The Last of Arrows

Epilogue

    The starry night was silent. A veteran soldier sat down on a hill. He looked up at the sky, trying to remember the last time he saw the stars.

His short cropped hair was hidden by a bandage going around his head. Ever since he was forced into the war, he had gotten injured in the head. He wasn't sure if he would ever recover from it but the doctors said he was making progress.

                     The soldier pushed all of his thoughts away and tried to clear his mind. Three days ago, the government had released all the injured soldiers. Just as he thought the war was over, it was exciting. But deep inside he knew it wasn't. All he wanted to do was go back home.

Where is home?

The lone soldier had no one to rejoice his short freedom with. He had no home. No family. The Rebels were still attacking cities and towns. 

          Of course, the damage that the rebels had caused was still being reconstructed. Lots of people lost their homes. Lots of people died. Mostly the Elites.

The soldier didn't feel anything for the dead Elites. It was saddening to hear that children died as well but for some unknown reason he felt no sorrow. For the soldier was born as a Nomad, nowhere near any of the cities.

He had the tattoo of two arrows creating an 'x' right near his underarm. The soldier struggled to remember his life before the war.

The injury to his head made him forget a few things. But he was hopeful to remember them one day. The soldier leaned back on his elbows, letting the silent environment take a hold of him. A gentle wind picked up, hitting his face.

                         He smiled in the darkness of the night. It felt good to be free again. He let his eyes close for a moment. Something tugged him in the back of his mind. What was it?

             The soldier squeezed his eyes, trying to remember. He had gotten glimpses of his past. He couldn't even remember his own name. His fellow comrades would call him Bob.

     The soldier sat up, troubled by the memory he couldn't quite reach. Two adults. His parents. They were sitting around a bonfire, talking. Two little kids ran around, laughing. One little girl and a little boy. Twins.

They had silky black hair with amber eyes. They laughed about things the soldier didn't understand. The memory lingered in his mind. Who were those people? 

                            More memories came crashing down the soldier's head. His first hunting lesson. The first time his parents fought. The time he tripped and ripped open his knee.

The soldier looked down his right leg. He slowly rolled up his cotton pant leg up to his knee. Sure enough he found a scar on his knee. The soldier grinned. The memories were right.

         The soldier stood up and rejoiced by himself. He danced around and threw his fists in the air. His family. But more memories crept in.

The soldier remembered soon that his parents were dead. Both of them. His siblings... he didn't remember anything about them. He wasn't sure what their faces looked like. Foggy faces drifted in his mind. He had been dragged into the war. He didn't know if they were alive.

                           The soldier froze, the realization dawning on him. His family was broken and deserted. He didn't know if his siblings were alive. He didn't even know how they looked like.

The soldier stood on the hill, trying to remember anything. Why had his memory left him? It wasn't fair. 

       Another memory triggered him. He stopped pacing and went deep into thought. After a couple of moments, he blinked. His name. He knew his name. The soldier gloated. He yelled at the top of his lungs.

He began to jump in triumph, shaking his fists in the air. His stomach did a weird flop thing that he took as a sign of happiness.

"My name is Edwin!" He yelled into the silent night.

. . .

HEY GUYS!!! Sooo that was the end of Remaining!! :'( I hope guys enjoyed it as much as I did when writing it. This book was meant to be a single short story, buttttt like always, I fell in love with the characters and the plot. And I feel bad for leaving you all in a cliff hanger. Soo I was thinking about maybe doing a second book..? I'm not sure yet. Even if I do, it will be a long time before I get my hands on the second book. I have to finish a bunch of others. Anyway, comment, vote, your thoughts and hope you all had an amazing ride on the reading of Remaining!!! Thank you and have an awesome Friday :)