"Sound the bugle now. Play it just for me. As the seasons change remember how I used to be.

Now I can't go on. I can't even start. I've got nothing left, just an empty heart.

I'm a soldier, wounded so I must give up the fight. There's nothing more for me, so lead me away...

...or leave me lying here."

Battlefield Part 3: Fighting To Hold On

Clem's Pov:

I'm too stunned to move as I stare at the motionless body at my feet. I can't even process what just happened because one minute I was on my feet then the next I'm on the floor and I feel like I've just witnessed something out of a war movie. I don't even have time to properly react to the fact that my girlfriend could have just possibly died a few seconds ago before I hear a sinister-sounding chuckle.

I look up and Violet's dad stands above me with the gun raised again. My eyes widen as I become aware of my situation and I realize that I could suffer the same fate. I scramble to reach for my bat so I can block his swing, but my fingertips just graze the end of the handle as I strain to reach it. But the hit never comes as I hear a very audible whack. I see the gun slip from his hands and he falls to the ground with a thud.

Now standing in his place is Louis who seems to be out of breath as he takes in the scene before him. Then all of a sudden he drops the wooden bat that I gave him earlier as if he had just realized what he had done. "Oh my god! What did I just do?"

"You just saved our asses, that's what," I tell him from the floor. I'm then thrown into a fit of coughs and I look up and see smoke is starting to funnel its way to us. I don't know what happened, but where there's smoke, there's fire and I'm worried the house might turn ablaze. But even if the flames didn't capture us in its burning rage the smoke could choke us in its toxic hold.

I quickly stand to my feet and I remove the gun from the equation just in case our attacker isn't asleep for long "Louis see if there's anything we can use to bind his wrists together. He won't be out for long." I tell him as I throw the shotgun aside.

Louis nods in affirmation and leaves the hallway to search the living room. Then I turn back around and lean down next to my fallen knight. I finally have a chance for my emotions to catch up with me and my heart aches for what I see. She had actually been struck down by her own father and I know for certain now, that this is not the first time she's played victim to the abuse.

I kneel down and gently pull her into my lap and I quickly check her pulse. It's there and I let out a sigh of relief, but I hate that things had to come to this, that she had to go through that. "Oh, Violet..." I whisper out as I hug her to my chest. I feel like I want to cry, but I don't get the chance to let the tears take over as Louis runs back and there's panic in his voice.

"Clem? Clem! We have to get out of here!" He coughs through the smoke that's starting to settle around us since it has no route of escape.

"What's wrong?"

"A fire has started. Grab Violet, we need to get out of here, now." He tells me.

I nod in understanding and I carefully lift the unconscious girl into my arms. I don't know what kind of injuries she sustained before I got here and if she went through anything like what I just saw, I know there's bound to be some damage done. I don't want to hurt her worse or agitate any wounds and it pains me to see her unconsciously wince when I lift her up.

I carry her bridal style in my arms and I walk past Louis as he drags Violet's dad towards the front door. Someone else might say leave him and let him burn in the fires of hell for what he did, but I'm not going to let someone die on my watch if I can help it. I've already seen death first hand before and I didn't wish it upon anybody. Now I wasn't about to cause it.

I walk out the front door that now has a thick plume of smoke billowing out from it seeing as it's the only escape route at the moment. I set Violet down in the grass as carefully as I could. I was hesitant to leave her, especially with the way she was, but I needed to help Louis so he could get out of there as soon as possible. So I ran back inside and I could see the flames that Louis had mentioned earlier. I think a rug or something must have caught fire and now it was spreading to anything the flames could latch on to.

I rush over towards where Louis currently stands, dragging Vi's dad by the arm. I grab the other and the two of us combined, help to move him much faster across the wooden floor. Thank god they don't have carpet or this would have been much harder. We pull him out the door and into the yard where we can finally catch our breath in the cool night air after dragging a nearly two hundred pound guy. I'm worried that the movement would wake him, but he hasn't sturred since Louis hit him over the head with the wooden bat. "Thank god."

Considering that we haven't been able to tie him up I hope he stays that way. We both left our weapons inside, so I have nothing left to keep him in line if he wakes up. Minerva was one thing, but I can't fistfight a guy nearly twice my size. If it came down to it, god knows I'd try if it meant I could keep him away from Violet. But even with Louis's help, I don't know if we could take him on or not. That guy is fucking insane. When we first arrived I was scared he had used the gun on Violet after hearing the gunshot sound off. I was glad his weapon was left inside as well.

Inside as well...

