A/N: This is where it gets bloody and gory. Just to warn you, when I'm in the mood I can get VERY descriptive when it comes to gore. Don't like? Don't read.
Axel gripped his rifle tightly as the truck hit just about every bump in the road. Sleep had not come easily for him, or any of the other soldiers for that matter. Now he found himself in the back of a cold damp truck with ten other guys heading for their first battle. Everyone was nervous, to say the least. It was obvious that they were all scared, even though some guys tried to cover it up with arrogant talk about how many Tediz they would kill and things along those lines. The look of fear was present in their eyes. Axel was especially nervous being around so many guys he didn't know. San, Hunter, Blaine, and Razor were on different trucks, but at least Riley was there and Jones was not.
"You okay? You look kinda sick." Riley whispered to Axel. He let out a broken sigh and turned to his friend. "It's nothing. Just scared I guess," he replied quietly. Riley nodded and looked around at the other guys. "They don't honestly think one guy can kill fifty Tediz by himself. Talk to cover up their fear I guess."
"Whatever works for 'em,"
"Hey you! The quiet one!"
Axel looked up. "You talkin' to me?" One of the slightly older looking guys on the other side of the truck smirked. "No, the skinny nervous guy behind you. Well, how about it?" Axel raised his eyebrow at the other. "What are you talking about?"
"A girl. You gotta chick back home?"
"That's none of your damn business!" Riley said immediately.
"Was I talking to you dickhead?"
"Don't call my friend a dickhead you fucking asshole!"
"What the hell is your problem? I was just asking if you had a chick back home! No need to shit a brick."
"Well, it's not any of your business," Axel said quietly, turning his gaze from the others and gritting his teeth. Riley placed his hand on Axel's shoulder. The other squirrels looked at each other, then looked back at Axel and Riley. "Are you guys together?"
"No!" Riley and Axel said in unison.
The other squirrel put his paws in the air. "Okay, don't bite my head off over here! Just trying to make friendly conversation, but it would help if some guys around here were a bit more friendly." Axel and Riley looked at each other, then looked away. They realized that they were being some what of a couple of assholes, but they had just cause. Axel was angry enough being shoved into the back of a truck and the guy sitting next to him was making him nervous. "I hate it when people sit too close to me," he mumbled as he glared into the air.
"Do you have a problem, kid?" the squirrel from before said. "Yes I do have a problem!" Axel practically shouted. Axel had grabbed everyone's attention at that time and was somewhat patronized by the stares, but his anger overthrew all shyness. "You don't need to take your pissy attitude out on me you know! Just what is your problem anyway?"
"Everything! Just leave me alone, okay?"
"All right. Fine." The other squirrel shook his head then mumbled to himself. "What an asshole." Axel leered at the other guy, who in turned leered back. "You are being a bit of a bitch, kid."
"Don't piss him off," one of his friends whispered. "Remember, he kicked that one guy's ass."
"That one guy was just some rich pussy. I could take this rubber chicken."
"Is that a challenge?" Axel said.
"Knock it off you guys!" someone from the corner said. "Have you forgotten that we're in the middle of a war here? The last thing we need is you guys getting pissed at each other right before a battle. Who knows, you two may need to watch each other's backs in a bit here."
Axel's anger slipped a bit as fear and anxiety slipped back into this body. For a while he had completely forgotten where he was. He was being sort of an asshole and he didn't mean to, but that guy was right. He looked at the other squirrel. He was still pissed, that was obvious, but some of the anger had slipped from his expression as well. "This is my fault," Axel said suddenly. "I'm sorry." The other squirrel looked at him slightly puzzled, but he did have to agree. "Um, I forgive you I guess, but I'm still kinda mad at you."
"Same here," Axel said, letting his anger get the best of him once again, then he immediately let it go again. "I'm not here to make enemies, I just…well," He gulped. The attention was still on him and with his anger slipping away his shyness came back. "I have…well…..my girlfriend," He stopped right there. He didn't want to tell them about Sarah's death, he just wanted to move on. He was just about ready to, but it still hurt him just as much. "What?" the other squirrel said. Axel turned his gaze away from everyone. "I don't wanna talk about it. I just want to be left alone," The other squirrels looked at each other and decided to just let the topic drop. "You gonna be okay?"
