A Theft in the Dark

Chapter 6

The fog called to Jian. His body itched terribly thinking about it, but no scratch could satisfy it. That face, the one that haunted his dreams, was just beyond the ominous cloud before him. The answers to his prayers were there, waiting.

For once, his body did not lock up. It knew exactly what he needed. He needed to know. Was she really out there? Would she still want him? Would she even remember him?

It had been six years after all.

***

Ever since they met, the two had been inseparable. They confided in each other, protected one another, and loved deeply under the stars every night.

Tonight, Jian was silent. He couldn't find the strength to tell her the news. Already, he was trembling at the thought of her reaction. It was heart wrenching.

"What's wrong?" Joy could tell he was upset. She stroked his back lovingly to ease his shaking.

He couldn't bring the words to his lips. It was too painful. Instead, he pulled out a paper from his coat pocket. His hand trembled greater as he handed it to her.

It was a death sentence.

Her eyes widened as she read the notice. She hugged him instantly, clinging to him as though she'd never let go.

"If you go, then I'll go."

"No, Joy. You need to stay here. Take care of our little girl," he whispered, barely able to speak through the tears. He rubbed her round belly gently, hoping this warmth would be remembered through years of absence.

"Or boy..." She corrected, smiling slightly as she cried. Although his note was slowly wrapping around her heart, squeezing the life out of it, she tried to smile for him.

"Yes, or boy. Our Milo, or Mia." Jian smiled back. "I will be okay. They say by the time I'm done with bootcamp, the war will be over. I'll be back before our little one takes their first steps."

"You promise?"

He leaned in to kiss her, closing his eyes so that he didn't have to look into those sweet amber gems when he lied.

"I promise," he whispered softly against her lips.

***

Milo.

The name brought Jian back to his senses. He had a duty that far outweighed the longings of his heart.

It was shortly after he had returned from the battlefield that he discovered the boy.

Rubble littered the lifeless streets. It was as though he had been sent a thousand years forward, where only ruins remained. Rushing home, his lungs gasped for breath, but he ignored their cries. He had to know.

His feet skidded to a stop. The world suddenly came crashing down on him. The building he had called home was gone. In its place was a mangled, twisted mess of concrete painted red.

In desperation, he sifted through the wreckage, praying to find them alive. Although, his actions were far too late. Not a soul was left. They had been gone long before he arrived.

For several days, he wandered aimlessly through the deserted landscape. He did not know where he was going. He only knew he could not bear to stay.

It was then that he found the boy. A soft cry had cut through his brooding. A baby boy lay bundled, held close against his mother's chest.

Jian reached out to her, but felt only the sting of ice against his skin. She was frozen, forever lost to time.

A tear came to his eye as he remembered the sight, the horrid look of death that mangled her face. It was a fate he wished upon no one. Yet, it was a fate he had delivered many times.

With no one left to tell the boy's tale, Jian wrote a new one. He gave him the name of the son he never got to know, and took on the role of guardian.

But now what was he to do?

If She was out there... then was their child alive as well?

If he left, he would finally know.

But at what cost?

To stay or to go would be to abandon one child for another.

His teeth clenched. His body straightened, turning away from the fog.

Jian stepped back through the guard's quarters at the end of his shift. He hung up his respirator, locked up his rifle, and headed home through the empty night streets.

Ms. Hale answered the door when he knocked, holding a sleeping Milo in her arms. As he took him from her, Jian smiled.

For six years, he had raised this boy like his own. He could not abandon him now.