The only thing I can here is gun shots. They fill and threaten to shatter my ears. Every one gives me a pounding headache but I have to fight through it. I am fighting for my life here.
I hold my gun up and aim at the nearest enemy soldiers, rising up from my cover to shoot them down. Blood spatters and the man on the other side falls to the ground. His blood mingles with the dark liquid seeping from the hundreds of bodies already littering the ground.
I glance around. Only a few hundred soldiers remain on the opposing side, but even less still stand in the Danish and Norwegian forces combined. We're gonna lose this, huh? That thought has been running through my head ever since the enemy began to outnumber us. There is no possible way for us to turn this around, yet our commander refuses to retreat. That bastard is gonna get us killed.
Another sound comes close to deafening me: a grenade. From where I stand, I'm five meters out of range of the explosion. I shrink down behind the rubble I had been using for cover, clenching my eyes shut. Bits and pieces of rocks, shrapnel, and body parts fly past me. I look up into the smoke, immediately ducking again at the sound of gun fire. Bullets soar over me, emerging from the smoke. Most of the bullets miss their mark but screams, yells, and thuds can be heard behind me. Don't look back, don't look!
I glance behind me at my allies. Several more have fallen, writhing in the blood and dirt. Friends and comrades are now just bodies to step over. I shake my head. My anger is growing but something else overpowers it, drowning it out. Hopelessness begins to gnaw at me from inside my chest, leaving an empty feeling where my courage should be. We're gonna lose.
I pull together the last of my fighting power and send several bullets flying through the fading smoke. Strangled yelps tell me I hit my targets. Some of my few remaining allies shoot, some to defend their land, others to avenge their fallen friends and family. I shoot for…
What do I shoot for, again?
Oh, yeah. I suddenly remember, though I know it's been in my mind the whole time. I fight for a certain Norwegian that I fell for during training camp. I glance to my side and see his calm emotionless eyes focused on his targets. His delicate-looking frame shakes slightly with each shot he fires. That golden cross still holds his silvery hair back out of his face.
He glances over at me and catches me staring… again. He merely rolls his eyes and returns his gaze to the enemy, picking them off one by one. I notice he lost his helmet in the fighting. I remove my own helmet, allowing my wild blond hair to stand up, and place it on his head, earning another eye roll. Satisfied, I grin and start shooting again. He is the only thing I'm fighting for right now. Nothing else, nobody else, just him. I won't allow anyone to hurt him.
I kill off several more enemy soldier before there's a gasp beside me. I almost miss the soft sound amongst the screams and gun shots. I quickly glance next to me and see a dark red stain forming in his uniform. It's right on his left shoulder and it grows, the blood seeping into the rough cloth of his uniform. My mouth opens to say something but shuts again when he raises his gun, shooting at several more soldiers. I lift my hand to get his attention but he looks at me with a harsh and warning glare. Of course he thinks he's ok…
I can only shake my head as I turn back to the enemy, planting more bullets in their chests and skulls. Occasionally ducking into cover, I dodge the oncoming metal rounds and return the attacks fiercely. With each glance at him, a fire begins to burn in my heart. That courage, that purpose, that I had lost earlier has returned and pushes down any other feeling. Somebody hurt him, so I will kill them.
I soon realize he stood up, shooting vigorously. I want to tell him to get down but the words refuse to form. I continue shooting and killing, protecting him the best I can. His blood starts to form a small puddle at his feet. I know he's losing blood quickly and is at risk of being shot again, but he's stubborn. He's extremely stubborn and doesn't like to listen to me. Nothing I say ever helps. Not that it matters, my voice doesn't seem to want to work now. Protect him, don't let them touch him!
The enemy decides to charge at us, jumping over blockades and dead bodies alike. Our shooting becomes more frantic. I shoot as quickly as possible, killing the enemy as it approaches. That same gasp sounds again. That soft painful gasp. A new blood stain shows on his uniform. Right in the stomach. He collapses to the ground, coughing up blood. My blue eyes widen as his face contorts with pain. My soul tells me to scream but my body won't make a sound. His eyes meet mine. They hurt him… He's in pain…!
As his blood continues to flow, I grasp his hand in my own. He squeezes my hand with what strength he has, struggling to keep his eyes open. His calloused fingers rub against my skin and grow cold and heavy. My chest, my heart, more specifically, throbs with anger and despair. They hurt him! I'll kill them! I plant a gentle kiss on his hand and get a steady hold on my gun. Rage tears at my heart as I stand, coming out of cover and into the open.
I feel the eyes of the enemy on me. My heart takes over my brain and I charge into the large group of soldiers, emptying my bullets into them. Left and right, they fall to the ground like they deserve to. I pull the trigger of my gun over and over again. The enemy's screams add to the fire growing in my heart. They all deserve to die for hurting him!
I fight on, not taking notice to the hole in my arm or the dark blood dripping from it. I don't care about the new bullet wound in my leg, either. Nothing like that matters. I continue to shoot and shoot until my gun won't shoot any more. I reach for more ammo but find none. I throw the useless piece of metal aside and run at the nearest soldier. I'll kill them all with my bare hands!
Leaping onto the man's back, I snap his neck, the sickening crack filling my ears. Someone grabs me from behind. I elbow them in the face and quickly grab their neck, slamming their skull into the ground. I stand up straight, only to be knocked down by a shot to the back of my knee. I can barely feel it, but I know it's there. My leg won't keep me upright, no matter how hard I try. As I struggle to keep my balance, I feel something hard against the top of my head. No… I have to protect him, don't shoot me…!
Fear grips my stomach, making it churn. That feeling freezes my whole being. Unable to move, I can only hear the sick laugh from the soldier standing in front of me. All other sounds are drowned out now by the beating of my own heart and the wretched laughter. Other sounds fight to overcome those two but everything else is faint and muffled. Even the desperate scream of my name from somewhere behind me from a familiar voice and the amused words from above me.
"You're an idiot to not wear a helmet on the battle field."
The last thing I hear is the bang of the gun sending the bullet straight through my skull.
So, first off, I apologize for the horrible title. Second, I really have no idea what war this would be, I just felt the need to write a war story for DenNor. I really hope you all liked this story! Sorry if it sucked, it's like 12:30 am right now so... yeah.
Reviews are appreciated and loved! Thank you all!