"Yeah, I'll be fine."
When the trucks had arrived a few miles away from the actual battlegrounds, the soldiers were herded off the trucks and into separate groups for briefing. Sergeant Rico stood before a group of twenty soldiers, each standing straight with their hands behind their backs. They stared forward with expressionless faces as they awaited his command. "Attention men!" The soldiers brought their feet closer together and placed their arms at their sides in perfect unison. "This is going to be your first ground sweep. As far as we can tell, those Tediz bastards don't know we're here yet. So let's get this over with as soon as possible before they catch on. As a group, you are to quietly move towards their base in the cliff. There will not be much cover out there, so silence is essential. When you have found some form of cover, stay there and remain motionless until it is safe to continue. Locate another cover point before you move out again. When you see one, swiftly but silently head out. This is a team effort so do not leave anyone behind. If you are spotted and/or fired upon, scatter to whatever form of safety is closest to you. The Tediz do not have any good sniping points in this area and have no turret guns, so do not return fire until you have made visual contact with the enemy. If you are being overwhelmed, retreat immediately. Any questions? All right. Move out boys!"
Axel crouched on the ground with his right knee in the soil and his left toes supporting him. The group leader, Rin, gave the signal to stop. Hunter was behind Rin and Riley was off to the side. The others were in different groups. Rin peek around the small hill which supplied shelter for the moment. The rest of the soldiers remained completely motionless. The only way one could tell them apart from statues was the small movements of their chests as they breathed. Even their eyes stopped blinking for that moment. While some might find it impossible to achieve this level of lifelessness, for a squirrel it was no sweat. That was one advantage they had over the Tediz. Squirrels, being wild animals, had instincts which helped them determine when danger was coming and what the proper course of action was. Tediz, on the other hand, were just biomechanical tools of destruction and had no natural instincts what so ever.
Rin turned back to his group and signaled that it was safe to move out. The soldiers rose from their positions. They followed Rin to the next safety point, quietly trotting along the way. Rin once again gave the signal to stop once all his teammates had made it to the shelter. They each dropped to the ground the second Rin's fist was seen in the air and stood just as motionless as before until it was time to move on again.
Axel's ears perked up from underneath his helmet. The sound of distant footsteps in the carpet of tiny rocks that covered the ground flowed in his direction. "Did you hear that?" he whispered to Riley. "No, what are you talking about?" Riley replied.
"Shut up back there!" Rin snapped. He glared at the two noisemakers then looked at a nearby soldier. "Cid, go look to see if it's clear." Cid, a chocolate brown squirrel, nodded and slowly crept to the edge of the hill that was currently serving as their cover. Rin made his way to the middle of the line where Axel, Riley, and Hunter were. "You heard something?" Rin whispered. Axel nodded in reply. "Footsteps from the west. Sounded like there were five of 'em."
"Five?" Rin replied with a thoughtful look. His eyes pointed skyward as he thought, then his eyes grew large as a realization hit him. "Cid! Don't look!" he whispered as loudly as he could.
However, it was not loud enough and a little late at that. Cid had already poked his head around the corner of the hill and was scanning the landscape. "Looks clear," he said. Famous last words. The sound of a bullet screaming through the air caused the other soldiers to drop to their bellies and cover their heads. The bullet had made a direct hit between Cid's eyes and exited through the back of his head. Pieces of brain followed the bullet out of his head as well as a heavy stream of blood. Parts of his skull had been broken off and splattered here and there as blood splashed from his open head. His helmet came flying off and landed upside down on the ground with small brain parts and a puddle of blood inside. A stream of drool and warm blood leaked from the corner of Cid's mouth as his lifeless body crashed to the ground.
"This is 025 team leader! We have just been fired upon! Repeat! We have just been fired upon! Do not leave your cover stations!" Rin yelled into the radio. His voice carried with it a heavy sense of fear and horror. This was felt by the others who had just watched one of their own be brutally killed in such a gory way. Axel gulped as he held his M-16 with shaking hands. The footsteps he had heard earlier were now running and by the sound of it, there were a lot more than five. "All right guys! Don't fire till ya see 'em with your own eyes!" Rin spoke loudly and bravely to try to ease his fellow soldiers. "Set up a protective formation. Make sure they don't take us by surprise!"
