I was stuck in the mess hall on cleanup duty with my friend Dale. we were almost done mopping when Sgt Henry Keller walked in. He’s a tall man with grey hair tremed into a crew cut , pale skin, and a square face. Despite his age, he was still one of the most fit men I had ever met. The old man was also one of the most uncompromising. The second he walked in Dale and I dropped our mops in their buckets and stood at attention. He approached and returned our salute.
“At ease boys. Are you done here?” he asked.
“Yes sir. Well almost,” I replied.
“Give us another five minutes, and we will be sir,” Dale bragged
“Well, then I will be back in three, and I don’t want to see a single piece of filth on this floor. I would get started.”
At that he walked to doors on the opposite end of room and exited. Once he was gone, I turned to Dale and gave him the most annoyed look I could muster.
“What?” He asked
“You know if you had just kept your mouth shut we wouldn't have to power through this?”.
This was something Keller was known for: trying to get every drop of efficiency out of his troops even in small things like mopping the floor.
“ sorry man ” Dale said as he lifted his mop out of the mucky water.
I stared him down for a few more seconds then I took a breath.
“Its ok. Just try not to be an idiot next time.” He cracked a smile, and we both began mopping to the best of our abilities.
We had barely finished when the doors flew open.
“Okay corporals let’s see what we have.” Keller came straight to us.” So, boys are we done here?”
“Yes sir,” We said in unison.
“ Why don't we check then”. He pulled a white rubber glove on to his hand, bent down and ran his finger across the floor.The sgt looked at his finger closely He stood looked at us booth and spoke in a less than impressed voice.
“Well, it looks like you're finished here, head back to your barracks”
we both let out a sigh of relief “Thank you, sir.” But our relief wouldn't last. After thanking the sergeant, I took a step forward, or at least I tried to. My foot caught the edge of the mop bucket and accidentally rammed my shoulder into my Sgt’s ribs. We both crumbled to the floor. As soon as we hit the ground, I felt a very cold sensation go up my leg. Then the smell of ammonia and detergent slowly filled my nostrils. I looked over and feel my heartbeat soared with fear. The Sgt was staring at me, and his face was contorted in a look of indignation that could only be matched by Satan himself. When I got to my feet I offered him my hand, but he his eyes continued to bore at me. He stood and spoke in a deathly calm.
“Well, Corporal Harris it looks like you've just signed up for patrol”.

The winter night was especially cold, and the fact that I had forgotten my gloves back at base didn't help.
“We need you out there Harris. Just incase anything goes wrong” is what Sgt Keller had said after he got up. But all I had heard was, “I’m getting tired of your crap, and since I can't kill you myself, I'm going to send you out on patrol in the hopes that someone else will put you out of my misery.”
He wouldn't have to wait that long. If I wasn't stabbed, shot, or mauled by some creature the frigid cold would take care of me. In a vain attempt to get my hands warm, I blew into them. But it was just too darned cold.
“ Oh, fun” I thought sarcastically as the sky began to spit a fine powder. I have always enjoyed snow but not when it threatened my life. I had been out in this icy cold apocalypse for three hours now and I hadn't seen a thing. It wasn't until the snow started to build that I decided to go back to base. It wasn't like one less person outside freezing in the snow would make a difference. I knew Keller would chew me out when I came back early, but I didn't care. As much as I hated being yelled at by the old man, I hated dying of hypothermia more.
I got half way back when it really started coming down. A few of inches of snow had gathered on the ground, and I could barely see ten feet in front of himself. The wind began to pick up, and I felt like I had just had a dose and a novacane injected into my face. All I could think about was getting back to base. My face took the brunt of the fall (today was not my day) . My face hit the ground with the force off a sledge hammer. Then everything went blurry and cold. I rolled on my back and let out a roar of pain, anger,and exasperation and tried to wipe the freezing cold snow and water off my face.
Why was this happening to me? I had never done a thing to deserve this crap. When I got the freezing slush off my face, I began to look up at the snow covered night sky. An interesting thought appeared in the back of my mind. What if I were to stay here, just lay in the snow and let the cold overtake me? No more worrying whether I would survive one more day. No more wondering if we might get discovered out here. No more problems. Just the delightful idea of peace. I let the thought simmer for a few seconds but decided against it. If I were to die that would mean I hadn't been as efficient as I could have been. So, once I had made myself comfortable in the afterlife Keller would find me, drag my undead soul back to my frozen corpse, and a show me the most effective way to die.
Once I got tired of looking up, I tried to stand. I sat up and that’s when I saw what had tripped me. It was a snow drift. How had a snow drift tripped me? I continued looking at the pile of snow and noticed a small ribbon of black was sticking out of the powder. I reached out to pick it up but something stops me. Iron. I can smell iron. I look down and my heart stops. Red is all I see. The front of my jacket. My knees. My hands. Everything was red. out of sheer panic, I sprang to my feet, frantically searching my body for any holes that hadn't already been there, but there were none. I looked down, and saw a massive puddle of crimson.a wispy steam began to rise from the liquid. my body begins to shake like a seizure. I fall to my knees and vomit. Oh god. I slowly look up, but my vision is blurred.
It isn't your blood. I told myself. You're fine. Just breathe. My head clears. I look up and see the puddle, but this time I noticed something else. A small stream had cut its way through the snow and was feeding the reservoir of blood. The stream was coming from mound of snow and ice. The snow drift was bleeding.
Everything seemed to go quiet. I could feel my heart beating in chest. Every beat an alien trying to escape my rib cage. I get to my feet and stagger towards the drift.I avoided looking at the puddle. I didn't need to vomit again. I knelt next to the drift and just stared at it. Did I want to see what was under all this snow?....No, but I needed to know. I started brushing snow off the pile. My hands were shaking like crazy, wasn't sure if it was from the cold or the fear. It seemed like an eternity before I reached the center. I pushed the snow away and saw a face looking back at me. Its eyes frozen into completely white soulless orbs. I stumbled backwards. My body started shaking; I couldn't breath. The cold hand of Fear clutched around my heart. The man in the snow was dead, but that wasn't what horrified me. His name was Greg. I knew him.

