#2 Tomorrow's Light

It was getting dark, the sun is setting, and a storm is coming. Justin and two of his squad mates were running and shouting "They died! They were killed!". "Your leader... Luc and John were killed by two traitors... Me, Patrick, Jeof, Luc, and John told the traitors that this isn't the way, threatening the survivors for pleasure isn't right... Luc and John tried to stop them but ended getting shot. The 2 survivors were killed in the crossfire..." Justin said crying out loud. "Oh poor thing, you must have gone through a lot..." Katie comforted Justin. Justin cried out more and said "As Luc dies in my heands... he said... take care of my squad members... please". "Come on, we better get going before the storm comes..." Simone said. Both Simone and Katie helped Justin and Patrick inside the truck. As we head back to base, I couldn't believe the fact that my leader is dead...

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It started raining when we arrived inside the base, all of us were looking very depressed. The three of us reported to David that John and Luc are missing in action. David told everyone to just leave, as we closed the door I could hear David punching the wall with all of his anger. Everyone beside me started crying, Simone was leaning to the wall covering his face, Katie has curled up on the floor letting her emotions flow, while for me, my eyes started getting tears, so I removed my glasses and wiped my eyes with a handkerchief.

Minutes have passed, I walked to Simone and told him "Come on, Luc wouldn't want us crying". He replied "Yeah he wanted us to be tough and look forward, that's what Luc is". I nodded and he began to stand up straight. Crouching down to Katie, I said "It's okay, things happen, it's life". She replied "Yeah... I know, we picked this job, we know the risk but still... I can't believe he would go down like that". I replied "I know it's hard to believe, but we have to get it together". Katie gave me a hug and I hugged back. I would never forgive those traitors...

The next morning...

Despair filled the atmosphere, "Are you sure this will somehow reach him?" Simone asked. "This is the least, we could do..." Katie replied. I nodded and the three of us said "Happy Birthday Luc". We threw a jar into the River Gin with letters for Luc, I am sure, somehow, in some way this letters will reach you. We walked back to the base.

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Arriving at the base, we saw around 40s man with a lab coat. We tried not to pry in other people's business but he asked us "By any chance do you know this this person, you see... we agreed that we would meet here... come take a look at this picture". Everyone gasp, it looked was Luc but 4 years younger. "And your Luc's?" Simone asked. "Uhm... you see I'm Clark Wayne and Luc's father". Katie fell to her knees and started crying, the man asked "Uhm, sorry did something happened?". Katie softly stated "Sorry... so sorry we couldn't protect him...". "Uhm what do you mean?" Luc's father asked. We walked into Luc's quarters and sat down.

I tried to ease down the situation and explained what happened... Luc's father had tears in his eye. When he stood up and said "Thank you for breaking the news, and for being my child's friends". He started to get tears in his eyes, so we decided to leave him alone for now.

"I actually felt bad for Luc... dying before his birthday, and didn't get to see his father before he died..." Katie said. "You know what, it got me wondering in Justin's story..." I stated "that Luc would never refer to us as his 'squad members', he usually calls us as team or friends". "You know what... your right, I guess we'll never know since Luc isn't here anymore" Simone added. With that said... I still don't trust Justin... Luc's final report was "Justin's squad gone rogue"... so that means the whole squad right?... While walking around, I noticed a person's shadow eased droping at us, running to the corner I pulled out my gun and shouted "who goes there!". I couldn't figure out who it was, when the person ran off.

Later in lunch...

Me and Katie sat down for lunch, we waited for Simone but he wasn't there.

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* Simone *

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I was heading to the cafeteria but Justin blocked me. "Hey, Simone I want to talk for a bit" Justin said. Turning around and trying to avoid trouble but two other guys blocked me. They brought me outside and leading me too far away from the base, I wanted to run but I couldn't, because they have a gun pointed at my back, everyone is troubled so I don't want to add my death to their misery. This will be just a quick chat... "So what do you want to talk about?" I asked. "Hey, Simone... answer me honestly... do you believe me?" Justin replied. Where is this coming from? Could it be they heard Kenneth... "I believed you Justin, even Katie and Kenneth trust you" I answered. He looked down at me and said. "Huh... is that so... well a little birdy told a different tale". The people behind me kicked the back of my knees, it made me kneel to the ground. Walking towards me, Justin spitted on my face and looked at me very disgusted. He kicked my body... that kick raged me... I tried fighting back, but the two other guys held me down. Taking a step back, Justin sat down below the shade of a tree and said "Beat him up and make him regret lying to a higher rank".

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The hot beaming sun is high above, I was thirsty and tired. Justin and the two guys left me beaten up in the "Forest of Misupote". I stood up and tried to walk back slowly... where was the base again? Err... Next time... I'll get my revenge... huh... there's a smoke there... maybe people are nearby... I walked towards the smoke, then out of nowhere armed personnel pointed guns at me... this isn't my day, huh... I passed out from exhaustion...