In response, the other squirrels formed a C shape from behind the hill. Those on the sides faced the edges of the hill where the Tediz may appear, meanwhile those in the middle stood ready incase the Tediz should go over the hill. Axel took in a large breath through his mouth. This was it. He was not going to run away now. Those Tediz had killed Sarah along with a lot of innocent men, women, and children. He hands wrapped around the rifle more firmly than before. He was ready. Ready to face the enemy. His eyes narrowed as he watched the top of the hill, waiting for those bastards to poke their plush heads over. The moment he had been training for had arrived. He was ready.
Two brown ears appeared. Then two black eyes. Then an evil stitched grin. There he was. The first Tedi Axel had ever really seen. There had been some scrambled footage of the Tediz in the news, but it was in such poor condition that it was hard to see their actual feature from brown blobs. But there he was, plain as day. A Tedi. An evil tool of death and destruction.
Axel lifted his rifle and pulled the trigger with out a second thought or any hesitation. As the Tedi steadied his own rifle to shoot back at Axel, the bullet made contact with the side of his head. A huge chunk of his head, including the right ear, was blown off. Stuffing shot out of the Tedi's head as well as some sort of strange yellow liquid. It was certainly not what he was expecting, but he didn't ponder what Tediz were made out of for too long.
The whole scene had gone by as if it were in slow motion. His first kill. Axel could've sworn he saw the bullet as it made contact with it's target. However, just as the Tedi dropped dead to the ground, more Tediz appeared and the speed returned to normal. The sounds that had been blotted out now struck his ears fiercely. Bullets were being fired all around him and both yellow and red blood stained the dirt. Axel took a step back as he continued firing. The bullets were spewed from the mouth of his rifle as he, Riley, Rin and Hunter took out the Tediz as they appeared. It seemed that they were at an advantage and the hill was littered with the bodies of the mechanical plushes.
Out of the corners of his eyes, Axel saw a wall of brown figures appear from behind the hill. Screams from his fellow soldiers filled the air with abrupt power. Quickly glancing left and right he saw that the Tediz had given up trying to climb over the hill and rushed both sides in great numbers. Riley shifted his feet suddenly when he felt warm blood splatter on his uniform and bullets whizzing past his body. "Retreat!" Rin commanded when he too noticed the turn of the tables.
Without a second thought, the soldiers turned and sprinted towards shelter and their fellow soldiers. A few stayed behind and tried to take out as many Tediz as they could before retreating. Axel glanced over his shoulder to see those brave souls who chose to give their friends a chance to get away. There were only five of them and they were getting mutilated despite their valiant efforts. They each took out a fair number of Tediz before a bullet slung through their chest. They screamed as blood gushed from their veins and hot pain shot their nerves. Each one unconsciously threw his arms in the air as he fell backwards, still taking bullets in the legs and shoulders. Even as they fell to the ground completely immobilized, those Tediz blasted their heads clear of their shoulders for good measure and probably for fun as well. The sight made Axel's blood boil and terrified him at the same time. Those Tediz were more cold-blooded than he could've imagined.
With his heart rapidly beating in his rib cage, Axel and the others ran towards their only current source of relief. The other teams were coming to their rescue now and were returning fire. With bullets whizzing past them in both directions, the team eagerly picked up the pace to get to safety. Rin spotted a small hill that one of the other teams was using as a shield. He signaled to what was left of his own team and they quickly dove behind it and to safety. "Glad you made it," Axel, Riley and Hunter heard once they hit the dirt. Axel pushed himself off the ground and lifted his head to view the speaker. A grin forced it's way on his face. "San! Am I glad to see you."
"I second that," Riley said. The trio got to their feet and took their places behind the hill. Hunter quickly reloaded his rifle and stood near the edge of the hill. Axel wiped the sweat off his forehead and reloaded his weapon was well. He took a deep breath and was obviously a bit hesitant about jumping into the fray again. Riley shook his head as if to rid his mind of all fear.
