~~ THE MOUNTAIN MAN

 The straps on my one hundred pound pack creaked as I trudged through the multiple feet of snow covering the Sierra Nevada mountains. My legs were sore, my back was killing me, I could only focus on my breathing as all I thought about was arriving in the fiery warmth of my log cabin. I could already smell the meal being prepared by my wife and my mouth began to water, the drool starting to freeze onto my beard. I wiped it away as I neared the peak of the hill in front of me. Through the flurry of snow in front of my eyes I could the soft orange glow of the flameless lights on the porch and inside the windows. A smile slowly crept onto my face beneath my balaclava as I neared my objective.

 "Daddy!", I heard through the howling wind. It was my children. My son and daughter. I saw their small figures approaching me.

 I wanted to order them back into the house into the warm but I haven't seen them in days so I welcomed them into my open arms.

 "Hey kiddos", I said, lifting them into my arms. My arms strained with the effort, but I didn't let it show on my face. 'Wow, when did these two get so big?', I thought to myself. 'Maybe I'm just getting old' as I chuckled. "So what is mommy making in there?" I asked them.

 "Beef stew again...", my son said, with a hint of disappointment. The smile on his face fading into a frown.

 "Again?!", I said in a silly way, my eyes popping with exaggeration, hoping to cheer him up a little. It was true we'd been eating a lot of beef stew lately, but its what we had.

 It seemed to work because a smile appeared back onto his face, along with my daughter's.

 "Yeah daddy", she said "Momma's been working hard for hours on it!"

 I knew it probably hadn't taken hours but these kids were very impatient when it came to my wife's cooking, much like their father. A small laugh escaped my as I continued to carry my children through the threshold of my home, feeling the familiar warmth cover my face.

 'It's good to be home.'

~~THE WARRIOR

 There was sand everywhere. In my eyes, my ears, I could even hear the gritty noise of the granules grinding against my teeth as I nervously looked to my right and left. Me and my friends were walking in a line, taking a look back to check on the ones behind us every few paces. It was quiet. Way too quiet  for the time of day. I could hear the soft crunch of the gravel beneath my feet, feel the extreme heat on my face that I've slowly gotten use to in the last few months. The silent breeze slightly cooled the combination of dirt and sweat on my face.

 The main thoughts occupying my mind at that time were of home. The pictures inside the helmet covering my head of a beautiful girl, the house with the land left to me by my late grandfather, and other things I loved. These thoughts caused a shift in my focus I found out later to be almost fatal. It was when I felt a slight give in the ground beneath my feet. I was thrown into the sky as a more intense heat and pressure assaulted my entire body. My ears were ringing as my friends came running at me...

 ... I awoke suddenly in a cold sweat. My breathing was ragged, coming in short, loud gasps, waking the one next to me.
 
 "Clark? Are you alright? Did you have the dream again?", she asked worriedly, a hint of drowsiness in her voice, hugging me from behind.

 I grabbed her hand, kissed it softly. "Yeah, I'm fine hun, go back to sleep."

 She silently obeyed, crawling back under the covers.

 I stood up and walked onto the balcony of our apartment. The summer night was pleasantly chilly. The moon was full and the stars were bright. I took a deep breath as the images of my friends who did not make back home with me passed through my eyes. A hint of longing and regret built within my chest.

 I miss you guys, see you soon.

~~THE FUNERAL

 Left. Right. Left. Right.

 The group of six men carried the thick wooden box between them. They were perfectly in step. Their faces were stoic and neutral, but their eyes were misty and filled with grief as they carried their loved one to their final resting place in the ground. A few were dressed in military uniforms while the rest were in funeral suits.

 The men carrying the casket all were completely oblivious to their surroundings, focusing only on the ground in front of them and the memories of their loved one. One of the pallbearers was a young U.S. Marine, dressed in uniform, he remembered as his grandmother would talk about how proud she was of him, how she took care of him when he was younger and how she always wanted to make sure everyone was taken care of before herself. When he found out about her passing, he was deep in the mountains going through training. He had broken down in sadness and anger. Sadness at her being gone forever, and anger at the God that supposedly existed and took her away from him.

