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June 1944: Saint Marie du Mont: France
Normandy was now a burial site. Riley's home in France, once occupied by chatter, picking up plans every morning to help draw on the next symbols to date changes, was now nothing more than a resting place for the losses in the war. What once used to be yellow, bright and happy in colours and smiles, changed to a deep red of blood splattered across the hall and rooms.
The smell of it all was the worst. The smell of death and corpses rotting away. It haunted Riley, it would haunt her for every day she remained alive on earth. The smell of her own best friends' numb bodies scattered in the home of security.
Each step was a step more difficult to take. Each reach further into the building they'd found abandoned one day, now abandoned once again, hurting the souls of the present people roaming. If Riley could've gone blind that night, losing all senses and being left with nothing but the knowledge remaining in her mind, she might've been able to be happy again, one day. Yet there was a sight waiting to be seen, there were people waiting to be let go and said goodbye to. Time had been ticking slow, reaching the moment of acceptance in the process of grief.
Shattered picture frames crushed by the heavy sole of the uniform fished from the boxes of extra materials, Riley Wilson reached down to the memory of her smiling friends. It was her favourite ever to be taken. She loved the moment, the idea of the moment.
There she stood in the frame, in her loveliest dress, only just arrived in the north of France and already found more people to join the cause. Riley was smiling in the middle of the group, holding onto Harold's arm and Marie's hand, Anna and Sarah standing closest to the edge. They were dancing. Reminiscing the melody of the song, Riley hummed among her memory. In her remembering she pressed the picture to her lips, kissing the happiness away.
As promised hours before, Joseph Liebgott had followed along with the informant's wish to return back home. She'd been talking about important documents, objects she was needing and things she'd have to collect to continue her journey in the war.
He could not be fooled. Riley wanted to wish her friends goodbye, standing in the middle of the murder scene, he could only be concerned by the sight of dead friends left behind in the puddles of blood. He retraced every step that was taken before him, weapon at the ready and breath slow, collected. Liebgott was prepared to sacrifice his life for the remaining member standing in the home of the most successful system of resistance. He'd protect her. Joseph would protect Riley with his life.
Crime didn't remain to only be murder, killings of six people present that night, sparing only one lonely soul. Theft too invalided the house left standing. Objects of worth, maps and letters found that read important locations and situations, were snatched by the German soldiers that had to go and find their comrades who were not returning. They had cut curtains too, dragged fire across the hanging paintings and broke every piece of glass they could, windows brought down with no motive but the eagerness to destroy. It was a mess, the home was left behind as a mess. Riley was a mess too.
