《Blur》


 Grasshoppers

    After a tedious amount of bumps and pauses, the vehicle finally came to a full stop. Tolia, awfully exhilarated from the current meta, immediately disembarked from the 6 wheeled monstrosity. The other soldiers soon came by as well, clutching their tools of war as they should be. Fivekilometers from Holsen. I hope they''re fine. Tolia thought, before being tagged along by one of the superiors, which were accompanying him indirectly through the driver seat back at the vehicle.


    The man, scared to turn his head, mustered enough to peek over. A gnarly face, filled with red, immediately followed. "..sorry sir." he abidded his time to reply. When he expected to be punched, he was then abandoned. The officer loitered off from his vecinity, following to the late Jacob--a good friend that Tolia had only known for so long.


    Taking the chances, the man profiled the area around him. It was different, very different from Holsen indeed. Posts, walls and mounted machinery was toppled onto hills, past mountains and scenery, as if someone tampered with God''s soil, adding their own bit of ''security'' to the universe.This oughta be quick,he remarked.


    But, as soon as the officer came back to the rest of the eight, he rallied them up, beckoning them to follow him into the basecamp--or temporary troop cache. Like those castles in the pictures he once remembered, Tolia shivered at the glooming, depressing state of the walls, all worn out, grey and immediately brimming with gunsmoke.


    Slowly, he took hold of his gun again, finding their stock similar to the one he used to craft with his younger brothers. Though, the only defining factor of these were the live copper, tipped and edged to murder in the first place. Tools of the war. Another reason to kill. He absolutely despised every bit of the silver linings, seamless wood and sturdy hairtrigger. He eyed them with disgust.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Bumping into the third time today, to another recruit, Tolia was half blinded by the fallen helmet. "Pardon me! Just.. my idiocy." he"No sweat. You okay?" they asked back. "Fine and dandy, thank you for asking." he said again. Upon fixating his eyes on the person he noticed, he also noted the line that had formed from the front doors and into the building."Those blokes are waiting to get their registry. We''re here because we didn''t had a choice. Bugger." she retorted, the voice being identifiable as female. "They took women as well? Preposterous." Tolia.. mildly cussed. Soon, she laughed.


    "..fine, maybe, but I wasn''t like that all the time." Tolia defended."You''re just too sweet for the army, Anatoly. I''m guessing you''re going to assign yourself as a squad''s medic? Seems fitting for your past job, mate." Tolia processed her words for a bit, before nodding quite weakly. "That''d be a fantastic idea, and it would logically be easy for me to take." He paused. "..I just don''t know if I''m ready for it." he admitted. She looked at him with disbelief, and glee."Hey, bucko, don''t demote yourself from that. Have some confidence. We''ll get through this, it''s not like they''re going to jam us full with morphine, before taking us as robots, right?" she insisted.


    Soon, the line was decreasing in length, but only by a person. "--Of course! Well, I hope so. Let''s not talk about the possibilities." he commented, slightly grinning at his own dismay. It was just then that the line was short enough to interrupt the conversation."Lucky me. See you in Markus Centre." she said. "Adieu, Rose.".


    What came next, were the last minutes Tolia would reside into his mind, before the accident starts, before it begun.


    ~ end of chapter 0; grasshoppers ~

 Backpedals

    Tolia coughed. The seemingly endless lines of dirt and corpses seemed to decrease more and more, regardless of the other soldier''s effort to add themselves to the pile. He watched the horror unfold, the large, stomping, metal feets of the GH-1945 crumbling down the bayonet and gewehrs his teammates had--if he would even consider them as teammates.


    "Do you not have brains!? Please, just stay by the trenches!" he shouted at them. Their lifeless eyes did not move. The sound of stomping and violent thuds filled the air. Tolia gritted his teeth. He wondered if there was some sort of control point he could seize that would free the others--but there wasn''t any. The serum was only designed to kill--and be killed. What better way to utilize population than to create endless borders of humans?


    "God, save them all." he prayed, before inserting the stripper clip back to the mausers he stole.Shluck, clunk, twang. The residue clip flew past his eyes, as he peered over the trench covers. His eyes were glued.


    Fire.


    The wall of meat was burning. The landscape turned from red of blood to the orange fury of the inferno. His blue eyes reflected the bloom, silently waiting for the man to snap out of his trance. He was stuck frozen, the inferior M1945 in his hands, his mind in shambles. Through the ghostly presence of the lifeless soldier''s screams, a voice emerged through his helmet.


