It was a grey, autumn night. Skipper and his team were getting ready to sleep.
"Get you're caps, boys. We need all the rest we can get for tomorrow's mission." Skipper announced.
"What exactly, is the mission?" Young Private asked, lying down on his hard, but somewhat comfortable bed.
"I will tell you at sunrise. Now go to bed." Skipper answered. Soon, they all got into bed, and the lights were turned off.
That night, Skipper was rolling in his bed. He turned, twisted, and made fearful grunts. He was having a nightmare. He saw himself waking up in a room of just darkness. Then he had heard creepy laughter. He walked closer to the source, but as he got closer, it began to fade away. At that moment, he had seen himself in a cliff, and on the bottom was lava.
Rico was standing on the edge, and he looked like he was about to jump. Skipper got to his feet and ran towards him.
"Rico, what are you doing! No!" Skipper yelled out as Rico set one foot into the air leading him to fall down to his fate. Instead of looking down, Skipper looked up and soluted Rico.
"It's been an honor" Skipper said in silent but powerful words. He then looked behind him the second he had heard young Private scream in a panic voice. He ran closer and closer, until he saw the most horrific thing beyond him.
Private was tied up, and the ropes were getting pulled. It looked like he was about to explode.
"Private! Don't worry, i'll get you out of there!" Skipper yelled in total shock.
"No Skipper, save yourself!" Private said in final words before he burst. But instead of blood and organs, pink puffs of clouds and rainbows shot out of him and hit right through Skipper like bullets.
"Argh!" Skipper struggled to get on his webbed feet, while feeling the pain of losing Private and Rico.
"Skipper!... Skipper, are you there?" Whispered a low voice.
"Who is that? Kowalski?" Skipper said in a scared tone.
"Skipper! You must go back. You don't know what lay ahead! Don't risk it!" said Kowalski's low whispering voice.
"No Kowalski, if Rico and Private were killed, you might be next!" Skipper said, horrifyed.
"No, Skipper. I'm already dead" Kowalski said, as his final words to Skipper faded away.
"Not Kowalski too!" Skipper began to sob.
"Skipper, can you hear me?" said another voice. Skipper could see the white shadow of Marlene signaling him to follow her.
"Follow me." Marlene said. "Don't stop runnning!" She shouted. Skipper ran after her, and finally, she had looked like she fell from another cliff and faded away. Skipper looked down and saw a million needles. More to actually count.
Marlene's words echoed in Skipper's mind: "Don't stop running! Don't stop running!" the thought said. Skipper had felt like the walls behind him were closing in. He had no choice but to jump. He shouted, waved his arms and feet, and once he landed on the scaring pit of needles, he woke up.
In deep gasps, he ordered his team to wake up immediately. Thankfully, they were in one piece.
"Skippah, what's the mattah?" Private asked in a curious voice.
Skipper reached his hands out as if he was going to hug them. At first they thought it was a test, but soon they found out that they can't always expect the same thing. Even though it means giving up what you have, those who are close to you are important, no matter what happens.