A/N: I am so sorry that I haven't been able to update lately I really do have the material in my head I just don't have the time to think it through and write it down. I won't give you lame ass excuses as to why I haven't been as dedicated as I was before. I just hope you're as happy as I am that I'm back in action, in the Fan Fiction world. Please read and review, I love my loyals!!!!!!!!!!

Chapter Five: Doing The Right Thing

The barracks that we slept in were damp, cold, stuffy, and smelt awful. But we had no choice but to deal with it for the time being. Our platoon would be moving out soon anyway to make camp on the battlegrounds.

It was three in the morning and I couldn't fall asleep to save my life. We would be waking up in an hour or so, so there was really no point in it now.

The guy Max in the bunk above me tossed and turned, making my bed shake as well. These long, freezing nights were the kind of nights that made me miss home and my warm, comfortable bed.

I missed the feeling of Pony breathing calmly beside me, my arm draped over his body, and missed the feeling of being needed by someone, anyone. But here in this foreign place I wasn't needed by anybody, except maybe Steve…

These nights made me think that maybe I had made the wrong choice. That I should have stayed and talked to Sandy a little bit longer, that I should have gotten to know Asher, that I shouldn't have ripped my family apart piece by piece just as they were starting to pick some of them up……

As I thought for the millionth time about what Pony had said to me the last time I saw him

"I hate you Sodapop Curtis."

My heart sank with guilt and I fell into a deep sleep. But just suddenly as I had fallen asleep, I was waking to the blast of the bugle.

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"Soldiers, watch out for traps of any sort!!! This is guerilla war fare people everything is camouflaged!! And don't forget to change you socks after we tread through the swamp!!!!!" The Commander shouted vigorously from the front of the line, this all felt so surreal almost like some kind of movie.

I looked over to the other line and met Steve's gaze. He rolled his eyes at the Commanders words, while I smirked. He must have reminded us a hundred times to change our socks, cause we might get gangrene. Having that didn't sound like too much fun, so we listened to him every time. And plus I like my toes just the way they are.

I had just realized the sun was blocked out, so I looked up to the sky. Thousands of trees surrounded us, shading us from the rays of the burning sun as our platoon trudged through the murky swamp water. It seeped through my boots and squished when I walked, it was uncomfortable and I could already feel the blisters forming on my heels. I fought off the temptation to laugh at the noises coming from everyone's boots, and I saw that Steve was doing the same thing.

Ah, the perks of having a best friend.

The Commander stopped and I ran into my friend Max's back. Normally I would have apologized and joked about it, but the sight that met my eyes was far more important than running into someone accidentally.

We approached a large field filled with billowing smoke and fire, the remains of what once was a village. There was a little girl lying in the middle of the dirt road, and I immediately stepped out of line to go help her. It was just my first instinct, my first priority to help this little girl.

"CURTIS!!! WHAT IN THE LORD'S NAME ARE YOU DOING?! GET BACK IN LINE RIGHT NOW!! I'M YOUR COMMANDER GOD DAMMIT, YOU LISTEN TO ME!"

I wouldn't listen to him, why I didn't I could never guess. I got down on one knee and held her in my arms like I held Pony after a real bad nightmare, or how I held Johnny after those Soc's got to him. She had a bullet wound to her stomach, and her brown eyes were filled with tears.

"What's your name?" I asked taking out a compress for her, holding it tight to the wound, trying to stop the bleeding.

She looked like she couldn't be older than six or seven years old. She sniffed obviously terrified. "Lilliana." The words stumbled out of her mouth between gasps of air and sniffles.

"Okay Lilliana, everything's going to be fine. Your safe with me, I know people have hurt you before but right now I won't let anything happen to you. I'll get you out of here and we'll help you find your family." I pushed her black hair out of her tear stained face. "I promise."

I picked her up gently and walked over to my platoon. But before I could get back in line I heard a strange noise coming towards us.

"GET DOWN MEN, GET DOWN!!!!" sure enough at least five helicopters were flying overhead, dropping bombs down on the already destroyed city.

A bomb went off about three feet behind us, igniting the swamp trees I had been admiring before. I was looking at them now, not with admiring eyes but terrified and worried eyes. The vines crawling up the trees looked like burning snakes, burning and curling up to the skies.

Lilliana tensed in my arms and gave out a small scream. I ran to escape what would have been sure death if I stayed; Max and Steve were right behind me along with the other men. I kept running not seeing what I was passing, just trying to get myself and the others out alive.

After a few hours we finally found a place in the misty forest that had a water hole, and so many trees not a speck of light could be seen from overhead. Moss grew high up on the large trees making them magnificently beautiful in a strange way. I sat on the leaf covered ground against an ancient tree.

My arms were weak from carrying Lilliana after so many hours, even though she's as light as a feather. It felt good to be sitting, almost relaxing even though there was the posed threat of bombs coming down and killing us all at any time.

It felt like a completely different day from when Steve and I were laughing at our commander. This couldn't possibly be the same day.

My eyes closed without my permission, and gave way to a place where I wasn't in a war we can't win, where a dying girl wasn't sleeping with her head on my chest, where I was with my family back in Tulsa where I should be………

A/N: I hope you liked it! Next chapter will be Pony's perspective and you get to see how he's dealing with Sodapop being gone. And here's a hint, it's not too well…… Please review I love to know what you think. I do accept flamers and really long reviews!!!