Sophie slowly knelt before the pair of gravestones, her knees pressing into the slightly damp grass. The cool autumn air nipped at her cheeks, turning them slightly pink. She reached out to brush away a few dry leaves that had settled on the polished stone. Her fingers lingering on the carved names of her parents. "Hey, Mom. Hey, Dad," she murmured.

She sat back on her heels and sighed heavily. There was something oddly comforting about the silence in the graveyard. "So, uh, I went to the dentist this week," she began, a chuckle escaping her lips. "Can you believe it? No cavities. Not bad, right? Not that you’d care about my dental hygiene, but hey, small wins."

Her eyes scanned the cemetery; the neat rows of gravestones and the few visitors paying their respects. "I saw Mrs. Pritchard the other day. Those raccoons in her backyard have really ballooned. I swear, one of them’s getting so fat it’ll probably need its own wheelchair soon. I told her she should stop, but you know her. She’s as stubborn as a mule."

She knew she was rambling but she couldn’t help it. There wasn’t anyone else to talk to anyway. Her words tumbled out, the woman speaking about anything she could think of. Every so often, Sophie paused, as if expecting a response, then filled the silence with more chatter.

“Oh, and I finally started cleaning out the attic last week. It’s amazing how much random junk can pile up over the years. Found an old photo album with pictures of us. Remember that one trip to the beach where Dad got sunburned so bad he looked like a lobster? Yeah, good times.”

Her voice trailed off, and for a moment, Sophie stared at the ground, tears threatening to fall. "I miss you guys," she said softly. She stayed like that for a while, immersed in her memories.

Eventually, Sophie struggled to her feet and brushed the dirt off her jeans. "I’ll come by again soon," she promised, her voice slightly choked. "Take care of each other, okay?"

As she left the graveyard, Sophie’s prosthetic leg clanked. Every step extracted a slightly concerning sound. She gritted her teeth as a dull ache radiated from her thigh, where the artificial limb was attached.

"Stupid leg," she muttered under her breath. "Why did it have to be my right one? Couldn't have been my left, oh no, that would’ve been too convenient."

Each step was hard, even though she’d had the leg for nearly a decade. The prosthetic’s outdated design lacked the smoothness of the newer versions, but those were far out of her budget. "Maybe I should start a GoFundMe," she joked bitterly to herself. "Help Sophie get a leg that doesn’t suck."

The grocery store came into view, the only large store in the small town. Sophie pushed through the automatic doors, grabbing a basket and heading straight for the frozen food aisle. She bypassed the fresh produce without a second glance, instead stocking up on instant noodles, frozen pizzas, and microwaveable meals. The woman certainly didn’t forget to grab herself some chocolate either. The thought of cooking felt like too much effort. Besides, the prepackaged stuff was cheap, and it wasn’t like anyone was around to judge her for it.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

At the checkout, Sophie exchanged polite small talk with the cashier, a teenager who seemed more interested in their phone than the conversation. She packed her groceries into a single bag and slung it over her shoulder, using the weight in a poor attempt at countering her wonky gait. The walk home was short at least. Although her leg was once again throbbing by the time she reached her house.

The living space was small and cluttered. Each surface was covered with some combination of manga and DVDs. She dropped the grocery bag onto the kitchen counter and immediately went to the microwave, tearing open a box of instant ramen. As she did so, there was a slight creak above her but she ignored it. The house was old, so it was only natural there’d be creaks. While the microwave droned on, she settled onto her old couch, turning on the TV and flipping through her streaming service until she found the anime she’d been binging.

Dinner was eaten straight from the container, her focus entirely on the screen. It was a small reprieve from the sad and lonely life she had lived for years. She was able to laugh aloud at the antics of her favorite characters and the adventures they had. By the time the episode’s credits rolled, her food was finished and the container perched precariously on the edge of the coffee table.

She spent the rest of the evening playing video games. While her combat skills, honed in the military had long faded, her skill with a controller had grown massively in her retirement. Time slipped by, the only noises coming from the game or the occasional creak. Only in the early hours of the morning, when her eyes grew heavy, did she reluctantly put down the controller and crawl into bed.

Sleep claimed her quickly, but it wasn’t peaceful. As always, Sophie’s dreams were a trip through memories she desperately tried to forget.

The roar of gunfire resounded in the distance. Overhead, jets, both allied and enemy, bombed the abandoned city. Sophie’s squad moved in formation, some distance behind her. Her squad leader occasionally spoke up, relaying the situation in a sharp voice. Sophie’s speciality was recon, ensuring that her squadmates weren’t caught in a trap or ambush. Unfortunately, everything had gone to hell in an instant.

She’d felt the explosion before she heard it, the shockwave slamming her to the ground. Pain erupted across her body but concentrated mostly in her leg. It was both a sharp, piercing pain and a continual burning sensation. When she looked down, the sight was enough to make her stomach churn. Blood was splattered across the ground, and the mangled remnants of her limb were barely recognizable.

"We’ve got to move!" someone shouted, their voice cutting through the haze of pain. Gunfire erupted close-by. Hands gripped her shoulders, dragging her to nearby cover.

In a daze, she had watched as Micah jerked and stiffened, blood pouring out of a wound in her neck. An explosion sent Jack tumbling and he never rose. Sophie wasn’t sure how long had passed, only that she was in an immense amount of pain, physically, mentally and emotionally. One by one, her friends fell, their sacrifices shielding her as they fought to hold the enemy at bay.

By the time the extraction team arrived, Sophie was barely conscious, her vision blurred by tears and blood loss. The lifeless eyes of her squadmates haunted her even as she was airlifted to safety. They’d given everything to save her, and she’d lived. Why? Why would they do that? The nightmare ended when she finally fell unconscious.

Sophie woke with a start, her chest heaving and her body drenched in sweat. She sat up, clutching the sheets tightly as she tried to steady herself. The breathing exercise she had been taught came in handy, as always. The room was silent. No gunfire, no screams, no explosions. The veteran sighed.

She swung her remaining leg over the side of the bed. Her stump slotted into her prosthetic, the pseudo-limb clicking softly against the floor. For a long while, she just sat there, staring at the faint light beginning to creep through the blinds.

Eventually, she pushed herself up and shuffled to the kitchen. The packaging of her dinner still sat on the coffee table, untouched since she’d left it there. Sophie sighed, running a hand through her disheveled, sweaty hair. Another night of nightmares. Will it ever get better? As she waited for her microwaveable breakfast to heat, she absently tapped her fingers against her arm. Lost in thought, she missed the ominous creaking sound above her.

Moments later, it happened again. She noticed and looked up. Her eyes grew wide. With a loud crack, the roof above her crumbled. The heavy materials fell towards her. With a final crash, the life inside the small, rural house was snuffed out.