 "It's unfair!!", he yelled as he punched the wall-locker in front of him, making it almost fall over, indenting his knuckles into the metal. He then chuckled slightly as hot tears trickled down his face, "you promised Jacob that you would live to be 100", he knew it was a hard promise to keep realistically. He thought about how she would think of his outburst, how she would have scolded him softly for being childish, and how she would smile and tell him to "buck-up" and "be a man". He had then wiped his face and got on the soonest flight back home.

 No tears were on his face this time. He had to be strong for the other members of his family. He had to show to weakness so they may do the same. This was no time for grieving as he knew she had been in a bad condition for the past few months. She could rest peacefully for now. This was something everyone in the family tried to get her to do, but she just wouldn't. She cared too much for everyone else.

 The group of pallbearers loaded the casket onto the mechanism that would lower here to the bottom of the grave. The military men saluted and then everyone bowed their heads for a prayer as the box was lowered slowly to the bottom.

 The Marine kept his eyes open the whole time, watching. When the box was completely lowered, the men grabbed shovels and tossed a full load of dirt into the hole each. A line was formed for everyone in attendance to drop a shovel-full. At the end of the line was the Marine. A single tear fell as he threw the dirt into the hole.

 "Love you granny.", he said with a small smile as a sob escaped him.

~~THE BIRTHDAY

 A combination of extreme excitement and nervousness bubbled in my chest as I sat in the waiting room. My palms were beginning to sweat as I continuously wrung them together. I didn't know what to do with myself as the waiting slowly killed me on the inside. The clock seemed to be covered in molasses with the hands moving ever so slowly.

 The memories of the past few months began to assail me. The romantic night on the lake. The moment we heard the news. The joy and happiness on her face. The shopping and decorating for the new addition on our home. The party where all of our friends congratulated us. Down to just hours ago when the love of my life went into labor.  All of it flew past my eyes as if I was reliving them in fast-forward. 

 "Sir?", a voice punctured through my thoughts, snapping me back to reality.
 
 "OH!" I exclaimed, jumping out of my seat "What happened? Is everything alright?"

 "Everything went perfectly", she said with smile, "Come with me."

 I breathed a sigh of relief, completely forgetting I had been holding my breath. All the negative scenarios I had played in my head for what could have gone wrong in that instant were gone just as soon as they had arrived.

 "Alright! Lead the way"
 
 I followed the nurse through the hallways to the viewing window. I could see little bundles in their pink or blue blankets cooing, crying, or sleeping. I saw the newest addition being added, wrapped in a bright pink bundle. Happiness that I had never felt before overtook my entire body as tears flowed down my face at the sight of my first child.

 Later I found myself in the hospital room with my wife and newborn child. My wife and I both had huge smiles on our faces that would just not go away. The corners of my jaw began to twinge a little because of the continuous tugging of the smile. The child was asleep as I held her in my arms. I couldn’t believe how small she was. The little fingers, nose, eyes. Eyes. They were the same beautiful chestnut color as her mother’s. The same chestnut eyes I still can look into and get lost in forever. I knew the next 18 years were going to be difficult, but I was ready.

 I started to imagine the different milestones in her life, her first steps, first day at school, first car, first date… Again tears began to well in my eyes.

 ‘We’ll get there when we get there’, I thought to myself.

 The little child slowly opened her eyes and a big grin began to appear on her face. It was the first time I’d seen her smile. I would remember that smile for the rest of my life.

 “Welcome to the world, Emma.”

~The Answer
 I grabbed the headphones in front of me. A deep silence occupied my mind as I slipped them over my ears. I swiped through the list of songs on my phone until I found the one fitting for my mood at the moment. Pressing on the screen, a slow, bass-filled beat began to play. I stood up and walked to the door to the outside world, letting the music fill my entire body. I stepped out onto the cement porch of the house, my steps and breathing beginning to synchronize with the music as the feeling of a brisk summer night settled into my skin. I could feel the gravel shifting beneath my feet as I walked. I had no particular destination in mind.

