Unleashed (Part 2 - Donovan)

[Wellesley, West Area]

Wellesley was a less crowded place compared to some other cities. The place had few hills covered in greeneries and the highest hill among them was a good place to have a good view of the entire city. There was a very wide dirt road to the top of the hill, big enough to drive a four-wheeler, but there was a hiking path as well for people looking for a small adventure. However, very few people went to the top to enjoy a view.

It was one of those days when a young couple was hiking. "How much more do we have to walk?" The woman asked while panting.

"Just a little more. We are almost there," The man replied.

Both of them were sweating not only due to the hiking but also due to the hot weather. "Why are we even walking? We could have come here in some vehicle," The woman said with an angry face.

The man looked at her and answered with a grin, "To feel the wilderness, honey."

"How come I fell for an idiot like you?" The woman sighed.

After some time they reached their destination from where they could see the entire city. He walked to the edge of the cliff and asked while looking at the city, "So, what do you think? Was it worth it?"

"No," The woman replied instantly with an annoyed face.

The man looked at her with a smile and walked close to her. "You could have lied at least, just to make me happy," He said.

"For your information, our relationship is based on trust, and not on lies," She responded with a smile while handing him over the small backpack she was carrying.

When the woman reached the edge of the cliff, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she breathed in, she smelled something foul. "ooh, what is that?" She crinkled her nose.

"What happened?" The man asked.

She replied while slowly moving her head to look down, "It smells like something is dea-" She couldn't complete her sentence because of what she saw down the cliff. Her eyes widened when she saw, and slowly she started breathing heavily. She quickly backed down with a scream.

The man anxiously rushed toward her asking, "What is it?"

He went to the edge of the cliff and looked down, and he was shocked as well. It was Lieutenant Donovan's dead body, lying midway on a rock few meters above the ground. Crows and Vultures had already eaten most of his flesh. Lieutenant Donovan was the same person who was abducted by the splinter alchemist, Cecilia Ingolfson while returning from Ishval, and later killed by the dwarf who could create illusions or hallucinations.

Soon, this news reached the military, and a group of people came from the military to retrieve the dead body. After retrieving it, the body was sent to Western City. When Donovan's dead body arrived at the Western city, it was taken to the hospital for post mortem. His body was somewhat recognizable due to some skin and flesh attached to his face.

Now, William was in a difficult situation to convey the news to Donovan's family who were living in Western city. He went to Donovan's home in his uniform with Donovan's belongings. When he reached Donovan's apartment, he knocked at the door, and after a few moments, a girl of around 13-14 years old, opened the door. Watching someone from the military, the girl smiled and asked excitedly, "Is daddy here?"

She looked outside but couldn't find anyone except William, and listening to the girl's happy voice mentioning her father, her mother rushed out quickly. She looked very happy, but when she saw an unknown person from the military, instead of her husband, her smile quickly disappeared. She looked at William and asked with a polite voice, "May I help you?"

William introduced himself and he told the truth about Donovan's death. As soon as she heard the news, she fell on her knees and started crying. Her daughter was trying to calm down her mother, but she was herself far from composed. The small family of Donovan couldn't believe that the person they loved, was no more. William handed over Donovan's belongings to the girl and stayed there for some time to give them some moral support.