Soldier

Chapter 24: Alex

Okay, first the night started fine. Kairi and I had a good time... I actually sang in front of a large group of people, and we danced. There was many other things that were good (Rather not mention them). Yet, it had to end with the ship being attacked by flying robot-hawks or some other kind of robo-bird. Even in a huge warship, we were losing painfully to them. While hundreds of others were either thrown overboard, severely hurt, carried off somewhere...or... or killed...

The point is, it really ruined a good night. And many people... many people died.

Now were stuck sitting here in the cold. Every breath I take, I blow back out a white mist. We have hardly any supplies, except those we had with us, being driven by a Lander. Well, more like riding in it. To somewhere I don't even know is particularly safe...

The weather absolutely freezing too... Maybe from about twenty to negative two degrees. It just doesn't look good.

But, who am I to complain? Although, we are probably, in better shape than the ship back at... wherever we left it. Just it's so cold. It feels like all the warmth in my body will just be sucked out of me at any moment. A cold shiver ran down my spine almost as if on cue.

None of us have really said anything to each other since we boarded the lander...

Some of the others coughed as we stared at each other in a circle.

I held tightly onto Kairi as we sat together in the corner of the little boat...

Well, little might not be the word. It only looks small on the inside. It should be been big enough to carry maybe twenty people. But there are only about eight of us here. Not counting the driver, which came with the boat. I didn't notice him either, until the sun came up at least. Granted, I should have guessed since a boat needs a driver.

He is wearing a thick black vest, a small blue sailor's cap and a regular sailor outfit, all dyed a dark blue color. He stared straight ahead as he held onto the small wheel that controls the boat, looking out into the vast ocean. He hasn't said anything either...

I turned my attention to the boat itself.

Actually, as I get a better look around the boat, it's more of a rectangle that's wedged at one side, the sides big enough to cover us when we sit down. But it's maybe half-or better yet- three quarters my size if I were to stand up. Though, the big gap in the roof really doesn't help in this cold. Since it boxes us in slightly at the top...

I felt Kairi shiver as she leaned closer into me. I looked at her with concern. She has to get out of the cold. Just there's nothing here that-! I just got an idea. A rather risky one, but an idea. She'll probably get mad at me for this...

I took off my jacket, and lied it around Kari's shoulders. One of the others yelled at me,

"Are you an idiot?! Put your damn jacket on before yo-"

He stopped dead in his tracks with one look. The student swallowed hard and scooted back a little. Kairi took off the jacket I gave her and tried to give it back to me. She pushed it towards me as she said,

"Alex! I'll be fine, you have to worry about yourself. Now put your jacket on!"

I took the jacket back and putt it back around her shoulders. I kissed her on the forehead, and told her,

"Don't worry. You need it more than I do... I'll be fine, as long as you're alright, kay?"

Kairi backed off as little. She bit her lip a little, and pulled the jacket a little tighter as she shivered. She looked at me with upset eyes.

"Idiot! Don't do that... take better care of yourself."

I cracked a smile at her. A cold shiver ran through my body. The cold really cut deep in my skin. I guess a tight white shirt isn't the best shirt for the cold, is it. I took in a deep breath and leaned against the metal wall of the Lander.

"You know Kairi. I may be a fool sometimes, but I really do mean well. And as long as it's to protect those I care about, I don't matter as much." Kairi looked at me a little angrier.

Kairi...

"But I'll always make sure I'll be right there with them no madder what happens, Kairi. Don't forget that. No matter what happens to me, I'll protect you, and I'll always find a way to come home."

I smiled at her again. Kairi looked at me confused, but with a slight smile. She pouted a little as she sat back down next to me and threw half of the jacket over me.

I looked at her surprised. Kairi giggled as she rolled her eyes and said "There. Now we don't have to fight over this. Now stop trying to act cool, and just promise me you won't die for me. I couldn't handle knowing I was the reason you died. And don't be so serious!"

Kairi laughed with a bright smile as she kissed my cheek. I didn't think about sharing the jacket...

Thank you, Kairi.

The others stared at us, awkwardly. I almost forgot they were there? One of them stated,

"Well you two are quite the couple, aren't you?"

He looked at us bewildered as he crossed his arms and held onto his stomach as he shivered. The others nodded their head in agreement. Even Willis. He rolled his eyes at us as he pulled out a small tablet from somewhere... where did he get that from?

He clicked on it a few times with his fingers until he looked satisfied and put it in the middle of the group, to show us a map that is displayed on the screen. It's of a little town that's surrounded by a forest. There is only one road that leads to a nearby lake. It looks like its right offshore from the ocean.

Before Willis could have had given any sort of explanation, the device died. It beeped as the word 'Powering Off' flashed on the screen and turned black.

Willis looked at it with his mouth open, and sighed loudly. He grabbed the device in his hands, and put it back into a bag that he had. Hmmm. I didn't notice he had a bag with him, since we all made a pile of our supplies and weapons towards the back of the ship. Which really isn't much, but... it's enough to keep us alive for a while.

Willis looked at the sky briefly, before he said,

"Okay. As you all know. The battleship we were coming on was ambushed. So, the captain decided it was best to send out as many troops as he could to the nearest landing point. He had turned off the lights on the sides of the ship so that the Lander crews could send off as many people as they could without too much interference. However, we are unaware of how many..."

Willis stopped his sentence, to think over what he wants to say. Willis continued his speech,

"How many people weren't killed or had made it to the Landers. Or that weren't sunk while in the landers."

One of the others, an older student that looks maybe five years older than me, interrupted Willis.

"So what you're saying is, were alone until we know for sure how many others survived?"

Willis looked at him in a serious manner.

"Yea. Thanks for summing up our situation again."

Willis paused for a moment and waited for anyone else to interrupt him. "Still, that's correct though. So until we know for certain. We are on our own and will have to fend for ourselves in enemy territory. If we're lucky, maybe we could find one of the forts that the previous soldiers there are currently held in, however, I can highly doubt it. So our mission now is to survive. Everyone understand?"

All of us shook our heads in agreement. Really, there isn't another option, so no one disagreed. When out of nowhere... the person driving the boat talked for the first time, out of the entire trip.

"We're almost there. Lands in sight."