After a while of holding Shilo and questioning my entire species I got up from the bed. I pulled on my combat boots and laced them up. I grabbed my knife and bloody handkerchief. As I walked into Mia's tent I saw her sleeping soundly. She was so nice and a great leader. I hate to do this but orders are orders. I come up to her and brush the hair away from her neck. A gentle kind gesture before I take her life. I wrap a blanket over her mouth so she cannot scream. Then I slice deep into her throat, severing her artery. I hear her choke for a few seconds before she goes limp. I have done this a thousand times, taken so many lives but I still shed one single tear. It rolls down my face and lands on her. I take away the blanket and wipe my blade clean. I go back to my tent and put away the blade and handkerchief. Then I snuggle up next to Shilo. I kiss her beautiful dark brown hair. I wait for dawn. We were out late last night so dawn should come soon. I drift into a light sleep. "Ahhhhh!" The scream makes me jolt upright pulling Shilo with me. We both run outside. "Oh God, oh God." A small Asian girl stands in the doorway of Mia's tent. She sees my handiwork and is on her knees. Tears stream down her face as she prays. Shilo steps around the frightened girl and sees what I have done. She stifles a sob and sinks to her knees. I run in and hold her, she cries into my chest. Behind her I look toward Mia and see her lifeless eyes. Her limp body makes her look even more fragile. "Not Mia, not Mia why does everyone die around me?" Shilo cries into me. I stroke her hair. I hate to break what is already broken in Shilo, but I know that I had to do it. "Oh Shilo I don't know why terrible things happen to good people like you," I tell her. "I know that you feel broken and empty, like you want to give up. But life is hard and Mia would want you to keep fighting." She sobs in response. Amar runs into the tent too and sees her. "Oh Mia," he cries and holds her dead hand. "It wasn't your time, how could this have happened. Mia I love you," he hugs her limp body tightly. Mia isn't in that body anymore but sometimes it is hard to let go. It is like eating a walnut and still eating the shell because you miss what used to be there. "My brave, beautiful Shilo. Stay strong," I say and bring her lips to mine. She presses hers against mine harder than ever, like she is desperate for a way out of this. Like she is having a nightmare and this will wake her up. But it won't. Mia is gone and Shilo is broken. I did this. I killed Mia. I start to cry with Shilo. Our tears run down our faces into our lips and onto the grass. I kiss her tasting the salty sweet of our tears. How could I do this to her? I am the monster she dreams of slaughtering. I am the thing she wants revenge on so badly. My kind took her family and I took one of her only friends. "I'm so sorry Shilo, I'm sorry." Shilo just cries and cries. The Asian girl had finally calmed down and word had spread that Mia, the great fearless leader, was dead. Shilo cried for so long. I managed to get her on her cot. "No I can't be here," Shilo sobs. "Why not?" "I killed her, everything I learn to love dies," she says. "Oh Shilo no that isn't it at all. You are grieving and are looking for someone to blame but don't blame yourself," I say. Blame me I'm the one who killed her I think to myself. "Death is still hanging in the air," she says. "I can smell it, get me out of here," Shilo screams. "Get me out," Shilo screams. Lola bursts in when she hears Shilo's screams. She starts to bark at everyone. "Wow baby," I say to Lola. "Calm down girl." I lift Shilo into my arms. She is surprisingly light for a girl her height. I carry her into my tent and she grasps my shirt. Lola follows us in. Since she knows me she isn't as protective but she is still skeptical looking. I lay next to Shilo and hold her. I run my fingers through her hair and tell her everything will be alright. She cries herself to sleep. My ear piece buzzes in my pocket. I put it on. "Sir, the deed is done," I tell the commander. "Good work you may report back to me immediately," Says the commander. "Sir with all due respect I think I should stay. I think I should see how they respond to this, see the new leader and see if they still are strong," I suggest to the commander. It is a good battle strategy, to have an inside man. But really I just want to stay with Shilo. "Hmmm, yes that seems sufficient to have an inside man. Good thinking. Report back with any worthy news." "Yes sir," I speak with confidence. I don't want to bring anything bad down on Shilo, but it is my species or hers. I still haven't decided who I am for. I could easily help either side. But on this side I would have to reveal my identity and Shilo would hate me. Then she would put the dots together and find out that I killed Mia. Then she would be out for my blood and I wouldn't be able to stop my precious beautiful girl. I leave Shilo and go outside the tent to see the situation. Mia is being carried out of the tent in a stretcher. She is rapped in the bloody blankets of her cot. Amar has a murderous look on his