 Lately it seems as if that was the norm for me. Never having a plan, never having a destination, always going in circles, going with the flow. There was nothing wrong with that to me, but it was a different story with my parents, as they were always hounding me with:

“What are you doing with your life son!? What do you want to do!?” they would ask.

 An “I don’t know”, would always be my response.

They would then sigh loudly and cease their pursuit of the answer until later, temporarily giving up.

 Truth be told, I had multiple ideas for what I could be doing with my life, always bouncing around in my head. However, none of them would completely solidify in my mind. Looking up from the ground in front of me, I saw a couple of kids playing in the street. I was about to turn my head back to the ground, but something caught my eye. It was a rather large red blur, hurtling its way toward the children. Time slowed to a crawl as my mind went blank. With my legs reacting as if on their own, I sprinted toward them, yelling so loud my voice cracked.

 “Get out of the w--!”

 The kids turned their heads toward me, seeming confused and annoyed that I interrupted their game. Adrenaline rushed through my veins as I continued to sprint. The children, however, returned to their game. Jumping over the curb, my headphones fell off, causing the sounds of the real world to return to my ears. The car was only 10 meters away from the kids and closing in, but I was still at least 15 meters.

 ‘I’m not going to make it’, I thought to myself, my blood running cold.

‘No, I will make it! I have to!’ I screamed at myself inside my head.

I was running so fast that it felt like my feet weren’t making contact with the ground, like I was floating. My view rapidly switched multiple times from the speeding car, to the children in those next few moments. To this day, I am still not exactly sure how I did it. My friends and family keep telling me it was the adrenaline, but I always thought there was something else at play.

As I sprinted, everything to my sides became blurry, my eyes completely focused on the children as I planned on how to grab them so I could move them out of the way. Within seconds, I was in front of the children, their faces showing an intense shock. I hugged their midsections, hoisted them onto my shoulders, and jumped with all my might.

Everything went dark at that moment.

I blinked my eyes open as light returned to them. I was leaning against a tree near the road the kids were just playing on. The kids were shaking me awake.

“Mister! Mister wake up!” the little girl ordered as she shook my head.

I groaned as I moved my head to face her. Relief washed over me as she seemed to be unharmed.

“Oh good you’re alive!” the girl said

“Why would he be dead stupid?! None of us were hit!” it was the other kid, the boy.

“I don’t know! He wasn’t moving for forever!” she argued.

A third voice rang out.

“Abigail! Mikey!” it was an older woman’s voice, I had assumed it was their mother. “Are you okay?!” she yelled, running toward them from her house.
The children stopped arguing as they heard her voice.

“Yeah! We’re okay, this stranger saved us from that car! It was so cool! One moment he was way over there and then ZOOM he was in front of us and then we ended up over here by this tree! He was SO FAST!” the boy rambled on. The woman had reached us as he was talking.

“Oh thank goodness”, she said, picking up her children into her arms. Tears were gliding down her face as she spoke to me.

“Thank you young man, for saving my children.”

It was then, when I noticed my own tears were falling.
It was also then, that I knew the answer was to my parent’s question.
 