Greg was a soldier like me. I’d passed him on my way to my post; he had waved.
I stared at the corpse. My body a tremor of fear and terror. He had died. When had it happened? What had killed him?.......Who had killed him?
“You didn't know. How could you have known? It’s not your fault.” I whispered to myself. Slowly, my body stops shaking. “ Now, pick yourself up” my body obeys my silent command, and walk over to the body and search the corpse. If anything was missing it might give me an idea of why he was dead. His throat had been slashed. I grimace, reach up and feel my own neck. At least it wouldn't have been a incredibly slow death. I kept searching. His 9mm was missing, but I couldn't find anything else. I slide his eyelids down over his eyes. They make a sickening crack as they move. I get up and sprint back to base. As I’m running, I hear the familiar jingle of my dog tags hitting together. I stopped so hard I nearly slipped and fell.
Dog tags……. Had he had his dog tags? I ran back, sliding to a stop next to the body and saw nothing around his neck. He didn't have them. I hadn't noticed because I was avoiding the neck wound as much as possible. Why hadn’t they taken his dog tags?. They were just ID. The only time we used them was when we wanted to get into…..My heart stopped, and the hair on my neck stood on end. “The city!” I get to my feet and take one last look at the man that I once knew. Then, take off in the opposite direction the city was closer than base. If i hurried i might be able to catch up to whoever had done this.
I had almost made it to the entrance when I came to the other bodies. It was a gruesome sight. They were at a small checkpoint; guards would check in after they went on patrol. They were just laying in the snow. I ran to the nearest one. He was laying face first in the snow I dropped to the ground and rolled him over…..I nearly puked. His left eye was gone, and the rest of his face was coated in blood He had been shot. I looked down at the man a wave of fear washing over me, causing my body to tremble. What was I suppose to do? I had never been in combat. I was just a grunt. A pawn on a massive chess board, not sure of what I was doing or why I was here?
I stare down at the body and the fear starts to fade. I stand and start running. If I was quick I could get to the city in a few minutes.
I got to the entrance as quick as I could. It was hidden on the edge of the forest in the side of a cliff that went up about 100 ft. I make my way to the cliff walking straight towards a particular spot. In the wall, there’s an almost perfectly round indention about 3 feet off the ground. To anyone else it might have just been a spot where a piece of the cliff had broken and fallen out, but I knew better. I pull my tags off and press them into the divot. The chime rings like a motum starting up, and the wall starts talking.
“Password required,” demands a metallic, feminine voice
“Home is where the heart is, ” I enunciate the words carefully.
“ Welcome back Corporal Harris.” Behind the wall of earth, I hear a click, and the wall slowly swings backwards, revealing a long dimly lit hallway. I took a breath and entered the city.

