Memories

OOC: My erm…third try at angst writing. That's about all I really need to say, it will be somewhat hard as I write this because I'm building it up as I go.

IXXXXXXXXXI

The leaves on the maple trees rustled as the wind blew against them. The patches of green, lush grassland has now turned into a bright, orange carpet composed of dead, amber leaves. The roads nearby were empty as the procession proceeded along the grey cobblestone floor. The whole area was empty, even the birds didn't come. No butterflies fluttered freely in the air. Nothing seemed to be there, everything seemed to be dead. But then by contrast, there was one soul sitting on an old, oak bench under a maple tree, her head clutched in between her hands and her face staring solemnly down to the leaf covered ground. She sat completely still like a marble statue and was completely silent like someone who had a blank mind.

Her mind though was wholly different. Her mind was repeating a thought over and over again, like reading a book whose pages were memorised word by word, like a broken tape if you may. It was not a complicated thought nor was it in anyway unusual (well…that may differ depending on how you define the word.), it was just a single strand of thought. Like a piece of string if you may, being felt time and time again, its fabric worn and demanding a rest; although it wasn't a piece of string, nor was it something that required great intellect to sort out. The thought was simply a word, and that word was…

…Why?

To clarify this thought, she was asking why had her loved ones had to die? First her father, then brother and finally her boyfriend. Why did the three have to die for a cause that they did not even commit? God had created people to live freely on this planet, follow their own aspirations and dreams (well, not to do anything bad, then you're on your own.). Not to be assaulted and massacred by an alien race that we had never even heard of before, let alone seen. Life had a cruel way of not being fair, and fairness was a virtue in times like this.

The poor girl now has nightmares every night. Nightmares of how she was an eye witness to the massacre that was Delta Creek. She too was working in the human resistance, much like her father (who died long ago.), brother and the man she loved. Of course for a fragile mind like hers she could not just run around grasping a gun like a baby and blasting anything not human she sees to kingdom come, then having nightmares about it. No, she was assigned to the medical team that was assigned to the back lines to help and at least pray for the clinically dead and wounded. What the UNSC didn't know about the medical team was that this job was worse than on the battlefield. Only here may one see the true extent of human suffering.

This is the event that changed her life forever, from the optimistic lass she used to be to a frightened little girl, whose heart was emotionally scarred to this day…

………

UNSC calendar: 04/07/2553:Military time 1108: Location: Los Angeles HQ

A day like any other passed without much going on. The base was reasonably quiet; save the constant footsteps of the healthy and young men outside and the over done screams of the drill sergeants roaring like them to move. The cries of "move it! Move it! Get moving you lazy S.O.Bs!" can still be heard quite clearly from the medical centre a few hundred metres away, but this was occasionally masked by the moans and groans of the patients being treated. The young lady we are talking about was sewing, but not what we may think she's doing."

"¡Oh mi dios que esta infierno lastima!" A patient cried as a huge leg wound was slowly being stitched up. "¿No puede usted ir más rápidamente?"

"No sir I can't go any faster." Our character said sternly, before going back to stitching. It was pretty much always like this. Some squad goes out to do a recon search and most of the time one or two good men are never seen again (or found to be dead a few days later.), while about five more comes back with a variety of exotic injuries, from plasma wounds to whole sections being blasted on (the latter being treated with nano-bugs and kept in a incubator for fourteen days.). All in all, not too bad place to be in if one doesn't mind the constant gore. At the very least you don't go to the front…

"Hold still now sir." Our young nurse begged (more like asked, but even talked, although secretly she wished this one could be gagged and held still.), picking up a bio-foam injector "This part won't hurt a bit…"

She then jabbed the needle end into the still remaining hole that she did not stitch up. A shriek of pain rang out across the ward, which was pretty normal considering. Injecting the bio-foam. She smiled and sewed the remaining pocket, and then left.

Walking to the door she looked out of the window, and smiled as his boyfriend and brother approached the building. Stepping back her smile widened as the door swung quietly open and the two friends came in. Her boyfriend immediately hugged the girl while her brother stared blankly around the ward. Looking as though the stench of the place has already gripped his nose and torn it off with one simple tug.

Deciding not to know how his sister could possibly withstand this smell he too hugged her tightly, seeing that she was perfectly fine (after all, she is family.). Letting go of his beloved sister he stepped back beside her boyfriend. Before beginning to ask her what was going on for the past few days. So it was like this for half a hour or so; someone asks a question and will get an answer in a matter of seconds. By now another shipment of wounded soldiers was rushed in, summoning all available hands to help the poor souls. Seeing that they were disturbing a perfect flow of work they left, but not giving a salute as a joke to her, making the lass giggle and blush. The two men then left…

…And that will be the last time our maiden will ever see them again like this, for a battle will soon commence, one which not a lot of people would survive.

