Dexter

I've been alone for a long time after my village's passing. My father once told me that my mother passed after giving birth to me, but I never truly believed it. We lived in seclusion, far from the reaches of modern civilization. One day, a plane flew over our village, an unusual sight, but we thought nothing of it. Days passed, and the plane returned, circling above us. At nightfall, without warning, it bombed us, shattering the peace we had known for so long.

Amidst the chaos, soldiers in green uniforms came from all sides, gathering us one by one until we were at the center of the burning village. Then, one of the soldiers named Darwin spoke up, "We are here looking for one of the ten."

Daveros, the village leader, replied, "We know nothing of what you speak of."

"I'm talking about the gods that walk among us. He has not yet awakened. We know the stories, and we want him in our arms." Gun shot "Anyone else want to tell us about the man we seek?"

A collective gasp escaped our lips as we realized the soldiers' intentions. They were not here to negotiate; they were here to take what they wanted, by force if necessary.

"I know of whom you speak," Kevin, the village coward, suddenly spoke up, his voice quivering with fear. The air grew tense as we all turned to look at him.

Some of us spoke, "No, you're not the one."

Gun shot "I think he is the one we seek. Anyone else speaks, and we will kill everyone here."

"No, please wait. I am the one you seek," Kevin continued, shivering in fear.

The soldiers seemed satisfied, and with a gesture, they took Kevin away, leaving us to our fate. "Number 2, once we are over the mountains, kill them all."

As they pointed their guns at us, we spoke again, trying to escape our fate, "No, please, you don't have to do this." But our pleas fell on deaf ears. We were all shot. My father held me tightly as he was shot multiple times, so was I. When my father fell to the side, a soldier shot me in the head.

As dawn broke, I awoke to find myself miraculously healed, my wounds from the night before vanished. My father lay beside me, gravely wounded, still clinging to life. "Dexter," he rasped, his voice barely audible.

"Yes, Dad," I replied, my voice trembling, barely holding back a tear.

"You are one of ten. Your abilities are starting to manifest," my father said, his words punctuated by coughs and the sound of blood bubbling in his throat. "Promise me you won't seek revenge, and leave this village."

"Dad, I can't, I…"

"You can and you will," were his last words, as his eyes locked into mine before falling asleep forever.

I remained in the village, burying everyone I could. Eventually, I created a cave and retreated there, isolating myself from the world. I truly believed I was meant to be alone. I spent years in that cave, alone with my thoughts. I didn't want to keep my promise; I wanted revenge. So, my days were consumed by training, picking up boulders until they became as light as feathers. It was my penance, my way of punishing myself for what had happened. 'If only I was strong enough to save them,' I kept telling myself.

Years went by. A woman found me. I was scared in that moment, consumed by the fear that the soldiers had instilled in me. I wanted to kill her, but instead, I ran away, dropping the boulder I was carrying.

A year passed before she found me again, while I was sleeping inside my cave. This time, I didn't run. She stayed, curious and unafraid. She wanted answers, just as I did, but I couldn't bring myself to speak to her much.

The next day, I continued my training, carrying a boulder up the mountain. Days passed before she tried to speak to me again. "Why do you do this every day?" she asked, trailing behind me.

"I do this because of a promise I made," I lied, clenching my teeth.

"What are these mountains called?"

"Thrasher. It's called Thrasher after my father," I lied again, not knowing the true name of these mountains.

We reached the peak of the mountain, and she dropped the boulder, asking, "What is the promise you made?"

I dropped the boulder in anger and kicked it as hard as I could before yelling, "Would you shut the fuck up already? I don't want to speak to you or anyone, do you understand me?"

She looked sad, but she didn't leave. "My name is Elena. I'm all alone, and I'm... sorry."

I felt like a jerk. I slouched my shoulders before saying, "My name is Dexter. I'm sorry for being a jerk. I know how it feels to be alone."

She hugged me, and tears welled up in her eyes. "It's okay, I forgive you."

One day, after picking up a boulder, Elena collapsed, and I got scared for a moment. I didn't know what to do, so I took her to my cave. I did my best to treat her as she was burning up. She remained like that for hours. I ended up sleeping next to her. When she finally woke up, she started crying. She hugged me tightly and started repeating the same phrase, "I could have saved them." I didn't know what to do, so I remained still until she eventually fell asleep.

I went outside far away from the cave and into the rain. I wanted to scream and shout at the top of my lungs, but instead I got onto my knees and started crying. I didn't know what to do. I remained that way until dawn.

I got back into the cave and sat next to Elena until she got better. It remained raining for a couple more days. Listening to the rain soothed my anguish. When it finally stopped raining, Elena woke up.

"Hey there, how are you feeling?" I asked, concerned.

She sat up and hugged me, her voice soft and grateful. "Feeling better, thank you for not leaving me alone," she said, her words filled with emotion.

"Hey now, no need to cry," I said, patting her back gently. "I'll be by your side for as long as you need me."

She stopped hugging me for a moment and surprised me with a kiss. I closed my eyes and let it happen. I hugged her tightly, thinking to myself, 'Is this the right thing to do?' I didn't know if she did that only because I didn't leave or because I gave her hope for something.