Crossed Worlds

Chapter 4

"Granite, what happened back there?"

      As much as the mercenary did not want to tell her, she was going to keep her promise to her partner and explain herself. Granite took in a deep breath and slid her hands along the steering wheel to calm herself down and prepare for whatever reaction Claire would have upon hearing what her mind made her remember. She'd normally look at Claire for something that she would consider serious, but couldn't as they were on the road, but that didn't stop Granite from occasionally glancing at her while she spoke.

"Back at the facility my mind acted up. I saw you carrying one of our allies and the room changed into the battlefield. It was just visual and sound, it still felt like I was in the facility, it still felt off despite seeing and hearing the war."

      Claire's eyes widened, but didn't react right away because it wasn't like last time where Granite was hiding it. She trusts Granite told her the truth as she wasn't the type of person to joke about something serious, or really joke at all. After taking a few moments to compose herself after hearing her partner's disorder acting up. Claire opened the tool bag she had around her waist and pulled out the medicine bottle which Granite had left on the table.

"You should really take your medicine, you know."

      The bottle had a new cap on it as Granite had broken the other when she first took the medication her partner had given her. Granite was never the best at keeping up with her medicine and at times Claire would have to check up on her if she took her dose. A few pills were poured into the medic's hand before she closed it and placed the bottle in her bag which she closed before holding out her hand with the pills for Granite. The veteran with schizophrenia took a few capsules of her medicine and ate them without a second thought and silence was between them.

"How long has it been since it became worse?" The medic asked her partner who took a glance to see the small woman fidgeting with her fingers.

"They've been getting worse after your injury."

"The same time when you ran out of medicine..." She mumbled, but Granite caught from the silence. "What have you seen so far?"

"Innocents. I'm not sure we were even fighting for the right side sometimes." Granite recalled the time seeing the bloodied figure in her room last night. It was a man who was clearly homeless and had nothing to do with the war, but was ordered to kill as a precaution in case they were to share information with the enemy if let go.

"Is that all?"

"No, there was a lot more than that. Do you remember the event several years ago?"

"Which one?"

"The village."

      Those were the only words Claire needed to hear to know what Granite was talking about. She was bothered about it herself, there was no reason for their side to even have to touch that village as there was nothing to gain or much for the other side to lose. It was senseless violence at the least. Cruelty was all that they could offer as they had to listen to their orders even if they pitied the villagers on the inside. Defenseless civilians who were all terrified of the soldiers who could easily kill them.

      Claire took off her military cap and reached inside to move a flap inside her cap to pull out a photo which she stared at deeply in mournful silence. Granite quickly looked over multiple times and back to the road to study what her partner kept in her cap. It was an old printed photo which had been wrinkled from being hidden in her cap which was of her and one of the village's children. The two in the photo had smiles placed on their faces with the medic kneeling down to the boy's height