Bombs exploded left and right, giving the young cadet hardly the amount of time needed to get out of the way and avoid the shrapnel that rained down afterward.
His chestnut hair was matted with sweat and dirt; signs of the chaos he'd been enduring for the last ten months. His green eyes were wide and alert, scanning the field for any more incoming bombs or grenades. To his relief, there were none, and he began jogging back in the direction of his camp.
This was eighteen year old Jared Donovan of the 23rd regiment. The lowest in his class, but the best shot by far throughout the 36 troops in his encampment. As he began to near his troop he could hear the faint chords of Come As You Are by Nirvana curling into the night from the camp's only radio. The words cut through the freezing winds as a knife to tender flesh; crisp and sharp. The closer he walked, the louder the song became; until at last he reached his temporary home, to find everyone gone.
Not a soul remained in the canvas tents or dusty, frozen clearing.
Before he had a chance to move from where he stood, blood suddenly began to well up from the ice and dirt. It flowed sluggishly down the hill the camp resided on until it formed a moat around the base.
Jared was caught between horror and awe; stupefied as the scene played out before him. What had happened here?
He woke with a jolt. A scream emanated from his mouth, loud enough to wake his father and two younger sisters.
Evelyn was the first to burst into his room. Her hazel eyes searched for him in the dark. When at last she saw his thin figure huddled against the wall, she ran to his side, throwing herself onto the bed, hugging him with all her might.
"Jared! Jared, it's okay! You're not in Switzerland anymore. You're safe. You're with me and Ella, and dad. Here in Kansas. In our house."
Jared barely heard his sibling's frantic, pleading words. He could still hear the explosions in his head. Still see his big brother falling into the ice, his heart shot clean through by an enemy bullet. Crimson blood staining the glacier's edge and bubbling up from the depths of the freezing lake.
The nineteen year old's body shook violently. He could vaguely hear his sister's cry for their father.
He didn't recall when he lost consciousness.
Jared felt the fog of slumber slowly lifting from his mind as he woke several hours later. By sheer habit, he reached to his side for his gun, but his hand passed through air. With a sudden rush of adrenaline, he sat up.
He was in a hospital bed.
Not at home. Not in Switzerland.
He ran his hands through his hair, "No. No…not here." His hatred for doctors bloomed almost viciously in his chest. Doctors were the reason his mother was dead. More than eight years before, his mother had been diagnosed with cancer. Several months into her chemotherapy, one of the doctors had accidentally given her an overdose of radiation; shocking her system, and ultimately killing her. His father had fallen into a deep depression, and had been that way ever since.
It had been their fatal mistake that took her away. He had vowed that day to never again step into a clinic or hospital, yet here he was.
Just as he was about to yank the intravenous tube from his arm, his youngest sister walked in.
Ella's blue eyes lit up at the sight of him.
"You're up!" The fourteen year old smiled.
He forced a grin onto his face, "Course I am. You think anythin could keep me down?" He let out a gasp as she attacked him with hugs and kisses.
"Ella. Get off of him."
They both looked to the door to see Evelyn. The eighteen year old looked tired. A restless glint shone in her eyes. Jared gave her a look, "Eve? What's wrong?" She tensed, "Matt asked me to marry him." Ella gave a squeal of excitement, "What did you say?"
"I said no."
The younger female fell silent. The older played with a set of car keys. Jared's by the look of them.
He finally took the opportunity to pull the tube from his forearm, slipping from his bed and grabbing for his clothes that were conveniently piled in the guest chair next to the table. "Guys, we're leaving this place in ten. Get your stuff together. I'll be out in five."
Fifteen minutes later they were on the road.
To Jared, the vinyl steering wheel of the Ford Fairlane felt like home. Driving was the one thing that helped him forget about the ongoing war, and Gavin.
His brother had been twenty-one.
He smacked his fist on the wheel. Why did he let his brother die? Why let him shove him out of the way and take the shot that had been intended for Jared's chest? Why Gavin?
With all these thoughts swirling in his head, it took a shout from his sisters to make him notice the car ahead had stopped. His foot slammed on the brake so he wouldn't crash into the jeep. He didn't manage to hit the pedal in time to stop the impact, but it was quick enough to lessen the strike immensely.
The jeep ahead now sported a busted tail-light, but nothing worse than that and a few scratches. Both cars now stood motionless, the owner of the jeep bustling out of his side door like an angry badger. Jared sighed, "Girls, stay here." He unbuckled, climbing out of the Ford and walking up to meet the man.
A fair amount of stubble lined the older man's jaw. He seemed in his mid-twenties, and was the only passenger from his car.
"What on earth were you thinking?"
Jared flinched, "Sir, I'm sorry. I got home from the war a few months ago and we," he gestured back at his car, and his siblings, "were driving back from the hospital just now. My thoughts aren't too clear these days. It's been a lot."
If the other man felt any remorse or sympathy at Jared's words, it didn't show. "If your thoughts aren't clear, why are you driving?" Jared's answer was interrupted by Evelyn's voice, raised in concern, from the Ford. "Jared, is everything okay?" He waved her off with his hand. When he turned back to the older male, he had a look of surprise on his face.
"Jared? Your name is Jared? Jared Donovan of the 23rd regiment?"
The teen nodded, "Yes, sir."
"My best friend was stationed in Switzerland with you! Do you remember a Zachariah Daniels?"
A flash of recognition whipped through Jared's brain, "Yes! Tall, brown eyes, blond, kinda grouchy?"
"That's him! We would talk on the phone sometimes about the rookie that had showed several months after the war began. He mentioned you once or twice. He really admired you. We got the news he died about three weeks ago. I'm gonna miss him. The name's Adam, by the way."
Adam stretched out a hand to shake Jared's.
"Nice to meet you, Adam." A smile lit up the younger's face, "If you don't my asking, how old are you?" Adam stuffed his hands into his pockets, "I'm twenty-two. How bout you?"
"Turned nineteen a week after deployment back to the states."
The sandy-brown haired man grew quiet as he pulled a crumpled slip of paper and a pen from his jacket. He jotted a few things down, handing the parchment to Jared after a few moments. "Listen, you ever need anything, call me. I work at the cafe about two miles from here. Maybe you'll stop by sometime?"
Jared shrugged, "I will if I can. Thanks, Adam."
"Anytime. And don't worry about my car. I'll get my half-brother to see it in his shop and fix it. See you 'round."
The drive from there home was fairly uneventful. His sisters had asked about Adam, and their brother had ordered them to be quiet.
When at last they pulled into the carport, they climbed out, jared locking the car with a click. As they walked inside, they found themselves enveloped in an unforeseen, eerie silence. Their father should have been home. He ordered his siblings to stay put again, grabbing an army knife that lay on the kitchen counter. He stepped lightly, proceeding to search the house.
He reached his father's room last. The door was locked, and Jared tapped the door. When there was no answer, he busted the lock with a quick snap at the handle and went in. There was no sign of life in the main bedroom, but there was a soft "drip, drip" coming from the bathroom.
When he entered, he felt he might faint. "Oh, God no."
Blood stained the wall, an empty handgun resting on the floor next to his father's lifeless body.
Well? Message me and tell me what you thought. This is the first of many chapters to come. I love feedback. Have a good day/night!
-221bderpstreet