Come Back To Me

Come Back to Me

You first met her on the playground in the park. You were both 8 years old. She sat in the swing, her face in her hands, tears falling. You approached her and asked what was wrong. She told you that the guy she liked pushed her and called her weird. You told her not to cry. You told her to get over that guy. You told her that the guy was just a bully. She stopped crying and looked up at you, her jade green eyes meeting your shades. She said thanks. You both spent the rest of the time talking. When her grandfather called her, she kissed your cheek and said goodbye before running to her grandfather's embrace. Your name is Dave Strider and you've just fallen for Jade Harley

You were both 13 years old. She'd just transferred to your school and she was already known as the "green-eyed genius" You both ate lunch together. John, her cousin, and your sister, Rose, seemed to get along well. John, a dorky fellow, wasted no time in being one of your best bros. Rose, cold and calculating though she is, she couldn't help but fall for John's outright honesty and values. She told you this on the first day of winter break. Meanwhile, Jade was the model student, especially in the field of science. She was a literal straight A student. You could never have passed Science without her help. John's birthday came up in April. You, Rose and Jade spent it at his house. John had this huge grin on his face when he answered the door and saw all three of you. Your circle of friends was small, but undeniably close. When night fell, you'd gone up to the roof; your constant fencing with bro had trained you to be flexible and agile. Jade had followed you up. You both sat there in silence. She pointed out constellations in the starry night sky. You listened closely and looked where she pointed. Your hand brushed her other hand and your eyes met with hers. Your heart beat against your chest, threatening to burst out. A moment later, your lips were on hers. Jolts of electricity went down your spine, though the kiss was chaste. You could have stayed like that until the world ended, but Rose called you both down to the dining room. A huge cake at the center of the table along with an array of assorted baked goods greeted you and Jade. You ate heartily, you felt something. She laced her hand in yours under the table. Your eyes met once more, a blush rising to both of your cheeks. Your name is Dave Strider and you were dating Jade Harley.

You were both 18 years old. Your high school days were awesome. You and Jade were still dating. You both perfected Morse code. Whenever you wanted to have a private conversation with her, it was only a few taps away. You both faced countless troubles that overturned most relationships. You liked the fact that your relationship withstood so much, setting you apart from other couples. John and Rose had finally gotten together, after 4 years of dodging, ducking and longing. Days went by in a blur. A constant cycle of looking into each other's eyes before going back to doing what they were supposed to be doing before going back to looking into each other's eyes. Before you knew it, it was prom night. You and Jade danced the time away, her hand in yours, and your eyes on hers. When everything was over, you escorted her home and bade her goodnight, your heart aching to be with her just a little longer. A few days passed by, and you watched her go up on stage to deliver her Valedictorian speech before receiving her diploma. In the post graduation after-party, you kissed her, the electricity still there. But after the party, she pulled you aside and told you that she wanted to break it off. You didn't understand. She said that she was going to take medicine and said that you were aiming for a teaching degree. She said that she couldn't bear a long- distance relationship. Your heart was filled with lead. But you, yourself knew that you had to let her go. So you told her that love looks better when it's free than when it's caged. A few days later, she was on the first train to Harvard. Your name is Dave Strider and Jade Harley had just walked out of your life.

You were 26 years old when you got shot by a mugger on your way home. You'd stayed late to grade papers in the university that you were accepted in. It was your first year of teaching. He came close to you; you passed him off as a bystander. You saw the gun too late. You felt a sharp pain in your chest before a hand roughly frisked you for your wallet. When it found the wallet, the hand's owner simply ran off in the opposite direction. You could barely move. You blacked out as it started to rain. You woke up in a white room. Your throat was dry, your eyesight was blurry and you could barely move. You hear a sound- beep, beep, beep, beep- and your vision cleared. A man in a black suit approached you. He asked you if you could hear him. You said yes. He told you that you had been shot in the chest and the bullet went through to your spine. He told you that you wouldn't be able to walk anymore. Your face fell; you couldn't imagine being on a wheelchair for the rest of your life. But then the man said that you had a chance. He told you that your genes caused faster regeneration-which is why you were paralyzed-your spine grew around the bullet. He said that he could get it out, but with a price. He wanted you to join an elite team of others who, like you, had fast regenerative abilities. He wanted you to be a soldier. He said that your current earnings as teacher didn't cover for the expenses of the operation nor the hospital fees. Three days later, the bullet was removed from your spine. Three days after that, you walked out of the hospital with the man. Your name is Dave Strider and you were just recruited by the military.

