Strawberry dragged her bleeding friend behind the rock. "Hold on Ginger Snap. We'll get you out of here." Ginger Snap reached up and grabbed Strawberry's hand, too weak to speak. Strawberry squeezed her hand."It's okay.2 She looked around the canyon for Orange Blossom. She finally spotted her over by Frosty Puff. "Orange Blossom get over here!"

Orange Blossom looked over at Strawberry and could see Ginger Snap bleeding. "Frost Puff cover me!"

Frosty Puff nodded and began firing her rifle in the direction the sniper shot came from. Orange Blossom began running across the dusty canyon to the rock Strawberry and Ginger Snap were behind. On the way across a sniper shot landed at her feet. She stumbled forward but quickly recovered and slid behind the rock. She started looking over Ginger. "I got this."

Strawberry took her hands off the wound in Ginger Snaps stomach, which were almost immediately replaced by Orange Blossoms. "I've had pressure on it almost since it happened. Just do your best."

Orange Blossom nodded. "I always do." She said this in an attempt to reassure Strawberry but she wasn't too sure she could save her but she had to try. This was one of her best friends for Christ sake.

Suddenly Strawberry heard her name being called and she turned to see Blueberry Muffin pointing towards the wall of the canyon. Strawberry looked where Blueberry was pointing and she could see the entrance to what seemed to be a cave. Strawberry turned back to Orange Blossom. "Can we move her?".

Orange Blossom was applying a bandage to Ginger Snaps wound. "I've done the best I can with what I have but the less movement the better."

"I don't think we have much of a choice. Get her ready to move." Strawberry turned back to the rest of the team. "Toss smokes!". Strawberry grabbed a smoke grenade off of her belt and tossed it. The rest of the team did the same, covering the whole canyon in a smoke screen. "Move we only have a few seconds!"

Strawberry helped Orange Blossom pick up Ginger Snap and began moving as quickly as the could towards the cave. Two others entered the cave before them. Once they entered the cave Angel Cake replaced Strawberry carrying Orange Blossom down the dark corridor. Strawberry stayed by the entrance to make sure everyone got in. Two more a few seconds later. Strawberry stopped Peppermint Fizz while Huckleberry Pie kept running down the corridor. "Is that everyone?"

Peppermint took a breath before speaking. "Raspberry and Crepe Suzette are still out there. I think."

Peppermint stood by the entrance with Strawberry to see if anyone else came. A few seconds later Crepe Suzette ran to them shouting. "The smokes clearing, get away from the entrance!".

A few moments later Raspberry Torte's head turned the corner. Suddenly blood spattered out the side of her head and onto the wall, her body slumped up against the wall. Crepe Suzette tripped and crawled backwards away from the entrance "Shit."

Strawberry helped Crepe Suzette to her feet and pointed down the corridor. "Everyone move. Now!"

The three girls ran dow the corridor and arrived in a small cave dimly lit by flares. Strawberry looked around the room. Everyone was in small groups talking about what had just happened. "Roll call!"

Everyone stopped talking.

"Huckleberry."

"Crepe Suzette."

"Angel Cake."

"Peppermint."

"Blueberry."

"Orange Blossom and Ginger Snap."

Strawberry thought for a moment. "Okay so eight of us," She turned to Orange, who was still treating Ginger Snap. "You two are busy. Let me think, Blueberry, and Crepe Suzette guard the entrance and be alert. No doubt more of them will be on the way." They nodded, and ran off towards the entrance of the cave. "The rest of you over her. Now."

The group huddled around then Strawberry began talking again. "This is bad, berry, berry bad. By now that sniper has more then likely call in reinforcements," Everyone nodded in agreement. "But since we missed check in command should send someone looking for us. We just have to hold out till then." Once again everyone nodded. "And one more thing," Strawberry said this as a friend not a commander "I've known you all for about fourteen years now. I don't want to lose anyone else today."

They nodded and went back to their business. Angel Cake walked over to Strawberry. the two girls stared each other dead in the eyes. Neither of them knew how to say what they wanted. Suddenly Angel Cake hugged Strawberry and pressed her lips against her friends. Strawberry didn't retaliate but instead kissed her back. After what felt like an eternity they broke away. The two girls stood there and stared at each other before sudden barrage of gunfire from outside brought them back to reality. Everyone ran for cover behind rocks. Blueberry came out of the corridor and hid behind the nearest rock. "Crepe Suzette is down. Twenty plus tangos incoming."

