Retreat

/rəˈtrēt/

verb

withdraw from enemy forces as a result of their superior power or after a defeat

Melissa's POV

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"Melissa you don't have to do this, we can always work something out," Ashton argued through the receiver for the hundredth time.

"Ashton if I leave then the security team and everyone in your van is in danger," I choked out, trying to be brave as I felt cramped inside of these four walls.

My back was leaned against the wall and I was to the point that I was almost hyperventilating, I really hated myself for pulling out that heart monitor right now. Tears continuously flowed down my cheeks knowing that this was the last time I would communicate with anyone from the colony. The last thing I said to Luke replayed in my head over and over again. His words and tone of voice, the way it quivered slightly and cracked as I could tell he was smiling. He thought I was coming back to him, when in reality I was probably saving over twenty of his men by giving myself up.

Ashton's sigh was heard through the receiver as his breathing turned uneven. "Is there anything I can do?" his voice sounded defeated and I finally heard the van roar to life as I assumed he was driving away.

"Just stay on the line, please." Sobs wrecked through my body as I leaned back try to steady my breathing.

"Of course," he breathed out almost silently.

The raid had been going so well and everything was going as planned. My mind had already gone through the plan of how Luke and I would have children and raise them like normal kids, not one being in charge of the other. I thought about having a singular kid. Then one of the security cameras that led toward the filing room, where the computer team was, and the security room went out. I got a glimpse of a smiling, red haired Michael just before the screen went fuzzy prompting me to immediately call the computer team.

Half an hour earlier:

"Comp. team, are you there?" I asked, fearful in a whole new way at this point.

I had called the code red retreat only ten minutes before, but knowing that they were coming our way was making me crack and force the computer team out of here before more men were killed.

"Yes, Melissa, we are packing up and leaving," the leader responded in a level voice, unknowing of what was coming.

"You need to be out of there in five minutes, or don't bother leaving at all because we have Michael's twin coming for us," I said panicky.

"Yes, ma'am," incoherent yelling were heard as he screamed at him men to leave now. "What about you, Melissa?" his voice suddenly dropped.

"I'm staying," I stated. He began to protest; however, I interrupted, "Not all of our men are out of the building and they won't be out in time for me to make it and not lead the twin to our van. One man can be left for twenty to live.

I could hear him stutter and suddenly he cracked and said something completely unlike him or any other soldier I had met, "Luke loves you though. This will kill him."

My heart froze in my chest. Luke. The one person that I was probably doing this for, was the one person this would hurt the most.

I swallowed a lump in my throat before responding, "That's none of your concern."

He paused, obviously stunned. "My apologies Miss Jennings, but I thought you would like to know." I took a deep breathe from this and muttered for them to get out of the building before ending the call and beginning another with Calum, whose team was already in the first van, and Ashton to inform them of the plan and hopefully talk to Luke before this all ended for me.

Presently, only a few minutes of silence had passed before I finally spoke up again. "Ashton?" my broken voice sounded into the mouthpiece.

"Yea?" he said distractedly, most likely worried about the trees surrounding his van full of soldiers he wanted to get home.

Pounding sounded on the door and I heard Michael's voice cursing loudly, mostly directed at me. Silent tears ran and streaked down my face as I failed to accept that this was the end of the road for me.

"Melissa, are you okay? What's happening?" Ashton's panicked voice asked.

"They're here Ashton, that's what the noise is. I need you to shut up and listen to me." I held the phone away from me for a second, collecting my breathe before placing it back up to talk. "I need you to tell Luke.....tell him that I want him to move on."

"Melissa......." A sob broke through again as he began.

"Tell him that I want him to find that girl that makes him happy. And I want him to love again. And tell him that this was my decision and that he is not allowed to blame himself." I heard Ashton release a loud and shaky breath. "And whenever he is old and gray and he has lived his life to its fullest, tell him that I'll be waiting for him with Cynthia."

I heard a strangled gasp on the other end of the line and Ashton's protest, his vain promises that they will come back and find me, and his matter of fact statements that Luke would never move on and would never love another girl as much as he loved me.

Suddenly dust filled the room as the drywall of the non barricaded area came falling down making a large crashing noise. I began to cough and I heard a sob emit from Ashton as the footsteps came closer and closer to me.

"Melissa we'll be there to get you I promise. Luke won't let you die in there."

I smiled at the thought of my prince charming saving me and holding me again. The last thing I heard was the crunching sound of a phone being broken before my eyes closed and my brain rested from the trials I had faced in the past two hours.

Luke's POV

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I was jumpy the whole time we drove back to the colony. My palms sweaty from the anxiety pulling at my heart. Was she hurt? Did she get shot again? All my mind thought of was how she would only say that she loved me while sobs escaped her throat. Her beautiful voice couldn't even be heard because of the raspy sound encasing it from her cries.

