Author's Note: Wrote this up really quick, in about 2 hours, maybe less. Anyway, this chapter is a little weird, but I hope you enjoy :)
Chapter 7: Guilt
The Marines found a hill, with a flat edged cliff facing the north. A few boulders were scattered around, and a fallen tree led from the foot of the hill to the top. The marines clambered to the top, panting in exhaustion due to their forced march through the wooded swamp. Once they reached the camp, Jim immediately fell to the ground.
"We need to set some watches. Switch every hour. We rest for four hours in total" Nathan said, looking up into the trees every so often.
"I'll take first watch sir," Mike said, and Nathan nodded.
"Amy goes second, then Jim can go. I'll take last watch," Nathan said. Amy and Mike immediately agreed.
Amy went and found a bed of moss growing across the ground and up a rock, and she leaned against it, and fell asleep in a few seconds, shotgun still clutched tightly in her hands. Nathan saw that Jim had winked out right where he had dropped himself. Nathan decided to rest against the single tree on the top of the hill. It conveniently had a small notch in the trunk big enough for a person to lean into and be semi comfortable.
With all the worries running through his mind Nathan didn't think he would be able to fall into sleep despite his fatigue. Then he fell into a deep sleep.
"Catch," Kevin, Nathan's little boy called, tossing a baseball to his father, who caught it easily. The ten year old boy laughed, as Nathan threw it back. Kevin caught it in his glove, and threw it back.
But before Nathan could catch it, Jasper, his Golden Retriever jumped up and snatched the ball, landed on all four paws, then ran off.
"Jasper, get back here," Kevin cried out, and broke into a run after the dog, who ran as fast as he could towards the woods that filled the rest of Nathan's property. Shelly came out from her reading on the back deck to watch Kevin chase Jasper around the backyard.
"Isn't he wonderful," she said, leaning on his shoulder. Nathan let out a small laugh, then leaned in to kiss his wife. She responded, wrapping her arms around him, then they heard a ringing from the porch.
"Oh shit," she said, running to answer the phone. She had been expecting a call from her employer on the changing of her work hours to make more room for family.
When she picked the remote phone up, Nathan saw her mouth form the word 'Hello'. The person on the other end said something that horrified her. Her face turned pale, and the phone fell from her fingers, and clattered on the deck. She fell onto her chair and buried her face in her hands, and Nathan saw her body shake with sobs.
"Momma," Kevin called from behind Nathan, but when Nathan turned, it wasn't his son who stood there. It was Pvt. Jason Carlson. His face burnt away by plasma bolts, and his charred intestines falling from his burst stomach. He screamed and reached for his Sgt. with blackened fingers.
Nathan took a few steps backwards, and tripped over the corpse of Pvt. Jennifer Novikov, her arm blown off by a needler, then she bled to death. Nathan looked around, it wasn't his home anymore, it was Old Mombassa. He saw a destroyed warthog, the flaming skeleton of a man who could never be identified sat behind the wheel.
He was covered in blood, both human and alien. Corpses were everywhere, some burnt to a crisp by plasma, others with large holes blown out of them by projectiles. Blood flowed through the streets of the old African town like a river.
"Help me sarge, I'm dying," Jason moaned, still reaching for his lieutenant.
"Stay away from me, you're dead," Nathan cried out, pushing the specter of his marine back, causing the strapless helmet to fall off, and taking a slough of flesh with it, and the plasma weakened skull opened, allowing the marine's brains to fall out.
Nathan stared in terror, when an arm grabbed his calf. The Sgt. looked down and saw Jennifer looking up at him, blood flowing from her mouth.
"Help sarge," she moaned, using her only hand to claw up his leg. Nathan pushed it away, and started to run.
"IT BURNS," the skeleton in the warthog cried out it pain.
"Shut up, shut up, it wasn't my fault. Leave me alone god damnit. I can't help you, you're dead," Nathan yelled out, tears streaming, though whether from smoke or pain he didn't know, he just kept running.
More corpses saw him, they came towards him, their arms outstretched. Blood oozed from many wounds on each of them. Burnt patches of skin peeled away, revealing charred bone beneath. They all called out for him, their moans laden with pain and suffering.
Nathan stood in the middle of the street, panting. He turned, and ran into Wesley, pointing a gun at his unprotected neck.
