Our Silent Lives Conquer Worlds

Finché Morte Non Ci Separi

The light reflected off the snow wonderfully and luminously, bathing the town of Saint Moritz in light that made the place a beacon against the undead that no one knew was lurking so close by. Z73 and the others all made their way to the town once morning broke, with Stroheim leaving once more to get repaired.

They were staying in a hotel on the edge of town, one that faced towards where their adversaries rested, hiding in the dark of a broken hotel of their own. 'Kars and Wamuu, the last two Pillar men that stand in the way of my goal.'

She looked down to her pants pocket, pulling out the locator. 'I'm no closer to finding the Siphon, but dealing with these Pillars will probably be the best thing I can do for now. With the advancements the Germans have made in this period, I can guess they'll be the best bet to have the thing.'

"Oi, Sirocco!" She looked over to Joseph, seeing him sitting down in a chair on the patio. "What?"

"While I get that you're extra like that, can you get down from the roof?"

She blinked a few times and hopped down, dusting off her red button up and flapping her jacket. "Better Mr. Critique?"

He rolled his eyes and looked away, seemingly taking an interest in the cat that's walking so haughtily next to him. Z73 decided to look out to the forest, out towards the Pillar men themselves.

...

"Money for your thoughts?" A voice came up next to her, and she saw Caesar lean over the railing just as she was.

"Not for sale Caesar, but I'm willing to bargain." She gave him a smile, one that he returned.

They didn't say anything and just looked out towards the woods, where Caesar took a deep breath before putting more weight on the rails as he leaned his body down. "To think that those monsters are so close, yet so far away. I'm still not sure what to think of that."

"Then don't. Sometimes it's easier to simply do it without thought and worry about it later."

He looked over to her, while she raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong?"

"Sirocco...I've been meaning to ask you, but the opportunity never showed itself." He stood from the rail, and simply looked at her. "The way you act, the way you handle the traumas we've seen in this journey...it's like you've seen worse before, like you're a veteran of some devastating and horrid war."

She never broke eye contact, and Caesar furrowed his brow. "I'm worried about that is what I'm trying to say. We've all said things about our past, and you've said something too. What were you before this experiment? What made you the way you are now?"

...

Z73 sighed and looked back to the woods. "Caesar, there are people that live wildly different lives that can experience more blood and murder in a month then you see in a lifetime. I am unfortunate to belong to such a group."

"Do you...need a shoulder? A face to tell?"

"I don't Caesar. I've accepted those parts of me long ago, for that's what's a soldier does."

She heard him gasp. "Soldier?! You were a child soldier?!"

'Child soldier? Is it because of my false age? Well then...he gave me the opportunity, I'm not wasting it.'

"Yep, you hit the dot. We were trained early on and given guns, told to take down our enemy quick and easy...of course, that's only part of the tale."

She turned around, leaning on the rails as she looked at the Italian boy. "Caesar, these past weeks have shown me your ups and downs, and I truly respect your power and skill...plus, it's nice to have friends like you."