"Hey what are you doing outside, you silly bloke?," a voice called out to Maxwell.
Maxwell was a bit startled as he spun around to meet this mysterious voice. Soon after all was made clear to him when the shimmer of the moonlight revealed a beautiful young woman.
"Ohh.....well uhh," Maxwell said nervously.
"You know. Normally most men would be thrilled when their wives throw them a suprise birthday beach party allll the way in the Caribbean. Unless.....," she teased.
"No no no. I'm happy that you went out of your way to do......all of this," Maxwell tried to assure the young woman.
"Yet you're out here looking at the waves and brooding while everyone else is inside having fun," she jeered.
Maxwell gave a deep sigh.
"I'm....I'm sorry Annabelle," Maxwell said before turning his back to her so he can once again gaze at the moon shimmering across the vast ocean with his toes curled up in the white sand while the cool breeze wisked against his face which carried the scent of sea water to tickle his nose.
"Now that's quite something," Annabelle said as she walked and stood in front of Maxwell and curiously peered up into his face.
"It's been awhile since my husband called me by my first name. And, as far as I can recall, he only does that if something is truly bothering him. So....what's wrong sweetheart?," she asked with concern.
"If you know me as well as you do, you should know what's on my mind," he replied.
Annabelle bit the side of her lip while brushing back the strands of hair the cool breeze left on her face.
"Ok...Listen Max. I know that we haven't been on the same page for the past couple of days. But despite that I still want us to be on good terms. I want us...to be ok. Not just for our sake but also for our children," she pleaded.
"So you're okay with me leaving then?," he asked.
Annabelle shook her head slowly.
"No.......no. I'm still not okay with you leaving. I was never okay with you leaving before and I'm definitely not okay with you leaving now. You know that Max!," she scolded softly.
"Well like I said, it's a soldier's responsibility to serve his country,"
"Does that includes dying as well?," she asked.
"Hey, stop it Anna! That's not going to happen!," he firmly assured.
"You don't know that! You-...,"
"Anna......please!," he said before holding his wife while looking into her eyes. "Nothing bad is going to happen,"
Tears welled up in Annabelle's eyes as she struggle to find the words to speak.
"Hey now now! No tears," Maxwell said while wiping the tears from her eyes.
"Remember I told you. This is my last mission. So when it's all over I'll be back before you know it.....and for good this time," he assured.
"You....you promise?!," she asked.
"No not promise. I guarantee it. And when I return, we can finally go out on trips, picnics, movies even visit your parents and have your dad bore me about his usual fishing trips or his university glory days," he said.
Annabelle giggled.
"Oh stop it Max, I know you adore him all the same," she scolded.
"Well....That's true," he replied chuckling.
A moment of silence ensue between the two lovers as they looked each other in the eyes.
"Everything's going to be okay. I don't plan on leaving you guys anytime soon," he said with a assuring smile.
"Well....I'm going to hold you to that," she repsonded while drying her tears.
"Anyways, I'm going back inside. Out here is chilly," Annabelle said while rubbing her forearms.
"Will you save a dance for me?," Maxwell asked.
"Hmmm, well there's only one way to find out," his wife winked before disappearing into the shadows.
Maxwell once more returned his attention to the calm waves and the moonlight that bounced off its reflection.
All of a sudden, he noticed, that the white moonlight slowly started to emitt a strange hue of orange. No sooner after that, dark clouds began to appear and expand towards him with the exact same orange hue on it's linings.
Maxwell slowly walked back, unsure of what was takimg place. As he turned his attention to the hut behind him, to his horror, he saw the hut along with everything else engulfed in flames.
Several blood curling screams could be heard in the distance, one which Maxwell swore to be that of his wife....cry out for his name.
"Annabelle?," Maxwell asked as he ran towards the flames.
But to his dismay he had no choice to retreat backwards as the flames became larger, almost covering everything in sight.
The screams grew louder....and louder as Maxwell watched helplessly.
"ANNABELLE!!," Maxwell shouted at the top of his lungs, unable to do anything....unable to save anyone.
The heat became so unbearable that Maxwell had to turn away, only to find that the entire sea was covered in a blanket of flames as well.
Now the young man found himself sandwiched between two inescapable wall of flames.
The large clouds, which now to the form of a mixture smoke, brimestone and ash swallowed the young man standing in the midst of this chaos, slowly choking the life out of him.
And thus, brung to his knees, deprived of all hope, the young Maxweel watched as his body slowly disintegrated.....into dust.
**********
Maxwell eyes slowly opened to a blinding light that only worsened his blurry vision. Along with slipping in and out of consciousness, he heard faint voices. Some which were around him and some which were a distinct distance away.
Suddenly everything went black for awhile.
When he finally came to his senses, he awoken to the same annoying light that hovered over him. He tried to sit up but to no avail as his body ache in some places and felt numb in others.
On top of that confusion he found that other than the light shining on him everywhere else was dark. He didn't know where he was or how he got here which started to set in a bit of panic.
"Well then....look who's awake!," an strange voice said with exuberance in the darkness.
A startled Maxwell struggle to find the words to speak.
A deafening silence covered the room.
Maxwell suddenly heard an audible sigh from the same strange voice.
