To Hell and Back // Alex Keller.

The burden.

The first summer days fell onto the town just like the poplar fluff took over the dry ground. A few clouds would float along the endless sky, as the temperature rose with each passing hour of the warm day. The once refreshing wind turned into a powerless motion, as heat travelled further on its back. Loud songs of the birds echoed through the forest's silence, as life finally returned to the woods. Dark, and cold winter seemed to be so far away, yet closer than anyone expected it to be.

Lazy cars were rushing up and down the short streets. Old houses were getting lonelier, as the residents would try to escape out of the familiar walls at least for a while. Bright mailboxes were full of paper mail no one even bothered to check anymore. The grass on the once perfectly mowed lawn was reaching up to the sky, as the rain from the last night gave soil the long-awaited water.

Lonely rays of the sun entered into the living room through the open window, as the wind brought freshness into the old house. The loud laughter from the neighbours down the street echoed through the building but did not catch Keller's attention. The gaze of the blue eye was drawn to the screen of the laptop in front of the man. Alex had trust issues with anyone entering his life. Trust is gained with time, not with the first handshake. Paragraphs of text were running on the screen, as the personal file turned into the next book for the officer. Humans are simple beings, who are used to lying and hiding important details. But the paper and files in the CIA archive remember everything. The cursor ran from one page to another, revealing everything Keller would ever want to know.

"Liam 'Viper' Miller,

Rank: Lieutenant. 

Active years of duty: 2003-2016 (British Army), 2017-2019 (PMC CLASSIFIED)

Status: KIA."

A cup of coffee was sitting on a table, as the drink cooled down through the morning. Alex left the tab open for another day, as the next file was in the process of opening. A much shorter, yet informative page opened to the eyes of the officer. Life of every person could be long, or short, but the years of life could always fit in a couple of pages. Kelly's picture at the top was dated a year before her brother's death. A 3-years long course of tactical medicine listed on Miller's profile made man's eyebrows jump in surprise for a moment. The house was quiet, and the long day was hiding no plans for Keller, as curiosity took control over the officer. But Alex couldn't help but wonder, why did CIA had all this information on the two? What else does he need to know about the stranger sent to him by the captain?

The sharp pain took all the thoughts away from Keller, as the pain turned out to be the only thing the man could focus on. Bright yellow pill bottles sat on the kitchen counter, waiting for their turn in a line. Despite the emptiness in the large rooms and the lack of the man's mobility, every little thing had its own place in the drawer or inside of the cabinet. Years in the army taught him the most important skill - discipline. And even the amputated leg could not take that away. The freshly trimmed beard and moustache on Alex's face kept their curvy form, as Keller tried to keep up with the passing days. One week was turning into another, but the days stayed the same. An officer didn't even notice how the rehabilitation time was slowly coming to an end.

The rays of the sun entered the house as the front door swung open. The hardness of the long weekend was written all over Kelly's face. Days were long, and people seemed to be more annoyed than usual as the weather turned gray. Sometimes even the therapists need some time away from their clients. The wind played with the fiery red hair of a woman, as she hid inside of the house. Her face was buried in the phone, as the thin fingers were writing something unknown to the officer's eyes. A small bag with groceries sat on the top of the dining table, while the woman stood in the middle of the room.

"Can I help you get anything?" Kelly finally took her eyes off the phone and looked at the man in front of her. The muscles on Alex's hands tensed with each movement of his on the crunches, as the officer followed his mission of getting the painkillers. Miller caught herself looking at the tattoos over the man's arms as if trying to put together the whole story they could tell. A woman knew she was peeking at his tattoos for way too long, but her eyes stayed on the muscular eyes of the man, as the blush got painted over the cheeks of a redhead.

"I'm good, thank you, Kel." A hint of a smile appeared on the edges of Alex's lips. Ever since losing the leg, he could not help but feel like a burden to the whole world. A mission was supposed to end in a sacrifice for the peace, for ULF, and for Urzikstan. Keller's body was never supposed to be found in the corridors of the chemical plant, but life had another plan. Instead, the officer was surviving on his own with the demons hiding inside of his mind.

Denial turned into anger. Anger addressed to the whole world.

"I don't mind helping, Alex." A woman shrugged her shoulders, deciding not to keep the argument going any further. The uneasy feeling had been following redhead the whole day. Careless drivers on the road almost made Kelly believe that her life was supposed to end that day on one of the empty roads on the way to Keller's house. Cold air escaping outthe fridge kissed her face, as the woman put away the groceries.

"Listen, I appreciate your willingness to help, but I can do it on my own." Pills of different colours, shapes and sizes sat in Alex's hand as the man reached for a glass of water. Lonely drops of water sat on the walls of tall glass, falling on the warm skin of the officer. For a split moment, Keller closed his eyes, as the man leaned against the hard surface of the countertop. The placebo effect of the painkillers spread just like a wave over the man's body, taking away the pain.

"Never doubted it. After all, Keller, I am here only to keep you company." Kelly looked at Alex, feeling how the tension in the air wrapped its arms around the two of them. Silence travelled through the walls of the empty rooms of the house, as the officer caught the look of hazel eyes on his face.

Eventually, Miller did look away breaking the eye contact in between the two. Words were running around in her head, but none of them seemed to be right to slip off her tongue. The woman saw everything she needed to know for her weekly report to the captain. Keller was alive, moving, and had enough energy to be the most stubborn man in town. It didn't take long for Kelly to decide to leave, as she let her emotions speak louder than her mind. The blue eyes of the officer followed the figure of the redhead, as the hardwooden door separated their different words.

The legs of a woman took her along the well-known trail to the car which was hiding in the tall, green trees. The afternoon sky was taken over by the dark clouds, as the wind was dancing with the strong branches in their rhythm.Kelly took a deep breath, letting herself enjoy nature before coming back to the noisy city. A loud sound of the incoming message echoed through the silence before the forthcoming storm, taking all the attention of a redhead to the phone.

"Your brother left some unfinished business for you to deal with, doll.

Everything has a price to pay. "

Miller's eyes ran a couple of times over the text coming from the private phone number. Suddenly, the language she knew since her early years made no sense, as more questions were getting planted in the woman's head.

What if the past was just a lie?

Hellooooo loves! Yes, I am finally alive. Sorry for taking so long to finally post. Hockey is over, so I'm back from my hockey coma too. Thank you for being here and I hope you are enjoying the story so far! Have a great weekend everyone xx