Authors Note: This chapter is in a different style than my usual postings, so just bear with me and tell me what you think. This is one of my more emotionally-attached chapters (just like “The Funeral”).
~~The Wedding
 I stood tall and proud in my military dress uniform, medals shining almost as much as my smile. Stock still, like a board. The discipline from my previous years kicking in once again as I did. My outside looked stoic and proud, but beneath that, it felt like the butterflies people normally got when nervous were twisting my insides into knots as I patiently awaited her arrival.
To my left stood my 3 closest friends and my brother. They were happy for me. They knew I had been waiting a long time for this.
Ever since I was a young man in my late teens, all I had truly wanted in my life was a family of my own I could love, care for, and protect unconditionally. After years of heartbreak in a failed search for my other half in this world, I had finally found the one who would fill the hole in my heart I had for years.
She came to me unexpectedly. It wasn’t like it was in movies where you meet some random stranger in a bar or in a club and you fall in love. It was more pure than that. The irony never escaped me at how it happened. After searching many countries all over the world, in all my travels, it turns out that the one for me was in a place I had given up looking. Back home.
We were friends for many years. We just never realized the feelings we had for each other. Or maybe we did, but we just didn’t want to try in fear of ruining our friendship. I’ll never forget the day the feeling hit me like a freight train.
*FLASHBACK*
It was the previous time I was home on leave. My girlfriend at the time had cheated on me and I was doing the usual thing I did when that happened. Now that I think about it, it’s terrible to think that was a usual thing for me. I had reached the brink of completely changing myself into the arrogant asshole that I had seen in my life always win over me.
‘Just for once’, I had thought to myself ‘I want to win’
It was then that I had slammed my payment to the bartender on the table and stumbled out of the building. I knew that public intoxication was illegal, but I didn’t care. In my drunken stumbling, I had ended up in front of the Ramseur place. This is when I saw my friend, my now fiancé, clothed in her workout sweats, crying on her porch swing.
I was immediately concerned, so I carefully trudged up the steps, trying not to show my level of drunkenness. I failed miserably as I fell back down after the fifth step.
She had jumped out of the swing in fright, until noticing it was me, which then she had helped me up. To which I expressed my thanks.
“Thanksh Emily”, I slurred.
“Jon… What are you doing here?” she asked concerned, sniffing her nose. “Are you drunk?”
“I am here because I was trying to get home and I heard you… uhh… crying so I was coming to see what was wron’. As for whether I am drunk or not, I am VERY.”
“Here, let’s get you inside, you big idiot” she had said, smiling a little.
“Idiot huh? Thatsh funny coming from the one who thought Keanu Reeves was the star of the Matrixsh!
“Keanu Reeves WAS the star of the Matrix!”
“No he… oh… wait….” I stammered
She laughed hysterically at this as we stepped through the doorway into the house. I knew that I was wrong, but I also knew this would make her laugh, which is one thing I was good at.
Anyways, long story short. We talked for many hours that night. I began to notice her growing more beautiful as I sobered up (which was very ironic). There was a quiet moment, where we had started out with a deep kiss. We made love that night. It was the best night of my life. After a year of dating, I got on one knee, dressed in my military dress uniform, and asked her to marry me.
She had said yes, with that beautiful smile that I loved, and tears falling down her face. Everyone around us had clapped and cheered. It was like a dream for the both of us.
*FLASHBACK OVER*
And now here we were, the wedding day where I would make her my wife, and the first step to achieving my… OUR dream of having a family of our own.
She was beautiful, as usual, walking down the aisle with her father, whose eyes were full of pride, and a hint of not wanting to let her go. I knew one day I would understand the look in his eyes, but for now, I focused on the present.
“Do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?”
“I do.” she said.
“And do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?”
“I do.”
 

Author's Note: Warning! Contains mature language.

