CHAPTER TEN

Day 14 Honor their Memory

Early in the morning the car of the Arland Soldier standing by at the North Simpkins Place the people there were wondering because for the first time there were Arland Soldiers who approached them this early time.

The two Arland soldiers come over to the place that makes the people alerted and they grab their weapon knowing that they will get in trouble. The soldiers signaled that they had nothing to fear, they were just coming here for Chyrill and they will bring her back to the camp to the order of Sergeant Herrera. One of the people of the North Simpkins, who understand a little English come over to the soldiers and says that Chyrill is not around.

She offered to come with them to go where Chyrill was and it takes a long walk to go at the place, Chyrill headed to the mountainous area of the North Simpkins she wanted to feel as close to the sky and the surroundings were peaceful she just wanted to pray for her friends.

She feels the cold of the morning breeze and the clouds are so low she feels she can reach it may be, her friends can hear her that in this way at least she can be with them. She draws her arms and closed her eyes, she let to feel the cold breeze of the morning and she murmured each name of her friends, But this time she was not crying anymore she just thinks that they are in godfather hands.

"Andrea, Joel, Leslie at Patrick Sana masaya na kayo kung saan kayo naroroon ngayon" Sorry... kung hindi ko kayo natulungan, patawarin nyo ako... She speaks her language that she knows that they are listening right now.

She kneels down and bows her head and offered a prayer, the wind blows suddenly she smiled because she knows that their friends is here right now, though she can never see them, she can feel their presence.

The Arland Soldiers caught up with her in that position and out of respect they just let Chyrill and wait for it to end.

After she offered a prayer, she stood up from her knees and open her eyes,. She gets startled when she sees the Arland Soldiers standing near to her.

"What are you doing here"? she said to the Arland soldiers.

"Ma'am, we are ordered by Sergeant Herrera to take you back to the camp".

"Oh really? Does he miss me? She asked again to the soldiers.

The soldiers keep silence and just smiled from what she had said she rubbed the dirt on her knees and then walked down the mountainous area, she ignored the soldiers even though it still forced her to come back the camp.

The soldiers reminded that she has to come back at the camp no matter what happen that was the ordered coming from the Sergeant. They followed Chyrill down the mountainous area they need to bring her back to the camp.

"hey you, don't need to follow me and I won't go back to the camp".

"I'm sorry ma'am but we need to do this.. You need to come with us right now"

"No. I'm not taking orders from you".

"It's not an order, it's a request".

Her heart beats fast as she heard the familiar voice coming from the back and she will never be wrong that it's Sergeant Herrera. She turns around and sees the Sergeant staring at her that makes her feel uneasy her heart beats faster when the Sergeant trying to come close to her.

"What are you doing here? She asked the Sergeant.

" Well, my men are trying to convince you to come back to the camp as soon as possible, but I guess you don't want, you want me to take care of these things to convince you to." Sergeant Herrera says it seriously at her face.

Her cheeks get redder as the Sergeant says those words to her.

" No, I'm not going back to the camp, I need peace. And suddenly she walks away.

"Ohh... Don't you want to know what had happened to your friends? Or maybe you want to take a glance at them before they are buried.

Her cheeks get redder as the Sergeant says those words to her.

"Don't say that....if you just trying me to return at the camp, there is no place for me there" her tears fall from her eyes and she quickly wiped it.

"I will not waste my time following you here at this place if I didn't tell the truth".

She was confused on what is going on in the fact that she was waiting for this moment to see them again she just need to believe to the Sergeant. She faced the Sergeant and searching answer if all of what he says was the whole truth.

She finally decided to go back at the camp with the soldiers she follows the way of the Arland Soldiers down from the mountainous place, her heart feels sadness and afraid to see their friends, she doesn't want to see them in this kind of situation, she doesn't want to see them with no life and she can't be able to forget the terror comes into her mind.

The road down the mountainous place is slippery she needs to hold to Sergeant Herrera, she held tightly at the Sergeant hands and she feels she was about to fall. The Sergeant felt her fear so he just picked her up that got surprised her.

"Ohh... What are you doing?

" I lift you so that you will not have trouble and it’s too dangerous to a woman like you to come over here, well, I was thinking that how you able to get up in this mountainous place ".

She just smirked and avoided being held by the Sergeant, but she could not avoid being hugged by the Sergeant whenever they passed on the rocky side of the road.

The Sergeant just smiled secretly every time she hugs him.

It's about half an hour when they reached the place of the North Simpkins she gave thanks and said goodbye and she promised that she will be back again and do things that they used to be if everything will be back in good situation.

