Two men riding inside a pink minivan. Their rather rugged features didn’t really match with the overall look of the car. Jason was driving the car while the man next to him was the soldier. He was singing a tune while tapping the hilt of his submachine gun. He was in a good mood considering how he had turned into an Awaken along with gaining five levels in a row, albeit he did lose his whole company.

 

“You’re good?” asked Jason. Tonight was probably the worst night for this soldier. Jason thought this show of happiness was probably one way of trying to forget the loss of his comrades.

 

“Never better,” said the soldier.

 

The duo managed to escape the forest as there were no other obstacles blocking their path. A lot of lives were lost tonight but these two were the lucky ones especially the soldier.

 

“What change your mind about leaving? You said you didn’t want to be a deserter,” Jason asked out of the blues.

 

“Oh. That,” the soldier fell into a silence for a while as he continued, “since I turned into an Awaken, I might have some leeway for being the only one who survived.”

 

“Oh,” Jason said. The silence returned once more inside the car. It took a while before Jason had something else to ask.

 

“Still no contact from the other companies?” Jason asked.

 

The soldier did attempt to communicate with the other three companies involved in the mission, but up until now, they were no response.

 

“Nothing, they probably retreated already,” said the soldier as his words were just a facade for the undeniable truth. Both him and Jason knew the fact that escaping the forest wasn’t easy considering the things chasing them from behind.

 

Even the soldier himself admitted that he was lucky to be able to escape through the massacre that befell on his company. He himself didn’t know how to explain it as he only remembered the screams and yell of his comrades dying one after another.

 

Jason kept quiet as it wasn’t his business to consider the feeling of the soldier who sat beside him. They met purely by chance and what he did before was just to repay a favor. If it wasn’t for the soldier's accurate timing for distraction, he probably wouldn’t be alive by now.

 

They were driving through the lonely road with nothing but the darkness around them. Unlike the bustling city of New York, the invasion this time picked pretty much in a rural area. At least, there was some luck for the people of Canada.

 

“Oh?” Jason noticed a familiar looking car by the side of the road. The lights were on and he knew who it was. He stopped immediately much to the surprise of the soldier.

 

“What’s wrong?” the soldier asked.

 

Jason got out of the minivan and walked towards the car. Someone came out of the car and ran towards Jason.

 

“You’re alive,” said the tall, dark man.

 

Hakeem hugged Jason as he was thankful that this friend of his managed to survive. Jason didn’t think this friend of his would wait by the side of the road.

 

“Why are you still here?” said Jason.

 

“Sorry man, I just felt guilty leaving you behind,” said Hakeem.

 

Then the soldier approached the duo with his submachine gun in his hand.

 

“Woah. Woah, hold up,” Hakeem raised both his hands up, wary about the deadly looking submachine gun.

 

“Ah, sorry about that,” the soldier turned the muzzle away from the duo.

 

“Who’s the soldier?” Hakeem asked.

 

Jason glanced at the soldier and pondered. He just realized, he didn’t even know the name of the guy that just saved him.

 

“Sergeant Ryan Rogen of the Canadian Army, please to meet you,” the soldier introduced himself.

 

“Please to meet you too, I’m Hakeem Jaabar, uhm… IT manager for Pearson International Airport,” Hakeem replied.

 

Jason looked at these two in oddity.

 

“So you’re an Awaken too?” Sgt. Ryan asked.

 

“Awaken? The hell is that?” Hakeem said.

 

“Awaken is…” Jason cut Sgt. Ryan off as he didn’t want to stand by the side of the road listening to these two chatterings.

 

“Let’s do this somewhere else,” said Jason as he pointed them to the surrounding.

 

“Yeah, sure, sure. My place?” Hakeem asked.

 

“Sure,” Jason said. He didn’t want to go back home looking like this, with his clothed riddles with holes and bloodstains.

 

“Hmm, guys,” Sgt. Ryan called out to both of them. Both Jason and Hakeem glanced at the soldier.

 

“I think I’ll walk,” said Sgt. Ryan.

 

“You nuts man? The closest town from here is probably seven or eight miles away,” said Hakeem.

 

Sgt. Ryan didn’t say anything as he just smiled at Hakeem. Jason grabbed Hakeem and made him walked to his car.

 

“Go,” said Jason.

 

“But,” Hakeem was still worried about this nice looking soldier.

 

“Just go,” said Jason.

 

Hakeem got inside the car and started up the engine.

 

“You sure about this?” Jason asked.

 

“Yeah, I’m sure,” said Sgt. Ryan as he looked up into the night sky with a smile.

 

“A bit of advice, distribute one point each to the Energy stat as well as the E.Resist stat. It will give you a random ability,” said Jason.

 

“Got it, thanks by the way,” Sgt. Ryan said.

 

They shook hands and both of them stared at each other eyes. Jason saw the gleaming moist eyes of Sgt. Ryan. He knew that this soldier was probably having a hard time.

 

“See you around,” said Jason as he left the soldier alone.

 

Both the pink minivan and Hakeem’s car drove through the road leaving the soldier behind. The man clad in green streaks clothes, a man that protects the nation from adversity. A man that knew the meaning behind sacrifice and responsibility.

 

As the two vehicles disappeared within the darkness of his sight, his knees grew weak as he fell on the ground. With no one around, he bawled out his eyes as tears kept on falling. His body curled like a shrimp as only the sobbing sound echoed within this silent isolated part of the road. Guilt was buried deep within his heart as he knew he didn’t deserve to be the only one living.

 

He remembered his comrades as one by one flashed inside his mind. Then he tilted his head to the sky as he screamed to the top of his lungs. That night, a soldier was drowned by his own sorrow.

 

--

 

Jason was driving the minivan, along with Hakeem’s car leading the front. Too many things happened tonight and definitely a memorable night for a man who was an inch close to death. The crease on his forehead furrowed as he realized he made too many mistakes going up against that gloating kobold. If it wasn’t for it being too prideful, he wouldn’t have been alive. Thinking back, if the one he faced was cold-blooded and level-headed, he would have died with his head pierced by a crossbow bolt. Just the thought of it made his whole body shivered.

 

“I can’t be careless,” said Jason.

 

A lesson he learned through the hard way. Before long, Jason reached Newcastle and what laid in front of his eyes was Lake Ontario. As he drove on the road, the sun started to rise from the east. He glanced to the side and saw the magnificent view of the lake shined by the first light of the sun. He smiled that at least he lived for another day. A few hours later, both reached Toronto. The door to an apartment opened up and Hakeem went inside.

 

“Come on in,” the apartment owner invited the guest to come inside.

 

Jason came inside as he saw the interior of the apartment. It was normal for a single man, nothing fancy just an average bachelor pad. The only thing that gained his attention was the expensive-looking computer rig in the living room. Just a glance alone he knew that it was the most expensive thing inside this apartment. But for Jason, first thing first, he needed a shower.

 

“You got some fresh towels?” he asked.

 

“You can use mine,” Hakeem said.

 

Jason shook his head side to side as that was definitely a big no. He ignored the need for a towel and went for a shower. The hot shower drizzled over his body as the dirt and grime flowed down washed away from the body. Jason had his head down the hold time as he just stood there receiving the warm water. The thing was, he didn’t shower absentmindedly.

 

A blue screen floating in front of his view. It was a list of available jobs for him to select. He stared at it as he took his time as he recalled the things he went through. In the beginning, things were good then it turned bad and in the end it was good. But the question right now was, which job should he choose?

 

Then he made his decision.

 

I choose you.