Silent World: Eli and Chase

 The snow pellets fell to the ground speedily, the intense thumping of them increasing the size of the white blanket endowed on the ground that showed no footprints. The cold accompanied the massive, fluffy crystals, the winter wind piercing their bodies all around — even when they were engulfed with the combat jackets that bothered them throughout the summer. They traversed through it as best as they could, trying to grow numb to the wind, but at no avail. Shivering with every step, the black boots sought to protect the couple’s toes with immense persistence, but their socks still grew wet with every step.
   Everything around them smelled of death, like the world was getting ready to swallow everything up. Both of them swore, at various times, that the ground was getting ready to crack open, splitting wide so that all the contents of this world could disappear, but besides them, all the contents did disappear. The punishing snow had covered them all, the technology, the war, and made it seem like the world that they used to know had gone missing. All that they could do was reminisce about it, to think of the moments that brought them back to a state of bliss and  happiness, but still, they could not escape the cursed winter.
   The dusty air around them did not help to ease their journey either, as it began to penetrate their lungs, sticking to them so that their breath only came at great efforts. The scratchiness of their throats only accentuated the exasperation, hindering their progress to a slow trudge that only matched the beating seconds of time. And as they kept on moving, letting the snow, inch by inch, climb up to their knees, one of them stopped abruptly, forcing the other man to stop also.
   “We have to keep moving,” he said, his arms carrying an m16, his muscular body hidden under the heavy clothing. “We can’t slow down now.”
   “Why? Where are we gonna go? I’m tired, Eli, and there’s nothing left in this fucking world! You have to learn to accept that.”
   “But we can’t just give up either, Chase. Margaret might still be out there, waiting for me. And what about your mom? The last time I checked, she wasn’t on the ‘dead’ list.’”
   “Really man? Those lists became obsolete when the government vanished. She was sixty the last time I saw her; I doubt that she survived all of this.” Chase walked closer to Eli, the mist that flew from his breath fragile like a ghost, gliding in the atmosphere. His hair was messy under his dark beanie. “What we need to do is find some survivors, or at least some shelter.”
   “And what good would that do? We’ll still be away from our love ones, and they might all need our help.”
   “Five years and you’re still holding onto hope.” He said that with his teeth clenched, his jaw straining in the cold, and his teeth close together. His voice was low, barely audible, for he turned his head over his shoulder to gaze upon their walking. All that he saw was the barren landscape gowned with white, the only footprints being the spots of their slow trooping, as the wind prevented them from moving forward easily; the rapid falling of snow seemed to persist on covering their progress, as their footprints were almost covered up when he set his eyes upon them. Their pants, printed with camouflage, were soaked entirely with sweet and precipitation, arousing mass discomfort that only added to their misery.
   The air around them was now filled with silence; the two men just stood there, lost in contemplation. They both were tired, that much was made evident. The smell of perspiration oozed off from both of their bodies; the eyes of each person had black circles around them, as they both scarcely had any sleep. Their clothes were covered with dirt, hugging the body of each person as if they were a part of it. And, after a few moments of thinking, Eli spoke gently, his pale face growing red because of the cold. “Well, we can’t stay here, that’s for sure;. It’s freezing. You’re probably right about finding shelter. But where?”
   He gazed beyond himself, approaching a hill to get a better view of the world. The whiteness and the haze was vast, encompassing the entire area below, obscuring their vision. A dark yellow painted the canvas around them, the slight glow from the unreachable sun trying to warm the biosphere, but the success hampered by the massive gray clouds overhead and the smog that characterized the sky for so long. Chase walked up behind him, and asked, “do you see anything?”
   “No.”
   “Do you think there was a town down there?”
   “We can go check.’
   “Does that mean we have to walk around?”
   “Not necessarily. I mean, we can roll down.”
   “Then I guess we’re walking.” As Chase said that, he turned around, walking away from the hill in a tromping fashion, pulling out the entirely black .45 from the inside of his jacket. The handle was warm, as it stayed propped against his chest. And, after a few moments of stagnation, Eli followed Chase also, his heavy feet  forcing off the ground with immense effort.
   While walking, he caught sight of a bullet, of many bullets, the particles all flying in his relative direction, some of them piercing the men that were besides him. Dark red hues painted the bodies that were hit, the blood flowing from their persons quickly, contrasting the wet greens that protruded from the ground from where they laid.
   He was aligned behind a building, the bricks deflecting the bullets to different directions, coming in rapidly from the guns of the approaching army. Shouts and orders tried to reach above the noise of the weapons, but at no avail, as his only goal at that point was survival — just like the rest of the men. In fact, that was the goal for the entirety of the war: to survive, to reach the mythological end — the end that only appeared in the stories of the soldiers, and with various forms. Some sought to seek family; some sought to seek booze; others sought for their loved ones — just like Eli, who sought to seek Margaret.
   Two tanks came up from behind him, their camouflage growing wet from the rain droplets falling from the sky. They fired in alteration, moving towards the men slowly, the bullets of the opposing weapons hitting the glacis plates of the tanks, the sharp noise now being the primary sound that covered the air. The smell of smoke percolated around him, combining the smells of corpses that laid on the moist bed, the rain changing into a tempest.
   One man dislodged himself from his cover — a small building that had patches of green trying to invade it — and stood at the alley, exposing himself to the ferocity of the bullets. He looked at Eli, his face painted with sadness, a broken smile, as he knew what he was about to do, and Eli knew also, for the man wanted to leave the war for so long, and now he was about to, the only expense being that he would miss his ending. .