    ---


    "Tovarisch. What do you reckon these flowers are, Toli?" a figure asked. Tolia snapped out from his unwordly yawn, and looked to his left. He seemed to tired for his liking, and the droll near his workbench said it all. "Those are western daisies, Akolya. Our friend Brice took it from his trip from Phicotopia." he explained, trying very hard to fight his drowsiness. Akolya went closer and drived the pot of daisies up to Tolia''s face. "..and what''s that for?"


    "So you''d wake up, my friend." he said simply. Tolia, filled with slight annoyance--but mostly grumpiness, stared at the yellow petals. The reflection of colors on his eyes soon faded into a more orange color, as his expressions deafens into a terrified look.


    "Wake up."


    ---


    Tolia pushed himself up again, coughing more violently as his hands went up and over the sheets. Collin, surprised with his sudden awakening, jolted back in her seat."Tolia! H-Hey! Go back to laying down!"she ordered, her hands reaching over to his chest. Tolia gasped and wheezed, before his memories flooded back to his mind. What came next was the pain in his guts. "..what a nightmare--ach, damn." he stated, before being interrupted by his own squeamish self. He lookeddown to his lower torso, which was white in bandages. Meanwhile, his acursed shirt laid besides Collin, shredded--but recovering with her handknitting. Tolia laid back again.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    "Has our Russian medic awoken?" a burly voice came."Get him some drink, on the double." a slightly more pleasing one came. The door opened, revealing two men. One dressed in light blue--and one in strong yellow. One of them was hunk of a man, accompanied by someone similar to Tolia physically, just standing and with shorter hair.


    "How many times should I circle around, before Collin finally snaps you out of it, our medic?""Save it, Jasper. I see your.. shirt is quite different. A better hunt in Koln than my hunt, I assume?" Tolia asked, the back of his right hand on his forehead."You bet. I even got you some flowers--oh wait, you''re still alive." the bulky one added. Jasper sent a drill of a punch."Not funny, Vatie." Collin commented, though she smiled wryly.


    "It''s fine, Wisconsin. Did you get something other than bullet casings, Vatoshka?" he asked, raising a dead eyebrow."Nothing but useless mementos. Not even ours."he said, scratching his head at the sight of other''s loss."Can your tears, Pato. They were gone since the Medici implemented their ''how to win the war'' serum to our troopies. They were dead men since the start, and they won''t be any different unless we reach Markus Centre." Jasper said, his tongue drifted off. "..and women." Tolia weakly added. Collin sighed.


    "This is ironic. I''m the doctor around here." he said, archinghis eyebrows whenever he made any slight movement."Inappropriate for the time being, Tolia! You need more sleep."Collin said, pointing her free finger at Tolia, whilst the other was clutching his fouled shirt. By now, Vatoshka had already left. "..and get more nightmares? I rather have actual human beings to talk to." he said, remembering the silent dialogues of the fallen soldiers."There wouldn''t be any point in talking if you were to drop dead mid-sentence. Get some sleep--and that''s an order."Jasper ordered, strictly having his brute tone with his concerned voice. Jasper left the room shortly afterwards.


    "..da." he agreed, before resuming his blank stare at the cracked ceilings."I''ll stay here, y-you can talk to me if you catch another bad dream, o-or if you want to talk in general, of course."Collin notified Tolia. Tolia looked at her, and forced a smile. "I don''t want to place more weight on you, Collin. You should get some sleep too." he said, before closing his eyes once more, only a mere faint color of Collin''s hair present.


    "Good night."


    ~ end of chapter 1; backpedals ~

 Promises

    Collin brandished the newly fixed shirt. It was as if it was factory new--no scratches at all--she has really outdone herself this time! Setting aside the repaired clothes, she stretched for a bit, taking in the sweet cold night air. She looked over to the door near Tolia''s bed--which is currently being used by him--and smiled at her worked charm. "..get some rest, will you?" she said, before momentarily getting back to her chair.


    After some short whiles, the door opens, to reveal Vatoshka. "Hey, Wisconsin, mind f''you came here for a minute? Jasper has some..words for you." he reported to her. Collin, half asleep with her foot down and her head up, immediately regained her consciousness. "--huh what? Oh, Jasper, yes." she said, hurrying herself before Vatoshka came over to lay his hand on her right shoulder. "Take it easy, Lynn, jeez." he lectured her, for a bit. Collin, obviously still drowsy, brushed her hands over her eyes, attempting to eliminate the tiredness.