face with tear stains on his cheeks. He will come for the killer. He won't stop until he finds out it was me. I watch them carry her to the infirmary. They will probably keep her there until they have a grave ready. Shilo is still deep asleep. I head to the mess hall to get her breakfast. Everywhere I look I see anger, sadness, and death in people's eyes. No one seems to be much up for eating. They all just pick at their food. I get food for me and Shilo and walk back to our tent. Eggs and biscuits. When I come in I see Shilo has taken her stuff from her tent to mine. She is sitting still as she draws Mia on her sketch pad. Dead Mia with blood dripping down her neck. "Hey there," I say. "Got you some breakfast." She looks up at me with sad desperate eyes. Not the eyes filled with determination and confidence that I saw the day before. "Not hungry," she says. "You should eat," I say. "No," Shilo says firmly. She continues to draw as I eat my food. Once I'm finished I throw away my food and put her food back in the mess hall. I see Amar in the back of the room twiddling a knife around. His face is stone cold. I walk over to him. "Hey man." He looks up with a deadly look in his eyes. "I swear to God I am going to rip that alien to shreds, then I'm going to march into Hell myself and drag him through the deepest pits of that flaming world," Amar threatens me but he doesn't know that I was the one who did it. "They will get what they deserve." I hope I sound convincing. I go back to Shilo and see she has finished drawing Mia and is drawing a shadowy figure with a knife in hand standing over Mia. This is going to eat her alive. Lola curls around her legs. Shilo doesn't pay a speck of attention to anything but her drawing. Her face is still glum. I wonder who will take Mia's place, I wonder if it is Amar. He seems so sweet though. He is just driven by revenge now. "Shilo, do you want to go for a walk?" I ask trying to make her feel better. I know it won't work but it is still good to try. "What I want is to trade places with Mia. Why couldn't that silencer have killed me," she pleads. I couldn't do that. Not now, not ever. "No one really needs me, everyone needed her. She was a great leader," Shilo says. "Oh Shilo I need you, you lead my life. If you died I wouldn't want to live. I would slaughter your killer and then die myself." She looks at me and starts to cry again. I hold her. I kiss her softly on the forehead, then both of her cheeks, then her lips, and then I kiss a line up and down her neck. She pulls me to her lips. I kiss her softly and gently like she is so fragile I could break her. She pulls my shirt over my head and continues to kiss me. Shilo rubs her hands over my back and chest. She separates from me to look. She sees all my scars and kisses each one gently. Shilo grabs my back and runs her lips along mine. I kiss her back a little rougher than before. She puts my hand under her shirt on her bare back. I hold her close to me as we kiss. I pull her up on my lap on the cot. Our lips push together. I lay her down on the cot and sit over her. I kiss her neck and hold her waist to mine. She pulls away and brushes her fingers over my mouth. "I don't want to go too fast," Shilo whispers. I smile and hug her. "It's ok baby, no pressure," I say to her sweet loving face. I let her go and put back on my shirt. We both head outside and Carmen comes up to us. "Hey guys the funeral is starting," she says through her tears. We walk to the edge of camp and I see the burial ground. Hundreds of wooden crosses dot the ground. A hole lies at the edge of the makeshift cemetery. Lots of people stand around the depression. I take Shilo's hand and steer her over to the group. A few hushed conversations spread throughout the gathering. Amar finally appears and the group separates for him. He has a straight face and carries Mia in his arms. She is covered with the bloody blanket. He places her in the pit. A person I have never met before speaks up. "Today we pray for Mia," he says as everyone bows their heads. "She was a sweet girl and a fearless leader, she suffered through hard times but now I believe she is done. Mia is at peace. Now her fight is over and we must continue the fight. We will fight in her name, kill to avenge her." He pauses to let our prayers carry to the sky. "Please bless her, Heavenly Father and watch over us as we really do need. Amen," he finishes. A chorus of soft amens carry through the crowd. Next to me I can feel Shilo shake. I bring her into my arms. I silently reassure her everything will be alright. I cup my large hand on her face and wipe her tears with my thumb. Amar, the guy who was speaking, and an older guy start to fill the grave with dirt. I turn my attention back to Shilo, who is never far from my thoughts. "Keep the fight alive, for her," I say to my brave girl. She slightly turns her mouth up and wipes away her tears with the heel of her hand. I see Amar pinning the cross in the ground with a mallet. His jaw is tight and tears roll down his cheeks. Sadness swims through the air like a disease it infects everyone. The group disperses.
