Gunshots whizzed over our heads as we threw ourselves into the bushes.
3 months had passed since we had been sent back out to fight and things were as hectic as before. This war showed no signs of stopping just yet.
I looked over my shoulder and was relieved to find none of my men had been injured. I heard a voice from my shoulder.
"Shit." It was Marco. "Nearly all out."
He pointed at the packet of cigarettes in his hand. I shook my head and grinned.
Some things never change. I scanned my eyes over the field in front of us, nobody in clear view.
We had been badly deployed as the sun was to our front, this meant we would be easy targets. We stayed where we were, sand dune hiding us from any immediate gun fire.
A man moaned beside me, I looked at him.
"You hurt?" He shook his head, it was covered by a mask and he was wearing shades. He didn't speak to me which I found strange. My gaze went back to the battlefield, there wasn't anyone in sight... unless that was...
Yes. Thought so.
I tapped Marco's shoulder and pointed then did the same to the other 3 men with me. They searched the field with their owns eyes and we managed to seek out another 2 enemy soldiers. I gave the orders and the soldiers were killed one by one.
Any more? I took out a hand mirror and threw it a good distance away from us. It landed and the sun glinted off it's shiny surface.
Fff-Ting!
A bullet shot at it.
I followed the general pathway from where the bullet had come from and saw the man, crouching under a shrub in sandy camouflage.
I aimed my gun and fired.
---------------
We were nearly at the destination; a suspected bomb storage area. It was nightfall and we had been fighting most of the day. Adrenaline stopped the sleepiness from getting to us and kept us on our toes. We crept over another dune and the Storage Area came into view. There wasn't anyone in view so we made our way over towards it.
Bang-whizz-ARRGH!
A rifle was shot and it hit Marco in the stomach, I ran and tackled him behind a dune shouting "GET DOWN!" to the rest of the men, they didn't really need telling and hid themselves also.
"Marco!" I rolled him onto his back and examined his injuries.
They were bad.
"Marco! Stay with me. Medic! Toss me over your supplies!"
A first-aid kit was thrown from behind a dune, it landed near the area Marco had been shot at.
"Bollocks." I said and looked over at the invisible sniper.
Where was he? I didn't see anything in the night. Whoever it was, he must be good.
I looked round for anything to reach over and get the medical supplies but saw nothing.
This left me with two choices.
1. Let Marco die and wait here until we found out where the sniper was.
2. Risk my life and try to get those supplies.
I was at a loss.
Once again I looked at the supply kit. It wasn't too far away. I could get it if I ran but it would depend on how fast that sniper was. I looked down at Marco. He coughed and tried to say something, but I hushed him.
"Save your energy."
He closed his eyes and grimaced, blood pouring out his side. I had to stop that wound bleeding. I removed my shirt then tore off part of my vest, then I removed the clothes around Marco's wound and tied the piece of cloth tightly around his side. It was immediately soaked in blood. That would stop some of the blood, but very little.
I really needed those bandages. I moved over and crouched on my feet.
Could I really do this? Would it save him? A bullet shot to the stomach was fatal without proper medical attention. I breathed in deeply then let it out in a long slow breath, calming myself.
I raised my behind and moved my legs, ready to sprint.
3......
2................
1..........................
GO!
I dashed out. A bullet shot and went over my head, I ducked as I ran and grabbed the kit, turning quickly and making the small distance back, two shots shooting where I had been before.
Hmm.... maybe this sniper wasn't as good as I had thought... Lucky shot.
I made a mental note to get a good sniper on my team if I ever had the need to get one.
I tore open the medical kit and pulled out a bandage. Marco was groaning and clutching his side, legs twisting because of the pain.
"Stay with me!" I took away the cloth that had been tied there and quickly examined the wound once more using a medical torch found in the kit. It was worse than I thought, the bullet had punctured an organ and the wound was messy. I winced and pulled out some antiseptic and disinfectant. Someone would have to remove the bullet later, I would only do more harm than good trying to get it out myself.
I doused the wound with antiseptic, ignoring Marco and his wincing. Then I poured disinfectant over it and placed a absorbent piece of material onto the flesh. Tying this all tightly with a bandage, I finished.
"Marco. We need to get you back to base." I said, "I can take you, there is a small base nearby, they'll have a van which---"
Marco coughed up blood and spoke to me.
"It's a lost cause. Go on without me."
I froze with my mouth open, staring at him with wide eyes.
"You need to see if these guys have nuclear warheads in there. I'm going to die James. That bastard punctured something."
He closed his eyes and a tear ran down his face.
"I've always liked you James. I admire your skill. I admire you as a person. You have--"
"NO!" I shouted and looked at him. "You can't die! You're my friend!"
He chuckled, then coughed up more blood.
"Glad to see you're calling me a friend after all I've done to you."
I stopped and thought about all the good times we'd shared during our hardship. The support we had offered each other. Covered each others backs during battles.
I chocked back tears.
Marco. The first man I had called my friend and all I had shown him was a silent acceptance of who he was. Never had I started a conversation, I had only listened to his stories.
He only knew the things about me that he had heard from others. I had never told him about myself, what I liked, what I disliked and now....
Now it was too late.
He lay there staring at me and grinning. Then he chuckled hoarsely and took out his pack of cigarettes.
"I'm all out." He waved the empty packet then threw it away.
I looked at the discarded pack then looked back at him.
"End me Liquid."
I froze. That was the first time he had used my code-name.
"Shoot me. It will make me happy to die by the Son of Big Boss."
I looked down at my desert eagle.
Could I do it?
My hand pulled the gun out it's holster, it was warm and fully loaded.
I turned back and looked at Marco once more.
"Please, I want you to do this Liquid." His lips moved slowly, slurring his words.
I hesitated then pointed the gun at his head.
"Thank you." He smiled and closed his eyes. "You're a good man Liquid."
Good man? I was going to kill my best friend. If this was seen as good then I wanted to be bad.
But I couldn't.
I had to do this. My finger moved onto the trigger.
Bang.
-----------------
Someone walked over to me. The sniper must have given up. He lay a hand on my shoulder and looked down at Marco's body.
"You did the right thing John."
I stopped. Only a few people called me John. And that accent sounded pretty fami---
LIAM!
I spun round. The man with the mask.
He pulled it off his face and looked at me blankly.
"We meet again."
I didn't say a word. My gun was still in my hand and I stood up and pointed it at his face.
It would all be so very easy. After the pain of killing Marco, this would be a relief. This would make everything better.
I fingered the trigger.