~~The Monster

  The small man was standing a mere five feet away from me in the alleyway in the middle of an abandoned neighborhood. The smile on his face made my blood boil with rage. My entire body was shaking madly as I clenched every muscle in my body, holding back so I could get what I wanted before I killed him. Once I did, I was going to rip his tiny body to shreds.
 “So… it seems you’ve finally caught me haven’t you?” he said calmly.
 “I have… you bastard, and soon you will be begging me for mercy.” I said through gritted teeth.
 “Oh really? Me? Begging you for mercy? In my opinion, this is going to end up the same way as it did with Riley”
 I clenched my fists harder at the mention of her name, I could feel a warm liquid draining through them, dripping off my wrists onto the ground. The thought of her screaming made me want to vomit with rage.
 “You motherfucker! Don’t you dare say her name! I’m… going… to kill you!” I screamed.
 “Then what are you waiting for?” he taunted, his smile growing with every word.
 I charged forward, putting all my momentum into a football tackle. I reached him, but then ended up on the ground behind him, scraping my joints on the asphalt as I slid. With little effort, he had used my own momentum against me, tossing me to the ground.
 “Well, that didn’t go as you planned now didn’t it big guy?”
 “Fuck you!” I screamed, getting back up.
 I took a few steps towards him going for a right hook. He effortlessly blocked it, sending my arm to the side, opening up my midsection. He took this opportunity to slam his shoulder into my abdomen with the full force of his body, the blow knocking me back to the ground. I saw sparks in front of my eyes as I tried to get up again, breathing heavily after getting the wind knocked out of me.
 I concluded that pure rage wasn’t going to help me against a trained fighter. I needed some sort of strategy. I calmed my breathing as I focused on him and only him, removing all other thoughts from my head.
 “What’s up coach? Giving up already? Oh imagine how you look right now in Riley’s eyes”, he continued to taunt me, not even a smidge of fatigue to be seen.
 I growled. “How about you come get me you coward?”
 “With pleasure” he sneered.
 He took calm, precise steps towards me, as I readied myself to execute my plan. His first move was a left jab, perfectly executed. I was able to block it, but he quickly recovered, grabbing my head with both hands and brought his knee to my face.
 The blow knocked my head back, almost sending me skyward. Blood spurted out of my nose as my vision went dark for a few seconds. I staggered back, wiping the blood from my eyes and mouth. Spitting a huge glob of blood out, I lost all my senses and charged once again, screaming a murderous war cry.
 The man’s eyes popped open, his smile disappearing into a frown. Luckily, this tackle connected beautifully before the man could react. I heard a loud crunch as we made contact with the asphalt. I had pinned beneath my legs as I straightened my back.
 “Well that didn’t turn out the way you had hoped huh bitch?!” I yelled, spitting into his face.
 A look of absolute terror covered the man’s face as he struggled against my weight. All the rage I had been holding back during the fight was beginning to boil back up as the memories of the last six months flashed before my eyes.
 The moment I found out my daughter was missing. The hours of searching. The moment that the police had caught this man beneath me. The moment I saw her mangled body. The moment the police let the man go as they didn’t have the evidence needed. The moment I swore I would end him. All the searching I had conducted myself, using all my savings to track him down.
 All of it… All of it… Had let up to this moment. This moment.
I could feel the cold night air on the back of my neck as a sickening elation was rising through my throat, escaping me as a soft, demonic laughter. I had begun to lose myself in my quest of vengeance. Vengeance against the man that had raped and murdered my daughter. Fulfillment of my ultimate wish was within my grasp.
The sides of my vision disappeared into an inky blackness as I focused solely on the face in front of me. The face I so hated, down to the very core of my being.
I reached both my hands to his face. Grabbing the sides, I placed my thumbs over his eyes. I put a slight pressure on them, sending them into his skull. Bit by bit I pushed, with more force. Blood seeped over the lids of his eye sockets as he screamed. The scream was music to my ears. I finally pulled out my thumbs after pushing them down to the knuckle in his eye sockets.
A part of me was telling me to stop… To just leave him there and walk away. But a stronger, more forceful part of me told me to continue. This time with his ears.
Grabbing his ears, I grasped them with my thumb and fore finger. Using my upper back muscles as drawing a bow, I tore off both his ears. His scream intensified, transforming into an animal-like screech.
“WHY DID YOU DO IT?!” I screamed as tears fell down my face.
His screaming died down into a light sob, which then bubbled into a soft raspy laugh, much like the one I that had been coming out of me.
“Why *cough* did I do it you ask?” *cough* “I did it for the nut!” he laughed maniacally.
A strange calm overtook me as I grabbed his head once again, receiving the answer to the question I had been asking myself for the past six months.
*Crack*
*Silence*