The entrance hall is long but when you're running as fast as I was it really doesn't matter. At the end of the hall, there is a large, steel door. In the center of the door, there is a crest. It’s a bald eagle. In one talon it carries an olive branch in the other a rifle. It was the crest of Teravista. I swipe my dog tags over the front of the door, and I can hear it unlatch. I swing the door open and make my way inside.
The door opened onto catwalk overlooking the city. I walk over to the rail and stare out at my home. It’s a massive cavern with a ceiling well over 500 feet high. Massive catwalks circle hang from the walls encircling the city. The floor of the massive chamber is peppered with hundreds of buildings. Each building taller as they get closer to the center of the cavern, forming a mountain of concrete. In the center stands an an incredibly tall skyscraper rising from the other buildings like a king. Four cable car rails shoot out of each side of the massive building each stretching all the way to the walls of the cave. On top of the skyscraper sits a radio tower. The highest part of the tower sits just meters from the roof of the cave.
“Teravisia,” I whispered. My home the land of the free. I could have stared at the city for hours, but time was critical. I had to find who ever this piece of crap was …...and stop whatever he was trying to do.
First, I had to find out where he went. Where would I go if I were a cold blooded killer determined to get into the city? I didn't need to think for that long. A shot rang out. I dove to the ground.
”Where the hell had that come from?” I stayed prone for a few seconds then the other two shots fired. It took a little while, but I eventually realized I wasn't being shot at. The shots were too far off and muffled, like they were coming from inside a building. I slowly rose to a crouch, and scanned the area. I couldn't see anyone, just one of the cable car terminals about 50 feet away. I got to my feet and made my way to the terminal. As I neared the terminal I noticed there was something moving inside the car docked at the terminal. I stopped and watched as a man opened one of the doors on the side of the car.

As far away as I was I couldn't make out any details all I could tell was the color of his clothes: black. He turns his back to me, reaches up and grabs the top inner frame of the car. In one fluid motion, he jumped and pulled himself onto the roof of the car. He looked around and stepped onto the rail holding up the car, and began to walk it like a tight wire. I pulled out my 9mm and took aim.
“FREEZE!!” I yell. He stops mid step and keeping his eyes forward.
“Put your hands on your head.” I walk to the terminal not taking my eye off the man. He slowly began to turn.
“I said freeze!” He continued turning until he was facing me. His face is older, with with thick stubble. He had long black hair slicked back. An alarm in my head went off. Something about this guy was wrong. He stared at me; his face void of any emotion.
“Get down now!” I roared. He continued to look at me. His mouth slowly creased into a smile. My head started spinning, and my stomach did a summersault. I looked into his eyes and memories came swimming back to me along with a thousand questions. I lowered my gun and spoke slowly.
“Claymore?” His smile vanished,and His hand dropped to his side and grabbed something. At the same time I raise my pistole.
Two shots rang out. I fell backwards, grabbing my face in pain, The bullet had grazed my cheek. I look up at the car but I couldn’t see the man. I rose to my feet and ran to the terminal. I make it to the door of the car when I heard a groan. I put my back flush to the wall of the metal car. The groaning got louder. Had Claymore (or who I thought was Claymore) ducked back into the cabin after we’d exchanged fire. I peered inside and to my surprise I didn't see Claymore but an old man.
“Peat!”

