Grim Echoes

Chapter 21 - Ander

"No, we're soldiers. That was the mission objective. We completed the mission."

She shook her head. "Things are never that simple." she put her head into her hands. "I need a shower. I'm covered in puke, dirt and blood, and then I want to figure out why demons are after me. I can't do this anymore" She stood and grabbed her plastic bag and entered the bathroom.

Ander looked down at his clothing for the first time since they arrived at the building. He also was covered in blood and dirt, his shirt stiff from it. He considered changing, but then remembered he had to remove the limbs from the body. Absentmindedly, he pulled his knife out and spun it around.

"I do not disagree with your position but,"

"For fuck's sake, let it alone!" Will pulled a beer out of the cooler.

"Please, at least hear me out, then decide," Ander said patient.

"Fine, whatever. Finish before she gets out,"

"We both understand how the mutation works, despite the efforts to put into research to modify the gene," he paused. "The mission is finished. We are not charged with destroying the den, only the werewolf."

"Andy, come on, we're supposed to destroy humanity's threats. The monsters. Its pretty clear,"

"Yes, but we specifically, do not need to complete this task. We can file the report and indicate the family. Let another unit determine if the offspring are a threat. This is not about her Will, this is about." Ander paused. His next statement might send Will into a rage and cause a physical altercation. He did not desire to fight. "This is about the Collins mission and the Ashby's."

Will flinched. The guilt from those two missions ate at Will daily and often caused nightmares that Will had no recollection of.

Ander took a calculated risk and stepped forward. "You are not Wyatt, nor do you have to be. Please reconsider,"

Will's face turned beet red and his nostrils flared. Ander prepared himself for the first blow.

"Fuck!" Will exclaimed to the ceiling and took several labored breaths. "This really isn't about her?"

"No. Her objections did cause me to think deeper about it, but this is about you and I. She does not understand what it means to be a solider of night. She could not possibly grasp the war we are in or the toll it takes."

Will nodded, the redness gone from his face but his head still aimed at the ceiling.

"We still have our roles as soldiers. We do not have to destroy every creature, just the ones we are tasked with. If our souls must be sacrificed for the greater good, then let it be for a worthy foe, not children," he finished.

Will stood still and gazed at the ceiling. The bathroom door opened and Maeve emerged with wet hair and in her old work clothes plus the dirty flannel over her work top. Will did not acknowledge her.

"Alright Andy, file the report. We're done," resignation in each word he spoke.

Maeve stopped and stared at him, her glossy eyes filled with gratitude.

Will turned his head to view her. "We're done." 

Frozen to the spot, Ander could not believe the turn of events. He had not thought his words would sway Will's choice. Maeve had been correct, Will had listened to him.

"Before you do that, can you check something?" she asked him with a raw voice and red eyes.

Maeve's words snapped him out of his haze. "Of course, what do you need?" he stepped toward her.