To Hell and Back // Alex Keller.

Thin ice is melting.

The sky was the canvas of nature on a warm, summer day. Thin white clouds floated along the horizon as if they werepainted with a brush all over the bright blue of the sky. The echo of the airplane travelled through the labyrinths of the streets, catching the attention of the small people on the ground. Leaves on the tall trees danced in the same rhythm with the warm wind, as the day was coming to its end. Sun hid somewhere far away behind the tall buildings and hills, but its light still tried to reach every single corner, keeping the darkness of the night away for as long as it was possible.

Sunrays kissed with the tired face of the man, as he placed the bouquet of the wildflowers on the dark, wooden dining table. The dark brown hair of the officer grew longer, than he usually liked it to be. Summer wind played with it, creating a mess for a split moment. Alex closed his eyes, remembering the heat of the desert of Urzikstan, as if trying to take himself back to the life he once knew. But, every decision has consequences, and Keller was dealing with his. Flowers reached for the sky, as they stood tall in the glass full of water. A hint of a smile appeared on the man's lips, as Alex looked over the result of his own struggle. During the darkest nights, he could swear that there was pain coming from the place that was once his leg. Phantom pains were a part of the journey, and the pain decided to create an alliance with the nightmares. Unexpectedly, the officer found himself thanking the captain for finding a company for the endless days that looked the same. But did Price ever hear those words coming from the man? Of course not.

The weekend passed by just as quickly as it arrived. Days were flying by, as the seasons and years were changing, but everything in the world stayed the same. On one side of the planet, another war started in the silence of the news outlets, while on the other side, people screamed about the stupidest things on the planet all over the news. Kelly switched from one radio station to another, as the endless conversations of the radio hosts were flying through the car. The dirty laundry of the celebrities, conversations about the weather, news, but no one played music. While trying to find anything louder than thoughts in her head, a redhead hadn't even noticed the well-known tress surrounding the tall, dark house. The brakes of the car echoed through the quiet streets, drawing the attention of the neighbours hiding behind the tall, wooden fence. Miller remembered the last meeting with Alex and expected this time to be shorter than the road back home. The citrusy hint of her perfume stayed in her fiery hair, as the aroma entered the house with the woman. Unusual silence greeted Kelly, as she walked further into the kitchen. 

"I'm sorry, I was rude to you last time." Alex's voice cut through the silence when a redhead found him sitting in one of the chairs in the kitchen. For a moment, Kelly caught herself wondering if he was waiting for her there, and if so, for how long. A freshly cut wildflowers from the backyard ended up in the hands of a woman, as the floral smell took over the house. Despite its emptiness and lack of details, the brightness of the sun finally brought some life to the dusty rooms.

"Thank you for apologizing, Alex. Maybe it was just a hard day for you?" Miller couldn't hide a smile over a small gesture from the officer. Flowers took their place inside the glass with water that would let them stay inside the walls of the house for a little longer. For a moment, a woman totally forgot about the bag that was still sitting in her hands. Keller was in hiding she knew nothing about, but there was one chore a redhead took upon herself – taking care of himeven just a little.

"Yes, full of physical pain." Keller looked around, just to find the bottles with pills sitting on the further end of the kitchen counter. The medicines were bringing an easy fix to one of his problems. Hiding the symptoms was never a cure, but there was nothing more the man could do. Not even a single wrinkle on his face would tell about all the pain Alex went through during the day, but in the end, it all would be worth coming back to the battleground somewhere far away from home.