*EVERYONE IN THIS STORY ARE CHIPMUNKS, THERE ARE NO HUMANS*
September 1942
North-western Burma
The sound of distant gunfire and bombing tore through the natural peace of the lush, wet jungle. The ground shook as Japanese bombers pounded the retreating British forces, and the heavy smell of blood, death and smoke suffocated the air.
Private John Campbell groaned as he tended to a shrapnel wound on his arm. He looked around at his comrades and slowly but painfully leaned back on a tree trunk and closed his eyes.
It had been three weeks since they last had radio contact with their main regiment, and hopes were fading quickly. John's confidence in the British Army had diminished, and without help from the Allies, all hope would be lost in stopping the Japanese.
Just three months earlier, the Japanese Imperial Army had pushed into Burma from Siam in the east. Having been reinforced with more troops after the fall of Singapore, columns of Japanese were now poised to attack Assam, the gateway to India. And that was why John and his battalion, or what remained of it, were here. In Burma. In some wet, mosquito-infested jungle. In Hell. To stop an enemy that would never surrender.
"Hey." he felt a hand on his shoulders, shaking him. He didn't respond.
"HEY." came the voice again. He opened his eyes and looked at a young and handsome chipmunk. He was unmistakable. John recognized him as Lieutenant Colonel Alvin Seville, the battalion's leader. Alvin came from America, John knew. As a volunteer to the British Army and a relentless fighter, he had risen ranks like no other officer had before. He had attracted the girls too. Back in the training camp, he had gained maximum attention of nearly all the nurses. But he loved only one – Brittany Miller, an American volunteer nurse with beautiful auburn hair and sparkling blue eyes. John himself had a major crush on her, and that was a reason why he and Alvin didn't get along too well with each other.
"Look, I know it's been a tough week, and we're all pretty much fucked up in this goddamn jungle. But it's my job and my mission to get us outta here." said Alvin, looking around at the rest of his depleted battalion. Many were wounded and more were heavily demoralized.
Alvin looked back at John's exhausted face and continued "Come on, we have to keep moving. The faster we get outta here, the better the chance of survival."
"How can you be so sure?" asked John, looking down at his bloodied arm "We're as good as dead already. We don't know where we are and we don't know where the Japs are."
"OK. We have a choice. We can sit around here and get blown up in our sleep or we can get our asses moving and we won't die looking like idiots." Alvin replied with a serious look on his face. John groaned again as he tried to pull out a piece of shrapnel on his arm "We can get you fixed up too when we get outta this jungle." Alvin said "It's your choice, but I'm not gonna let us die like sitting ducks."
John was in no position to argue with his commanding officer, and nodded.
Alvin patted his shoulder "Good choice."
He then turned around and gave orders to move out. The battalion members slowly got up and there was a symphony of groans and grumbles from the weary troops. John quickly pulled out a strip of bandage from his pack and wrapped it around his wounded arm tightly as he himself got up and followed Peter, the battalion's sniper and John's best friend since school.
As he walked past Alvin, John could see the fear in his eyes. Even the daring Lieutenant Colonel also knew fear.