The Remaining Few

Trail Of Blood

Failure. Something we have all experienced in life. Some of us more so than others. Some of us, deeper than others. But people mistake failure as everything being over. Life goes on and so does that failure. The question that should be asked is. Will I let this failure consume me? Or will I take advantage of that failure and keep on living to never fail the same again?

It is all easier said than done. What we feel when we fail is more than just sadness or frustration. It is a mere reflection of ourselves and what we thought was right. Never more so that it just keeps on taking rather than giving.

Tom was the mentor of Gideon in the Marine Corps. He was there when the other higher ups such as Williamson were absent. He trained Gideon to be the best Marine he could be. Need it physically or emotionally. Served in the Marines for more than 30 years, he was a veteran on the battlefield and even more so respected outside of it.

But even after all that death and violence he experienced all those years, the zombies devouring humans was too much for him. The blood dripping down from their mouths was a disturbing sight to him. It was a trauma of his past that he simply couldn't get rid of.

The bracelet he gave to Gideon was a tribute to him. A promise to keep on doing the right thing. Or atleast that's how Gideon saw it the more he kept staring at it. A blue Jay bird on it. It could be used as a bracelet and a necklace. Gideon just kept on using it as a bracelet.

He sat in his own room. The room that was dusty and warm but it would get colder as night would fall. The bookshelfs that had no books on them. It just sat there gathering dust and other shit particles.

He felt that he failed the man who once said to him to keep on doing the right thing. No matter how hard or how unconvincing the outcome may be. But it certainly felt harder than what has been told.

As of now, Gideon knew that he has been deemed as a runner. And runners are an absolute no-no when it comes to the Marines. It shows a sign of disrespect towards your superiors and your fellow Marines.

But that was how he and Adalia were deemed, not what they were. There was nothing that could be used against Shepherd and his unit. The Devolving Agent was a chance but now it's ruined. The citizens were kept there not knowing what happens behind the scenes.

Gideon didn't even know if the other prisoners made it. The ones that were captured and tormented for not being on the winning side. It seemed ages ago that he left. But he knew that he had to return there sooner or later. Forcefully or willingly as it was.

He then heard a knock on the door and looked over to see who it was.

It was just Howard. He asked with a guilty sort of tone if he could come in. Gideon just confusingly said yes as he looked back at what he was doing.

Howard sat next to him and looked at what he was doing. He noticed a bracelet in his hands but didn't want to ask what it was. Instead, he looked at something else. His hair and beard that was out of shape for awhile now.

"You know your hair's getting longer. Beard too. I uuh..heard Luka cuts hair pretty good. Hmph, Enzo said that to me. He probably meant something else." Said Howard as he spoke awkwardly, but he knew it.

"What..do you mean?" Asked Gideon calmly as he slowly started looking at Howard.

Howard himself started to smile uncontrollably and said "Well you know...impress the lady perhaps. I see you two getting close. Closer than I could ever see. Just occurred to me though. Had nothing to do but watch from a distance."