There was a splattering sound from above and blood rained onto both their helmets. Right between them the body of another soldier fell to the ground. He had been shot in the neck and blood gushed from his injured jugular. Axel and Riley exchanged a fearful glance. They looked back at the body then at each other. Riley paused for a moment, then nodded to Axel. Axel nodded back and they both inched closer to the hill. Axel exhaled quickly as he stood next to Hunter. Hunter had peeked over the edge of the hill and was firing at the enemy. Axel took one more deep breath before he peeked over the hill as well.
It was a rather hectic sight with the Tediz using the hills as their own shelters or charging at the squirrels. Axel was stripped of all rational thought and fired blindly into the line of approaching Tediz before ducking back behind the hill. Whether he hit anything or not, he didn't know. He leaned up against the hill and took rapid breaths. He was scared out of his mind. That line of charging Tediz was closer than he would've liked at the moment. Even though they had no protection and could easily be picked off, the Tediz charged with no fear at all. That was one advantage the Tediz had over the squirrels. They had no fear. They weren't living creatures and therefore could be programmed to have no fear and think rationally at all times. It didn't look good. But if they can think rationally, Axel thought for a moment. They were leaving themselves completely open and their only line of defense were the other Tediz from behind the hills. Now was their chance. "Be brave, be brave," Axel whispered to himself.
Axel turned to the hill and prepared to return fire once again. He forced his mind to become more focussed despite how terrified he was. He peeked over the hill with his rifle ready. The assault line was even closer, but Axel held his focus. He got his target in his sights and squeezed the trigger. A bit of satisfaction hit him when he saw another Tedi's head go to pieces. A few bullets hit the dirt near where he stood and caused him to take shelter behind the hill once more. "They're closin' in!" he heard someone say.
As if on cue, a couple of Tediz popped over the hill. "Look out!" Startled yells alerted Axel to this as he glanced over his shoulder. The two Tediz stared down at him and the others with their rifles ready and their lifeless eyes leering at them. He quickly turned and backed up to avoid the bullets that rained at his feet. His surprise had temporarily paralyzed him from attacking and his only defense were feeble evasive actions which, for the moment, did keep him from getting shot. A bullet flew into the chest of one of the Tediz and sent him toppling into the other. As the two fell to the ground, the unharmed one was shot square in the head and scattered the ground with his 'brains'.
Axel paused for a moment to catch his breath. He looked to his left and saw Riley holding his M-16 in a firing position. There was a small line of dust flowing from the mouth of the firearm, suggesting that he was the one who shot those Tediz and rescued him. "Thanks," Axel gasped as he tried to get his breathing back into a regular pattern. Riley smiled lightly a nodded. Axel moved closer to the protection of the hill and quickly peeked over it. He caught a glimpse of the Tediz using the hill they were just at as a shield. He fired a few shots at the brown figures peeking behind the hill before retreating ducking to safety. This time he wasn't sure if he hit anything. Fear can gum up one's accuracy a bit.
There was a standoff between the squirrels and Tediz. Each side seemed to match the other and neither was about to budge. For the next four hours the two sides exchanged fire. It didn't look as though there was any end of the battle in sight. "Make your shots count guys, we're runnin' low on ammo." Rin reported to his team after receiving some sort of message on the radio. "They've gotta show themselves sooner or later." Riley said. He and San sat in the dirt with their backs against the hill. The ammo problem had forced half the team to discontinue firing until the enemy exposed themselves. The better marksmen of the team, including Axel and Hunter, continued firing at the enemy to keep their numbers as small as possible. Axel ducked behind the hill again and reloaded his weapon with shaking paws. He wiped his forehead and rubbed his eyes. "This is too much," he mumbled.
"I heard that back up was on its way." San said. "Hang in there man."
Axel stared at the dirt as he tried to rest his eyes a bit. The strain of accurately locating and hitting the enemy was making his head hurt. Not only that, but he was running low on energy. "Back up's coming you said?" Axel asked, looking at his wristwatch. "Yeah, 14:00 hours." San replied. It was 1:40, not too long from then, but waiting for back up was still going to be a bitch. "We have a problem!" another squirrel said before ducking behind the hill. "What the.." Rin was interrupted by a signal from his radio. "025! The enemy is charging!"
"Holy shit!"
