Redemptions Revolution PT7 Sheep Trails

“Keep walking. Keep moving. Going home…”

Pausing, Allen glances over a small encampment of Alliance soldiers. Strangely they wave him down as travelers of old waving in a fellow traveler.

Clenching tightly the grip of his sidearm Allen slips quickly to a small stand of trees at his right. Confusion. They should have shot him on sight. It’s been three days in the thick, alone, tired, hungry, bloody…

CLANK

Steel pressing to the back of Allen’s helmet.

Woosh, a quick spin and Allen bats away a rifle barrel away from his head with his left hand and presses the muzzle of his pistol to the face of a dark shinned Alliance soldier.

Click

Empty, the pistol. Despite procuring ammunition from countless bodies and the occasional unsuspecting enemy he had since run dry that morning. They didn’t put up much of a fight.

Raising his hand to strike his enemy from the living ‘verse a sudden small string of words rolls from the Alliance soldier’s mouth.

“C’lichde ood un’clee ood.” *It is over yet I still die*

Puzzled and very hazy Allen stays his hand for a moment.

“What is over?”

“The war. We are many still left, you are not.” the soldier states trying to look Allen in the eye.

“How long?” Allen asks.

“Three days. The big fire took many on Serenity.” The Alliance soldier relaxes slightly as Allen lowers his pistol from his face, the impression of the muzzle red and defined.

Holstering his pistol Allen leans against a tree and stares at the ground.

“You fight for those who destroyed Shadow? You are allies with the murderers of your people? The killers of women and children? My Li…”

Allen seems to return to himself. The torture a few days previous had left him without all but basic mechanical instincts of a soldier. In those three days he had thrown being a soldier away. He had hidden in the uniform far too long. Still looking at the ground he can finally see that his boots had been long stained from brown to crimson. The entire front o