Chapter 77 The Proposal

The sun is almost down.
The orange and red color from it burst into the sky, the twilight bringing an ethereal feeling where all of us are just looking down on our feet, waiting for the right time to come. Even Greg, who will do the most dangerous part of our fearsome attempt to reach the outer facility of the bunker twenty-eight seems restless. Just thirty minutes ago, he went here from the cockpit to eat an early dinner so in case any of us get a sickening feeling of fear when the mission engage, there would be no vomit that will mess the floor of this car.
And yes, I am referring to Timothy and Li.
All of us are gloomy and I can"t blame any of them. This is the night of doing it or dying trying. If we won"t be successful in doing this, then there is no other way to get into the bunker than sneak into the camp of the enemies which is way more impossible for us to survive.
Greg quietly parked the car behind giant boulders of stones where we are a few kilometers away from the camp of the Scarlet Tundra. I wonder how much progress they had already made in making attempts on hijacking the bunker. It scares me how my family is in there, surrounded by these bandits and who knows how thirsty are these men to spill blood in that place.
This place is a blindspot from the camp and before we went here, we made sure that it was not part of the roving area of their guards. They seem to concentrate all their men in the camp and Jayson was right. It would be a suicide if we go there sneaking. I can"t imagine my body receiving bullets in it. My father was once shot in the leg when he was a teenager because he stole bread from a bakery when he had nothing to eat. He said you won"t feel it at first because of shock and adrenaline and then the pain would suddenly surge throughout the part and its torment because it healed for over two months after the bullet was removed. And yes, my father hadn"t had a good life before. He worked multiple jobs to get to college to give me and my brother a worry-free life and this is how everything ended.
I stood and walk towards the exit of the car to get some air. I know the air inside the car is much better than the outside but I need some space to let out this nervous feeling in me. It"s hard to concentrate when I see the faces of my friends being in despair, thinking about how this mission will end later at night when we force to get inside the camp and crash into everything that will be on our way just to head straight to the facility. Greg shut off all the devices that would lt the enemies track us and the only advantage we have now is the element of surprise.
Leaning against a rock where I could see the grimy and bloody side of the armored car, I took the hair tie from my wrist and tied my yellow hair to a ponytail. Then I noticed someone walking behind me and saw Jayson, who seems gloomy too but he managed to give me a small smile just to let me know that he won"t ruin the mood that I am trying to improve now.
"Getting too tired of being cramped inside the car?" He asks, his smile seems nervous and not convincing but it"s apparently the effect of his overthinking about our suicidal mission tonight.
I look at his wavy dark hair, and his green expressive eyes and wonder, if we"ll die tonight, It would be ok for me because at least, I am still with someone who loves me no matter how stone-hearted I am. But thinking about dad and Carl makes me refuse to die tonight. I can"t leave them both on their own. They need me.
"I just need to see something other than the walls of the car. The air is better there, though. But my eyes prefer to see other than Li"s face who looks like he"s going to pee on his pants," I answered him with humor, trying to ease the tension between us. I know he"s not upset anymore but that doesn"t mean we"re all okay and that makes me uncomfortable with him now.
He cleared his throat, giving me a notion that he also feels that same, and then brushed his hair with his hand as he moved closer, leaning against the rock beside me. I didn"t say a word though. I didn"t react. I just let him do whatever he thinks will make us both comfortable with each other again and that is enough for me. Knowing he's making an effort for us to be okay.
Jayson chuckled and moved his hand to hold mine. I saw his face turned apologetic, his lips pursed like he was trying to stop himself from saying anything that he thinks would make me upset. He knows me too well and he is too aware of the things that I like and dislike so he"s really careful of what he wants to say to me right now. Besides, it"s a crucial moment because we"re not sure of what we"ll happen to us later so maybe it"s best that we avoid arguing about things that would only make both of us feel miserable after.
So without a word, I let him hold my hand and we stayed silent for minutes, making the time pass by waiting for the moment to come.
I was startled a bit when he spoke, "If we survive this, Harriet, what will be your plan after?"
Dumbstruck by the question, I gaze at his green eyes staring back to my soul and then averted my eyes, not sure what to say.
But I have this feeling that I have to answer his question so I shifted my position and moved closer to him. "I am not sure, Jayson. After we save my parents and also, Timothy"s dad, I have no idea what to do after we get back to the bunker. I am not even sure if we will all make it to the bunker twenty-eight tonight. I"m actually scared I won"t have the chance to see my father and brother again—"
"You"ll see them both, Harriet. I have this feeling we"ll make it. We have been into so many worst situations remember?" he whispered to me and a cold wind swept on my bare skin, making me shudder. I forgot to get a jacket when I went here because my mind was too occupied with the plan so Jason took off his jacket and placed it on my shoulders. "I will be the one to drive the armored car. I don"t think Greg could handle the pressure though so I"ll do it."
I was shocked at what he had just said, "Are you serious about that, Jayson? Can you drive it? I don"t think it is like an ordinary car. It"s heavy and a little slow."
"Yes, I am aware of that," he sighed and a white smoke puffed out of his mouth as the temperature starts to drop again, the surrounding is getting darker and the stars are showing between the heavy clouds. I don"t think it"s just an occasional cloud because it looks like they are going to shed some rain later on, which I think would be a great opportunity for us because it will be hard for the bandits to move in the middle of the rain. I just hope the ground would be not too slippery for the car because slipping in the middle of the rain is the last thing that I would ever have in mind once we start the mission.
I was so absorbed with the fear in my chest that I didn"t notice Jayson taking something from his pocket. When I look back at him, something shiny glinted in his palm and when I look at it, it was a diamond ring!
My heart skipped a beat seeing the unexpected thing on his hand. My mouth gaped a little, my eyes wide with surprise. Is he just...
"I know it"s very bad timing for this and I am just hoping before we crash the enemy"s camp, I want to ask you this."
"Jayson—"
"I have nothing to offer you but my life, Harriet. And I will give my last breath just to keep you safe. Will you marry me, please?"
He really said it...
My mind and heart are completely freaking out right now and I am starting to cry, not because I am scared that we might not survive the mission later but because I am so happy that Jayson is here with me, giving me a promise of a future with him. My tears run down my face and he looked at me, worried when I didn"t respond to him but I just gave him my hand to put the ring on and his face lightened at once.
When he put the ring on my finger, it was just then that I have to courage to say it in a whisper. "Yes."