Chapter 21

Life is surrounded by choices, in it people can choose whatever they want, the endless possibilities are really fascinating... on paper, because in practice it doesn't work that beautifully. As a philosopher said “Man is condemned to be free”, many people see this freedom as if it were something properly good, but in this case it is not something as definitive as black and white. The so feared freedom that the philosopher reported worked like a chain, can it be something absurd to compare, how can something free be chained? As I said, practice doesn't work in an easy-to-understand way. All these men I command are free, they have the right to choose, if they wanted they could run away right now, but still they can't, because that too is something coming from freedom, the consequence generated by their actions, because from her they are all following my orders without reluctance, thinking what their choice could entail they dry me out in fear of making a decision, it's easier and more convenient for them that way. Yet I don't blame them, I don't blame them for not following their paths, I don't blame them for looking like bodies without souls, I don't blame them for anything... because I'm just like them. If they're zombies in chains I'm the demon that's guiding them by pulling the chains... but around my neck is a collar. In the end I can't choose either, people think that not being able to make a choice is a lack of freedom, but they are wrong, because even the act of not choosing is a choice. Do you realize how terrible this freedom is? For me she's scary... (Captain)

-Captain... (soldier)

Stopping thinking and returning to the real world, he looks at the soldier who called him.

-Right ahead. (Soldier)

The soldier points with his finger, indicating a spot behind some trees, it was still far away, but some old wooden houses could already be seen.

-Looks like we found something. (Thomas)

- That place looks like something out of a horror movie. (Mike)

-Did you know that the dumbest are the first to die? (Thomas)

-It's too bad for you then. (Mike)

-Oh you... (Thomas)

-Captain, what do we do? (Arthur)

-We will advance, if they find anyone kill her without making a noise. (captain)

-But what if she's not an enemy? (Arthur)

Captain didn't look away, he was looking straight ahead towards the houses, but his dead eyes showed his real feeling, he wasn't proud of his actions but would keep moving forward. Ignoring Arthur's question he starts walking towards that village.

Advancing that dark night over the moon's dimness, the army was spreading through the village, without making a sound, they checked the entire outer region without any difficulty and with that done some began to enter the houses to check, while one person was watching on the outside. Arthur entered the house along with Mike, they began to look carefully all over the house until they arrived in a room with two single beds, a closet, furniture and a poster written "VW" taped to the wall. Arthur notices that some sheets of paper were left on top of the furniture and I decided to go and check what it was. When he was getting close he hears a loud creaking sound coming from behind him, he turns quickly to check what it was, when he turns he sees that it was just his colleague opening the closet to see what was inside.

-Better prevent yourself, right?

(Mike)

After the misunderstanding, Arthur returns to those sheets of paper. He looks at the first sheet that was on top of the others, it was a drawing made by a child, there were two people drawn on it, it seemed that whoever drew these two people were super heroes, one had a green aura coming out of his body and the another a dark purple. The one that contained the green aura was cheerful with a big smile on his face, while the other was more serious.

-What is that? (Mike)

-Looks like a drawing. (Arthur)

Arthur changes the page and to his surprise there was no more drawing the rest of the papers only had written things.

-“February 13, 2018, me, my brother and my parents moved to our new house. I'm still not sure why, but my brother seems to know something. I never know what's going on in his head, he's always quiet and doesn't tell me anything he's thinking. I miss my old home, I don't have friends here and I don't have many clothes. My parents were in such a hurry to move that I just couldn't bring almost anything with me. I don't understand what's going on, why couldn't we have stayed where we used to live? I liked her. I miss Tobi, they didn't bring him with us. I want to go back there, I don't want to stay here. My brother told me to be quiet and stop crying, but I want to go back to our old house.” (Arthur)

-Looks like he went through a rough patch. (Mike)

-Yes, he wrote everything he was feeling here, I think it was the refuge he found. (Arthur)

-Aren't you going to keep reading? (Mike)

-We have to check the rest of the area yet. (Arthur)

-It's okay, besides now I got a little curious. Don't you also want to know what happened? (Mike)

Arthur knew he had to ignore what he was reading to help his teammates finish the assignment, but just as Mike had said, he was also curious to know what happened to the boy.