Hunter backed from the hill and joined the others. Axel had already backed out considerably and saw a wall of brown heading over the hills and towards them in incredible numbers. It appeared as though the Tediz reinforcements had arrived before their own. "Retreat!" Rin yelled as he ushered his teammates to their feet. The less accurate half of the team loaded their last clips and headed out.
The remaining team of squirrels ran out as if one of their natural predators was after them. As the Tediz crossed the hill, hot lead rained down on them. Every now and then they looked over their shoulders and returned fire. "Take 'em out!" Axel stole a quick look over his shoulder and turned his body slightly. He gritted his teeth as he sent several bullets flying the enemy's way. After seeing a few Tediz trip as a result of injury, Axel turned around once more and quickened his pace. "These guys are faster than they look!" Riley said as he returned fire of his own. Just keep running, don't look back. Axel repeated to himself. The bullets were flying past him at a dangerously close accuracy. You can make it, just don't stop running.
A gasping cry jarred him from his thoughts as he quickly looked to his right. San was limping a bit now as he tried to keep up with the others. He held his paw to his arm and he gritted his teeth and tried to swallow the pain. He'd taken a shot in the arm. "San!" Axel cried before he even knew he was speaking. He quickly ran to his friend's side and put his arm around him for support. "Somebody help me!" He yelled as he got San back to his feet. Riley and Hunter answered his call and ran over to cover them from enemy fire. Axel and San made their way back up the line with Riley and Hunter trailing behind. "I'm okay. I'm okay, I can make it." San said as he rejected Axel's help. "We gotta get the others outta here now!"
"We can't save all of 'em!" Axel said.
"We can't leave 'em here either. Save who you can, get the others to help! We need to keep as many guys alive as we can. Stop looking at me! Do something!"
Axel was a bit surprised by San's outburst, but he was in total agreement. He quickly nodded and dashed up ahead. San and the others trotted behind as they continued to return fire. Scanning the battlefield left and right, it wasn't difficult for Axel to spot soldiers lying on the ground either dead or doomed. It made him sick. It was a horrible sight for anyone. This is bad, they're merciless! Out of the corner of his eye he saw another fellow soldier go down. His legs just seemed to give out underneath him as he let out a yell of pain. "No, not again!" Axel could already vision a bullet flying through the injured squirrel's head and busting it open. He couldn't let that happen again.
He took a sharp right and dashed to the soldier's side. Bullets were hitting the dirt around him suggesting they were trying to take him out. "Riley, somebody! Cover this guy!" Axel yelled in backup's general direction. Riley took a quick look over his shoulder and saw the injured soldier being targeted and completely helpless at that. "Help me out, guys!" Axel made it to the others soldier's side and helped him to his feet. "Don't worry, you're gonna be fine," Axel said as he allowed the soldier to support his weight on him. The other soldier shook his head and gasped for air. "I can't. I'm not gonna make it." He said as his grip on his injured leg tightened. "You will, just trust me." Axel looked behind him. "Hey guys! Help me get 'im outta here!"
Riley and co replied to Axel's call swiftly. Hunter helped Axel carry the injured solider to safety while San fired at the pursuing enemy. Riley cleared the way for the others. Despite their progress it was obvious that the approaching Tediz would soon catch up to them. "Let me die, I'm slowing you." The injured soldier mumbled. He had become very weak from the bloodloss and it looked as though trying to save him would only cost the others their lives. "That's not going to happen." Hunter said as he and Axel quickened the pace. "Did you hear that?" Axel said again as he lifted his head. "I didn't hear anything." Riley said.
"It sounds like a stampede..or trucks…and…something's coming."
The group decided to put Axel's announcement aside for the moment and try to get out of there alive. However, Axel's hearing was accurate and the sound of stampeding feet soon reached their ears as well. "That doesn't sound good," Hunter said distressed. Fortunately, the sound was not one to be alarmed at, if you were a squirrel that is.
