Little fragments of debris swirled inside the place, hindering Rojan's hopeless sight. Loud bangs and screams radiated throughout the streets and cities of planet Valthor, causing his weary body to tremble more. It wasn't common for a scavenger to get scared of danger and death, yet there he was- quivering and waiting in the corner, plotting for his next move.
His breathing fell into an uneven rhythm, deep and shallow, which shared a stark contrast. The atmosphere felt very tense, his eyes gazed left and right while sweating profusely. Rojan's hand shook with fear while holding the gun, knowing that the Khugn, which is the leader of his home planet, was a step away from him and his actions might worsen the interplanetary war.
While he was crawling in, his dressing suddenly got stuck on a rusty metal which caused it to make a screeching noise.
"Argh! You've got to be kidding me?!", said Rojan in an irritated tone.
He quickly removed the tattered bandage from his wounded leg and threw it away.
He slowly edged in and sat on the corner, then a plethora of thoughts and regrets ran through his disoriented mind.
He was contemplating, yet he couldn't stop his tears from falling from his weary eyes.
"You trusted me, Vicyl...", his voice cracked.
(They were just kids back then—three misfits brought together by chance. Sneaking into ruins, laughing over dumb inside jokes, arguing over who had the best music taste. Rojan could still hear Vicyl's voice, calm and certain: "One day, we'll prove unity is stronger than war.")
"You never even fought back... and I— I let him win. How foolish of me!", his face dropped in frustration.
("I believed in you." Vicyl's last words. Then the gunshot.)
His fingers curled into a fist, nails digging into his palm. His whole body trembled- not from fear, but from the weight of his own guilt.
"I ended you and now I will end HIM-!"
He wiped the tears in face with his bare hands and and stood up to continue on with his revenge mission.
A moment went by, he finally had the courage to do what he needed to do. He inhaled deeply, while his sweaty fingers firmly gripped the dusty gun, pointing to the Khugn's head. His heart pounded wildly and then-
'Kring! Kring!'
The silence was shattered when his alarm clock rang loudly, and rays of sunlight peeked into the windows of the sleeping pod, hitting Rojan's face. He gasped for air and jolted up from his deep slumber and looked around confused.
"The weapon on my hand... did I kill the Khugn...?" said Rojan.
His hands went to his sweaty face and rubbed it repeatedly making him question reality. The remnant of the ringing still remained on his two ears.
"That felt real-" Rojan's eyes widened in shock.
After taking a huge sigh, he recollected himself, stood up and headed to the bathroom. While he was walking, his eyes met the poster of the Earth- a blue and green beauty. He smiled and continued on.