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* Katie *

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Me and Kenneth went around looking for Simone, but he wasn't here. "Simone is not in the cafeteria, medbay and armory" Kenneth radioed over and I radioed back "He's not in the quarters, the offices and garage". "I'll keep searching" Kenneth added. Could it be that, "The Double M" got him? No, no, no, no... Simone wouldn't gone that far... I mean they were seen in the radar recently... and there is a possibility... I asked the people around if they seen Simone but their reply all means the same "Nope" "Who is Simone" "Sorry haven't seen him" "Too busy give me a minute".

Rushing around a sharp corner, I bumped into someone. "I am sorry" I immediately apologized and looked in front. Those beautiful eyes, smile and body... He stood up and said "Are you okay?". Reaching out his hand, I grabbed it and replied "Y-yes". He looked at me and and stated "So your a medic, I am actually same, as you can see". He showed his arm band and said "Did you come to this chaptel to speak with the priest? Unfortunately he isn't around here yet, but I know he'll be back around 3, I used to be an altar server of his so I have known him for a long time". "Uh-hm, do happen to know Simone? because I can't find him around the base" I asked. He answered "Sorry I don't know him, but if I happen to hear a news, I'll tell you about it, the names Leon by the way...". I bowed down and said "I'm Katie thank you very much". "Well I'll be be going now, I'll update you if I got information okay" Leon said as he walked away.

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* Somewhere in the quarters *

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"Why were you late Leon?" my new leader asked. "I am sorry, I went to the chapel and bumped into a girl, looking for someone..." I replied. He ordered "Focus on your medical training for now and don't worry about the missing Simone I'll make sure to look into that". I walked out and close the door. How did he knew that it was Simone who was missing? Did he knew already? Huh...

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* Kenneth *

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Waiting here in the spot where we agreed... What is taking her so long... Where is she? Minutes have passed and I am losing my patience, then my phone rang and said "Okay here's how it's gonna be... If you didn't get to River Gin in 15 minutes Katie will be just a memory... make sure to keep you mouth shut and remember someone is always watching"

Without a second doubt I ran to the River Gin in tears...

My memories with Katie started to rose up... All of the birthdays we had together... All the moments that we lean on each other... All the moments that we have been together... All the laughs, the cries, and anger with you... I can't loose Katie! Not the kind, and sweeet Katie... Not Katie!

Arriving at the River Gin, I saw Justin and another guy from before... "I knew it... you are also traitors... I won't forgive you about John and Luc! and now, you think your getting away of kidnapping Katie!" I shouted. "Oh me, oh my somebody don't know how to count..." Justin said. "Where is she?" I asked. "Well oops did I forget to bring her? she must have been left behind in someone's quarters all strapped in for the ride" Justin replied laughing "Now then... kill him".

A hot temperature, around 2 pm, beside the River Gin... even though it's a forest and has moist in the air, the heat still feels like in a desert... three people againts one, what are the odds... Patrick starts off with a kick in the right, I blocked it, but Justin uppercut me in the left. I may not be as good as Luc in combat but I'll have to win this for Katie's safety. Patrick tried to punch me in the face but I caught it and twisted his arm. Patrick cried "Ouch, ouch ouch!" but this is nothing to what they did... for me... Katie's safety is more important than your life... I grabbed Patrick's head and smashed it against a sharp rock. "Now it's just you and me..." I shouted. "Shut up! I was going to torture you till you die... but I guess I'll have to end it right here" Justin said pointing a pistol at me. I rolled over to Patrick and grabbed his pistol... but... Justin already pointed his gun directly behind my head... turning my head and looking at him, I said "So what are you gonna do shoot me?". "Nah..." he said... and a knife stabs me in my lower chest... "I had a second thought... watching you suffer is way more fun than straight out killing you..." Justin added "I told you someone is watching..." Justin shot my leg and arm... "That should help with the bleeding" he said. A bullet out from nowhere shot Jeof, Justin's subordinate... Justin panicked and ran off leaving my soul holding on to my body...

Katie... Katie... Katie...

"You'll be alright..." a male voice said "Your safe now, I'll get you to Katie..."

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* Somewhere along a lake *

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"Mister are you okay?"

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"Daddy! I think he breathing! He needs help quick!"

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"Please Daddy save him!"

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It's breezy yet very warm... Where am I? A small girl was watching behind the door and quickly closed it. Who was that? What am I doing here?... It hurts my head thinking and minutes later... I heard voices beyond the door saying "You stay here and wait for daddy okay... let's be gentle because he looks, it has been rough for him..." a male voice said then a small voice replied "Okay... be careful". A gentle knock came from the door and it slowly opened. A middle aged man came in and said "Are you okay? You know, you were unconscious back there..." He walked in carrying a tray of water and cooked food. "Here help yourself with the dinner I prepared" he says... I looked at the food and saw rice and cooked meat. Tasting the food I immediately eaten all of it.