The cause of the noise was soon identified as a large number of squirrel soldiers appeared over the hill and rushed at the assaulting Tediz with their rifles firmly in their hands. "Thank God," Hunter sighed. San threw him a disapproving look, but with his face slightly contorted with pain it went unnoticed. The reinforcements ran past them and strongly into the battle fray. With a new hope of survival, the group made their way up the battlefield and to safety. As they reached the end of the field, soldiers with red crosses on their helmets and first-aid kits in their hands ran towards them. As they examined San and the soldier, the others hid behind the safety of the cliffs as the battle raged on. This time victory favored the squirrels.
"We made it," Riley suddenly said. There was a hint of astonishment in his voice, which spread to Hunter and Axel. They hadn't really realized what was going on yet. It was if their fear had made them numb to reality, but it was slowly coming to them. "We made it." Hunter repeated. Shaking his head, Axel looked at his paws as if to check if this was a dream. We made it? He looked at the sky, then at his surroundings.
Shouts spread from the battlefield. Squirrels made their voices heard as they charged that remainder of the Tediz and charged their fortress. "They're fallin' back! Don't let 'em get away!" a distant voice shouted. We won? Axel rested the back of his head on the cliff and breathed heavily. "We made it."
The rest of the day at the camp went by rather silently. The squirrels had won that battle and taken the fortress, but that was more of a confidence victory rather than a major military one. Even so, no one really felt like celebrating. This feeling was heavy over Axel and co. Blaine was gone, killed in action, and Razor was missing. Blaine was an awkward kind of guy and Razor never spoke up, but it wasn't the same with out them around.
San had had his arm checked out, treated and was rewarded with a Purple Heart. The others just stood in silence as the Sergeant stood in front of them. The whole company stood in line as the sun began to set. Before them were several pairs of empty combat boots and M-16 sticking in the dirt and a helmet hanging on each of them to represent the soldiers that had lost their lives in that battle. It was such a small battle, but the impact was tremendous. Each soldier cast his eyes downward in a moment of silence as the trumpet played in the background.
Heavy hearts filled the atmosphere as Sergeant Rico stepped forward. It was hard to see young men witness the horrors of war and such casualties first hand. There wasn't anything anyone could do to heal them, but after each battle Rico always tried his best to ease his soldiers of the pain a bit. The moment was like a large open wound that bled heavily on the squirrels. The silence of the aftermath was more deafening than the sound of bullets during the actual battle. "Over the years I have lost several soldiers. More than you would ever believe. But I never felt such a loss as I have today." Sergeant Rico paused for a second. These speeches were never easy to deliver and it was hard to know what the right thing to say was. "It's a tragedy that such fine young men have lost their lives while in their prime. It is also a tragedy that you all had witnessed such horror first hand. This day will stick with you for the rest of your lives. However, all we can do is move forward. This pain and emptiness that you are all feeling will not fade. Hopefully we can put an end to this terror as soon as possible. Now I ask that you all join me in a moment of silence to remember these brave souls that lost their lives today."
Axel gulped silently as he peered into the dirt. He had not seen Blaine get killed, but he felt as though he might have well. The image of Cid getting his head blown apart invaded his mind and made him shudder. He tried to avoid picturing Blaine in that scenario, but his mind created the image and showed him anyway. He felt like he would be sick. He heard San silently whisper words of pray beside him. He had no idea San was so religious, he certainly didn't seem like the type. He remembered San telling him he had a band called Black Angel. That seemed sort of weird considering how dedicated he was to his religion, but San said that it was religiously symbolic. Axel didn't understand any of it, he was an atheist, but he didn't hold anything against San and San didn't hold anything against him. To each his own.
"At this time, I would like to honor those of you who courageously put your safety aside to aid your fellow Brothers in Arms." Sergeant Rico said, willing all the soldiers to give him their undivided attention. Axel remained staring straight at the sky as the Sergeant continued his speech in the background, until his ears picked up his name. "Robers, Caiton, Rishad and Fursparks. Come over here, boys." Axel shot San a confused look and San just shrugged. As confused as they were, they obeyed and stepped forward. "If it weren't for the four of you, we'd have one more casualty here. You boys risked your lives to help out a fellow soldier in need. An act of bravery like that will not go unrewarded."
The guys stood there in a line, still unsure of what would happen, when Sgt. Rico withdrew something. Walking to each of them one by one, he pinned a metal on each of their uniforms. A Silver Star, a symbol of courage and selflessness. The last thing any of them expected was to earn a metal after their first battle, but they all agreed that they had earned it. No one could blame them at least.