"I always though platoons were made up of a fair amount a marines, this is about squad size. So where is everyone else?" he asked, his false, arrogant smile pasted on his face, but his eyes were slanted evilly.
Then he pointed at the corpse of Pvt. Sara Dedrick with the toe of his boot. The front of her throat had a hole through it, and blood gushed from the open wound.
"Why didn't you watch the asshole, you knew he couldn't be trusted," Sara said accusingly, even though it was impossible for her to be able to talk at all.
"Leave me alone," Nathan yelled out, pulling his helmet off, and placing his hands over his ears. He ran through the battle torn hell hole that was once a peaceful town.
Then he saw Pvt. Gary Potter, his skull smashed open like a melon, but he had a twisted smile on his face. He stared at Nathan with his one eye, the other having being knocked out when the pelican crashed. The two pilots sat beside him, their limbs bent in impossible angles, blood flowing from their mouths. The three stared at him, accusing him.
Nathan ran past them, he saw Danny mutilated by the Flood. He looked at Nathan, then growled out. But Nathan could hear words from the inhuman sounds.
"You shot me," the pitiful creature moaned.
Nathan clamped his hands tighter over his ears and kept running, and the city was gone. He was in a green field, and there were white chairs facing a makeshift altar. Nathan took a breath and straightened his suit. The chairs were filled with smiling people in suits and dresses. They were all looking up at the man before him. Hank Thompson stood on the altar, a big, bright smile on his face.
The music started playing, and everyone looked down the grassy aisle between the chairs. Alison Carter, Hanks bride walked, her arm locked with her father's. Her white smile brightened the hearts of everyone present.
Nathan couldn't help but smile, but it faded when he looked back to Hank, who was very pale. Then his friend, and the groom of Alison Carter fell apart. Nathan looked up, and saw a Covenant cruiser blocking out the sky. It was going to glass the planet. Nathan tried to get the guests out of the make shift church, but they all just stared at him. Alison ran up to him, a hate filled sneer across her face.
"You wanted him to die, you were going to leave him behind. He's dead because of you, you killed him! You killed him!" Alison screamed at him, hitting him.
Then a thick beam of energy blasted from the Covenant cruiser. No one watched though, they just watched Alison take her vengeance on Nathan. Flames raced across the grass, consuming everything in its path. Then the fire reached the guests, and they screamed as their flesh was broiled away. Just in front of him he witnessed Alison's body burnt away, but the last thing to burn were her accusing eyes.
Then Nathan's body began to burn away. The pain was incredible. He screamed out loud, but no one was coming to save him, they were all dead. Everyone was dead. He looked down to his arms as the skin was incinerated, then muscles burnt away, until nothing was left but blackened bones.
"It is time you pay for your sins," Wesley's voice called out to him. Them Amy's, then Mike's, then Jim's. Nathan looked up with burning eyes and saw the four looking down upon him, still alive.
Then they reached down…
Nathan started as he was shaken.
"Sir, its your watch," Jim said, crouching beside his Sgt. He looked into his superior's eyes. He saw something there.
"Sir, is everything okay?" Jim asked, a look of concern on his face. Nathan blinked, then got to his feet.
"Yes, everything is fine. A bad dream is all. Get some rest trooper," Nathan said. He picked up his battle rifle and checked to make sure that it was loaded.
He perched himself on a rock, where he could overlook the entire hill. He saw Jim curl up in a ball where he had dropped himself to the ground earlier. Nathan was again, alone with his thoughts, but he shoved them from his mind, and only thought about how he was going to get his remaining marines out of these swamps alive. If it was possible in any way.
Nathan sat on that rock for an hour, then he roused the three other marines. They grunted as they got up from the cool ground. Though the three hours of sleep each had helped amazingly, they were still very tired. They would not be able to fight for much longer.
"Okay, here's the plan. We move out, find another defensible location, then rest for a little while longer, but we can't stay in one place for very long," Nathan said.
The marines nodded in understanding, they had no desire to fight the Flood again. But they knew it would eventually happen. It was inevitable, but they had to post-pone the battle for as long as possible to get some rest.
The marines picked up all their belongings, and started down the hill, and through the wooded swamps, hoping the worst was behind them.
But Nathan knew better.
