《And Then You Left》


 1.

    "We have to go." the fear etched into her voice seemed so foreign. Something I had never heard before.


    "Why what''s wrong?"


    She didn''t answer and instead started dashing towards the pod rooms, dragging me along with her. It was eerily silent as we ran, our heavy footfalls being the only noise echoing through out the narrow hallway.


    "What''s going on? Why are we running? Come on, you''re starting to scare me."


    Again, no response.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    "Stop it!" my voice bounced around the room, magnify my words. I tore my wrist away from her hand, "Can''t we just report this to the commander?"


    Her eyes grew wide, "No, never! We can never come back here!" Her voice was full of desperation.


    "We have families! We can''t just run off."


    "... You have a family. I don''t. Not anymore."


    I put my arm around her shoulders, but she shrugged me off, "Did you get in a fight with your dad again? Is that what this is all about?"


    She shook her head, "Please Blake, come with me."


    Before I could answer, the sounds of footsteps, strong and determined, filled the air. The commander. I spun around, raising my hand to my forehead in a four-fingered salute.


    The commander didn''t seem to notice me though, he brushed straight past me and continued on. When I was sure the commander was gone, I turned back around, reaching out to her, but she was gone.

 2.

    Why?


    Why, why, why?


    I glared at the roof of my bedroom, but when it didn¡¯t offer me any answers I trained my eyes out of the window. The stars had always made me smile, but it felt wrong to stargaze without her presence next to me. I turn away. I¡¯m being stupid. She was a traitor. That¡¯s what the commander had told us. Except I found it so hard to believe, that she would do such a thing. 13 years. That¡¯s how long I had known her. Since we were 3 years old. And not once had her faith in our purpose wavered. Unless¡­ she had been lying to me all those years. Maybe she had been a traitor all along. No. She would never.


    I sat up in my bed, glancing out my window one last time before I staggering up to my feet. I needed to stop thinking for a while. It wasn¡¯t doing me any good. Making my way down to the training room was much harder than it should have been. What would normally be a short 10 minute walk, ended up feeling like a two hour long struggle. My legs couldn¡¯t seem to carry my weight, I could feel my heart thumping in my temple. And suddenly, all I wanted to do was cry.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    Crying was something highly looked down upon in Sector 12. I would surely be punished for what I was about to do but I couldn¡¯t seem to find it in me to care. I let my legs give out beneath me, curled my knees up to my chest, and cried.


    I¡¯m not exactly sure how long I stayed like that, but it must¡¯ve been long enough for another soldier to report me to the commander because when I finally looked up, the commander was standing in front of me, a twinkle of concern in his eyes.


    I shot up, or at least, I tried to. It was really more of a slow transition into a standing position whilst using the wall behind me as support. I raised my hand into a four-fingered salute, expecting a slap, a punch, a kick, some form of discipline, but the commander did none of those. Instead, he put a hand on my shoulder.


    ¡°How are you, soldier?¡±


    I couldn¡¯t seem to find a reply. I¡¯d heard stories of people being caught crying, and being severely punished. I couldn¡¯t understand why the commander was being so kind to me.


    ¡°I¡¯m, uh, good¡­ sir.¡±


    The commander gave me a comforting smile, ¡°If this is about your friend, I can fully understand. I too once had a friend betray me. I had put all my faith into them, and they threw me away like dirt.¡± the commander shook his head sadly, ¡°Never will I let someone go through that kind of pain alone.¡±


    The commander started to walk away, using his hand on my shoulder to guide me. Support me. My legs seemed to be stronger, my heart, less rampant.


    ¡°We have a long journey ahead of us, soldier.¡±

 3.

    1 year later (Change to 3rd person)


    17 year old Blake Nakamurra, identity no. J988071, was a well-respected throughout the ranks. Nobody was sure how the boy had managed to go from a second lieutenant to a major in just over a year, but everybody knew he was good. Very good.


    So when the Blake had asked if he could help train a mere private, you can imagine most people were surprised.


    "I.. are you sure?"


    Blake had never been to fond of Trainer Izahow. The tactics he used to train were way below his moral standards, but he managed to plaster on a smile as he nodded his head.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    "Well, if you''re certain.. but keep in mind this boy is probably never going to become anything more than a lieutenant."


