There were a few minutes of silence where the two young women did nothing except drink their coffee, as if trying to unclog the thoughts that were scattered in their brains.
Abby's cup made an empty sound as she sat it on the table. "I know that you don't like the government Luna, but I do believe what we are doing here is just and fair. Wouldn't you do anything to protect the people you love if an invading force was trying take them out of your hands?"
Luna wrapped a blanket around her exposed garments on the upper half of her body. "No talking about this anymore. I just want to be still and rest because I fear the greater challenges ahead of us."
"I understand! I'm here to talk, if need be, about whatever's on your heart."
Knock knock knock.
"Who is it?" Abby went to the door cracking it slightly to see Monica standing there, her eyes red. Abby couldn't discern whether they were red with anger or sorrow, but she opened the door nonetheless.
"Are you two okay?" Monica inquired as she shut the door behind her. She leaned her back against the wooden door, her right fist clenched as if to attack an assailant.
Luna lifted her eyes towards her superior heaving heavily. "Truthfully, I'm just here. The emotions continue to run through my mind trying to escape. It's like a never-ending loop of insanity. I was next to die," she bellowed.
Monica walks forward towards the air conditioner and took a seat in a brown chair that had a velvet cushion on it. "That's why… I'm thankful I was able to save you and my instincts kicked in. I don't say this to a lot of people, but when I was younger a man broke into my house. He almost killed my mom. There was a revolver in our house so I headed towards the drawer in the kitchen and my instincts kicked in to fight or to cry. If I cried, my mom would've died. So I shot him in the knee and it gave my mom enough time to grab a kitchen knife to slam into his throat."
"Why didn't you kill him?" Abby inquired, gripping the coffee cup in her hand and tracing her finger around the handle.
"I didn't have a clear shot for his head, so I went for his legs or his arms. After I saw what he did to Bertha, my first thought was to stop the weapon, but if I were to do that I couldn't save your life," she says, casting a glance at Luna. "Trust me. I want to kill him, but I also want to understand why Derek did what he did."
"He saw fit to exterminate me because of my small frame. He knows nothing about me! Who made him the judge and executioner of my life? I'm pissed off," Luna yelled, turned around and slammed both of her fists into the mattress she was sitting on. The tears flew from her eyes, wetting the cloth beneath her.
The room was silent for a moment until Abby turned her attention towards Monica. "Thank you for sharing that with us. I know Luna appreciates it. If it wasn't for your instincts, we all could have been dead. What's going to happen to Derek now?"
"They're going to do an investigation on him. Col Rayfield can't tell me everything that has happened. From what I know, Derek slipped into the ranks somehow. He spent time in a mental asylum back home and escaped. He was able to get into boot camp several hundred miles away by changing his name and disguising his murderous intent. The internal bureau is doing an investigation on this and hopefully we'll have some answers here in a few weeks, and hopefully not months."
"Why don't we just put him in front of a firing squad until he squeals?" Luna says from underneath her blanket.
"As much as I would like to see that, I don't think Derek is one for talking underneath pressure like that. He'd probably have a stoic expression, take all the bullets, and fade into the afterlife." Monica shook her head, a single tear falling down her cheek. Wiping her face, she took a deep breath and looks at the two women in front of her. "We got Bertha's living will and she wants her body sent back home. Tonight, we're going to have a farewell for her at the church if you want to come."
"What time is it going to be? We're going to be there no matter what," Abby states, her eyes piercing.
"It's going to be 6 PM this evening, or 1800." Monica stood up as she walked towards the door. "I'm making my rounds to everyone, and I hope to see you there."
"You will," Luna squeaked, revealing her head from underneath the blue blanket.
Monica nodded as she slowly makes her way towards the door, closing it gently behind her.
"We have enough time for a shower I think," Abby says, looking over at the clock. Standing up, she opened the drawer underneath her bed and pulled out a black dress with a red rose on it. She also pulled a holster that was brown in color placing it beside the dress. "What are you going to wear?" Abby inquired.
"I'm going to wear a black dress as well. It has ruffles up and down the bottom half." Luna removed her glasses and wiped them with her shirt, and stood up grabbing a towel.
Several minutes later, Abby and Luna walked out of the living quarters as the sun began to set on the horizon. The sky was painted in hues of orange and pink, casting a warm and serene glow over the landscape. They stood for a moment, taking in the breathtaking view, the quietude of the evening washing over them.
The colors swirled in the sky, as if weaving a tapestry of sorrow, while the two women continued to walk forward. Above them, the stars started to sparkle in the night sky, like tiny beacons of hope amid the fading light.
"Do you remember the ancient texts?" Abby inquired as she looks over at Luna a few steps behind her.
"My family really didn't study the text of the goddess, but we did try to live by her principles since they're universal for mankind. Treat others as you want to be treated, right?" Luna skipped forward, trying to keep pace with Abby who was a foot taller than her.
"I see," Abby says, putting her hand on the hilt of her revolver. "The text about stars in the sky and how the goddess watches all of us. The word goes that the goddess watches over us until we return to her bosom. The stars are us one day. We all fall from the sky and the goddess picks us up and elevates us, higher than the stars and into paradise."
"I remember my father speaking about this a little bit," Luna whispered. "It is as if we are being reborn in the sense for a greater purpose after this life, right?"
"Exactly," Abby proclaimed. "My grandma would always sit me on her lap and talk about the goddess and her love for us. In that particular text she was remembering when her husband, my grandfather, died. She says that would give me peace and comfort when those around me would die. We all die eventually, right?"
Before Luna could respond, she heard a familiar voice calling out to them as they neared the church.
"It's good to see you guys," Rosemary waves slowly. Her usual dual blue pigtails were wrapped into one and leaned on her right shoulder. Her pink eyes were less vibrant than usual, but nonetheless she was stunning in a dark purple dress with a white flower on it.
"Are you holding up okay?" Abby inquired as they strolled through the front doors of the church.
"If okay is being in a fit of rage and sorrow for the past two hours, then I'm okay." Rosemary shook her head, sitting the tip of her fingernails near her forehead into her bright blue hair. "I had to apply my makeup at least four times before I could get out the door because of all the crying."