After finishing the food, I thanked the man for the food and he said "Your welcome, we'd love to help people in need, because us humans have to stick together". I nodded and tried to stand up but for some reason I feel a little unbalance. He helped me and said "You need to rest" then the door knocked and he said "You can come in now, it's safe". The door gently opened and a girl came in, hiding behind the man. The man said "Oh I'm Frank by the way, and this is my daughter, Alice... come don't be shy, say hi to our guest". The little girl peeked at me and softly said "Hi there". "We found you unconscious beside the river bank... so what happened?" Frank asked. Right after he asked, my mind flashed 3 helicopters flying... explosion came from a city... screams... zombies groaning... a blonde man aiming a gun to another person... a revolver... and... a necklace.... my heart began to beat really fast and my head started to feel dizzy... then I passed out...

The next morning...

A bright light caught the attention of my eyes... it was morning already... I can see Alice sitting right next to the bed, and sleeping....I don't want to wake her up... so I slowly stood up and looked around... Looking at a mirror, I can't remember a thing from my past... What did those visions mean... then noticing an ID on the top of a desk... It said... "Name: Luc Wayne, Gender: Male, Unit: Expedition Troop"... It has my picture! Is that my name? Luc? What is an Expedition Troop? then Alice woke up. "Good morning Alice" I greeted and she replied back "Morning..." wiping her face, she added "come on let's eat breakfast". She walked with me to the dining room and Frank is already there preparing food. "Just a minute it's almost done" He said. Me and Alice sat down at the table, after a few minutes Frank gave us food and the three of us eat together. It had a awkward atmosphere to the dinning room, after eating I stood up, bowing my head I said "Thank you for everything... I'm sorry for passing out last night and causing you trouble... I honestly can't remember anything in my past but I learned recently that my name is Luc, thank you for having me here". Frank and Alice smiled at me and Fank said "It's okay... It's a pleasure meeting you Luc".

A few minutes later, Frank told us that we would go to a nearby town, the "Town of Azura" to salvage some materials we could use. They both started preparing for the travel then Frank gave me a backpack and told me that all of the stuff was mine. I checked the bag and found a first-aid kit, hydration pack, food, fire kits, sleeping bag, Swiss army knife, flashlight, whistle, and a radio. It's like going on a camping trip... then I saw a revolver and the picture... I feel like I seen this before... but where...

After a few seconds, Frank hollered that it's time to go, I quickly put everything thing back to the bag and brought it with me just in case. Frank hand me a handgun and said "Just for emergencies" while he had his katana and Alice had a knife. "Why are you giving this to me?" I asked. "Because it might get dangerous" he replied. We walked to the town, on the way Alice told me the adventures that he and her father had. "One time me and daddy went to a lake to fish, then a huge fish got a bite on my bait and as the fish pulled I was weak and had to let go of the pole then dad jumps in grabbing my fishing pole, he swam off shore and he had dripping clothes but he didn't caught the pole, he caught the fish!" she laughs. Looking at her happy is nice for a change, because back at the house they were quiet and sad. This family used to be happy... but what happened?

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Arriving to the "Town of Azura" it looked very deserted and crumbling in ruins... we went carefully inside each building and try to get the necessities... while scavenging around, Frank told us to avoid loud noises so that we wouldn't draw attention. After some looking around, I saw a "scary looking person" just standing there... "Hey mister do you need help?" I asked . Then He turned around and started twitching. I walked closer and sees his embalmed body... the first thing I thought was, "that's a nice costume" , then He stopped and looked at me in very creepy way. He started groaning and ran after me. I quickly pulled out the handgun that Frank gave me. I aimed at the "scary looking person"... I was nervous... the fact that if I shoot this I'll end His life... then I tried pulling the trigger... but it won't work... the "scary looking person" was close... then Frank's katana appeared in front of me and sliced off His body into half. "You forgot the safety lock" he says. The upper half of the "scary looking person" crawled up to my foot... I got jumped and Alice stabbed the head. I was in shock, that felt traumatizing but Alice, who looks younger than me doesn't mind at all...

At the end of the day we could only scavenge a few cloth and old canned food, while walking back we stumbled upon a fresh bear tracks as Frank says. So we followed it to a jungle and Frank killed it with his katana. "I guess we'll have bear amount of food for tonight" Frand kid around. Alice laughed at the joke and I just smiled, but the thought of the undead still hunts me... we went back to the house and got some rest.

Later that evening after dinner...

I was gazing up to the night sky on the roof, Alice climbed up and lay down with me. "So those are called Zombies huh... I thought that was only fiction" I said. "Yeah it used to be, me and daddy fend them off for 5 years now, at first I was like that, nervous and scared but as time flowed, I got used to it" Alice replied. Frank also went up, and sit next to us. "I'm sorry I still can't remember my past" I told him. "You know what, sometimes... I wish I could forget my own past" he replied. "Well I want to remember my past, because beneath does sadness, regrets and pain, lays happiness and joy... And I don't want to forget those moments" I added. He said "Huh... thank you for that... making me remember the good times". I smiled looking at Frank while falling asleep...

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* Frank *

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It's getting late... Looking up to the stars, I said "Honey... if your listening out there... our daughter is starting to look like you... she is tough, courageous, and with a kind heart... as long as she lives you'll be looking after right? You live in me and more in her... I always love you Martha"