Everyone raised their rifles and pointed them towards the entrance of the cave. The group could hear shouting just outside the wasn't English so they couldn't understand it. The group was becoming more and more tense every second. Suddenly a small canister flew in to the cave. "Flashbang!" Peppermint shouted before ducking to the ground. There was a sudden flash of light and then gunshot. None of the group could see anything. When the blinding effect wore off, Huck lay motionless on the floor and two men were standing in the room firing blinding. the group quickly dispatched of the two and turned their attention back to the door. Orange moved up beside Strawberry, she had grabbed a rifle and was ready to fight. She looked at Strawberry sorrowfully. "Ginger Snaps gone."

Strawberry turned her head away from Orange Blossom as a tear rolled down her face. "Fuck." Ginger Snap had been the first of her modern group of friends that she had met. She then looked back to Huck lying on the ground. "Blueberry, check him."

Blueberry moved out from behind her rock and over to Huck. She checked his pulse, the whole time she kept her rifle pointed at the door. She turned her head to Strawberry and shook it. Suddenly a barrage of bullets came through the entrance. One of them went right through Blueberry shoulder. She fell backwards and crawled behind a rock. "Fuck! That hurt."

Another shot hit Peppermint right between the eyes. She let out a small scream and then fell backwards. Orange and Strawberry still had their guns pointed at the entrance when they heard more gunfire. These however sounded to be firing at each other. The four remaining girls waited for the gunfire to die down. When it did they kept their rifles raised to the entrance. No telling who was fighting but more importantly who won. Suddenly the girls heard a male voice "Were coming in, don't shoot."

The girls lowered their rifles as five armed soldiers walked in to the cave. They were friendlies.

"Thank god." Said Strawberry, confident it was over. "Orange help Blueberry."

One of the soldiers put his hand out stopping her. "Don't worry we got it." He turned to one of the other soldiers. "Right?"

The soldier smiled "Right."

Orange Blossom smiled back at the soldier. "Thanks." Then she walked back over to Strawberry and Angel Cake who was just staring at her friends bodies. One of the soldiers walked over to them. "Did you get the data?"

Strawberry nodded and handed a USB device to the soldier. "It better have been worth it, I lost a lot of good friends today."

The soldier put the USB in one of his pouches. "Don't worry you'll see them soon enough."

Strawberry looked at the man confused. The man had drawn his sidearm and shot point blank in to Strawberry's stomach. She fell backwards as Orange Blossom and Angel Cake attempted to pull up their rifles but were shot down by another soldier before they could. Blueberry squired under the man weight as he dug his knife into her throat and she watch her friends die. The soldier pulled the knife out of Blueberry's throat and turned to the rest. "Remember Shepard wants us to torch the place. No evidence. As far as everyone else is concerned the bad guys killed them."

One of the soldiers who had stayed by the door picked up a Jerry Can and began to douse the bodies. The soldier who appeared to be in charge suddenly felt a tug at his leg. He looked down to she Strawberry holding on to his leg. "Aren't you persistent."

Strawberry spat blood on to his boot. "You'll go... t-to hell for... t-this." Strawberry struggled to speak as she coughed up more blood.

Another soldier pointed his rifle at her. ready to fire.

"Wait."

The soldier looked confused. "Sir?"

The commanding soldier began to walk out of the cave. "Let her burn." He pointed at two of the soldiers, including the one that was about to shoot Strawberry. "You two finish up here. The rest with me."

The soldier crouched down beside Strawberry and whispered. "I'm sorry. I really am." He then turned to the other soldier. "Douse her."

The other soldier doused Strawberry and the two began to leave when suddenly they heard a whistle. They turned to see Strawberry, who had pushed herself up against a rock. One hand on her wound and the other held a lighter. She grinned mischievously."Missing something?"

The soldier who had crouched down beside Strawberry felt his pocket where his lighter had been. It was gone. "Ru-"

In a second the cave was up in flames including the two soldiers. Strawberry smiled as the flames consumed her. Not just because she had taken down the soldiers with her but because she would be with her friends. Her love. Soon. Where ever they were.

I deliberately left a lot of the background to the story up to your imagination because that's how I like to do one shots. For example, how the battle started or how Angel Cake fell in love with Strawberry and if Strawberry felt the same. I enjoy writing these so i'll try to do more - TBN