"If I may add," Rebecca spoke up, putting her hands together, blood littered on her uniform. "If anyone is needing counseling, I'm here and we can meet for coffee or just weep."
"We all weep in our different ways," Monica says, her eyes meeting every person in front of her. "You're my squad and I didn't protect you. That responsibility falls on me." Monica walks past everyone and leaves the building.
"Come here," Abby whispered. She put her arms around Luna, wrapping her head closely towards her. "It's okay." Abby noticed the group of individuals who were attending to Bertha. A white cloth was laid over her body, the blood seeping deeply and turning the once pure white cloth into a scarlet red.
"I'm going to go get a beer," Marcus mumbled. "Who wants to join me at the bar? The dude has a strong jaw, I've tried to crack it open with every fiber of my being. If I need you Rebecca, I'll shout out. Like Monica says, we all weep in different ways."
"I'm with you on that." Cody agreed as the two walked off without attention from the rest of the group.
Ian stood over Bertha's body, his eyes tracing her lifeless figure up and down. "There is nothing more elegant on this earth than to give birth and raise children. This woman was true elegance personified." Stopping in front of Luna, he put out his hand. "May I?"
Luna let go of Abby and turned around towards Ian, who stood there his eyes as pure as the winter snow. She put out her gentle hand and grabbed his.
"My fair maiden, you have done nothing wrong. You attempted to save a life! For that, I have the utmost respect for you." Trembling, he let go of her hand and nodded as he walked towards Rebecca. "Our faith-based leader, I would love to have some counseling with you right now."
Rebecca nodded. She glares over at Luna and Abby. "If you need my assistance, you can find me in the church here in about an hour."
Luna and Abby stood silent letting go of a small nod, acknowledging the invitation.
Abby put her arm around Luna as they slowly walk past the body of Bertha.
Luna squeaked and cried, pulling out a handkerchief from her right pocket. Wipe your nose. She felt her legs grow weak. "I did nothing! I did nothing at all and even if I did, she might've died anyway! If we can't trust our own in our home, how are we going to survive in a war zone? That is why I hate war. It brings out the worst in people."
Abby rounded the corner with Luna clutching her arm as they walked out into the sunlight piercing the afternoon sky. "If we didn't have war then we would always have peace, but that's not the way of life you know. I think war is justified because evil exists. In the ancient text, the goddess spoke about waging war and how it is essential to the equilibrium of our universe. If good people do nothing, evil will triumph."
Luna's mouth quivered. "I understand that evil is part of our world, but isn't there some way to do it other than killing those who oppose? I often feel it's a rich man's war and the poor die for nothing. People are dying right now on the front lines and we're losing because we don't want to lose our resources. What if we gave our resources up and found an alternative way to live?"
"We could do that," Abby states quietly.
"I'll tell you why they won't. Because it's easier to fight a war and elicit patriotism across the country instead of putting our resources into the sciences. The last thing our country needs is a war. The last thing our continent needs is a war. Generations are going to be wiped out because of some rich man's goals. How many more prostitutes do rich people need, more houses do they need, how many more things do they need?"
"Wealth isn't necessarily a bad thing if used in the correct manner, my friend. I see your point though." Abby sighed. The next few moments were silent as Abby and Luna closed in towards a small shop at the corner of the road. "I could go for some coffee," Abby whispered, nudging at Luna.
"If I get some coffee in me I may never shut up," Luna giggled, putting her hand towards her mouth. "Yeah, let's get some coffee. That would soothe my nerves."
When Abby opened the door, she noticed the bright lights that illuminated the pink and blue walls. It was different from the outside of the shop that was literally made of bricks and brown wood.
"Hello, welcome to our shop, how can I help you?" the young woman says, glaring at both Luna and Abby as if slightly annoyed.
Luna's eyes perked up ever so slightly as she noticed her favorite drink on the wall. "I never told you this, but I love cotton candy lattes. It's a fun and fluffy beverage that sometimes helps my sorrows go away." Luna took a step forward, pulling her wallet out and looking back at Abby. "Don't worry, I got this one." The blood was still on her hands as she handed the woman three bloodied coins.
The woman grabbed the coins after putting on white leather gloves. She gave Luna a disgusted look.
Abby coughed, putting her hand over her mouth as she looks down at her hands.
Luna noticed Abby's eyes were wide in awe. She quickly walks over to the right of the restaurant and followed the short hallway towards the women's restroom. She pushes the door open with her elbow.
Abby rushes behind Luna. "I didn't realize how bad it would look going into the coffee bar with bloodied hands."
"I was focused on the cotton candy," Luna whispered as she ran her hands underneath the water, rubbing the soap in as the blood slowly started to come off. "I'm glad she took the money though."
Abby at the adjacent sink rubbed her hands together. "I guess with the way the economy is today, any money is good money. By the way, what did you do before you came into military service?"
Luna brushed her hands against the cloth towel, throwing it into a small wastebasket beside a sink. "I used to work in accounting," she says, opening the door as Abby followed behind her.
Abby walks up, passing Luna to get back to the front counter where the young woman stood with her manager.
"Next time, don't pay with blood money," the manager hisses, casting a scowl at both Luna and Abby.
"Thank you for the coffee," Luna squeaked up and she grabbed both hers and Abby's beverages and darted towards the door.
"Is there another coffee place on base?" Abby says as they quickly ran away from the doors back towards their living quarters.
"I hope so! Maybe it's the other side of the installation. I didn't study the other side of the map," Luna states, confused. "Usually, I'm more cautious than this."
The living quarters came into view as Abby opened a door for Luna. They headed for the ever-colorful stairway towards their room.
"Being the closest to Bertha was terrifying," Luna mumbled taking off her shoes and ripping off her top blouse and revealing the skin Abby had seen from her since their initial meeting. "He called her weak and then he looks at me. His eyes were cold, and he reminded me of a murderer back at home."
Abby took a sip of her vanilla latte, licking her lips and trying to wipe off some of the grief from her face. "Sounds like the murderer was always in Derek. I wonder what's gonna happen to him. But will they even let us know? Will it be open investigation at the base, or will they keep it under wraps?"
"First of all, I don't trust the government as you know," Luna iterated. "Monica seemed distraught at the fact that one of us died. Underneath that hard exterior lies a woman that cares about her subordinates. I think she would do right by Bertha and make sure Derek pays to the full extent of the law. She doesn't appear to be one who wants to climb the ranks or listen."
Abby leaned over, her right hand stretching and rubbing her temples slowly. "It's hard to tell what Monica says, she's been on to me since I've met her. I want to trust her like you say Luna, but I can only judge a person by her actions. Her actions up until now have shown that she will care about people."