I ran to the old car engineer and kneel next to him . He’s was leaning up against an the control panel clutching side of his neck, vermilion liquid dripping through the gaps in his fingers. He looked up at me and smiles.
“ya couldn't have gotten hear a wee bit sooner” He groans. I let out a small laugh and returned the smile to old scott I’d known for most my life.
“ Got here as soon as I could. Are you ok?”
“ Oh sure just fine, just thought I’d lay here and bleed out. you should try it some time its real……” his expression changes from one of playful, annoyance to one of concern. “Bloody hell boy, yer covered in more blood than I am!” I had completely forgot about my jacket still drenched in greg's…..greg. I quickly tore the jacket off and tossed it to the side.
“Don’t worry, it isn't mine.” When I said it, it sounded like I was convincing myself more than anything.
“Who the bloody hell does it belong to then!?!?!?”
“IT DOESN'T MATTER RIGHT NOW!” I yelled a little louder than I intended to. “Look, I need to get to the spire, that means I need you to get me there.”
“You make me feel loved you know that.” he crokes sarcastically. “ But I guess you're right. Help me up.”
“Hold on for just a second there is one thing I have to do first.” I grabbed the sleeve of the thermal I was wearing, and pulled down as hard as I could. The fabric rips in an instant. I tossed the makeshift bandage at the old scotty.
“bind your wound…...Its grossing me out”
After peat fixed himself up, I got him standing. He steadied himself on the panel, and reached for the main lever of the controls and pulled it down. There was a mechanical hum as the cabin began to lurch forward.
“ So who was that pleasant fellow who gave me this little gift?” The old man gestured to the wound on his neck.
“I’m not sure, but we can probably assume he isnt here to deliver cookies” I walked over to one of the windows of the car and stared out at the city. What was this guy doing here? why was he headed to the center of the city,and why did he look exactly like a man I knew he couldn't be? a thousand questions and no answers. What the hell was going on? I slammed my fist against the wall of the car and cursed under my breath.
“Eyy laddie, ya alright?” Peat asked, a touch of concern in his voice.
“Yeah…. just irritated….and pissed……..confused, angry, scared….. I guess all of the above probably would have been a better ans...” a light bulb burst into flames in my mind. I may not be able to answer all of my questions but I could deal with just one. I turned towards Peat and spoke.
“Peat when I was on the catwalk I heard three shots. Obviously I know where one of went.” I gestured to the new hole in his neck.
“Eey, whats your point boy”
“My point is: what happened with those other two shots?”
I shouldn't have asked. As soon as the question left my mouth, The car shuddered and slammed to a stop, like we had hit a brick wall.
“What the hell just happened?” I grumbled in vexation as I rubbed my head. When the car stopped I fell forward and busted my face into the front window of the car.This wasn't one of my best days.
“I think we might a just found the two bullets you were yammerin on about.” Peat answered. I rolled over just to make sure the voice I heard was my friends, and not a hallucination brought on by repeat head trauma. He had taken a spill but looked ok for my most part.
“where?” I groulded. He pointed at the controls. Below them was a maintenance door. In the door were two small holes each with a steady stream of smoke flowing out of it.
“ Oh god” I said in a more than exasperated tone. I slowly got to my feet and shuffled over to the controls. I knelt next to the maintenance door, grabbed the small handle, and tossed it open. An ocean of smoke poured out along with a fireworks display of sparks.
”Yay” I thought. “Irony wants to help me celebrate my failure.”
“ That doesn't look all too good” Peat observed as he stood.
“ Yeah, it pretty much looks like s*** to me too!” I stared at the smoke pouring from the plugs and melted wires, and I started to feel my whole being fill with rage. I grabbed the small door and slammed it shut so hard I broke locking mechanism, so it just swung open again. I grabbed it once more and threw it closed, but It just slowly squeaked open. This cycle continued for about two minutes. Me grabbing, slamming and watching the small aluminum door as it creaked open over and over again, each time my animosity growing tend fold.
A hand rested on my shoulder. I turned to see Peat ,his eyes were filled with concern.
“You alright laddie” I look up at him winded and annoyed.
“No,no I can't say I am”
“ It will be ok Just give me…”
“ Oh really, because I don't think it will!” I cut him off. “Nothing Like this has ever happened before. Which pretty much means that we arent prepared for this at all! I also have no idea where this guy is going or what he is doing, and i'm pretty sure it isn't anything good! And on top of all that, we are hanging 500 feet off the ground trapped in this massive lunch box!! So, I’m sorry to tell ya Peaty but we are pretty much fu….” He hit me so hard that my ears rang. I stumbled backwards clutching my cheek. I looked up at my old friend, his eyes set on me and his hand clenched into fist. He speaks low and calm.
“ I’m sorry you've had a crappy day, but that doesn't give you the right to sit here and give up like a child. Guess what: life gets hard, and right now you just have to deal with it! I understand that we arent quite as prepared as we could be, but i'm guessing that bastard wasn't counting on being discovered. He sure as hell wasn't banking on me being tonights engineer. So, that gives us a wee bit of an advantage. Now, to capitalize on that we need to get this thing moving. Now, you can go powt in the corner, or you can help me fix this piece of crap.” The anger melted away, replaced by shame and some relief.
“ What do you need me to do?”

I’ll give the old man credit, he was like the Macgyver of cable car repair. After five minutes, three sticks of gum from my pocket, and a swiss army knife he got the car moving. In no time we had made it to the spire. As soon as the car locked in place at the terminal I was at the door. I threw it open, and take a step out but stop and turn back to Peat.
“You coming?” I asked the old scott.
“Me?” he laughed “No, no an old fat piece of crap like me. I would only slow ya down” He looks winded like getting the car over here really took it out of him.
“Your sure”
“Eey”
“Well, be careful then”
“ I always am” he said smiling, rubbing his neck. I returned the smile and made my way out of the car. I had almost made it three feet when i turned back to my friend.
“ hey peat, about what happened while we were stuck: Thank you.”
“No problem, I wanted to punch something anyway” He said in his classic sarcastic tone. “ Now, get the hell out of here.” he jerked his thumb towards the spire entrance “You have to return the favor for what that bastard did to my neck.”. I smiled back at him then I was off.
Once I got inside it honestly wasn't that hard to find where the guy had went. All I had to do was the follow the trail. Apparently when we had fired at each other my round had hit home. Every ten feet or so, I would find a drop of blood on the ground or a smear on the wall where a hand had made contact. It was essentially the most gruesome easter egg hunt I had ever been in. The trail ended at a set of double doors. Above the doors was a plaque with the word “COMMUNICATIONS” engraved in it. I stared at the plaque for a few seconds then back at the door. He was in there, waiting. He had to know I was coming. I pulled my 9mm out of its holster and looked back up at the double doors. It didn't matter if he knew I was coming. It didn't matter if he was prepared. It didn't matter. I had to stop him from doing whatever he was planning, at any cost. I took a deep breath and entered the room. The first thing I noticed were the lights, they were off. The second was the gunshot.