You were 27 years old when your first mission against the new terrorist group under the influence of General Juzziz Kassad who had so far been able to traverse great distances without getting caught, all the way from Iraq. You heard that this was a Black-Op mission in Vietnam; no reinforcements, no air support, no emergency evacuation. You were fine with it. Your legs now able to fully support body weight after years of training with 6 other men and women. Your objective was to infiltrate the enemy base, steal some documents and blow the mountain down. The jungle was a hell you never prepared for- mines, tripwire, and Kassad's forces. On the first day of the mission, you came down as a new recruit in a 7-man team. By the third day, you were a 6-man team inside the mountain. One was lost in a mine detonation. You split up into pairs, clearing the labyrinthine mountain. Whilst with your partner, you noticed a metal door. You peeked inside it and you saw a scene that made your skin crawl. People were suspended in midair by their ankles. One poor soul had its head in a bag as it sat in a chair whilst two men struck its body. When the person screamed, you realized that you know that voice. Your next two bullets were spent on the men who were beating the girl. When you tore off the bag, your suspicions were confirmed- Jade Harley. You cut her bonds and you picked her up, your partner's eyes wide with shock. You put Jade's arm over your shoulders, supporting her weight. You hear her struggle to speak. Her voice, once clear as glass, was now coarse as sand. You opened your mouth to ask her if she knew anything. You didn't get the chance. In a burst of light, you were alone with Jade Harley, two men lying lifeless on the floor- one of whom was your partner. Your teammates told you that they found the documents and were ready to go. You lift a finger to the earpiece when an explosion knocked you off your feet. The next thing you knew, your hands were bound, Harley was bound, and rough hands were lifting you up. And then you fall.
Your name is Dave Strider and you have fucked up in saving Jade Harley.

A year later, you were deployed in a burning city. Beijing was being torched to the ground by the same group who killed Jade. You had sworn revenge for her and for the others who were killed. Your team of 14 snuck their way to a mansion by the river. Your dexterity and speed with the knife was now unmatched. Your quick and silent kills allowed your team to get inside the mansion. By the time you infiltrated the mansion, your team had already set the explosives to cover your escape. Staircase after staircase, you climbed and climbed until you reached the top. You drew your Magnum and crept forward to place a breaching charge on the door. You looked to the man on your left and nodded. He pressed the button and there was a big BANG. You rushed into the room and pulled the trigger the instant you saw Kassad's face. And then you heard the splattering sound that the blood makes followed by the smell of rust. You gave your eyes time to focus and your heart to stop pounding. Your heart rate began to normalize- and then suddenly, you're blasted off our feet as the building collapses from a huge explosion. When the dust cleared, you were lying on the ground as dust filled the air. In the thick of the shadows, you saw a figure. The masked figure swung at you with a hard right hand. And then you were both beating each other to death in total darkness. When the dust began to settle, you grab at the figure and pull as soon as you felt contact. You did not expect to see long, dark hair. The figure punched you in the jaw, forcing you to let go of the figure. Then you saw its face -Jade Harley. She'd changed completely since you last saw her; harder lines on her face and wider eyes. She punched you in the gut as you stopped attacking and blocking. She punched you again and again until you taste fresh rust and cough up blood. All of your attempts to speak never left your throat. She kicks you and you land 5 meters away, the pull of gravity causing you to roll downhill. When you could see again, you saw water right beside you, a metal pipe and a large slab of stone. Jade marches down, her eyes still wide and unfocused. You couldn't speak. She approached you with a gun in her hands. You move your hand and grasp the metal pipe, every single inch lighting a fire in your back. She stood over you as you take the pipe and strike the stone.

-.-. --- -- . / -... .- -.-. -.- / - --- / -- .

You tapped as she cocked the gun and fired at your chest, once, twice, thrice, until she unloaded the clip.

-.-. --- -- . / -... .- -.-. -.- / - --- / -- .

She heard the taps after your last repeat.

-.-. --- -- . / -... .- -.-. -.- / - --- / -- .

Her eyes became more focused and her face grew soft. She looked down at you, shock, terror and grief filling her face. You lift your hand to her cheek-

And then the world was black

-THE END