Dakota Willhoff

Epilogue: The Way Things Are

"So that's who you are..." said Hawke in a hushed tone.

"You said you wanted to know, so now you do." I replied flippantly.

"Aren't you ever afraid of losing your friends, even death?" Hawke asked aloud.

"All the time. As for death, I stared it down the barrel my entire life, if I get killed doing what I love, it was my time to go." I shot back.

I took another swig of whiskey, and puffed out another plume of smoke from a cigarette. Hawke and I were playing cards. We were on the last round of our game.

Hawke threw down a full flush of hearts, and I outmatched him with a Royal flush.

"Shit, a Heart Breaker hand.." Hawke muttered.

Austin burst through the door and said "Get your lazy asses up, we've got a war to fight."

Hawke asked me "You ready to fight Mike?"

I grinned, grabbed my shotgun, and replied "Wouldn't have it any other way."

Whether I lived or died in this final conflict, I know that I am Dakota Willhoff, and I will always be a soldier no matter what happens to me.