Everything went quiet. like god decided to hit the mute button. I didn't feel any pain, just a sensation like someone had poked me in the side. I looked down and saw a small red spot on my shirt. I stared at the crimson circle as slowly got larger and larger. Then I realized what had happened. At that moment the world came back into focus.
Everything came flooding back to me. The buzz of computer screens, The hum of the AC vents. I staggered backwards clutching my abdomen in pain. I forced myself to look up. The room around me was filled with computer monitors each a dazzling neon blue. On the opposite side of the room was a massive computer bank with an huge screen a figure silhouetted in its glow. I raised my weapon to fire, but never had the chance. The figure moved in a blur of speed, letting off two more shots. My pistol went flying, and pain shot up my leg. I stumbled backward and slammed into the wall behind me, and crumbled to the ground.
luckily, I wasn't dead. Unluckily, I had just been shot twice in the last 10 seconds and it hurt like all hell! I sat there clutching my side, shaking like a chihuahua that had just seen the boogeyman, when the figure came closer. He was dressed in a kind of military garb, but it was completely black. A ragged piece of cloth was bound around his left arm. I cracked a smile but it quickly disappeared as my leg began to throb. My eyes closed from the pain, like someone was shoving knife in my thigh. Then I heard the click of the hammer. I looked up and saw the barrel of a handgun just inches from my forehead.
I nearly soiled myself, but somehow I managed to smile.
“So Claymore, you think you’ll actually kill me this time?” I said it with as much sarcastic indignation as I could. He just looked down at me his face emotionless. Not a single word. My body shook even worse but it wasn't from the blood, the fear, or even the pain. I was angry.No……... I was ripe with indignant fury!
“ So, thats It!” I exploded with rage “ you're not going to say anything! Just going to stand there and stare at me like some f*ing statue!.... Not even a hello.” My eyes got fuzzy as the tears came. He continued to stare at me. “ Just going to kill me? No explanation, No reason why? Just going to pull the trigger and be done with it?” He doesn't say anything, but expression change he looks confused. “ok. Why dont you just do it? Today has pretty much been a living hell for me. So why don't you just pull that freaking trigger, because you putting that bullet between my ears would be nothing short of benevolence at this point!!” I didn't want to die, but he was as going to kill me anyway so I figured: what the hell. I closed my eyes and waited for the last sound I would ever hear.
“Retribution” my body winced at the sound of the voice. I was expecting a boom, I felt a little confused. I opened my eyes and was surprised to find that there wasn't a gun pointed at my forehead anymore. Claymore was looking down at me his face unreadable.
“What?” my words came out cold and harsh
“Retribution is why. Im here to take revenge on the city that betrayed me.” his voice is quiet but it seems to echo in my mind.
“How did the city betray you?” I growled like a wounded animal.
“I was deserted, And now im here to seek justice for their treachery.” he speaks calmly but his eyes are filled with anger.
“John we didn't betray you! These are your people, and you're just going to just throw this all…”
“MY PEOPLE LEFT ME FOR DEAD!!!” He screamed at me. “ One more mission behind enemy territory. ‘Simple reconnaissance’ is what they told me! Just take the pictures and get out of there, but nothing ever works out the way it should does it.” I said nothing just let out a small laugh at the irony of the situation. Claymore began walking around the room like he was giving a speech in front of a large crowd. “I’m not going to bore you with the details but about halfway through the ordeal we were discovered. So we called for an evac. I was told that a chopper was coming, so we dug in and did our best but they just kept coming. We held off the enemy as long as we could, but no one came!” His looks down like he was remembering a sad memory then his eyes met mine again, but there was no sadness only hatred. “I watched every one of my men die waiting for help that would never come. So, don’t tell me that I don’t have reason for what I'm doing. I found my reason the moment my last man fell, and the moment that Sophomores satellites finds this signal justice will have finally been served.” He gestured to the massive computer monitor at the back of the room It was flashing in massive text

