Ghosts of the Past (A Call Of Duty: Ghosts Fanfiction)

Chapter Twenty Five

While I didn't know exactly where Logan would be living quarters wise, I took a guess that it had to be the southern part of the area where more highly ranked officers had more private quarters before, across from the main hangers and garages. It meant a longer journey across the base, passing by the food courts, the med bay, a large rec room that Keegan and I had fallen into during the attack.

    The memory of my first kill came rushing back as I passed the doorway to the vast room. I wondered if the man's family, if any, was missing him. I wondered if the blood stains were still there despite the window being repaired. The ghosts of mine and Keegan's exchanged words likely hung onto the walls...

    "Miss Acker," the nurse who'd helped me a couple weeks ago caught me in the midst of my frantic trip down memory lane. "Are you alright?"

    "I could honestly use some company and some direction to Carter's quarters."

    "Well I had a late night break coming up anyways," the short woman managed a smile and took up stride next to me.

    "Thank you for everything you've done, by the way," I didn't look at her as we walked.

    "Of course," she lowered her voice. "Have you...heard anything? From the Ghosts?"

    "Nothing," I breathed as we followed the curve of the hallway, growing quiet as we passed a soldier on his way. "I know one of them is still out there."

    "You'll find them," she sounded confident. "You know, you changed something in them ever since you arrived."

    I managed a glance downward at her petite, freckled face. "What?"

    "When you were in those weeks ago, those boys were so worried for you," a small smile landed on her face as she spoke. "They would have never admitted it, of course. I overheard a conversation between a couple of them of how important you would be to the operation going forward. Commander Merrick was adamant you wouldn't be going anywhere, that you had come so far and couldn't stop fighting yet."

    I felt a warm, salty tear travel down my right cheek. I hadn't cried since my big outburst weeks ago, but the words happening before me were enough to make me start again.

    "I miss them," I released a breath, looking down at the floor and then up to the ceiling once as we paused. "I don't know what to do without them and I know their deaths are because of me and my stupid actions."

    "That's not a strong mindset Commander Merrick spoke of," the nurse felt along my freshly healed arm and did a soft pat of approval. "Come by to get this double checked when you can. I can manage to get an opinion of one of the doctors."

    "Thank you, I will," I dipped my head.

    "Quarters are down there," the nurse shoved her head to our right. "Carter's are too."

    Without another word, the nurse sauntered off to continue whatever work she could manage to do. I watched her for moment before confidently beginning the trek down the longer, quiet hall. A lot of the doors were open from the raid and rooms had been torn apart.

    I forced myself to not think of the lives lost, the families and people affected by me being so stupid as I came to the end of the hallway. There was a door, the only one closed, with no labels or anything to identify what the room was. The prickly feeling of being cornered in a predator's den was enough to make me think the room was Carter's.

    "You can do this," I whispered quietly and then knocked twice as loudly as I dared.

    There was a long pause, and no sounds occurred on the other side. I thought of returning to my own quarters when I realized he could be sleeping; I wouldn't dare to wake someone like him. Cautiously, I took a step back to leave.

    That's when the door rushed open and the large, intimidating soldier shot a glare right into my very soul. I wanted to respond physically with confidence and no shudder of fear. I wanted to fight back on our mental war with each other and not allow him to believe he was so much more than me. But it was easy to feel all of that waver underneath his presence.

    "And what are you doing over here?" His voice was acid, lined with boredom.

    "I wanted to give you something," I blinked, slowly reaching into my hip pocket where I'd stored the figurine for the time being. "I was told to give it to you."

    Brown eyes scrutinized the wooden figurine, narrowed in distrust and annoyance. I held it out to him, knowing I had to try to get him to take it. He had to see and feel the trinket. He had to remember it, know what it meant.

    Logan, Carter, allowed me to place the small object into his palm. I took another step back, hoping to stay out of the cobra's strike zone. "It's yours, if you want to keep it."

    "Why would I want an insignificant piece of wood?" he spat, glaring from the wolf to me. "Who gave this to you?"

    I opened my mouth and then closed it.

    "Don't lie to me," he hissed, eyes blazing with a danger I knew I couldn't escape now that we were alone.

    "Your brother, David," I breathed, the name hurting my mouth as I spoke it. "The two of you took turns carving it and passing it back and forth."

    The soldier before me huffed in disgust and then threw the wolf into the wall beside me. It made a horrid sound, like maybe it'd broken or chipped. I couldn't control my large flinch that it caused.

    No...Hesh, I tried.

    "Get your insignificant, helpless ass out of here," Logan, no Carter, hissed, leaning over to be slightly more level with me. "If you come here again, I'll kill you myself."

    I didn't turn away from him as I started to leave him. Seeing the wolf on the lightly carpeted floor, I braced to pick it up. An inhuman, intimidating growl came from the soldier still glaring.

    "And leave that piece of trash."

    I didn't want to leave it, but I knew better than to push anything being so secluded with the bloodthirsty monster. Willing myself to turn from him, I started down the hallway. As words formed at my lips in a final retort, the door to his quarters slammed shut.

    I rushed out of the hallway, skidding to the left back the way I'd come. I found the nearest sign that directed to an exit and then stumbled through it. A dimly lit sky hit my vision as I entered a small, secluded courtyard in the center of the base.

    Sucking in a breath of the crisper fresh air, I felt more, unwanted tears stream down my face. I plopped down onto a bench and held my head in my hands.

    There would be no getting Logan back, no freedom beyond these walls; Rorke would be waiting for an answer too, upon his return. I would never get to see Keegan again, or know if he ended up dying in a swift way. The war...who knows how the world would end up, how victorious Rorke would be...though I knew his main war was almost finished and he likely wouldn't care about much else.

    "You, girl! I've been looking for you!"

    I sat up straighter and snapped over to a man running up to me. "For?"

    "You know the dog? Someone is messing with him and I was told you're the only person who is supposed to defuse that."

    Rage lit up my blood. First the realization of failure, the shut-down of Carter, and now someone had the balls to mess with Riley. I was over it.