Red (Colors Sequel)

Chapter 7

[TW Gore, mentions of rape]

After the encounter I had had with Nate, we had bother retreated back to our tents.

After all, the day had been long for everyone and we were all exhausted.

A soldier had come in a little while back to tell me that they had given Wade, Tyler and all of their teams tents to stay in. I had thanked them and they'd gone to rest like everyone else.

I, myself, felt worn out. And yet, I couldn't seem to fall asleep.

The events of the day kept replaying in my mind and I couldn't help but think about what I could've done better. The strings of whats ifs and buts kept repeating over and over again. It seemed never ending.

And on top of that, I still couldn't shake off the feeling that the bed was too empty. In the midst of everything, I'd forgotten to change it.

I sighed and opened my eyes. They had adapted to the darkness of my tent, but even then it was hard to see. Everything was silent, too. There was no light pebble of the rain like most nights. Nor quiet footsteps of a soldier going back to their tent. And, of course, there were no animals to be heard.

Sometimes, that was the thing that I hated the most about living in the desert. That and the heat.

I rolled on my side and contemplated the inside of my tent instead of just staring at the wall. Everything was barely visible, but I knew every nooks and crannies like the back of my hand.

I really needed to tidy it all up, but I couldn't bring myself to touch at Ethan's stuff just yet. It felt too much like getting rid of them and I, in no way, wanted that.

God, why couldn't I sleep?

I sat up on my bed before getting up. The blue box perched up on Ethan's desk had been eyeing me for a while and I knew that I wouldn't sleep before having looked at the pictures one more time. After all, a trip down memory lane couldn't hurt... Right?

Grabbing the little box and sitting back down on my bed, I opened it. I had turned on a small lamp on my way there to help me see better. And the soft light was just enough for me to see the first picture. I grabbed it and smiled at it.

It was the one of Ethan and Cry doing funny faces at the camera. I smiled bitterly at the sight of Cry. He looked so happy and carefree. Where had that Cry gone to?

"Mark, you awake?" I jumped in shock and quickly hid the box under my blanket.

I cleared my throat before answering, just in case it was obvious how emotional I'd been just a second ago.

"Yes? Who is it?" I really shouldn't have turned on that lamp.

"It's me, Cry. Can I come in?" Well, that was unusual to say the least. Also, wasn't it like four in the morning or something?

"Sure?" Cry walked under my tent with determination, almost like he was walking towards the battlefield. I could see that he was wearing his mask even in the darkness surrounding him. The little light coming from my lamp reflected on his mask and made it shine. Also, it was getting lighter and lighter the more we progressed into the night.

Cry was standing awkwardly, head turned away from me.

"Can't sleep either?" Cry nodded absentmindedly, rendering my attempt at a conversation completely useless. He seemed lost in thought.

Guess I had nothing better to do than wait. I ran a thumb over the picture in my hand, trying to calm down from when Cry scared me.

"Can I?" Cry said, taking a few steps towards me and pointing at a chair near my bed. I nodded and he sat down in one swift motion.