To Hell and Back // Alex Keller.

Ashes on the rainy day.

Grayness took over every corner it could reach on a long, summer day. Long branches of the trees were reaching up to the sky, as it got covered in big, fluffy clouds. Nature got the new colors, painting the color in darker and lighter shades of gray all over the long canvas the sky turned out to be. Endless buildings along the main street of a small town were painted gray. The darkness was hiding in the tall windows, and corners of the smallest rooms. There was no light on that day, even the sun did not try to fight its way through the clouds.

The pain in Alex's leg reminded the officer about itself on the second flight of stairs. Keller was still getting used to the prosthetic leg, which felt more foreign, than being helpful. The bright walls were covered with the last reminders of the fire to the other offices, as he would climb higher. Getting to the last floor of the building felt like the hardest mission for the Delta Team, but the man was determined to finish it. The bright blue eyes shone with pain somewhere deep inside, left still to be unseen by others. Just like his large hands that were covered in blood that was impossible to wash away, but couldn't be noticed by anyone other than the officer.

Once welcoming, a bright office greeted the visitors with warm light and pastel paintings on the walls. Now, the officer was colored in black as if someone spilled gallons of black paint all over the walls and the floor. Rare patches of white could still be seen on the ceiling, the places where the fire was not tall enough to reach it. Ashes of the personal files, documents, and accounting reports were all buried in piles on the floor. The tall storage cabinet was still standing but could fall from the slightest touch on the burned surface. There was nothing left to save, but hope always dies last.

"Here you are, Kel." Alex stepped over another pile of ashes, entering another room that was hidden from the curious eyes standing by the main door. The wooden floor was peaking through the ashes, making the officer wonder if the whole floor would collapse under the weight of the two right onto the office one level below. Keller couldn't help but let his mind bring him back to Urzikistan. The faraway country was following the man with each step he was taking, yet it was staying at the far back of Alex's mind. After all, the officer knew he would be back someday, and it was just a matter of time.

"Hey, Alex." Tired hazel eyes met with blues in the room full of pain and struggle for Kelly. A storage room never turned into the vision a woman once had for it. The floor once covered in endless boxes was now empty, as her notes turned into nothing but ash. Rare fragments of the pages that could survive held cursive, messy handwriting in a hurry that even Miller would have trouble reading.

"Are you okay?" Tiredness and sleep deprivation were written all over the redhead's face. Alex caught the change in once bright, shining eyes in the color of a forest. A woman was sitting on the floor with her pants covered in the dark ashes of the life she once had. Once again, Kelly's reality fell onto the cold ground and left her with nothing but broken pieces. Slowly, Keller put his knee onto the floor, lowering himself next to the woman, and finally felt the relief over the pain that was tagging along ever since the view of the old house stayed in the rearview mirror.

"Everything's gone. The very last thing I had from Liam is gone." Rivers of tears dried on the red cheek of the woman a long time ago. Tears tried to build up in the corners of her deep eyes, but it felt as if Kelly reached the limit. Instead of letting anything out, she was met with nothing but emptiness. Messy fiery hair was sitting in the clawclip that was colored dark from all the ash flying in the air. For a moment, Miller could swear she turned into the ash too, togetherwith what was once her officer.

"What's gone, sugar?" The line of ash was painted over the cheek of the officer, as he held Kelly closer to his body. A light gray t-shirt that Alex found a couple of hours ago in the depths of his closet got a new design, as the dirt on the woman's face was imprinted into the soft material. More questions were rising up in Keller's mind, as he was getting ready to look for the unknown.