From Marley, with Love.

Chapter 87: Awkward hug

Rosanna felt the heat of a flame on her face, she slowly opened her eyes to look right into a burning piece of shrapnel that had fallen from the roof of the plane.

"SHIT!" she exclaimed, grasping her side, only to have her hand be covered in her own blood. She had made a painful scrape as soon as the plane landed on the sandy ground. Her entire side, waist to shoulder was open and bloody. She coughed, the cabin was starting to fill with smoke. She got herself up on her good arm and dragged herself to the door. She turned her leg to the door, pulling it back and banging it into the door.

"Come onnn..." she groaned, pulling back her leg again and smacking it right into the doorhandle of the door. The doorhandle click and the door opened to a crack.

"Finally..." she groaned, seeing the smoke being siphoned out. She pushed herself up onto her knees, feeling the burn of her open wounds. As she stood, she groggily looked around the plane, spotting Onyankopon, passed out in the cockpit.

"Onyan..." she called out to him, limping over to the cockpit, holding onto the walls of the plane. She wrapped both her arms around his waist, afraid to hurt him as he could've snapped one of his ribs. She slowly started to drag him, getting him through the cockpit door and into the main compartment of the plane. Her foot got stuck against a piece of metal that had fallen, and she tripped. She gasped in surprise and leaned her weight backwards so she would land on her backside. She carefully held Onyankopon's head and neck so he wouldn't be more hurt. She looked up at the ceiling of the plane, it was starting to catch fire as well...

She looked at Onyankopon, blood running from the corner of his mouth. She took her sleeve and wiped it away.

She had held many soldiers like this in their last moments, talking about their family, the farm fields of southern Marley, how scared they were of death.

But this moment was different, as blood left her side like life could leave her and her fellow soldier any moment.

She saw the faces of those she loved pass by her.

Aunt Bauer. Uncle Bauer. Mr Karmann. Saskia. Hanji. Oscar. Maya... even her father.

And many more who all melted into one face, making a bubbling pool of eyes, noses and mouths. And their voices, making her ears ring with their questions, laughter and jokes.

She saw dark spots in front of her eyes, she felt her head with her hand. Even more blood dripped from her temple. She did not remember seeing the blood, she only remembered the crackling of fire, followed by the darkness.

"Rosanna?"

Rosanna groaned, grabbing a handful of sand from the ground.

"Hey, get up..."

"No..." Rosanna said, tossing the handful of sand at the voice.

"Well that was unnecessary..." Zeke said, wiping the sand off his jacket.

Rosanna finally sat up, looking at the sand she had dug her heels into.

"Am I finally dead?" she asked Zeke who had knelt beside her.

"Not yet... you are dying though."

"Blood loss?" Rosanna asked, slapping the sand of her trousers before standing up and stretching.

"Smoke inhalation." Zeke added. Sitting down in the sand.

"I am not stuck with you here forever, am I?"

Zeke's mouth formed into a half smile.

"Only until you pass onto the next world, yes."

"Oh, fuck off!" Rosanna cried out, turning around and stomping away. Ploughing through the sand with rage, leaving behind footsteps that sank in even deeper.