“TRANSMITTING Location”

Im not sure what sucked more: that the place that I called home for the whole of my life was responsible for the murder of a platoon of innocent men, or that, the same home might not be here in the next ten minutes. It wasn't a fun thing to think about. My whole life I was taught that the basis of the Undercore was teamwork. That without it we were nothing. How could a group that preached about nothing but trust, honor and teamwork so much betray their own rules so readily. It just wasn't something I could comprehend. I stared blankly, clutching my side trying to process the information there was something that didn't make since.
He crouched in front of me and spoke very quietly.“So, nothing? no sarcastic comeback, no flash of anger, no attempt to kick my ass, just going to sit there and stare at me like some f*ing statue? “ I didnt say anything. “Yeah, I would too.” The ground began to shake. At first I thought it was an earthquake then Claymore glanced up at the ceiling and let out a loud laugh. “ looks like the cavalry has arrived” He looked down with victorious grin. “ It looks like I’ll be on my way” He casually strolled over to the double doors and grasped the handle.
“What was the name?” I asked the question without even glancing at him.
“What?”
“What was the name of the chopper that was sent to rescue you?”
“Why does it matter?” he asked confused.
“WHAT WAS THE NAME?!?!?”
He looked at me like I was some strange breed of animal he had never seen before. “Ok I’ll humor you, I've got about 5 minutes before this place goes to hell. The choppers tag was supposedly Grey hawk delta.So, what does this have to do with anything?”
“My father, your best friend died 10 years ago.” surprisingly enough claymore actually looked saddened by the news.
“ He was a medic on duty. A call came in that there was trouble near the front lines. So he loaded up their jeep And headed out.” I grimaced in pain but continued the story “ Well long story short his jeep was destroyed by enemy personnel. He was picked up by chopper pilot that flew over. At the same time a call was sent out to all the aircraft in the area that a group of soldiers was in need of emergency evac and were taking heavy fire. It never occurred to me why my father, a sgt would volunteer his chopper to respond to the distress call. He was almost to the evac point when his chopper was shot down by enemy fire. I never learned who he was trying to save. I just remember the name of the chopper he was in. I’ll give you one guess as to what the name was.”
The old man stared at me confused then his eyes grew wide.
“No,no there was no one!”He said angrily taking a step towards me trying to intimidate me into submission.
“Yes There was!” I said through gritted teeth. “He died trying to save you!”
“No, no there wasn't! NO!!” he screamed. His hands flew to his head like he was having a massive headache.
I slowly got to my feet. “ He tried to save you, and this is how you repay him?” He yelled in pain. Grabbing his skull like it was an egg shell slowly splitting.
“NOBODY WAS COMING!!!” He screamed falling to his knees.
“OH YES SOMEBODY WAS” I yelled over him. “AND YOU BETRAYED EVERYTHING THAT HE HELD DEAR!” He stopped screaming, and fell forwards onto his hands and knees. vomitting on the floor.I clutched my side as I spoke to the crumbled man before me. “ You might share his looks, but you are nothing like the man that I once knew!” He slumped to the ground unconscious.
You would be surprised how much blood you can lose when you have a few extra holes in your body. I hobbled over to one of the computers leaving a trail of liquid Harris behind me. I knew what I was looking for. It took me a minute but eventually found it. A small microphone sitting on a desk. The intercom. I sat down in a chair and turned on all channels.
“uhhh. Attention an emergency evacuation ……..has been put into effect. This is not a drill……. proceed to the designated exits closest to you. Get the hell out of the city!” I thought last part gave the warning a bit of urgency. I leaned back in the chair and let out a long deep sigh. For the first time today I wasn't terrified of what was going to happen next, I was calm. A massive reverberation shook the whole cavern. It rolled through the cave like thunder. I froze. They couldn't be getting through that fast. It wasn't possible was it? I was answered by the sound of the roof above me crumbling to rubble. I had no time to move.

So, thats how I got here buried in steel and concrete essentially waiting for death to come. The smoke in the room gets thicker making it hard to breath. I cough, the taste of iron fills my mouth.
“hmm, well this sucks” I groan. The girder on my chest gets heavier. I push on it but it nothing happens. My eyes start to get heavy. “Probably blood loss, or maybe the smoke”I think to myself. The ground under me slowly gets more comfortable as I get sleepier. My eyes slowly close.
The void seems to go on forever. An infinite chasm of darkness with no end. It beckons me, its voice so sweet. I slowly make my way towards the sound. It washes over me. Relaxing me, making me feel happy and warm. I make it to the edge of the pit. So warm so pleasant. One more step and nothing more. No more worrying, no more pain just a calming embrace. I raise my foot and begin to step forward but something stops me.
“You're not done” A voice whispers. I look down at the emptiness. A feeling of sadness fills me.
“I’m sorry. I cant” The voice in the void whimpers sadly. “ I need to go” I tell it. “I need to go” The pit looks so peaceful. I slowly turn and walk away. The darkness slowly fades. Then it’s gone.