    "Trust me Izahow, he could make it to general in a snap with the right trainer."


    The trainer seemed to take offense, opening his mouth for a retort, but snapped his mouth shut at the sight of the commander marching through the training room towards them. Izahow turned and scurried away, not wanting to deal with a punishment for arguing with the commander''s favourite.


    "Is this the boy you told me about?" The commander looked down at the small 12 year old private. "To be honest I expected a bit more."


    "I''ve seen what the boy can do he has quite a lot of talent, he just needs some real guidance, not punishment after punishment."


    The commander was silent for a moment, before a smile, that smile, spread across his face. The one that always managed to make Blake lighter for a moment, as if all his troubles were stripped away, even if only for a few seconds. "I trust you Blake."


    The four words brought a grin to Blake''s face as he put his hand on the shoulder of the private and lead him away.

 4.

    Being a private was not the most exciting role to play throughout the army. In fact, it was probably the least exciting, and private Aaron Jones knew it. It had been such a bore, that Aaron had often just stayed in his room and slept during training hours. Or at least, being a private used to be boring.


    When Major Nakamurra had taken the boy under his own guidance, Aaron had suddenly found great interest in training, not because he liked actually doing the work, but because it was almost entrancing watching the major demonstrate.


    He seemed to teleport from one side of you to the other. His body movements were fluid and almost impossible to block or dodge. And Aaron knew, he wanted to be exactly like Major Nakamurra.


    He spent hours in the training room, both with the Major and alone. Practicing the same movements over and over again. And even though he was sure he was spending way too much time learning how to throw a jab, he didn''t stop until the training room was closed for the night. The Major had always told him about his own days of training, spending every hour possible training. So Aaron did the same.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    "You''re improving."


    If it had been Izahow who had said those words, Aaron would have laughed, but coming from the mouth of the only person he considered close to him, the words sent an explosion of excitement running through him.


    "I''m going away for a while Aaron, I need you to keep practicing every single day, or you''ll lose all the skill you''ve worked so hard for."


    Aaron wouldn''t dream of stopping. He practiced every day, hoping to improve his skills as much as possible. He fought others in the training room. Aaron had never fought with anyone other than the Major, and it was made clear to him just how much better the Major was compared to the other soldiers. Aaron had never been able to so much as land a punch on Major Nakamurra but found it incredibly easy to knock down all of the opponents he faced. Aaron could barely wait for the Major¡¯s return. He couldn¡¯t wait to show him how fast Aaron was advancing in his skills.


    ¡°You¡¯re improving.¡± Never before had two words affected Aaron so much, but every time he heard them echo through his head, he was filled with adrenaline, determination.


    All Aaron wanted, was to hear those words again.

 5.

    Blake had never been in a space shuttle before. He had never been anywhere except his home, Sector 12. And knowing that thousands of miles separated him and the only place he''d ever been, made Blake quite nervous.


    Blake grinned uneasily at the other soldiers around him. They all looked quite bored as if they''d done this a thousand times before. They probably had. Blake knew they had high expectations for him. He was, after all, the youngest soldier to ever go on a mission, let alone to Earth itself, the most heavily protected enemy fortress.


    "Fellas, I''m gonna go check the fuels, yeah?" The lieutenant colonel seemed strangely nervous for second in command. He scurried to the engine room like a frightened mouse, his rifle clutched tightly to his chest.


    Blake tightened his grip on his own weapon. Something felt wrong to him. Not just the fact that the lieutenant colonel was in such a nervous hurry, but because he had no reason to bring his gun with him.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    Slowly, Blake rose from his seat, his hands gripping his gun so tightly, his knuckles had turned white. No one spared him a glance as he made his way towards the engine room. After taking only a couple steps, he heard a shout in a language he didn''t understand and immediately broke into a run. Blake flung open the engine room door and was greeted with the sight of the lieutenant colonel holding his gun barrel against the engine fuel tank, finger poised on the trigger.


    The lieutenant colonel turned to look at the newcomer, and Blake could see sweat and tears streaking down his face. Blake''s eyes widened as he realised what was about to happen. He opened his mouth to protest, to shout a warning to the other soldiers, to scream for his life not to end, but before a sound could pass through his mouth, the lieutenant colonel pressed his rifle''s trigger.