She got in the car of the Arland Soldiers if only she could obeyed, she would still want to walk alone. They are side by side with the Sergeant so it is inevitable that their arms will stick together. They are both quiet when they went back to the camp, she could still feel the arms of the Sergeant she avoided to get close to the Sergeant she feels uneasy, she feels she is still in the arms of the Sergeant. She gives her attention at outside and right now she could see the camp and as they get nearer her heart beat faster.

Finally, they reached the camp of the Arland Soldier she took a heavy step as they headed to where the corpse of her friends was. There's a moment she stops to walk and she was holding her chest because of the pain she was feeling. One of the soldiers opens the door to see the remains of her friends.

She sees the corpses covered with white cloth her steps are heavy, she just covered her mouth because of what she saw and she could barely bear the brutal death of her friends,. They had a gunshot on their forehead and their hands and feet were tied.

She wants to shout about what she saw and retaliate against the people who did it to them, but there is nothing she could do but to cry desperately and mourn for the death of her friends.

Day 15 Is this Goodbye?

She help of the Arland Soldiers to Bury the remains of her friends she put flowers on their cross and uttered a prayer for their soul, it is difficult for her to accept what happened to her friends how can she explain to their family what happened to them and now she will come back all alone. 

Every step she took away from the tomb of her friends was heavy she now decided to go back home after all she had no reason to stay here. She immediately went to her room to pack her belongings if the Sergeant stopped her now she did not care she wanted to stay away from this place to forget the horrible things happened to her and to her friends. Suddenly, Sergeant Herrera came to her mind as she packed her things she felt she would be sad if she left here.

A series of knocks that startled her, she stops to pack her belongings and immediately opens the door, she was surprised when she saw Sergeant Herrera at the front door.

"Ohh..you surprised me, what are you doing here?

" I just wanted to know if you are okay"

"Yes I am and I have decided...to go back home there is no reason to stay here.

Sergeant Herrera gets sad from what he heard and it seemed like he wanted to stop it from leaving, but no matter what happens she will leave the Arland camp.

" I see... you pack all your things now.

" hmm...yeah, I will leave tomorrow morning".

"I see....okay then, be safe.

She nods at the Sergeant and back on what she's doing. Suddenly she felt Sadness at the back of her mind, she wanted to stay here at the Arland camp, but there is no place for her here at the camp. A moment later they heard an explosive outside the camp, she startled and looks at the Sergeant her eyes questioning of what is all about.

Sergeant Herrera comes over here and closed the door he looks around and make it sure that the room is all safe, Chyrill feels fear and her hands are shaking as she heard the continuous gun shots and explosion outside.

"What is happening?" she asked Sergeant Herrera with so much fear in her eyes.

"Stay here, no matter what happen, don't go outside okay?"

Sergeant Herrera goes outside to look at the situation and the possible attack coming from the Sans Serif terrorist she left alone in the room, she is trying to be calm and prayed that everything will be alright.

All soldiers have alerted and buckle up themselves to the Sans Serif Terrorist an explosion was happening in the control room and all signals have been disconnected. The commander together with the others guarded the control area and gives a shot of the group of terrorist unexpectedly some Sans Serif terrorist escaped and others were left lifeless. An hour of massive explosion turns into normal and peaceful of the Arland camp, they were surprised for the explosion happened at the camp.

When everything comes back to normal Sergeant Herrera went in the room of Chyrill he just wanted to know if she was okay, but, then, he doesn't find any trace of Chyrill the door was opened wide and all her belongings were scattered on the floor, he, searched the room and the whole area of the camp, not far from where he is standing he saw Chyrill lost consciousness and bleeding. 

He immediately comes over to Chyrill and lifts her at the medic room, her head is bleeding and she had gotten bruises on their arms, he wondered why she got outside of the fact he reminded her to not go outside of her room. He laid Chyrill on the bed to apply bait her head is bleeding and it seems that she was hitting and bumped into the wall. He back in the control room when she knows that Chyrill back in her consciousness she have been shocked and she feels something hurts on her arms that causes wounds and bruises she tried to speak to the medical team inside the room but they said to her to take a rest and don't move too much.

At midnight Sergeant Herrera comes in her room to visit her, but the Sergeant was not able to talk to her because she is still sleeping, she had a bandage on her head and her arms got bruises, he gets close to Chyrill slightly and stroked her face and stared at her for a long time. He wanted to blame himself for what happened to Chyrill he could, it protects the woman he was falling in love with.

He sat beside at Chyrill bed and stared her again for a long time until the moment he fall asleep.

The sun was high when Chyrill woke up, she felt her head and her arms ached from the scars and bruises she had gotten from the massive explosion last night. She touches her head and realize that she had a bandage on her forehead, she is trying to remember about what had happened to her last night, but, all that she can see is darkness, the smoke, an explosion that she heard at that time.