Axel sat on the bed of his bunk that night in total silence. The metal he had earned hung proudly from his chest and shined as the electric light reflected off of it. These bunks were a bit bigger and Riley, San, Hunter, Rin and some guy by the name of Chitter shared this bunk with him. "You guys were amazing. Didn't think you had it in ya." Rin said to the four Silver Star bearers. He vaguely heard the others reply to this, but he was just too tired to make out what they were saying or to put in a comment of his own. He was just glad to still be alive after that. He gently slipped his uniform off and pulled his white wife-beater over his head. "You goin' to bed?" he heard Riley say.
"Yeah, I'm tired as hell."
"Me too, night guys."
Axel heard the others getting ready for bed as well as he slipped under the blanket. He pulled the protective fabric up to his shoulder and rested his head on the pillow. He hadn't gotten much sleep the night before and today really took it out of him. He closed his tired eyes and awaited sleep to claim him. The whole while the same thought ran through his mind. He was alive, somehow he made it, but could he survive the next battle?
His feet pounded on the ground as he tried to outrun the darkness that was closing in. The shadow monster, although looked sluggish what with his tremendous size, was fast and closing in. Axel looked over his shoulder as this cloudy demon pursued him and his fellow soldiers. His dark blood red eye had no distinct pupils, but one could almost see his eyes scanning over the frantic army of squirrels he chased. His mouth was only marked by perfectly white fangs, petruding from invisible lips. His sinister laugh shook the ground as he lifted his arm into the air again. Dark claws shot out of his fingers as he held his hand high.
The soldiers tried to fight back with their M-16s, but the bullets had no effect. The monster smirked as he swung his hand down. Screams filled the air as several soldiers were impaled and cut in half. Axel shuddered as a shower of blood and guts rained down on him again. Limbs, intestines, livers and other such body parts were sent flying through the air. Axel ran faster as the monster laughed at his latest kill. However, he was stopped in his tracks when the body of a soldier fell right in front of him, his insides on the outside. Axel gulped and backed away from the body. His rifle slipped from his fingers and he stood absolutely paralyzed. His eyes unwillingly stayed on the squirrel's body as if they were glued to the image. His mind willed for his legs to move, but he was frozen.
He began shaking violently as he felt a freezing cold mist hit the back of his neck. His fur stood on end as he was finally able to move again. His feet were still stuck to the ground, but he was able to move his upper body as he looked over his shoulder. The red eyes were right above him. So were the white fangs and the clawed hand. The hand rose high into the air above him and those same claws shot from the monster's fingertips. "No," Axel said with a shaking voice. He tried one last time to free his feet from the ground. No luck. His eyes widened and he watched in horror as the claws, stained with blood and guts, cut through the air and straight at him. His throat made indistinguishable noises as his bottom lip quivered. Finally, his lungs forced a violently loud scream out of his mouth as the hand continued to drop.
Axel let out a small moan as he felt someone's hands on his shoulders and gently shaking him. His eyes shot open and his lungs gulped for air in quick gasps. Whoever had a grip on his shoulders let go and stepped back. Axel sat up and looked around. "You all right?" Riley said. Axel took another breath of air and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. "Yeah, no problem."
"You really ought to see a doctor or something about all these nightmares you've been having."
Axel shook his head. "It's not that bad." Riley gave him one of 'those looks' and sighed. "It's not healthy nor is it normal for someone to have so many nightmares night after night. You need help." Axel looked at him and blinked. "What's so unhealthy about it?"
Riley shook his head. "You've been having bad dreams for eleven years, but you never used to have them every night. It's only going to get worse if you don't do something." Axel gave him a stern and stubborn look. "I don't have them every night!"
"Well, it's getting there."
Axel looked at the wall and refused to make eye contact with his friend. "Sorry I woke you up."
"You didn't wake me up. I just woke up for some reason, then I heard you mumbling in your sleep."
"Mm..right, well…"
"You think you can get back to sleep?"
"Yeah, no problem."
"All right then. Night."
"Night."
To Be Continued…..
Yeah, that was gorier than I intended it to be. So..yeah. Please review!