    A gunshot echoed throughout the room for a millisecond before the entire ship was set ablaze and the explosion shuddered through the ship.

 6.

    Lost. Missing. Gone.


    There were so many ways to describe Aaron¡¯s only friend, but the most accurate depiction was dead. No matter how softly other soldiers tried to put it, Aaron knew exactly what had happened. He was dead.


    The Commander had come to Aaron, to tell him he would resume training under Izahow. Aaron had surprised himself. He hadn''t screamed, hadn''t yelled, hadn''t told the Commander to get his lazy ass out of his office, go out there and actually do something for once.


    Instead, he nodded his head, saluted respectfully and waited until the Commander was out of hearing range. He then tore through every piece of equipment he could find. It was after Aaron had to stop and finally take a breather, he realised how much damage he had caused.


    It was at that moment, as Aaron stood panting, looking around at the damaged equipment surrounding him that he realised, I can do something. Aaron wasn''t the lazy pathetic private he had once been. No, he''d moved far beyond that. He was strong. He could fight, and he certainly didn''t need anyone''s help to do it.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Aaron turned on his heel and headed towards the ship''s loading bay. The bay was empty when Aaron entered through the large archway. Aaron didn''t care why. He jumped into a small, single-seater jet styled ship. It would serve Aaron just fine. His gaze fell onto a small blue button labelled ''Launch''. Without a second thought, Aaron pressed down, feeling rather pleased with himself when the ship slowly began to rise off the floor. The great archway behind him slammed shut, sealing the bay off from the rest of Sector 12.


    A large door slid open, revealing the endless vacuum of Space, and without hesitating, Aaron slammed his foot onto the pedals. The ship did not take off as Aaron had intended. Its engine grumbled, the ship remaining stationary. Aaron cursed the fact that Blake had never taught him how to drive as he began flipping through the ship¡¯s manual. After a few seconds of going through the manual, Aaron set the book aside, now satisfied that he had enough knowledge to drive. He slammed his foot onto the gas pedal and was elated when the ship jerked forward, shooting through the door and into the everlasting black of space.


    This would be a quick and easy trip. All Aaron wanted to do was know for sure, and he didn''t need to wait for anyone. After all, he was strong.

 7.

    The first thought that crossed Blake''s mind as he forced himself into a sitting position was I should be dead. He remembered everything. In fact, every detail was ingrained into his mind. Blake squinted, his eyes scanning the land around him. Large parts of the space shuttle Blake had been on now scattered on the dusty ground, still burning away.


    As far as he could tell, Blake was the only person for as far as he could see. Blake gave a half-hearted whistle, but just as he had expected, there was no response, just the sound flames greedily locking away at whatever would burn. Blake was just about to force himself upwards when a small, distinctive sound froze him on the spot. A whistle.


    ¡°Hello? Is someone there?¡± when there was no apparent response, Blake heaved out a sigh. He was already hearing things.


    Blake discovered that he was strangely coordinated for someone who had just been in an explosion as he got to his feet. Not that Blake was complaining. He needed to be as prepared as he could if he was going to get out of here. Wherever here was. Unfortunately, the Commander had never taught Blake how to build a space shuttle not had the Commander taught him how to communicate with Sector 12 while on a different planet.


    To Blake''s right was thousands and thousands of dead trees. Blake had never seen so many of one thing in the same place before. Despite the fact that the trees offered a small amount of cover which was more than the dusty wasteland in all other directions would give him, Blake had the strong urge to avoid the forest at all costs. It was silly of course, and he knew it, but even as Blake reminded himself that if there were ever a gun fight the forest would provide him with the most protection, he still hesitated before heading inside.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    The moment that Blake turned around and could no longer see where the forest ended, he regretted walking into the forest. Blake could have sworn that he could hear footsteps other than his as he made his way forward, but every time he stopped to listen, the other footsteps stopped too.


