The storm brewed.
I had found a cave to shelter me from the ferocious winds. There was only static on the radio now, so I laid it on the ground beside me and lay down. Small breaths, now…
There was so much sand.
Darius had sounded rather agitated. I hoped that I hadn't made him mad… My wounds hurt, so I took the opportunity to change my bandages. It was hard, with only one hand, but…
Lonnie would have told me to take care of myself.
I tore off a strip of bandage with my teeth, trying my best to wrap it around my shoulder. If only there was someone else with me…
No. This job was my job, and mine alone. No one else could take this job. No one else could know of this job. Not unless I died. Then it was someone else's turn to try.
And plenty had already tried. Tried to kill [him]. But they had all failed. And now it was my turn.
I leaned against the cave wall on my good shoulder, the stone cool against my bare skin, and closed my eyes. Would I, like all those before me, die in this attempt?
No matter. As long as I killed [him], it didn't matter what happened to me afterwards.
I just had to kill [him].
The words echoed through my mind until they became empty, meaningless. Killing [him]…an impossible task, but it was the one that had been given to me.
No…it couldn't be impossible. It had been given to me, after all. I was expected to complete it. Therefore, it could be done.
Just not by me.
But I was perhaps the only person left in this world who could.
Weariness overcame me, and the screaming wind outside lulled me to sleep.
When I awoke the night sky was calm and full of stars. I pushed myself up and grabbed my shirt, taking a few unsteady steps towards the cave's entrance. What a beautiful night…
It seemed that the less we breathed, more stars came out to play.
A gust of wind brushed through the cave, taking sand with it, and I shivered, and put on my shirt and jacket again. Just then, the radio crackled.
"Mr. Akiya."
"Darius?"
Some interference. Then, "I was afraid that you might've gotten lost."
"I think that the sandstorm cut off the connection." I picked up my satchel and slung it over my good shoulder, making sure that my oxygen tank was tucked safely in there. It seemed to be getting lighter every day…
"…I'm glad you're still there."
"So am I."
Darius cleared his throat."Where are you?"
"Inside a cave somewhere. I'm going to be setting off now."
"…any other landmarks?"
The sandstorm had completely altered the landscape, creating new dunes, new patterns, wiping away any trace of what had been there before…
But then my feet hit pavement. I bent down, touched it, then looked up, my eyes scanning the horizon, and then I saw it.
Something that shone out like a fallen star from the skies above.
Shuijing City.
"Darius." I raised the radio up to my lips. "I think I found the main road."
There was some crackling, then Darius replied with, "That's the main road all right. Just follow it and you'll be able to get to Shuijing in less than two days."
Two days…it had already been seven. I had maybe enough oxygen left for a day and a half, and no more rations. I would probably have to run…
"Right, then. I'll contact you if anything happens," I said, and placed the radio into my satchel. I had to make it there soon. I couldn't afford to be distracted.
And besides…I didn't want to say goodbye.
I broke into a run, but nearly tripped on a crack in the pavement. My satchel's strap dug into my shoulder, jostling against me, and pain shot through my other shoulder and collarbone, and I was soon out of breath with the thin atmosphere.
Running was going to be hell.
But it was necessary.
And so I set my eyes on Shuijing, grit my teeth, and forced myself forward again. Being on pavement was going to be better than being on sand, and if I followed this road, I wouldn't get lost. Everything was laid out for me. All I had to do was go up there and complete my mission.
Kill [him].
For [he] must die.
A vague memory floated back, from the time before I had gone to sleep. KG, Chev, and I had sat around the table in our base, playing cards while on break.
KG laid down a pair of aces. "I want to do it."
"What?"
"I want to be the one to kill [him]."
"You? Kill [him]?" Chev laughed, and dealt out two jokers. "Yeah, right."
KG glared at him, and began reshuffling the cards and dealing them. "Just because I'm short? Because I'm a girl? Well—"
"No, because you can't shoot to save your life," Chev replied, grinning.
KG huffed in frustration, but what Chev said was true. The last time she'd held a gun she hadn't even had enough strength to pull the trigger.
"But why do you want to be the one to do it?" I asked, taking my cards and fanning them out. "What's so good about that?"
"If it weren't for [him], then we wouldn't have to come to this awful place," she replied, dealing out three threes and a four. "And [he] burned down my village."
Chev raised an eyebrow, dealing out three sixes and a jack. "I hardly think that revenge is the best motivation to kill a man."
"But it gets the job done!" Nox and Nol, the twins, appeared on either side of me, grinning like Siamese cats. "What do you think, Rinthe?"
I splayed out three queens and an ace. "I have no say in the matter," I replied. "All I know is that [he] must die."
"Wise words from a wiser man," Nox hissed by my ear, then he and Nol slunk away.
"You guys don't want to play next round?" I called after them.
"No, no, we're fine!" Nol replied. "Just keep doing your thing!"
Neither Chev nor KG could beat my hand, so I laid down a four. "You still want to kill [him], KG?" I asked her.
She scowled, putting down a five. "Fine, then. Whoever wins this round gets to kill [him]."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Those are high stakes." Chev added an eight to the pile.
"Lonnie, those three are betting on killing people!" Navi called from behind us at the other table.
"Is this true?" Lonnie looked over from where she and Seere were looking over some files on one of the monitors.
Navi sipped his drink and gave them a thumbs up, ignoring KG, who stuck her tongue out at him.
"Guys, what have we said about joking around about killing people?" Lonnie looked at me, and I quickly averted my eyes, putting down a nine.
"Well?" Lonnie came over and stood between Chev and KG. The three of us repeated:
"Human lives are to be valued, no matter how bad. We kill because it is our job to do so, and we will not take pleasure in it."
"Much better." Lonnie stalked back to her position next to Seere.
Alix came back inside, trailing sand all over the ground. "Hey, your break time's over. My turn," he said, whacking both me and Navi on the heads. He was out of breath, and a few streaks of rust crossed his cheek. More sand came off as he hung up his jacket and rifle in the closet.
"Oh, how was your trip?" Navi asked, letting all four legs of his chair fall back onto the ground.
"It was fine. Are you guys done, or…?"
"Yeah, yeah. Just let us finish this round," Chev replied. "Come on, Rinthe! Your turn again!"
I ended up winning.
How ironic, I thought to myself as I ran. That here I am, doing this job which I always thought that someone else would undertake. I almost wished that KG was here in my place, but…
In the end, I would not wish this job on anyone else.
Well, Chev…this is gonna be for you guys. Even though revenge wasn't a valid reason, at least not for me, the thought of my teammates was the only thing driving me forward right now.
Just wait…
I'll come join you guys soon.