Calum's face remained stoic the whole ride home, no happiness about it. Even when we head counted everyone and only found a few missing his head only nodded, not looking away from the road. Michael and I would simply look at each other and shake our heads, unsure of what was wrong with him.

When we finally reached the colony, I was the first out of the van. My legs carried me over to Ashton's, where he sat looking straight ahead just as Calum was, except he had a slight quiver to his lip. My mind was racing as I looked in the passenger side that was vacant. Did Melissa sit with the soldiers and computer team in the back?

I ran around to the back to open the doors just as Ashton gave me a look as if he had killed a puppy. I felt my face flush as I realized what had happened.

Her sobs, the way she was saying 'I love you' as if it were a sacred vow, the way she held onto all the memories recounting them one by one, the way she begged me to tell her that I loved her, the way her breath shook when she said she would see me back here.

I opened the back of the van to find the troops and computer team all sitting, knowing and preparing for my mental breakdown. I looked back at Calum who seemed to be explaining the situation to Michael, whose fists were clenching and unclenching as his jaw twitched and tears began to fill his eyes. Ashton came into my vision only a minute later, stuttering and fumbling with his words.

"Where is she?" I asked in a deathly calm and low voice.

"Luke, I tried to get her out of there-"

"No...." my voice trailed off, interrupting him. I fell backwards onto the side of the van. Tears streamed down my cheeks as my lungs felt like they had collapsed. No air would come into my lungs and all the air I did have felt like it had been sucker punched out of me. My hands went to my hair, tugging it forcefully as my head dropped in between my legs.

"She wouldn't leave until everyone was out, and then it was too late," Ashton said solemnly, repeating his apologies until he began to fall apart in front of me himself.

Michael and Calum's footsteps could be heard coming toward us. They stopped suddenly when I let out a blood curling, sad, and angry yell that halted all commotion in the room.

"Luke," Michael yelled when he was finally beside me, crouching to my level, "I am so sorry." His arms wrapped around me as I struggled against him, clearly not in the right state of mind since I could always get out of his holds but couldn't in that moment.

"She isn't gone!" I bellowed in between my sobs as my tears freely cascaded over my cheeks. "She can't be gone! She's too strong to just give up!" my sobs gathered onlookers attention and everyone seemed to be confused as to why the leader of this successful mission was crying on the floor as one of his men struggled to keep him together.

"Luke, did you get the code?" Bob asked, stomping over with his hands on his hips, mad for an unknown reason. "If you didn't get the code and that girl called off the search for nothing...."

All eyes went wide as my fist came in contact with his jaw and he fell to the floor with a thud.

"ALL YOU CARE ABOUT IS THE FUCKING CODE!!" my voice boomed throughout the hangar looking forum. It turned soft suddenly though as I stooped down beside his ear as if telling him a secret. "I lost the best thing in my life today because of that thing. And if I could, I would've never went on this raid. I would've stayed here, with the love of my life, because at least then she would be alive."

When I moved away his eyes were as wide as saucers, finally understanding the reason for my outburst and trying to gather his bearings on the situation.

"Son......" he began.

"Don't do that. We both know you wanted her dead, and you're probably thrilled to death right now. You are probably giddy as all get out like you were when Cynthia died!" Curses flew fluently off my tongue as I begin pacing a small area. 

My short reverie was ended when a technician on duty in the Core meeting room came running towards me, yelling for me to come look at something.

My lazy feet drug me to the newly refurbished room as the fifteen year old pulled up an email from a White Coat, whose name I recognize so easily: Farsha Wilson. The woman that was asking for a ransom for my girlfriend was also the woman that ordered mine and my sister's death.

The blown up email simply said 'Did you forget someone?' and had one attachment that could be clicked and opened.

Almost immediately as it opened, my heart fell to my stomach. The beautiful girl I had come to call mine was strapped to a wooden chair with scarlet rope that matched the color of her blood, which was smeared across her face, up and down her arms and jeans, and mixed in her blonde locks that looked like a rat's nest on her head. Her neck was bent awkwardly as if she couldn't support the weight of her skull, and, from the looks of it, she was unconscious when the picture was taken.

"Do we have a location for this?" I asked steadily, trying not to let my voice waver or crack.

"No sir," the young boy announced.

"I want every person that knows how to use a computer well to be on this, and I want a set of coordinates by tonight," I said coolly, walking out of the room with my shoulders high.

"Where are you going?" Calum asked, following me out of the room with the others in tow.

"To rest up and suit up." I stopped momentarily and looked back at them. "We are going to go get her."

End of Part I