-“February 14th, I went to see the other people who lived here, they looked strange, their clothes were worn out and all dirty. They didn't look normal, they were always scared, I tried to talk to one of them, but he didn't pay attention to me. I went to talk to my mother, I told her that there was no one at home to feed Tobi and that we need to go back, she didn't say anything, I tried to make her understand that we need to go back otherwise Tobi would starve, I kept repeating and she yelled at me to shut up. But still I didn't stop, Tobi was my friend I needed to help him, he must be so lonely and sad there without us around. However my mother couldn't understand this, instead she hit me and said if I didn't shut up she would get more. I started crying in my bed, I don't want to stay here anymore, I want to go home, Tobi was the only one who understood me. "(Arthur)

Arthur with a sad face takes another sheet to continue reading.

-“March 11th, some strange guys showed up here, I don't know what they came to do, but they seemed to be evil, their faces were dark and serious. March 13th, my parents disappeared, I looked everywhere, but I couldn't find them anywhere. I was hungry and I still am, but I didn't give up looking for them unlike my brother who was lying in his bed, when I asked him if he wasn't worried about our parents he just turned around and said to me go to sleep they would come back tomorrow morning. I don't know why he acts like that, he never tells me anything. May 30th, two men entered my house, I remember them, they came here to talk to my parents, they wanted to show us something, I didn't understand very well. I went to see what this thing was they wanted to show, but when I got near the door my brother yelled at me and told me to go to the bedroom, I didn't understand why he was doing it, but when I tried to go forward he pushed me away and started cursing me. I started to cry and ran out here, why did he do that, I never did anything wrong why does he call me names? I do everything he tells me because he doesn't give me affection. I hate this place, I hate it, I hate it, I hate it, I hate it, I hate it, I hate it, I hate it and I hate my brother. I don't want to stay here anymore, I want to go home, I want to see my father and mother... I saw my brother crying, it was the first time I saw him suffering so much, I wondered what had happened to make him so sick. When I got closer I could see in his eyes, he was furious, I've never seen anyone so angry and hateful as I saw in his eyes. He told me that he hated this world, that this world had been corrupted. He told me he was going to change this world with his bare hands while sawing his teeth. I don't understand what he says, but one thing I could see, my brother was not well, I needed to be by his side. I woke up without seeing my brother, I looked for him all over the house and I didn't find him, I don't think it's some kind of joke on his part, my brother doesn't usually play like that. I went outside and asked everyone if they had seen him, but it was useless, all the residents ignored me. It's been two months since the food ran out, I've been eating soup with what I make of rainwater with some grains of rice, I feel so hungry, my stomach hurts, it hurts so much that sometimes I start to cry. I hate this place, I want to go home, I'm so alone. Where did you go? Father, mother, brother... where are you? Why did you abandon me? I ran out of rice grains, there's nothing left to eat, I avoid leaving the room so I don't waste my energy for nothing, besides that there's no longer any reason for me to leave, all my neighbors are gone, I'm the only one left here. But not that it makes any difference, if they were still here they would never talk to me. The only thing I do is watch the flies on my guard, they keep hovering over me, that's my only way to spend the day. I'm so alone, I want my family, I want to go back to my old house, I want to feed my friend Tobi... I'm so alone, alone, alone, alone, alone, alone, alone, alone, alone, alone, alone, alone, alone, alone, alone, alone, alone, alone, alone... I ate the flies, alone, alone, alone... bzzzztttt, I can't take this buzz anymore, alone, alone, alone, the silence kills me, alone, alone, alone, the closet, alone, alone, alone, alone, drops fall from the roof on top of my head, alone, alone, alone, alone, alone...” (Arthur)

When finished reading Arthur gives a small sigh trying to contain himself having read something so sad.

-It's over, it looks like he didn't write anything else after that. (Arthur)

-You stopped...you stopped talking about the dates while reading. When was the last time he wrote? (Mike)

-May 15th, it was five months ago. (Arthur)

The two look at each other with sad expressions and empty eyes.

-What happened to him? (Mike)

-I don't know, I don't see any body here. I hope someone came to rescue him. (Arthur)

-I also hope. (Mike)

That false hope was the only thing keeping them mentally stable, but they both knew what had happened to the boy, he was taken to war and is probably not in this world anymore. It might be a little mean to think that way, but they were both relieved to think about it, because instead of suffering like that, he was no longer alone, he joined his family.