    When Blake finally reached a small clearing in the forest, he crouched down and partially leant on a thick trunk. It was after a few minutes of silence that heard it again. A whistle. Blake didn''t dare whistle back. Surely he was going mad. Blake was too terrified to move. He''d spent his life preparing for war, for one on one fist fights to the death, for slowly being tortured for information by the enemy, but never in his life had Blake thought that he would have had to face such gut wrenching fear.


    Blake clenched his eyes shut, just for a moment. When he opened his eyes again, Blake was met with the sight of white face right in front of his. Blake reeled back, his mouth agape. The bulging black veins that stretched underneath a thin layer of the person''s skin seemed to tremble. Perhaps with the excitement of finding prey. The person, the enemy, opened its mouth revealing a small row of sharp teeth and let out a small, distinctive sound.


    A whistle.

 8.

    A scream rang through her ears and she froze, her makeshift weapon falling from her hands and clattering to the floor. She couldn''t believe it. It was impossible and yet she didn''t doubt herself for a moment. She had heard that scream so many times before, but she''d never heard it mixed with so much terror. It was Blake, and he was in some serious trouble.


    She raced towards where the sound had come from. The only question lingering in her mind was Why is he here? None of the sectors could possibly be stupid enough to waste mission operatives by sending them to a death trap. Unless¡­ unless he had figured it out. She didn''t know why she hadn''t thought of that sooner. Blake was smart, one of the smartest people she had known. Of course he and been able to figure it out. And now he had come for her.


    She found herself running even faster, calling out his name over and over. She couldn''t seem to find a worry in the World, not even as she started to dart through a large forest. She knew exactly how dangerous forests could be, especially one so close to the enemy''s home base, but all she could think about was Blake.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    She ran into a clearing, and there, right in front of her, was the one person who had come for her. The one person who cared enough to find her. And he was laying on the ground struggling to keep the razor sharp teeth of an enemy away from his neck. The enemy was crouched over Blake, mouth wide open as it tried to pull Blake towards itself. Neither friend nor foe had noticed her, both too focused on their fight.


    She raised her hand automatically before realising that she had left her weapon on the ground when she had carelessly rushed off to find Blake. She silently cursed her idiocy as she did the only thing she could think off. She bent down without looking away from the fight going on in front of her felt along the ground until her hand landed on a large rock. She threw herself at the enemy pushing it off of Blake and rolling on top of it. Holding the rock in her right hand, she delivered blow after blow to the enemy, not stopping until she felt a hand on her shoulder. She spun around, dropping the rock and wrapping Blake in a tight hug but he didn¡¯t give the reaction she had been expecting. Instead, he pushed her off, his mouth moving wordlessly. At last, with a shaky voice, Blake managed to force out a word.


    ¡°Elise.¡±

 9.

    Blake had often theorised about what would happen if he ever saw her again. He''d always assumed he''d be happy, or angry. Maybe he would suddenly find it in himself to forgive her, or maybe he wouldn''t let a word of her lies reach his ears. Every Time he had thought about, it had never crossed his mind that he would feel this empty nothingness.


    Blake had been too scared to even utter her name, because he was sure it would make him suddenly leap into an unwanted emotion, but now, as he stared at the girl herself, repeating her name over and over again in his mind, Elise, Elise, Elise, he couldn''t seem to feel a thing. It was as if the person who had once been closest to him in the entirety of the universe had become a stranger.


    But then again, it made sense didn''t? He hadn''t seen her and had tried his best not to think about for two years, maybe more.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    Blake couldn''t seem to find any words to say, but after a while he finally managed to choke out a word of acknowledgement, "Elise."


    While Blake struggling to feel any sort of emotion towards Elise, it was evident that she was overwhelmed with them. She had started to tear up, her eyes bright with happiness even though her mouth was quivering. Blake couldn''t help but feel bad before he remembered that she was a traitor. A liar. A deserter. Suddenly Blake could feel something. A hatred building up inside of him, adding to the bottled up hatred he had kept inside of himself ever since Elise had left.


    When she had first left, Blake had wanted nothing more than to know why. But he didn''t care anymore. All he knew, all he needed to know, was that she had become an enemy. The enemy. The only adversary that had been able to hurt Blake. With that thought running circles in his mind, he stared into her eyes, the very ones that glistened with tears for him, and punched her square in the jaw.