyrill that Sergeant Herrera was gone.

“Look Ms. Chyrill, I can’t answer all your questions right now, We don’t consider about what you are feeling right now. Look what is important right now is the safety of everyone, the safety of my men who fought against the terrorist.”

“What about him? You don’t care anymore? You don’t care if something happens to him? Have you thought about his safety? For once have you think that if he is still alive? Have you thought that he needed you to take away from this endless war? Do you care about him Commander?”

The commander just breath heavily and walks away from her, but Chyrill follow the commander, she will not stop until she finds out what really happened to Sergeant Herrera. The commander stops for a moment and face her. His breath is heavily before he speaks and try the best he could that Chyrill will never get shocked with the news about Sergeant Herrera.

“Listen, Chyrill the man that you love is nowhere to found”.

“What do you mean?” She covered her mouth and her whole body was cold and shivering.

“My soldiers search him for a long day and there’s no way to find him”.

“What do you mean? Are you going to stop in searching him?”

“Yes….And I have made my decision, I’m sorry”.

“No….You can’t do this”.

“I’m sorry Ms. Chyrill, but you need to accept he is gone”.

“No…Until I didn’t see his body, I won’t believe you”.

“How? Ms. Chyrill you need to accept it. That’s the life of a soldier we sacrifice ourselves in the lives of others. We are just remember, but never back our life and be with our love ones.

She was like a burning candle and suddenly weakened; she just sat on the ground and sobbed crying. She has lost many of her friends and she is far from her family and if she still loses the man she loves, she may not able to cope what is happening right now.

Day 21 : The dog Tag

A day has passed since she heard from the commander that Sergeant Herrera was already gone, he is nowhere to found and no remains have shown, she hopes is still that one of this day they will find the Sergeant and he is being back again. Her hopes keep in her heart. It’s a long day to her without a food to taste to fill her empty stomach and less time of sleeping, she comes to run over the military trucks coming hoping that they have already found Sergeant Herrera. She falls to weaken every time there is no news about him there are times she froze a moment in a middle of the crowd and sees nothing all that she heard are the mournful of the wounded soldiers and the children crying because of no food to feed them.

She back in the tent and decided to take a rest all that she holds right now is the promised of Sergeant Herrera that he will be back to take her away in a place where they can start a life to a place without a war. She wants to sleep; maybe, Sergeant Herrera will visit in her dreams. That, maybe, he will say that he is fine and soon he will be back again, back into her arms.

After an hour Amanda and the commander went inside the tent. Amanda wakes her up, she immediately gets up and holding her head because of pain, she feels dizzy and her surroundings are spinning.

“What is it?” she asked Amanda and she got surprised when she sees the commander standing next to Amanda.

“We have something to show to you”.

“What?” She looks puzzled and don’t have any idea what are those things they wanted to see her. If this is all about the man that she loves, maybe it will be a big relief to her.

She follows Amanda and the Commander outside they went in the Commander’s tent. She gets more nervous because the commander gets serious in his face, her heart get beats faster when the commander gets something in a box and gives it to her.

“ I think you should keep it.” The commander said.

“Why? What is this?” She can’t figure out what is the thing she is holding now it is like a silver necklace, it has a printed name that cannot be read because it was totally burned.

“It’s a dog tag…. And it belongs to Sergeant Herrera”.

She just stared at her hand and grinned she holds the dog tag tightly and her tears begun to swell.

"It was found near the camp the place was totally burned out, that thing was found in a blast. We found the bodies of other soldiers, but his body was not there... only his dog tag was left. We suspected that he might be escaping the blast or he was being captured by the Sans Serif terrorist."

Her hopes keep strengthen that Sergeant is still alive, she keeps holding in her faith that one day he will be coming back alive she can’t wait that moment to come. She went out at the commander’s tent and she still holding the dog tag of Sergeant Herrera, her tears rolled in her eyes she, can’t even to stop crying, she stared at the dog tag and place to her chest next to her heart.

She cried and smiles while walking back at the tent she keeps the dog tag in the small box and put it in her belongings. Her hopes grew that Sergeant Herrera was still, alive, she would wait no matter how long he returned and she knew that his beloved was now worried about her. She doesn’t need to be mourned and to be lonely she knows that Sergeant Herrera is fighting right now; she knows that he will do anything to be back again.

She goes outside of the tent and went to the people of North Simpkins she smiles at them and started to help them again to prepared foods for everyone. The children are happy to see her and they come close to her. The children invited her to come with them; she accepted the invitation of the children. Just like before when she had to have visited the children to teach them to write and read and a sort of song she taught. She can see the smiles of the children she joined with them singing songs and played with them, it’s a relief for her that for a moment she forget thinking about the Sergeant and she has a time to a little laugh and forget what her heart been cried.

She enjoys much with the children and she was not able to notice that time was passing, a long day today and she felt that it was her happiest day ever since they were stranded here in the woods place.

She back in the tent when it gets darkened children are resting too after had a meal, the old are making a barn fire together with the Arland soldier to reduce the cold. She sat on her bed and gets the box and opens it, she sees again the dog tag of Sergeant Herrera. She took it in a small box and cleaned it to remove those ashes to the dog tag.

She places it in her necklace and make a pendant for her to remember the man she love. She lay in her bed holding the dog tag. A moment later she falls asleep, she did not know how many hours she had fallen asleep, she suddenly woke up when she heard a loud explosion and a series of gunshot. She hurried out of her tent to see what is happening.

She was getting shocked when she sees the total blast, the Sans Serif terrorist found their place, children are crying, she can see the terror and fear in their eyes. Everyone is running and hides from the gunshot fire given by the terrorist. Someone grabs her hands and takes her away from that place and she sees, it was Amanda who takes her away from the chaos between the Arland Soldiers and the Sans Serif terrorist.

She stops for a moment and turned around, she thinks about the children and the people of the North Simpkins who were being closed to her heart.

“Wait, what about the children and the other?”

“Forget about them Chyrill, save yourself… They will be okay, the terrorist won’t hurt them.

“How can you be sure?”

“Believe me”. Amanda said to her.

They had not gone far when they heard gunshots, she turned around and she sees a child was shot by one of the terrorists, she wanted to go back to save the child from the hands of the Sans Serifs terrorists, but Amanda pulls her and takes her away from the bloody place.

“Noooooooooooo…. She never stops from cry and she can’t be able to walk, but Amanda pulls her away to that place.

They moved away from the woody place together with the other who escape from the chaos happening a moment ago, with them are the Arland soldiers who are trying to escape and find a safer place to stay with. Suddenly they stopped walking in the middle of the woods and decided to spend the night not that too far from the nearest town of the place. The commander decided to take a rest and moves tomorrow early in the morning. The Sans Serif terrorists were surprisingly attacked them.

She sat near the barn fire that made by the soldier to make her body warm; she can’t be longer to take the cold weather here in the woody place. She stunned when she remembers the child shots by the terrorist. She witnessed the brutality of the Sans Serif terrorist and right now, she could not even think of how much the suffering of her friends endured from the hands of the Sans Serif.

She held the dog tag she made as her necklace pendant and hoping that Sergeant Herrera would be in good hand and soon they would meet again.