Nathaniel Reed

Nathaniel Reed was born September 17th, in the small-sale town of Leavenworth, Washington. Being raised in a sparsely populated town, it was considered a rare occurrence to see an unfamiliar face. Perhaps that’s why he took such an interest in the new kid at school, a young girl named Jennifer, who had moved to town in the middle of their academic year. One could often find him chasing her across the playground, pulling at her pigtails, and teasing the poor girl to no end. While she had endured his taunting for a short while, it didn’t take long to decide that she was fed up with Nate. During their recess period, she warned that if he were to continue his tormenting, she would make him regret it. In spite of her warning, he was foolish enough to continue with his teasing ways - which earned him a swift and clean break to his nose. Blood had spurted across the concrete, the shouting and wailing ensued, and both their parents were promptly summoned to the school grounds. The administrators were furious over this act of violence, and after finding Jennifer at fault, demanded an apology from her straight away. However, Nate took it upon himself to step forward, and admitted to compelling the young girl to turn to violence. Regardless of his confession, half-hearted apologies were still ordered to be exchanged, and the matter was dropped soon afterward. A few days later, Nate returned to the playground with two swollen eyes and a cast over his little nose, paired with a newfound determination in speaking with the girl again. He approached her once more, but this time to offer his more sincere expression of regret, and asked if they might become friends, rather than enemies. The two were inseparable from that point onward.

As Nate and Jenny grew together over the years, their friendship eventually blossomed into a blissful romance. He courted his young love all throughout their school years, never once straying from her side. Everywhere she went, he was sure to follow. The two were entirely captivated by each other, euphorically and incessantly in love. Nothing ever seemed to pull them apart; nothing, except for his abrupt decision to join the army, just after they had celebrated their graduation. In Nate’s mind, he found his reasoning to be more than plausible; joining the military would grant him a surplus of benefits to care for himself, and the love of his life, in the long run. However, Jenny found his choice to be a foolish and self-centered one. She fought against it with all that she could, but given his stubborn nature, Nate’s decision was final. He left his hometown by plane, without a goodbye from his lover.
Military training was more brutal than Nathaniel could have ever anticipated; early-morning training regimes that stretched well into the evening, heartless mentors that pushed him beyond his known limits, and very little privacy day in and day out were all he would know for the next ten weeks. Despite the strenuous circumstances, he endured the process and continued to climb the ranks. It would be two long years before he achieved the Corporal title, and was granted a small section of men to command as his own. He led his troop with an iron fist and provided a stone-cold reprimand for any who dared to step out of line.
It wasn’t until one fateful day on the open battlefield that he ever considered leaving. Perhaps it was the ground littered with bullets, or the air reeking of metallic sulfur that clouded his judgment. Perhaps it was his ever-growing concern for his men, bloodied and bruised from battle. No matter the case, Nate made the poor choice of craning his neck just an inch too high above the cover of their post. The enemy saw the opportunity to strike, and ordered their men to open fire on his troops. By some miracle, no one had sustained any injuries from the attack - all except for their Corporal, who had taken a bullet to his right ear. The moment his section was no longer under any imminent threat, tactical field care was hastily provided. The negligence of his care provider cost him a small chunk of cartilage from his injured ear, as well as some partial hearing loss. To this day, if one were to look closely, they would find he tilts his head to the side of his better ear while he listens. It wasn’t long before he was removed from the battlefield, and soon afterward, was discharged from service entirely.

Upon returning to his hometown, Nathaniel was quick to seek out his former lover. Although they had exchanged very few letters over the years, his devotion to Jennifer hadn’t even so much as dimmed. Being reunited with her once more wasn’t like how it may be portrayed in the movies; she was still quite resentful of his decision to leave in the first place. However, her anger masked the spark she still felt inside, and it didn’t take long for Nate to woo her once again. Although, his sustained injury would forever hold the weight of her “I told you so’s”. No one was surprised when they wed so soon after their reconciliation. Their ceremony was small, but their union was a beautiful deliverance of their devotion to one another. Soon after they tied the knot, they packed what little belongings they shared between each other, and moved to the bustling city of Seattle. Together, they sought out opportunities they knew their little hometown wouldn’t be able to offer.
What the newly-wedded couple hadn’t anticipated was that they might have been biting off more than they could chew. Perhaps their eagerness in the beginning of the rest of their lives together had blinded them to this notion. They had yet to realize just how quickly their lives could be changed in an instant, especially in the hustle and bustle of the big city. All that they knew would fall to pieces in a single evening, while the pair were taking an innocent and peaceful stroll through the streets of their new home. How strange it was that despite all of Nathaniel’s new skills and strengths, he never noticed the tall, looming figure that trailed just behind them. Having yet to recover any of his lost hearing, this unfortunate aspect aided their attacker in striking before he could even be noticed. With his lighting quick speed and strength seemingly equal to ten men, this predator appeared just as inhuman as he behaved. Restrained to the concrete, frantically reaching for Jenny one last time, it wasn’t until the attacker drew blood that everything faded to black.

When Nate finally came to, he recognized the stark white walls and various cords and tubing attacked to his body as a hospital room. He would remain laid up in bed, entirely helpless, as his doctor delivered the unfortunate news that the blood loss he experienced during the assault had nearly killed him. Even worse, was that despite their best efforts, his wife did not survive the attack. Nathaniel was completely devastated by his loss - his best friend, a partner meant to be at his side for life, stolen from him all in an instant. His heart was shattered, and his mind spiraled to a very dark, very morbid place. He plummeted in his drinking and despair to rock bottom. His grief consumed him for longer than he would ever care to admit.
It would take a vast amount of time before he would come out the other side of this dark tunnel, but as a changed man entirely. He was no longer the warm, loving man that Jenny knew; he had been buried alongside her.