Air rushes into my lungs, making me choke and cough. My eyes fly open. A shadow hovers above me. My eyes slowly focus revealing Claymore. “So, I came back just to die?” I think to myself. Then, his face flashes in the fire light his eyes: sad, concerned, but most of all confused. My body struggles to move. I twist and thrash trying to get the piece of crap standing over.The pain in my side and leg is emance, but I don't care. I want him dead, I want him gone, and I want to make it happen with my bare hands
“YOU SON OF A B****! YOU HAPPY NOW?” the question leaves my mouth with as much hatred as I can muster. The words don’t faze him. He looks over me sadly like he isn't sure what to make of what he is seeing. “ What!?! You piece of crap!”
“Jamie Harris?” He says it like he couldn't believe what he was saying. He begins to walk forward stretching out his hand.
“Yeah, I’m still alive you bastard, and I wouldn't get any closer because I’m likely to rip your god damned throat out!” He takes a step backwards like he wasn't expecting what I said.
“Your older.” I struggled even harder to get free.
“what the hell was he talking about?!”
“You used to be so young, now you look… older.”
“ Well, thats what happens when you don't see someone for 10 years!!”
“ 10 years?” He looked away from me, and took in his surroundings. He seemed to realize where he was. Then his gaze flew back to me, a panic in his eyes. “What is this place?” His voice is shaking.
I stopped moving and looked at him in dissbelief. What is he talking about? Is he taunting me? Why isn't he trying to get out? I decide it doesn't matter.
“You know damned well where we are!” I say like a growl. His face goes pale, he turns his back to me and gazes out into the cavern of burning rubble and crumbling buildings.
“No.” His voice is barely audible over the roar of the flames. He stares out at chaotic scene and his body starts trembling. He dropped to his knees, continuing to stare.
“ What happened?” he asked.
The question hits me so hard I could flip, if there wasn't a huge piece of steel holding me down. I couldn't look away.
“You can't remember?” He turns back towards me, his face In more pain than any number of gunshot wounds could cause.
“All I remember is being dropped off at my dlz” I stare at him in disbelief. What had happened? Was he trying to fool me. Even if he was what would be trying to gain. The city was gone, I was practically dead. What was he playing at? Maybe he really couldn't remember? What did I have to lose?
“John, I need your help.”

It took us a minute, but we eventually got me out of the rubble. I slowly got to my feet, making sure not to take my eyes off of claymore. He didn't say anything he just looked at me his eyes empty.
“So, we should get out of here.”
We tried to backtrack to the cable car, but halls were blazing with fire. So we decided to go up. We eventually make it to the roof. I’m not completely sure why we were up here. Maybe it was the height. If we were to leap off we wouldn't feel anything. Then I heard Claymore yelling.
“Over here!” He waved me over to the one of the supports of the radio tower.
“What is it?” I asked. He gestured to a thick steel cable that connected to the side of the tower. I followed it with my eyes. The cable ran all the way to one of the cable car terminals on the wall of the cave. “ well thats good but, how the hell are we suppose to get down there in time?”
Coming upstairs We had heard some very terrifying creeking. We could assume that the spire didn't have much time left.
He cracks a little smile, unbuckles his belt and holds it up.
“Zipline.”
“uhh. No.”
“No other choice.” I looked down at my own belt, and let out a long sigh.
“Okay.”
I throw one end of my belt over the line, catching the side as it falls limp on the other side. I make my way the edge of the building slowly,when a hand grasps my shoulder. It was Claymore, offering his belt to me.
“You’ll need both.”
“Then how will you get down?”
“I wont be going down.”
“Why?”
“This cable is the only way out of here, and one belt won’t hold up long enough to make it to the terminal.”
“No, we can find another way down then.”He shakes his head at me.
“Not enough time.” I try to talk but he raises his hand to stop me. “ Jamie, what happened here……….The memories are coming back to me. Even if I made it out of here alive, I wouldn't be able to live with myself.” The building rumbles under our feet. “ There isn't time to argue. Take the belt.”
“No!”His eyes caught mine, they were full of sadness
“Jamie, today I’ve done something horrible. If I’m going to die I want to do it on my own accord, and I would like to die saving the last piece of Terivisa I can.” I looked at the man standing in front of me. Hard to believe that a little bit ago he was holding a gun to my head. Reluctantly took it and added a second layer to my makeshift zip line .
“ You're sure?”
“ Don’t ask, I might change my mind.” I stand at the ledge of the building and turn back to my old friend.
“I’m Sorry”
“ Don’t be. Ive already been declared dead. ” At that he pushes me off. I watch as he shrinks in the distance.

