The graveyard looks so peaceful. The moonlight shining through light clouds makes this sight even more mesmerizing. Is this how graveyards become? So big that I have to ask my imagination to believe it actually ends somewhere. But even when I try, I don't see where it might. But no matter how much I clearly see ahead of me, this night with the atmosphere that makes you breathe fresh is certainly making me feel light of the size of this sight.

  “Just how many died?”, I spoke out with a cracked voice while my throat went dry. It’s like I choked on air or something.

  I never saw a grave let alone a graveyard. When my parents were killed and the news told my parents were buried by the government, I was still hiding from them. I never saw their grave and I focused my entire life to revenge. I only read about graves and graveyards and saw pictures of how they looked.

  They were like rain puddles in size compared to this, which is like a really big river that connects to the ocean.

  I try to focus again to find the end but i can only see so far when it blends in atmosphere. “It’s huge”, I think to myself. The graveyard strangely has no walls in the front. Only in the sides and assuming the back side.

  Shouldn’t there be proper barricade? I think about it a little but my mind doesn’t produce an answer that would make sense. I shrug it off my mind and decide that I want to actually see what graves are like up-close. So I go inside.

  Heading in I can see grave markers, or whatever they are called are spread out with uneven lining. There are names in each marker like Hadi, Yusuf, John, Titas, Manjil, Clay, Rashford, Cena, etc. Some names I can make sense of like Mofiz while others are really unique and weird like Terry.

  Looking back, Sheph and Mason have that weird and unique new names which I heard for the first time too. Are these names not their real names? That’s probably the case because they won’t tell a random kid their names when they are fighting and opposing the government I guess.

  I was thinking and walking in and have gone far inside without even knowing and a shock ran through my body because I hear someone speaking. I don’t think graves are supposed to speak so I can feel myself a little scared. My eyes scan rapidly in every direction to see where the sounds are coming from and I spot a silhouette lying far inside. I’m scared. Why is there sounds coming from a graveyard and a silhouette lying or sleeping here? I have read many horror stories in the library. Is that supposed to be a ghost?

  I don’t know what it is but I keep going towards it. I never seen a ghost. I read they are bad and scary or stuff like that, but what if they are good to me? I was just visiting to see what their remnants looked like. Let’s try to greet them. I slowly go towards the sleeping ghost to not seem harmful and when I go closer and can see and hear better, I feel disappointed. It was a person not a ghost.

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  I can hear what they are saying barely, “....remember that too yeah? White beat us up for not making the quota. I always was lagging behind you and Mason.

  . Taseen... this kid is as ignorant as they can get. You would’ve thrown him away from your team.

  What am I even saying? You were the same as him. I can’t do anything to stop the EVILS. Not Steve. He is just a . Not even these kids death marching thinking they can win.” Sheph was lying beside a grave and talking to it.

  What’s wrong with this guy? I think I get it. He is broken. He probably has a bad past like me and is matching someone he lost with me.

  I walk towards him. After getting closer to him, he notices me and looks at me. He was lying down biting a kans grass as always. His right foot was crossed on top of his left one. His hands behind his head as a pillow. He looked at me and questioned with a , “I thought you were with Steve?”

  His question made me remember why I was here in the first place. “We had a small fight. I ran off”, I answered, shrugging with a bit of irritation remembering Steve.

  He looked at me for a small bit of time and asked, “What is the fight about?” I can tell by how he was looking at me that it was not a curiosity to know but an order for me to tell him. I felt kind of convinced by his look that I to answer him.

  “He... He told me my lineage sided with the government”, I told him with hesitation in my voice or rather my entire existence was hesitating to say those words. I immediately continue, “But, but it’s not like it’s the truth right? He, he is lying. Yeah. My parents were killed by the government! They can’t be siding with the government!” My voice gradually grew more aggressive and desperate as I said those words.

  “So he finally tells you something and it’s that?” Sheph said while he looked at the sky. “Come here. Lie beside. I’ll tell you a story”, said Sheph while patting the ground to his right side.

  A story? What would a story even do? And isn’t it disrespecting to the graves to be lying around here?

  “Aren’t you disrespecting these graves by being like that?” I questioned him since I didn’t know what was disrespecting and what was not. Nobody taught me.

  “Graves? What graves?”. Sheph raised his right hand and swirled it around in a round motion while he continued, “You’re talking about these?” He looked at me as if he wanted a yes or no.

  “Yes? Aren’t these graves?” I confusingly asked him.

  “These aren’t graves”, Sheph stopped as if he felt sad remembering something. He continued, “These are just the markers. When you work for us..... You die like you never existed. You don’t leave your body behind when you die. Some do... Most don’t”, saying that he looked towards the grave to his left, the one he was lying beside. The marker had the name Khaled.

  So there aren’t any bodies under these markers? What did I get myself tangled into? Will I not be able to avenge my parents? Will I not be able live a peaceful life? Will I.... Will I even be remembered when I die?