Injustice Dies In Daylight: The Complete Saga

Where is Home?

Aaron rolled a pair of dice between his fingers, watching his friends argue over what they wanted to do.
No matter what they decided to do, he knew he would still be miserable.
He had been abandoned by his family, and the wound was deep. He felt alone.
He stood up and left the room, his head hanging low, and no one noticed. Save for one.
Aaron made his way up to the roof, holding back tears on every flight.
When he reached the top, and felt the island air hit his face, he broke down in tears. He sobbed and sat on the concrete ground. He emptied out every tear he had held back since the day his father was murdered. Now he wished desperately to find any other emotion within him, something, anything, to counteract the agony he felt. Anger, bitterness, rage, or even resentment, but there was nothing. Nothing but the feeling of loss and an emptiness within himself.
He didn't know that he was being watched.
A hand on his shoulder suddenly startled him. His bleary, aching, red eyes looked up into the face of George Costello.
George squatted down and sat next to Aaron, who looked incredibly embarrassed, on the concrete.
"What are you doing up here George?" He choked out, his voice cracking.
George gave a gentle smile in return.
"Checking on you. I saw you leave and was worried about you."
"I'm alright, you guys can get back to what you were doing."
Aaron tried to hide the shakiness in his voice.
The look on George's face showed nothing but compassion.
"It's ok to admit how you feel. I can see it all over your face, you are not alright. No one would be in your position. Aaron, you're been through a lot, more than anyone should."
Aaron tucked his knees up to his chest. He looked away from George as tears streamed down his face.
The dam began to break.
"It's just not fair. Why did I have to suffer from the bad decisions that others have made?"
Instead of responding immediately, George just sighed.
After a long period of silence, broken every now and then by Aaron's sniffles, he offered his opinion.
"It's like a ripple effect, or the butterfly effect. Decisions rarely effect just us, making it more important to make smart ones. Say I decide to go visit my mother in New Orleans."
Aaron nodded, trying to follow along with where George was going.
"I decide I want to get there faster, so I'm driving recklessly. If I wreck, not only will I possibly hurt myself, but I could also cause harm to others on the road with me. I may have thought this decision only affected me, but in the end it affected more."
"I think I get what you're saying. Those who aren't mindful of others will often do them harm without intent. But it still hurts, and I wish it didn't."
"I know it does, but getting it out feels a lot better than trying to deal with it on your own. There will be a point where you'll need to grieve on your own, but when you need a shoulder to do some crying on, you can call me. We all want to help you. The pain doesn't go away, but you learn to live and grow with it." George stood up, and smiled at Aaron. Aaron have a half smile back, tears still staining his eyelids,
"Thank you. I know it's going to take a while, but I'm glad you came to talk to me. You are a good friend."
"No issue at all. I'm two doors down from you, if you need to talk or stay with someone, you know who to call."
Aaron waved as George headed back downstairs. He looked up at the stars in the sky.
I'm home.

Three hours later, he was sitting on his bed, reading the letters from his mother.
His face was wet with tears again, as he remembered how much he missed her.
The letters were his last memory of her, before her death.
I guess I really am on my own now.
He placed the letters back into the lockbox he had been keeping them in for the last six years.
He looked over at the clock, it was almost time for lights out.
His door swung open, and Robert, George, and Jonas strutted in.
"Oh hey guys, what are you doing in here?"
It's almost lights out, and Jonas is a floor above us.
"Alright, kid, George is staying with you tonight, Robert tomorrow night, and I'll be staying the night after, rinse and repeat."
Jonas pointed a finger at Aaron, responding in his commander voice.
"Wh-Why?"
Robert just stared off into space, totally zoned out.
"It's important that you get good sleep, and we don't want you to be alone right now." George replied.
"You don't hav-" Aaron began, but was cut off by Jonas.
"I am your superior officer, Sergeant. What I say goes, no arguments."
"Yes-yes sir."
George rolled a sleeping bag out on the floor as the other two men retreated back to their rooms.
"10:30 PM. Lights out, all floors."
They could hear the intercom slightly through the door.
"Night George, thanks for staying tonight."
"It's no problem, goodnight."
Aaron sat awake for ten more minutes before finally drifting off.

The world was in shadow, overcast by something unseen. Aaron walked through a house that felt familiar, yet unknown. He stopped in the living room, seeing his mother sitting on the couch.
"Mom? Mom?" He called to her, but she didn't move, look in his direction, or even blink.
He tried to move closer, but the more he walked, the farther away she became. It was like an optical illusion, an endless loop. He was running in place as the living room became smaller and smaller.
He found himself in front of a door. He cautiously opened it, and walked through. Now he was inside the CCMF base. He wandered the empty halls, calling for anyone he could. Yet the building was strangely abandoned.
He made his way to the main office, and opened the door to a horror.
Now he saw his father, laying dead on the floor just as he had that day.
This time, his father got up from the floor and stared directly at him.
He suddenly fell through the floor, and he became submerged in water. He desperately swam, but there was no land in sight. He thrashed in every way he could.
Out of nowhere, a hand appeared, reaching down towards him.
"Aaron!"
The voice seemed familiar, he grabbed the hand, and was pulled from the water.
Suddenly, he slowly began to fade out of the dream world, and back into the real one.

He felt a hand shaking his, and looked up to see George staring down at him in worry.
"George? Did I oversleep? What time is it?"
"No, you didn't. It's still night. I woke up and were thrashing around in your sleep, I think you were having a nightmare. I was worried so I woke you up."
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you. It was just a nightmare." He responded, sitting up.
George sat on the end of his bed.
"Do you want to tell me about it?"
Aaron hesitated, but eventually broke and told him about the dream.
"That's awful, I'm sorry Aaron."
"Did you call me name to wake me up?" Aaron asked.
"Yes, why?"
"I heard your voice when I was trapped in the ocean. I think you pulled me out my nightmare, both literally and figuratively."
"Oh. I'm just glad that I didn't sleep through your night terrors."
"I'm glad you didn't either, thanks for staying in here with me. I hope the other two are as attentive as you are."
"Don't bet on it. I might have to be in here every night."
For the first time in a while, Aaron laughed.
After he finally stopped, he thanked George again, and the two went back to sleep.
Aaron slept peacefully, unburdened by the nightmares of earlier.
I'm safe.