………

UNSC calendar 04/07/2553: Military time 1245: location: LA city centre

Round after round of plasma rounds flew overhead as the marines of 22nd infantry division dashed across the rubble that could have been a large billboard and a couple of wrecked cars. The mass of olive green combat armour and metallic grey that were assault rifles ran towards the covenant trench. Not even the volley after volley of plasma fire could halt the mass of troops as they ran. Upon a scream of a captain the front line of assault rifles opened up with their AP rounds. One could imagine the hail of tracer rounds as a red wall of death as they pounded the trenches of the covenant lines. Many grunts fell while the bullets pounding on their shields overwhelmed the jackals. Elites dived for cover and the hunters were sprayed by fire (they didn't seem to mind, or at least too dead to mind.).

In amongst the 22nd infantry were our character's boyfriend and brother, fighting side-to-side and shoulder-to-shoulder. Their rounds pierced the covenant front lines like a lance striking a dragon. Ducking returning bolts of acidic green plasma a few marines dived into the trench, where a few of them struck down opposing enemies with the butts of their rifles. A grunt blasted a overcharged bolt at the brother, who dodged and returned the favour with a few accurate shots to the chest and back, where the methane container sat. An explosion rapidly followed, resulting in a few pieces of gore flying around and a very charred grunt. A jackal attacked the maiden's boyfriend, firing as many rounds as he could before it had it's head torn straight off by a magnum round.

Ducking a few more rounds the two backed up against each other, with grunts and jackals surrounding the duo; both of the men grinned nervously at their opposition. Then as a flash bang exploded from a distance and caught the alien's eyes, they hit the deck (or in this case, somewhat hard dirt.) and opened fire, catching the jackals up front unaware and killing them instantly. The grunts reacted somewhat slowly but were blasted to pieces by a rocket fired by their teammates. The remaining survivors ran for safety, but were cut down by rifle fire.

Standing up they whooped as a few warthogs drove past, their wheels going through the ditch easily. They then watched as a wrath tank drove across the street from a corner, blasting the warthogs to kingdom come. Their cheering stopped and was soon turned into utter fear as the thing drove towards them, it's gun barrel lowering on them. Firing at it's front hall the two began to retreat. But their futile attempt was blocked as the tank fired on them. Screams then followed as the plasma bolt hit near them, and the tank then simply drove over the ditch, and towards it's next target, leaving the two behind.

………

UNSC calendar 04/07/2553:Military Time 1530: Location: Los Angeles HQ

Now we move back to our young lady, whom this little story was based on. She was happily working at yet another wounded patient. Stitching and applying bio-foam to wounds that needed healing. 'The day has been quite normal' she thought, 'wonder if it is going to get any better,' Then as she finished her thinking, a load of stretchers came through the ward. Carrying yet another troop of wounded soldiers. Being as calm as she could she quickly finished this patient and ran to see what the wounds were. When the bloodied linen cloth was raised over the wounded. She gasped and stared in shock, he hands masking her mouth. 'This wasn't normal at all…' she thought, looking at the men. Massive slashes were cut across areas in their chest, which looked as though they were repeatedly hacked by a machete. Blood dripped from half the stretchers, creating steady streams that leaked out of a drain on the floor. Soldiers without arms or legs or both were laid on the stretchers, moaning and groaning and screaming at the wounds. One could even see a few of the patient's stomach and entrails, still working fine. Many of the nurses just stood there in shock, some began to cry as they saw loved ones lying there dying. The young lady too was worried about her loved ones as she searched desperately for them, she knew that this was their division because of all the badges and faces she was so used to over the years.

She finally found her brother and loved one ten minutes later, right at the end of the row of bleeding stretchers. She began to cry hysterically as she saw their wounds. Her brother had both legs missing, a massive burn mark almost I cooked /I his back, while many parts of the armour had fused to his body. Her boyfriend was even worse. She could have only recognised him through his dog tags, for he was so charred and burnt it was amazing that he was still alive. Shouting desperately for everyone to get going. She tended to the two personally. Desperately trying to do her best to heal them. Not even the best of medicine could treat them, and their life signs began to fade…

Until they were gone…

Their living soul has now gone…

They were lost…

…Forever.

………

This is why she is in such a state today, sitting there with her head deep in her hands, constantly trying to figure out why they had died, why did they have to die for this? She dropped out of the military after this incident, and tried to make do with her qualifications. She could have got a half decent job in some half decent place in some part of the country that was still free. But because she wanted to accompany her lost ones, she chose to stay. Living near the graveyard where they now rest, she visited every day to pay her last respects to them. Not caring about the world that is now slowly regaining its superiority over the covenant. Not caring about anything that used to be first on her priority list. Not caring about the fact that she still had a life in front of her. She is now not the nurse that she used to be, but the patient that just wanted to give up and die.

War is a funny thing, it brings out the best and worst of people, but sometimes, no, a lot of times it shatters and crushes one's inner energy to live in one single blow like that event a year ago. This is what happens when one goes to war. People might say to me that this story is over-exaggerated, but hey, this may one day happen. War may be fought for something that they need. But the end does not justify the means to get it.

………

OOC: Ok…this is very confusing I know (especially the top bit, I was trying to find a way to end it off, and by doing that got caught in a rotating circle, going round and round and round…)

So, I hope you enjoyed this.

(A/N: I never used the name of the girl because I wanted you to fill in the name, let it be anyone you like.)

(A/N 2: Don't mind about the random letters with dashes, they were meant to be tags...(i think i got rid of them...))