"You've gotta be shitting me-.....Listen I know you're traumatised and all but I don't really have all bloody day for this! Trust me mate, I've been in worse predicaments than you. Like seriously, you ever tried having dinner with your in laws?.....Wow okay....that wasn't funny and in poor taste-,"
"Am I alive or dead?," Maxwell asked.
"Ahhh!!...He speaks! Bloodly hell! It's a miracle I dear say," the stranger said witha jovial tone.
"Answer me! AM I ALIVE.... OR AM I DEAD?!!!," Maxwell barked with anger still struggling to move.
The room became silent for a while once more.
"Well.......considering that I am here drinking a cheap bottle of ale, like seriously who drinks this shite, while sitting in a dark corner of a room staring at a bandaged up bloke like yourself screaming at the top of his lungs for no discernable reason INSTEAD of attending a very important lunch date which should've been happening right now which I had no time or opportunity to cancel..........we both might as well be dead mate,"
"That doesn't answer my question," Maxwell said.
The stranger sighed once more.
"Okay...okay. Whether you remember or not let's cut to the chase and make this snappy. You were on a secret mission -- "secret" being a huge overstatement there -- which went wrong and you were caught in a nasty explosion. And thus, due to that explosion, you somehow survived only to be covered in bandages and apparently now you have to spend the rest of your days confined to a crutch. Sad story mate," the stranger replied with a cold sense of indifference
"Where is this place?," Maxwell asked.
"That information is classified young lad. It ain't no hospital that's for sure. Otherwise, you'd be worm food by now,"
"Why am I here? Who are you?,"
The stranger sighed with little disgust.
"Silent one minute and now you transform into bloody Sherlock Holmes. For Christ's sake...you people," the stranger muttered to himself.
"Ok you know what. Forget it. I want to go home,"
"Now now mate. I know you're frustrated but-,"
"I WANT TO GO HOME!," Maxwell yelled.
The stranger gave a audible scoffed in the darkness.
"So you don't want to hear what I have to say?," he asked.
"Listen I don't know you, I don't know why I am here or where I am but honestly and to be frank...I don't fucking care....All I want to do is to go home to my family...right...fucking....now!!," Maxwell barked.
Silence engulfed the room once more.
"Alright then......guess that ends or friendly session," the stranger said.
Only thing Maxwell heard from that point on was footsteps moving from one point of the room to the other.
"Hey...wait! Where are you going?.........HEY......HEY!," Maxwell shouted as he saw a door panel opened with the stranger's silhouette going through before closing behind him.
*********
The gentleman shut the door behind him while sighing with disappointment as he slowly rubbed the back of his neck.
"Well it seem like you made some progress," a strange figure wearing a trench coat and a hat which hid his face.
"Piss off Jackal," the young man said while pulling out a cigarette.
"You know those things are b-,"
"What I say Jackal. Piss off!!," he said before putting the cigarette in his mouth and struggled to light it with his lighter.
The young man could hear Maxwell in the room yelling.
Jackal sighed as he took out his own lighter and lit the young man's cigarette.
The young man eyes widen with surprise.
"Thought you said cigarettes were bad for you," he remarked.
"Who said it was cigarette I was smoking?," Jackal chuckled before leaning against the white painted brick wall of the corridor.
"So...what's his deal?," Jackal inquired.
"He wants to see his family,"
"And?..."
"What you mean 'and'?,"
Jackal looked at the young man sternly.
"You didn't tell him?," he asked.
The young man silently smoked his cigarette.
"You didn't tell him," Jackal remarked with disgust.
"The man just woke up from a coma...Jackal. He's gone through hell," the young retorted.
"It doesn't matter. You have a job to do,"
"And I will get it done. The higher ups will understand ,"
"You sure about that? Because they're not too happy with y-,"
"Relax mate, it'll be fine,"
"Better be. Because I expect to be paid,"
The young man paused for a second, with his cigarette in hand, then shook his head.
"And here I thought you were a little concerned for my well being. But as always, it's the money,"
"Should I be concerned for anything else?," Jackal asked in confusion.
"Well you're friends fo-,"
"I don't have friends,"
"No you don't have a need for friends,"
"What's your point Hendrickson?!,"
The young man sighed.
"Nothing Jackal,"
"Good!....Anyways what's the next step?,"
"Well he wants to go back to his family. So...we'll send him back to his family,"
Jackal shook his head then sighed.
"You sure you want to do that?," he asked.
"Yes I'm sure,"
"You know...if you just told him-,"
"It's what he wants Jackal, no sense trying to force him anyways,"
"Regardless you could have told him,"
"Well he wasn't hearing anything I had to say, so I guess the old fool will have to learn the hard way no?,"
"In the end you're still a bit of a cunt because some part of you want to see it play out,"
"And this is coming from a money obsessed twat. Oh, I'm sooo offended,"
"Fuck you Hendrickson,"
"And fuck you too Jackal,"
"Tch!," Jackal said before walking off.
"And you're going where?," Hendrickson asked.
"Off to my own business. Because unlike you I know how to schedule my time,"
Hendrickson nodded his head.
"Ohh real classy mate. Real classy!," he said before Jackal was out of sight.
Hendrickson sighed before taking a puff of his is cigarette to glare up at the dimm overhead lights on the ceiling.
"Well....this day couldn't possibly get any worse," he muttered to himself.