I feel alarmed like we've forgotten something important and I quickly look to Louis. "No one else is inside right?"

Louis shakes his head at me. "No, no her mom's not home. She usually works late. We-were good."

I nod in understanding and I look over at Violet, who still lays on the front lawn. But something doesn't feel right, and I don't mean the fact that we were all almost killed. I swear we're missing something. I look at her and concentrate and I realize that she's not wearing something from earlier at school. Her lanyard isn't on. "Oh my god, we fucking forgot Woody."

I look to the windows and I can see flames from outside the house now, but I don't really see that as a concern as my thoughts linger on the live animal trapped inside. "Louis, Woody is still in there! I'm going back in!"

Louis is alarmed by this and he grabs hold of my wrist before I can take off. "What? No, Clem, you can't go back in there it's too dangerous!"

I can see the concern in his eyes at the thought of me putting myself in danger over a rabbit. But Woody is more than just a pet, he's family and he means the world to Violet. I wasn't going to sit here and hope he would survive until help arrived when I could do something myself. "Louis, I have to try," I say seriously as I pry his hands off me. "Watch Violet for me!" I yell back to him as I turn to run back inside.

"Clem wait!"

But it's too late. I'm already inside and the air is almost suffocating as I pull my arm over my face to try and block out the smoke. The air burns hot and the only light is now the glow of the flames as they continue to eat away at everything in their path. There in the other direction, but I had to hurry or my exit would soon be blocked.

I head for the hallway and my bat from earlier hits my foot and I pick it up so I can bring it back out with me. Then I open the first door on the right and I'm greeted to the place I was hoping for, Violet's bedroom. "At least that was easy." It hasn't suffered as much damage as the kitchen and the living room, but smoke and ash still seep in even after I close the door behind me. Luckily I can see the cage sitting plainly on the desk by the bed, but when I walk over I'm troubled by the lack of a bunny inside.

"What the hell?" I go to say, but it causes me to go into a coughing fit and I re-cover my mouth. This definitely puts a kink in things. "So much for a simple mission."

I frantically start looking for the rabbit. I know he has to be in here. I check under the bed, but I don't find anything and the only thing on top is her black and white journal. My eyes flash down and I see her backpack on the floor. I pick it up and throw her notebook and my bat in there before sling it onto my back. I keep looking around and my heart starts to beat faster because I know I'm running out of time. Fire waits for no one and I wasn't going to go out in flames.

I turn around and I see a bookshelf and then I'm met with a closet. I don't hesitate and I throw the doors open and my eyes scan the interior. I look at the ground and I see the bear that I gave her the night she stayed at my house. I pick Clover up and shove him in the backpack. That's another item I've collected, but I still don't see the one thing I came in here for. I throw a blanket out of the way and I'm about to throw a shoebox aside as well, but I can feel weight to it as something inside shifts. "You've gotta be freaking kidding me."

I open it and Woody pokes his head out like he's wondering what he's missed. Well, he's missed a lot actually. I don't know why he's been stuffed inside a box inside the closet and frankly, I don't really care all that much right now. I could ask questions later. I'm just glad that I found him and he's okay. And I know Violet will be happy to have him back...

...whenever she wakes up.

I attempt to hide him inside my jacket so he doesn't inhale as much smoke. But when I reach the door I can see a lot more smoke seeping in from the crack under the door. Suddenly those fire safety lessons we were taught in elementary school start to filter through my head. I reach out to feel it and it's hot to the touch. "Fuck."

I know we can't get out this way. It's too dangerous and I don't want to risk either of us getting killed, but staying here isn't an option either. I go into another coughing fit and my eyes start to water as smoke continues to fill the room at an alarming rate. I pull my shirt up to cover my face as I scan the room for any other route out and my eyes land on a window.

I rush over and I'm relieved as it slides open with ease. I hop up to the ledge and jump out with Woody still in my arms. I'm glad Violet lives in a trailer because if it had been my house, a jump from a two-story window would not have been as easy.

Back outside I run around to the front of the house where Louis waits with a still unmoving Violet. His expression calms when he sees my return, but he still looks grim. I slide the backpack off and throw it on the ground as I erupt into one last coughing fit to clear my lungs. Then I pull Woody from my jacket and set him on the ground as well and he stays right next to us. "I...I got him." I take a few more deep breaths and I see Violet's dad is still out of it, but what worries me is that Violet still is too. "Is-is she alright?"

Louis looks up at me with a sorrowful expression that makes my stomach churn. "Clem, Vi's pulse is getting really slow."

