Friendly Fire

Prologue

Zeffer stood in the middle of the plane. He listened to his headphones as someone situated his parachute onto his back.

"Zeffer!" I yelled over the screaming engines. "Are you ready for another jump?" He looked pale at the mention of a jump. Our last mission didn't go over too well. our friend slammed his knee into the tail of the plane. He lost his leg.

"Are you sure this is the best idea?" His voice shook with fear. 

"You know me by now, I don't do anything without knowing the worst possible outcome."

The light turned colors with an annoying click and honk, letting us know it was almost ready to drop. Mary, the pilot, came over the speakers. "Make it a safe run! I don't care if you die, just bring back my gear!" Her usual short "speech of encouragement," as she liked to call it, didn't help settle my partner's nerves.

The bay door dropped. We walked to the edge and glared at the light, begging it to turn green. Then we were off.

Our target, a tall building of glass and cement off the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. Our mission, retrieve files on the lowest floor of the building then get to our ride on the roof.

Simpler than most missions.

I pulled my chute. Middle window, as low as I could get without being caught. I pulled out my pistol and shot  the window so I could get in with fewer problems.

Contact.

My knees hit hard against the cracked window, shattering it and my knees if it weren't for wearing my knee pads. I quickly took off my pack so I wouldn't get dragged back out with my chute. I raised my gun expectedly but was only met with the wind at my back.

It was time to get set up. Zeffer was to land on the floor below me and clear a path or make a distraction. It was up to him to choose.

I kept my guns where I could easily get them and made sure my earpiece worked. Zeffer answered, then a soft buzzing filled in the nothingness. 

I chose to take the stairs. Everyone in office buildings were too lazy to take the stairs. They loved elevators.

I got to the bottom floor - rendezvous point - and waited. The footsteps echoed beyond the door in front of me. I also heard my partners footsteps in the stairwell. Was he always this loud?

"Sorry, I'm  late-"

"Don't let it happen again." I cut him off and he replied with a nod of his head. "Are the charges set?"

"Yeah, set to blow in about 30. You ready?"

I cocked my gun, ready to fight. "Ready."

BOOM!

An army of armed guards passed the door on their way outside to the plast sight. After the last man passed, we entered the room. The computers were not far. A few doors down.

I entered the room. Not a thing. Not a single thing went wrong. Now there wasn't a single noise to be heard. I didn't pull the flash drive from my pocket. instead, I pushed the emergency button. It melted in my pocket.

Click!

My partners gun pressed cool against the back of my neck.

I could have taken my partner out without a problem- he was only half my size. I wanted to see how this played out.

"Give me the drive." He demanded, his voice colder than usual.

"I can only give you soup. Or lemonade, and possibly a brownie." 

"Oh, I'm sure you're shaking in your never polished boots." I looked down at my boots self-consciously.

Men of all shapes and sizes filed in, their shining boots thudding and guns clicking. The cold pressure came off my head. Zeffer patted me down and took all my guns off me. He aimed his gun back at me.

"Where is it?" He asked curiously. I shrugged.

"I told you already. Soup!"

WHACK!

~

I scratched another day into the wall. 5th year anniversary in hell. My beard had reached my belly. I gave up hygiene a long time ago. My hair was long, but not as long as my beard.

I wondered what I looked like. They didn't give me anything reflective. Not that it mattered, there wasn't any light in here anyway.

The bell sounded, telling me it was meal time. Soup, how ironic. They also gave me bread and murky water. Today was different, it was special. I got a chocolate bar.

A note was attached to the bar. Same one I got every year.

"Happy anniversary, Luke..." I said it to myself as I grabbed my spoon. My hands shook as I dipped the metal into the chunky liquid. I tried to imagine a better circumstance, but I forgot all smells, all sights, all tastes beyond what I knew for the last 5 years.

I should have killed Zeffer when I had the chance. That bastard!

I threw my water against the wall. The cup clattered to the ground. Tears filled my eyes, threatening to spill down my cheeks. I wiped them away. "I will not cry." I thought.

I thought.

I lied.

My tears streamed quietly down my cheeks at first, then I let out a small whimper, and then the uncontrollable sobs that wracked my body. My sobs echoed back pitifully at me.

My hope - gone. My desperation - gone. My motives for life - gone. My body went numb. My mind raced, though there was nothing to think about. My heartfelt cold and hard. I felt as though I would never trust again. Not like there was going to be anyone to trust.

My mind trained in on the chocolate. I numbly reached for it. 

The silkiness reminded me of the last 4 anniversaries. Id have more chocolate in a year. That was what I was going to live for. One more chocolate bar. Pitiful.

There was nobody around to see my pitty, so I cried and ate my chocolate bar. I was thankful for every bite and made it last as long as I could.