Underneath the clouds

IV

Join blankly watched mindlessly as the houses went by, seemingly blending in together. "Are you okay? You've been awfully quiet." Kimberly looked at Jolin's emotionless face. "I'm fine." She answered looking at the cloudy sky. "It kind of smells like puke and sweat in the back here." Jolin whispered. "Oh, it always smells like that... I think." Kimberly gagged. "Ah," Jolin looked down. "So... anything change with you and aunt Sheryl?" Kimberly shook her head. "Cool..." She mumbled, still watching as the houses started to slow down. "This is our stop, c'mon!" Kimberly grabbed Jolin's hand, escorting her down the aisle. Walking out, Jolin looked up to the navy, stone cabin, the gigantic window triangle in the front, their white door on the right side. "Jesus..." Jolin glared at the glamourous house. "C'mon!" Kimberly laughed, playfully pulling Jolin's arm. Opening the door, a strong whiff of lemon hit her nose. Kimberly set down her bag, calling for her mom. The walls were painted white, the floor boards a dark wood. All the carpets were grey, leading her to the huge living room. The lower part of the triangle was placed in this room, as the upstairs cut off, making it able to look up to the upstairs ceiling, easy for people upstairs to stare at people downstairs. "Hey mom!" Kimberly plopped down on the couch. Sheryl looked back as Jolin entered. "Jolin..." She got up, sticking her hand out. Confused Jolin shook it, feeling the years of scars underneath her skin. "Hey aunt Sheryl..." She said sitting down next to Kimberly. "Are you still day dreaming about bombers tearing up civilizations?" Jolin quietly nodded, her cheeks flushing as Sheryl chuckled. "Typical..." She said shaking her head. "You know, you'll always wish for a war, and battle until you're in one. I was just like you." Sheryl chuckled, rubbing her calf. Kimberly tensed, seeing the story that's going to start coming.

(TW: blood, and actions of suicide/attempts of suicide)

 July 20th, 2045

Sherilyn was a dreamer and a fighter, always day dreaming about dropping bombs on her enemies. She fought for everything she had, and everything she could earn. When the war occurred, the military was so understaffed, they sent out a demand for soldiers. For the infantry. Unfortunately, Sherilyn Martin was drafted, and sent to war. Being excited upon the nervous crowd, as they flew over the site, seeing the dead bodies already start to pile up. "Sweet Jesus..." Sherilyn mumbled, watching bodies drop as their bodies were pelted with bullets. The rudders malfunctioned, spewing into fire, as they spun out of control. Suddenly, Sheryl was on the ground, fighting for survival as enemies tried to plunge knives into her throat. Kicking them off, Sheryl pulled the trigger watching as their brains violently popped out of the fresh hole behind their head. Hopping over a barricade, and into crossfire, she ducked and dove for nearby things for cover. "I need some help here!" Sherilyn looked to the voice, watching as a man pulled another man, the lower half missing, intestines spilling out, dragging on the ground. "Grenade!" Someone yelled. She looked back, death right next to her, waiting to take her. Quickly, Sheryl picked it up, chucking it up to the sky, exploding mid-air. Shot back, dirt piled up on her cheeks, as her ear drums presented her with a painful ringing in her ears, as they tried to recover from the sudden burst of noise. Dizzily, she looked over to her right, seeing an enemy trying to hold her partners at gunpoint. Weakly, she pointed the gun up, and shot. The bullet travelled through his ear, coming out from just above his other ear. Blood painted the ground, as Sheryl stumbled over the barricades, seeing the other's whimpering with their guns tucked tightly to their chest. Shooting over to the other side, a few stood high and proud, as they dropped some, before getting shot. Looking over, she saw a young kid, grasping his gun, as he pulled another. Watching carefully, she saw him put down his main, bringing the barrel up to his chin. Whimpering, the boy cried. Quickly, she kicked the gun out of his hand, taking his fingers. "C'mon boy! Don't give up!" She pulled him up, giving him back his main gun, charging at the enemy, ducking behind solid doors. "Get out of there!" They ordered, waving fast trying to get us to get back. Sheryl was the first to hear it. The loud buzzing of the incoming thunderbolt. "Oh Jesus!" They hopped over the sides, hearing multiple in-bound. "Move your ass!" They jumped over branches, as the thunderbolts came in faster, finally striking. At first, you heard the shells, hitting hard on the target, only a few seconds later of the guns actually firing. Smoke covered the sun, darkening the forest, as they all scrambled to get away from the incoming danger. "Holy hell!" Sherilyn coughed, wiping her forehead, as she high-kneed through the woods.

Jolin sat quietly, watching as aunt Sheryl pulled up her pant leg, a huge gash across her calf. "Yeah, got that back in 2049." She said casually, gently rubbing the scar. "So... what happened?" Sherilyn looked at her, the regrets in her eyes glaring at Jolin. "After the war? Well..." She rubbed her elbow. "We decimated a whole country." Jolin gulped, as Kimberly pinched the bridge of her nose. "But, I will tell you this from an honest stand-point... never wish for war. It'll always show up eventually." Jolin nodded, feeling uncomfortable about the whole thing. "Well, and as for my leg..." Sheryl looked down. "Let's just say, I won the fight." Kimberly looked at Jolin's expression as her mother went back to reading. "Wanna go upstairs?" She asked excitingly grabbing Jolin's trembling hand. "Not gonna lie, your mother is ruthless..." Jolin loked back to the living room. "She's always been like that." Kimberly led Jolin to her bedroom, setting down her bookbag. "Wait, what is it like having a veteran mom?" Kimberly shrugged, laying on her bed. "I mean, I guess it's the same as just... having a mother." Jolin looked down. "She must tell those stories a lot." She shook her head, resting on her bed. "You have no idea..."