I fly down the cable. My speed doubles every second. Halfway down the line it hit me: I’m going way too fast to survive the landing. I try to twist the belts, but it just causes me to spin. I was almost the end of the cable now. Quickly I throw up my leg and crease it around the cable. It burns like hell but it somewhat slows me down. Once I’m over the terminal I let go.

I landed on my feet but when you're going 30 MPH that doesn't matter. I fell forwards into a roll, which sent me right off the side of the terminal roof and onto grated scaffolding flour. The air was slammed out of me. Choking and coughing I tried to replace the air in my lungs, but nothing came.I Roll over to my hands and knees sputtering and wheezing. Tears fill my eyes as Oxygen fills my chest. My breath is raged and shallow. My leg is throning my abdomen is bleeding, and I can hardly breath, but I’m still alive.I stand and I notice the belts still in my hand. One had been cut all the way through by the cable. The second was barely being held together by a tiny piece of leather. Claymore was right. My eyes shoot to the spire. It’s still standing, barely. A massive crater engulfed the center of the building. I watch as it slowly crumbles to the ground. He had saved me.
“ I’m sorry.” I whisper.

I hobble to the nearest door, swiping my tags over the it and proceeding down the long and lonesome hallway. The night air is cold and brisk, even more so now that I don't have my jacket. It’s dark and quiet. The only sound: the shuffle branches as a breeze blows through the snowy sky. My legs burn and my side throbs. I fall to my knees, and stare up at the flurried atmosphere. It really is a beautiful night. I think to myself. I lay down in the snow and let the chilling ice calm my wounds. It feels great. The cold numbs the pain. My eyes get heavy. So nice.
Snow crunches in the distance. I turn my head to find the source of the sound. Its a man.
“Claymore?” I croak.The man turns towards me. His face a smile that quickly changes into a frown. It was Peat. He jogs to me and takes a knee.
“Ladie, I thought ya had bit the big’en. Are you alright?”
“No” I cough. “ And, Just got shot a couple of times. I’m fine…….kinda” He smiles pulls off his jacket he was wearing and laid it over my chest.
“ Stay here boy. I’ll back In a bit with some help”
“Okay” I say quietly.
“you will be ok.” Then he got up and jogged off into the woods.
It was quiet again, peaceful, calm. Wait, peat said he was bringing help. That means other people. I laid my head on the ground and wondered how many others had made it out alive. Then I realized how tired I was. My eyes slowly closed and I started to drift.

2 Years Later.
It was a beautiful spring day. The birds were chirping the trees green. I had been hiking up these slopes for hours. My back pack is heavy and my legs are tired.
“Only a little farther.” I tell myself. The path comes to a large drop off. I walk up to the cliff and see a massive clearing along side a second cliff just 300 or so feet from me. A smile creases my face as I recognize my location.
It took me a bit to get down the cliff but luckily I had brought Some rock climbing gear. A lot of sweat and a few hundred feet of rope later I had made it to the base of my cliff. After that it took a good ten minutes of hiking before I made it to the clearing. In the center was a large stone. As I approach the writing on the stone comes into view.


This piece of rubble was placed here in memory of those lost in destruction of The great city Teravisia.
May they find peace in life after death
I placed my hand on the stone, saying a silent prayer. Once I was done I made my way to the cliff opposite of clearing. I start searching and eventually I find it. A small rectangular plaque set into the side of the cliff.
Here lies
John, “Claymore” Francis
A great soldier
and
A hero until the end
I shrug off my back pack, unzip, and pull out a small flask and a shot glass. I pour the whisky ,and hold it up to the sky.
“ Heres to you Claymore wherever you maybe.” I tilted my head back and let the whisky slither down my throat. My radio crackled to life.
“Colonel, can you hear me?”
I let out an exasperated sigh, and pick up the walkie talkie.
“What is it, Jeankins”
“ We’ve spotted the convoy we will be on top of them in a few minutes” He says through the static. “ What are your orders?”
I looked down at the plaque Its shines dimly in the sunlight.
“ Sir?”
I pick up the radio and hold down the call button. “ Take’um.”