Desolation

War

July, 2021
Minnesota
...

Mino decided to take a walk through town. Even though it was unsafe he didn't want to remain cooped up in the house. Even REMA seemed to be getting tired of his company.

It was dark out but a lot of shops and restaurants were still open. Their neon signs flashed brightly attracting evening customers.

It was very cold so Mino tucked his hands into his coat pockets; he also had a wool scarf wrapped around his neck for extra warmth.

Having gotten Jake's new contact info two days ago they were able to communicate with each other. He was glad he went to check up on him when he did. Mino read books, all kinds of books; from physics to chemical engineering just to pass time. He didn't like being idle.

And if he was being honest with himself it was more of a distraction from thoughts of a certain red head than anything else. He'd decided there was no point wanting something he could never have.

Tami was two years older than him. It seemed somewhat baffling that she was already through with her undergraduate studies; but her education had been exceptionally fast. Well, she was a genius. He guessed it ran in the family.

He felt she was still too young to get married.

Mino lowered his head and let out a sigh. It wasn't any of his business. Jake had told him to back off in a not-so-subtle way. It's not like he would ever make a move on someone who was already engaged. Mino prided himself in being rational and ethical.

He would just have to get rid of those troubling emotions and get on with his life and she would get on with hers with the person she was engaged with.

Mino found a night café ahead and strolled in casually. He found a seat by the window and ordered a coffee. He would have loved a cold glass of orange juice but a warm cup of coffee'll have to do.

The café was warm and cozy, Mino would admit. It was well-lit and only a few people were in.

About a minute later, a younge blonde waitress about his age took his order. After a couple of minutes his order arrived; she brought him a steaming cup of black coffee and then proceeded to pour the milk for him.

The scene reminded him of when Tami had given him a cup of coffee when he'd visited Jake just two days ago. Mino let out a sigh and covered his face with a hand.

"How much sugar would you like, sir?" Mino shook his head to rid himself of the depressing thoughts.

"Just one cube, please."

If Mino had even bothered to look up  he would have noticed the waitress blushing furiously as she put in the sugar.

"Thank yo—" She scurried off as he was thanking her. Mino stared perplexed at her retreating figure for a moment before turning back to his coffee.

He took a sip out of it—it was sweet.

Mino was quietly enjoying his beverage when the news suddenly came on. The TV was nailed to the wall adjacent to him and he looked up from his coffee.
It was on Fox News.

"Coming to you live from Washington DC, a state of National Emergency has just been declared following the abysmal failure of the International treaty summit held at Russia."

" World War Three has been declared and things are not looking good for the United States. The Economy is in shambles and the military is the weakest it has been in decades due to low recruit numbers which have been at an all time low."

" Protests against the forced military enrollment wasn't taken lightly."

" The JAHRAM group seemed to have been the trigger for this war and countries which have had grudges against each other had the chance to retaliate now that the peace treaty has been annulled..."