   “Fuck this!” Chase exclaimed, his legs moving under the white glob that covered the ground, making Eli return to the mundane winter once again. His eyes sprouted some tears, the quiescent nature of them staying at his tear ducts. The only sound was now the whistling of the violent air, following them as they reached their destination.
   Much to their dismay, it was as barren as the rest of the world, just drowning with the same plain sheet that continued to bother them. A blackish hue now enveloped the sky, mixing with the orange and yellow to create a sapphire that burned around them.
   “What do we do know?” Chase asked, disappointment reeking in his voice. His nose had turned red, as well as his cheeks, the color blaring in the dim light.
   “I don’t know. We can try to get a fire going.”
   “Seriously? Do you see any trees, any wood nearby?”
   “You’ve got a point. But I do see that rock.”
   “And what are we gonna do with that?”
   He didn’t reply, rather, he sat down in front of the almond colored rock, the smooth side facing his back. Slowly, he inched his back towards it, and as he touched it, he closed his eyes, trying to forget about the cold. Chase followed Eli also, sitting down next to him gently, shutting his eyes so that the only thing he could observe was his memories.
   His mind raced with thoughts, galloping around the cerebellum and the amygdala, all of the fragments trying so hard to win his attention.
   “Chase, did you take out the trash already?”
   “I’ll do it soon mom; just let me finish this game.”
   “No, first you take out the trash, and then you’ll be able to finish your game.”
   “But, mom, I’m playing online. If I stop playing, then I’ll pretty much lose.”
   “Do you think I care? Anyways, who’s the one who bought you that game?  Oh wait, it was me, so I guess I have the absolute liberty of telling you when you’ll be able to play that game, and I say, not right now.”
   “Mom…”
   “No son, no more arguments. Just take out the trash.”
   Mom, why did you always have to be so difficult?
   Well, I couldn’t make anything easy for you, could I? I mean, I carried you for nine months, and I was just getting even. And plus, if I made everything easy for you, then how would you have gotten through football.
   Well, I exactly didn’t; I had to go off to fight this war, remember?
   Yeah son, I do remember, but at the same time, I’m trying to forget everything. You understand don’t you?
   Yeah, I do. Sorry for bringing it up.
   It’s okay son, just go to sleep now. I know you are extremely tired. And don’t worry, I’ll protect you from the cold.
   Okay mom; and thanks, for everything. I love you.
   I love you too, son.
   His mind slowly eased as the exhaustion came over him; the darkness that was around him became evermore dark. The wind subsided, and so did the cold — as it felt like to him — the temperature increasing in his body, providing him with comfort. He stretched out his legs, and laid his face gently on the inside of his hoodie, the black fur touching his face, brushing it with the utmost care.
   Eli just sat there; his mind too was racing with immense thoughts. They all fought for his attention, but he kept on fighting them off until he saw an image of a girl. She  had brunette hair, matching her dark eyes, their size bigger than any person's. Her pale face wore a smile, and at the sight of that,  Eli’s heart started racing greatly.
   “Why must you leave? They already have enough soldiers to fight this war; they didn’t need to get you.”
   “Well, I guess they think one man can make a difference.”
   “But what about our plans? The life that we’re going to have together?”
   “Don’t worry, I’m gonna be back sooner than you’ll expect, and trust me, the next time when you see me, I’m going to be in one piece. Just smile for me before I leave. I can’t end this day on a bad mood, can I?”
   “Just get back as soon as you can...”
   I’ll try to Margaret, but everything, at the moment, just seems hazy to me. I hope that you‘re still waiting for me.
   Eli, I’ve always been, and don’t worry, I didn’t give up on you even after all of this time. Everyone told me to, but my heart just wouldn’t stop loving you.
   And my heart never stopped loving you either. You know, going to this war made me realize how special you really are. I mean, you're the only thing I can count on in life right now.
   Eli, where are you now?
   I don’t know; the snow blends everything in. But I can assume that I’m somewhere near town.
   Eli, do you realize that the place where you’re looking from is not my home anymore?
   What do you mean?
   I mean, Eli, if you are trying to look for me from this life, then you’ll never find me. You do realize that, right?
   I tried to not think about it, but I guess it makes sense. It’s been so long anyways, and I was a fool to think that…
   Eli, you’re not a fool. You’re just a guy with a big heart, and that’s what I’ve always loved about you.
   Margaret, I’m different now. I don’t think that I can feel anymore; I think I forgot how to.
   I don’t think you have. In fact, I think that, in due time, everything'll be alright. I promise.
   Promises have always freaked me out; you know that.
   I know they did Eli, but just forget that. Forget everything. Forget about the cold; forget about the wind; forget about the war. I know you must be exhausted, and it would be selfish of me to get in the way of your sleep. Forget about everything honey, and go to sleep.
   The exhaustion crept over him as well, with sleep persisting to claim him for itself. He fell gently to his side, his fur coat bracing his fall. Evermore tightly, his eyes closed, and soon after, all that was heard in this new world was just the sound of easy breathing coming from the two souls, laying there peacefully as much as they could with the wind continuing to blow, the snow continuing to fall, the stack increasing its growth. A blackness came upon the world, the shade enveloping itself on it, until it completely overpowered it.
   Sometime during the night, the pellets stopped falling from the sky, but the wind kept on blowing, whistling throughout the atmosphere gowned with black, a small light shining on the world from the distant moon hanging overhead. A messy procession of clouds were still stacked on top of each other, a certain grayness painting the bottom. The bare landscape gowned no trees, just the brown rock that was placed behind of them. There were no houses, no anything, nothing of the extraordinary. The sounds of chirping were not even heard.