I feel my heart start to thunder in my chest as his words reach my ears and I'm instantly on the ground. "L-let me see." I take her hand in mine and I place my fingers against her wrist. It's still there, but it's faint. It's so much weaker than it was earlier.

I can feel tears creeping up on me and I rub my eyes with the palm of my hand to try and push them back. "She-she saved me and t-took a direct hit. Why? Why would she do that?"

The tears start sliding down my face, but I don't care to wipe them away. I don't dare let go of her wrist. I'm so afraid that if I do, I'm going to go back and there won't be a pulse. I can't lose her, not after everything we just went through. Not after everything, she's been through, everything she worked so hard to overcome. All to be ripped away by some asshole who never cared for her, that made her life a living nightmare.

I feel anger rise up and start to boil inside me. I want to take my bat and beat the guy senseless for every wrongdoing he's taken place in, but I'm not going to leave her side. I won't.

"It-it should have been me. I should have taken that hit. I could have handled it. I...I just want her b-back." I say to no one imparticular. I tuck a piece of hair behind her ear as the tears continue to cascade down my face. "I just want y-you back. Please don't leave me, Vi. Just hold on."

I don't even care that the trailer in front of us is literally in flames. I don't even register the sirens in the distance or the flashing red and blue lights as they get closer from down the street. I know Louis eventually leaves my side and I know voices are in the background, but I don't hear any of it. My whole focus is Violet and that faint rhythm of her pulse as I pray to God that I don't feel it stop.

When I can no longer feel it, my heart skyrockets.

I frantically look up, but I realize that it's only because someone has taken my hand away from her. Paramedics from an ambulance go to move her. But panic overtakes me and I instantly want to fight anyone who touches her, but something holds me back. "No! Don't touch her! Leave her alone!" I struggle against whoever has me by the arms, but my emotions are so distraught that I forget how to fight and I can't break free. "Leave her alone! Don't, don't hurt her!"

"It's okay honey, no one's going to hurt your friend." The lady behind me says trying to calm me down. But I only feel utterly hopeless as I watch them take her away and into the back of the ambulance where she disappears from view.

A few medical personnel show up and try to check me over for wounds but all I want to do is fight anyone who gets near me and I can hear the policewoman behind me tell them that I need some space right now. However, she still holds on to me so I don't try anything.

I'm not injured anyway. My clothes are a bit smokey and my throat is a little sore, but otherwise, I'm fine. The real damage had been done to my heart as I could feel it breaking.

Over to the side, I can hear yelling and a string of swears as I believe Violet's dad has woken up and is now being escorted in handcuffs by two police officers to the back of a police car. But I don't care as all of my thoughts are overwhelmed with the fact that Violet has been taken from me.

I tried so hard to be here for her. I was willing to fight to the end. I wasn't even injured after the fight had taken place. And yet I still couldn't help her. She was still being taken away from me. "I...I failed."

The fight has now left me and I sub come to the tears. I feel so hopeless.

Then that's when I hear a familiar voice call out my name. "Clem!?" And I see him start jogging over towards us.

"Dad!" The police officer who has me bound releases her hold once she sees this and I rush into Lee's arms. He wraps me into a hug and I cling to his shirt and cry. "Th-they took her. He-he hurt Violet an-and they took her! I-I just w-want her b-back!"

"I know sweet pea. It's okay. It's gonna be okay." Lee rubs my back as I continue to cry for several minutes.

I eventually register that Woody is still loose. But he hasn't gone far and I'm glad he hasn't been stepped on with all the commotion going on. I figured he'd be scared with police sirens and fire trucks and ambulances going off, but he's still as calm as ever.

I pick him up and hold him close to my chest as tears drip down and land on his coat. Lee still stands with his arm wrapped around me and all I can do is watch. I stand and watch amongst the flashing lights as the ambulance speeds away with the most important person in my life as she's taken away.

"Please be strong tonight."

"Everything just feels like it's been taken from me. And without a light, I would stumble in the dark.

If you lose yourself courage soon would follow, and I remembered that I had a light, she was my light. She was my whole life. And I would continue to fight for her and for myself. I couldn't give up, not after I've survived through so much already. I've had so much taken from me. My home, my family, my freedom, my voice.

I had hoped to one day regain all of that back. And now I had a chance because I no longer viewed the battle from behind a wall of glass. I was willing to fight with and for the ones I loved. I had one last battle to overcome and it would take everything I had to keep going. But as long as I had her I wouldn't give up without a fight.

I'm a soldier now, fighting in a battle to be free once more.

That's what I'm fighting for."