    Vatoshka went back to the door, and went outside. Through the doorframe, a wasteland was revealed, stretching through the rubbles of the house--where Vatoshka is standing right now, it would be a living room--and on and on. Endless sprites of black and red, as artists would paint it as. A symbol for destruction, and inevitable peace. Jasper,in the other hand, was sitting nicely besides a campfire with another woman, with silver hair. "Do you think it''s better if we leave him here, Riz? Of course not! We owe him that much, and he owes us much less." Jasper said. The woman nodded, and agreed, taking a stick and placing it near the fire. "I was just concerned with his.. worsening conditions. It might weigh us down--and you know what to do if that happens." she warns Jasper. "..but I''m all for chances."


    Vatoshka joins in, setting himself down near the moonlight. "He''s getting better, Riz. I know he is." he assured them both. Jasper and Riz looked to Vatoshka. "Are you sure? Our doctor here couldn''t even make a miracle to himself in order to get himself out of this one." Riz commented. "Not many survive the plague, Vatoshka. Markus Centre would be our only hope--" Jasper said, before being interrupted by Vatoshka; "Then so be it! We''re going to Markus Centre! Better to die there than to die rotting here with the rest of these puppets!" he said, sharply. Jasper winced, Riz sighed.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    Collin emerged out from the room, and hiked her way down the broken floors. "..we oughta get some sleep.." she said, sheepishly. Vatoshka calmed himself down, and sat down again. "Sorry to picture this to you, sweetheart, but we''re debating on whether or not to leave our ill friend.." Riz commented. "..what? Are you joking?" she said in desbelief. Her eyes were still kind of droopy, and she made all the effort to make a difference to that. "We can''t leave another! That''s.. cruel!" she said. "..I don''t want to abandon anyone, really." she added later on, her arms crossed as she sat near the fire, along the rest of the four.


    "What do you improvise then?" Jasper asked, raising a concerned hand. "Well, why don''t we continue to go to Markus Centre? Staying near the wastelands is as good as staying near a nuclear reactor! You know how it goes! We should get out of here--and it would help Tolia!" Collin pointed out, her tired mind refreshed with the grief she now had. "Lynn, please.." Vatoshka said, asking her to cool it. "Can it, Vatie! I can''t believe you people--the sole survivors of the great war--absolutelysuck at finding hope! You.. you.." her mind scrambled to find the words. "..you." she stopped. Riz looked at her, a slight concerned, and disgusted eye. Collin, realizing the scene, looked away from the fire. "I-I''m sorry." she apologized. The next minutes were silent, with Collin hugging her knees, Jasper finding something to stare at, and Vatoshka organizing his thoughts. Riz stayed the same.


    "Listen, Lynn. Whatever you said--I could understand it. I see now how much you care about us. I.. didn''t really get much of that in me before this happened. Now, all of you." Jasper called out again. Riz and Vatoshka looked over. Collin cowered. "Tomorrow, we''ll get some supplies. Riz will stand by Tolia until further information--and after a quick rest--then we will go after Markus Centre." Jasper said, pointing at the sky scraping tower in the distance. A symbol of blessing, prosperity, and safety, once. Now just a huge fork in the horizon--an undeniably evil huge fork.


    "..Lynn." Vatoshka called. "One last stretch, we promise it''s going to be the last one, okay?" he promised her. "..didn''t said anything about promises." Riz pouted out. She chuckled afterwards, though.


    Soon, the stars went asleep as well.


    ~ end of chapter 2; promises ~

 Pond of Memories

    The sky was falling.


    At this rate, the thunders were loud and frequent enough to adjust to Tolia''s ears. A stable parade of claps, and rolling clouds. Fancy the roof that Tolia had was still there, or he--and she--would be wet dogs. Riz wasn''t all happy with Tolia''s current state, either his illness or being a burden. Nevertheless, the woman stayed by him, a different aura emitting from her sides, different from Collin''s.What was she thinking..? Tolia thought.


    Tolia scanned the room again, despite already accomplishing the action minutes ago, countless times. Three rickety beds--a family''s bedroom, or an orphanage. The beds were big enough, though. Maybe a hospital? He hadn''t seen much of the building besides the current room he was in, and a glimpse behind the door. He was thankful enough to have something breathing beside him, at least. The windows are even boarded up, and the tables flipped, chairs broken. A small window was there, but then again, itwas there. What''s left was just a frame, and a painting.Lynn must''ve placed that.


    "Woken up? You gave my husband a good headache with your state, Anatoly." Riz tutted, her legs slightly crossed beneath the chair she salvaged. "But I guess, it''s good for the long run." "I.. am sorry for that. --where are the others, anyway?" Tolia pressed. He hasn''t heard any chattering from outside, not even a ring from Vatoshka--which is very unbelievable for him--and not even any sound, once Tolia stopped. Only Riz''s voice.


