Ace Combat: Shadow War

Chapter 20: Aftermath

Zilla's POV

As we walked around the base with the death of Wolf, Digital, and Peralta's deaths, we saw the death and destruction D00M and his people brought upon our base. "Wow honestly I don't think it'll take long to rebuild" Somewhat said and I nodded spotting a fire crew in the distance extinguishing a burning C-17. I thought about Warfare and I'm pretty sure everyone else was worried about him, that's was the first time we have ever heard him yell so loud.

"How do think Warfare is holding up, guys?" Star asked and I sighed "I'm worried about him, we have never seen him like this or act like this before" I said and everyone nodded, "Yeah I never thought I'd hear him yell so loud" Laura said and I looked at her for a second and then remembered, I moved closer to hear and whispered to her "What was D00M talking about up there?" I asked her and I noticed she became uneasy and she looked shook by something like something was haunting her, "Um... it was nothing" she said, and it was very obvious she was hiding something, and I wasn't taking that for an answer "Laura please come on, I can see its troubling you whatever it is" I said and she stopped and stared me down "It nothing Zilla, now drop it" she said sternly in whisper. She kept walking after that and I wanted to find out what it was not because I'm nosy but because whatever it was, was really troubling her.

Warfare's POV

I laid on my bed and have been crying ever since I walked in, whenever I closed my eyes, I would see them, and I hated it. I blame myself for their deaths and hated myself so much because of it and then out of nowhere my chest started hurting like it did in the cell, I clutched my chest and my face twisted in agony then the pain turned into... pure rage.

I stood from my bed and I felt like I had no control over myself and I started to wreck the place. I grabbed my bed and tipped it over and screamed like a madman, I punched the wall over and over until my knuckles bled. I screamed more and destroyed more stuff, I grabbed a chair and threw it the wall denting the wall, my whole body hurt from this sudden burst of bottled-up rage from years ago. I threw around my friend's beds and fell to my knees and placed my hands on my head, images of them kept flashing in my head like a strobe light, I screamed like in all sorts of mixed emotions and the scream seemed to be so loud that the world seemed to stop.

I eventually stopped and stood up, walking to the bathroom where I looked at myself in the mirror. My eyes were puffy and bloodshot from the amount of crying, I looked at my reflection and I saw... a failure... a disappointment... a nuisance... a weak and useless individual who didn't have the right to exist. Then D00Ms words hit me again "you're still the same weak little useless runt behind the barracks that night" I felt my body quiver from that and memories from his torment flashed in my mind and I looked at the mirror once again.

"I hate you"

I said to myself in the mirror and felt angry again, "You let them die and you did nothing to help them... I hate you" I said and then I screamed once again and punched the mirror causing at too shatter and it did it again and again, I felt the pain from the glass piercing my hand, but I didn't care, I just let it happen. I looked at my bloodied hands for a moment and noticed an arrowhead shaped piece of glass in my peripheral vision, I lowered my hands and looked at the piece of glass and focused on the sharp pointed edge and thought about what I did that night behind the barracks.

3rd Person POV

"The suns going down we should head back" Remo suggested and the Outcast nodded and started making their way to the barracks. To say the least they were nervous about entering the barracks and Warfare snapping at them, Somewhat noticed everyone's nervousness "I can see what everyone is thinking, I'm sure Warfare is fine and he's probably asleep, its fine" he said to reassure them but when finally reaching the barracks, Zilla was the first to open the door and notice the destruction inside. Zilla walked in and stood there in shock the rest followed behind them and they too were in shock at the destruction, "Oh my... did Warfare do this?" Laura asked and no one responded but as Remo looked around, he noticed that Warfare was nowhere to be seen, "Wait... where IS Warfare" Star asked and no one saw him but Zilla did notice the bathroom door open and what looked like glass on the floor. He walked towards the bathroom calling out for Warfare but no response, but he did hear a faint sniffling sound, he slowly peaked his head inside the bathroom and... froze.