    "Supplies, before Markus Centre." Riz informed, her hair dropping slightly to the front of her head, shielding his eyes."That''s why I''m here. With you." she added, once her hand stopped cutting through her hairlines. She didn''t have any smile, just the blank expression that Tolia knew very well. Tolia blinked twice, though it had no point other than to clear his mind, once he halted his train of thoughts.


    Another thunderclap. Riz didn''t flinch, but Tolia surely did, his ears ringing slightly as an aftermath."..that sounded very close." he muttered, fixing his bearings and adjusting his ears."Not unless you get used to it. The last wave surely did wipe out the 4th sea. It seems our time really is running out." Tolia nodded, agreeing to that speculation--or fact, told by Riz. "Looks like the serum was useful after all, huh? And are we the lucky ones here?" he asked, the rage built in his soul burning back into existence. The hate for the nation he was in, the one he had pleged his own life to--only to see chaos.


    "Yes."Riz said, simply."It''s better than being an actual corpse wall. Or being exposed to radiation. If we''re lucky, we have 3 more hours to stand by to."she predicted, in which Tolia had no choice other than to believe her. "..why did they do this, though?" he said."Who, the guys?""No, the gov. This seemed pointless enough at first--why did they make the serum?" he reiterated."Because they have fear."If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Tolia did it! He finished counting the tiles on the ceiling. He wondered, who had the original idea of counting them? Then again, why was he thinking about this? He shook his head, before regaining his rightful mind back. He looked to his side, to see Riz, fast asleep on the chair, her head bent slightly forward by it''s own weight. He pushed himself up again, just like before, when Collin was there replacing Riz. He reached over to his bandaged belly, feeling the minor pain--but it was only that.


    Tolia skidded back slightly, sitting upstraight on the bed, his back against the soft cushion. He tried to remember what he did, but the last dream was the only memory he could remember--or could think of. "..fire." he said to himself, with a voice weaker than anyone''s. He abandoned his mission to remember the corpse wall--instead, he went further back. Some place--some time, before it.


    But his past was hidden like a needle in a haystack. He, again, accepted his defeat and abandoned his will. But before the drowsiness catched up, he looked at the open door, behind Riz''s back. Melodic sounds and a tune came behind it, and soon, it filled his ears.I''ve heard this before. He assured himself. He placed his hands near his face, and concentrated. The rain outside turned into chattering, and his shirtless body was greeted by the feel of cloth. "Dear! You''re going to be late, it''s 8AM already!"


    He opened his eyes. The woman on the chair was gone, replaced by a horse toy that kids used to ride on. The beds beside him was not broken anymore, they were like before, before anything. And the music, it gave him strength. The painting hiding the window frame was reduced to being a window of it''s own, letting a golden ray shine through his legs like a scanning machine. "..where am I? Hello?" he said, with a stronger voice. It was as if he acquired a body of his own in this dimension.


    He tried moving his legs, and they obeyed. He felt the cool wooden floors touch his feet, and his nose caught the smell of bread.Where is this place? He thought. But his weariness wasn''t gone, it came back, and ordered him to follow the scent. He closed his eyes, and reached out to the door. "Yes please.." he said, without any sense of place, whatsoever.


    "I think you gave him a little too much of the dose, Riz." Jasper said. "It''s for his own good. He''s awake, at least." she mumbled, her gloomy hair swaying behind the figures that stood before him, in a room that he knew so well. He eyed all the faces, before acknowledging the time. "Oh, right." he said, before jumbling himself forward and out of the bed. "Whoa, Tolia, are you okay? Are you sure that drug isn''t still affecting you..? You might collapse, we can wait until the wound finishes up."Lynn asked, her round glasses paired with a fancy ponytail appearing back to his vision. "I feel great, at least I won''t be hallucinating when the pain gets back. I''m sure we can catch up a few more kilometers. Probably even reach Fluya." he said, with glee. Vatoshka chuckled, which was unusual for him when Tolia was like this. "Good. We''ll go when you''re ready. Meet us outside." Jasper said.


    Tolia nodded, as the group march their way out. Collin was last out, being overwhelmed by herself. Tolia reached down to his bandaged abdomen again, and sighed, not feeling it. He''d brace for it when the pain comes, but he was still haunted by the lack of memories. He took one more deep breath, before lifting himself up, with his clothes.


    "You''re right, dear. I am late." Then the doctor left.


    ~ end of chapter 3; pond of memories ~