Chapter 6 – A soldier's promise
Flynn
"Wow… I never thought that it could have been that bad." Sayori reaches out her hand to gently caress mine. Her silky smooth skin was comforting to the touch.
"Well… Yeah… There you go…" It was half a lie. There were details I omitted from the story, details I couldn't bring myself to tell her, to tell anybody in fact. Nobody would understand, only a brother in arms.
"Thank you for telling me. But I can see why you didn't want to talk about it to somebody who wasn't a soldier." Sayori replies, encouraging me to keep my secret. The rest of the date goes relatively smoothly. The events of the past few days are forgotten, as we drink the night away. After we finish at the restaurant, we uber it back to our apartment, hand in hand the entire journey. After the taxi pulls up outside our apartment, I tip the gentleman and bid him a good night.
"Thank you for tonight I had a really nice time." Sayori says, beaming her beautiful smile towards me. "So… Would you like to come in for coffee?" She says, winking at me and making me chuckle in the process.
"I'm not sure you can do sexy, Sayori. Though, one appreciates the effort." I say, as she joins in with my laughter. We enter the complex and take the elevator to our apartment, our hands intertwined the entire time. We walk to my bedroom, change into our pyjamas, and fall asleep in each other's arms.
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I can see them but they cannot see me. I hover above them, watching, as I see him with her. Their bodies are woven together, two new lovers locked in a warm embrace. Although part of my plan, I still feel a twinge of pain. A knife through my heart. A dagger to the back. A lover betrayed. He will feel my pain. He will be mine.
Flynn
I awaken from my slumber. My room is far colder than usual and, in order to ensure that Sayori remains warm in my absence, I ensure the duvet is delicately tucked into the bedframe. The alcohol has made me thirsty, so I decide to go to the kitchen and pour myself a glass of water.
Knock knock knock
No. Not the knocking. Not again! Not now! I have to protect Sayori! Instinctively, I retrieve my pistol from the bedside table and give Sari a gentle peck on the cheek. I exit my bedroom and point the pistol towards the front door, as ready as I can be to face whatever horror awaits. As I approach the door, it suddenly swings open. I stand still, observing, scanning for any potential threat, when unseen force unexpectedly drags me out the apartment. I feel the direction of gravity change, as I fall through the darkness. I hit the ground, my hands cushioning my fall. But what is that in my hands? I grab a chunk from the ground, and realise that it is sand. I push myself up from the ground and look at my arms. Why am I wearing camouflage?
"Private Carson, fire your fucking rifle!" My heart stops. I know where I am. Not here. Anywhere but here, please! We're surrounded on all sides in the middle of a dessert, the Taliban are relentless and, with no cover, there is no chance of survival. I fire my L98A2 rifle at the enemy, picking off as many as I can while under a hail of enemy bullet fire. A sharp pain abruptly pummels my chest as a bullet hits my body armour, sending shockwaves of agony though out my upper body. I attempt to stand and continue fighting with my brothers in arms, when another round hits my leg, sending me crashing into the ground. All I can do is watch, helplessly, as my friends are picked off one by one by an unrelenting enemy, good soldiers murdered by disgusting terrorists, their bodies falling on me in a protective shield. After what seemed like hours of waiting, the Taliban leave, leaving our bodies to be consumed by the stand. I want it to end, hallucination or not, I know what happens next, fulfilling a promise to a fellow soldier through an action of mercy.
"Flynn…" I hear a voice call out to me. Apart from myself, there was one other survivor. "Flynn!" He calls out again with as much strength as he could gather. I push aside the bodies of my fallen friends, and see John lying on his back with several bullet wounds throughout his person. Blood seeps from his body, soaking everything in a thick red tar.
"You promised me. If it ever come to this. You promised." Tears begin to fall from my eyes. I don't want to do this. I can't do this… But I can't save him either. For the second time in my life, I remove my pistol from it's holster. I gently put my forehead to his, and we both close our eyes. "I'm sorry I couldn't save you John."
"Just remember, this is a mercy Flynn." He says. I put the pistol to the side of his head, and pull the trigger. I killed my friend. As I hear the gunshot, I open my eyes. I am back in my apartment, tears still streaming down my face after mercy killing a fellow soldier. A secret I will take to my grave. I stand up from my bed and walk to the kitchen. After all that? I need a drink. As I pour myself a scotch, I hear, what I thought, was Sari walking into the kitchen. However, when I turn around…
"You didn't save me." John says, standing in the middle of my apartment. His camouflage is drenched in blood, with bullet holes which continually ooze a black liquid onto the kitchen floor. His eyes lack pupils, and he stares into my soul with disturbingly white spheres, covered in twitching, bursting red veins which shower me with blood. John rushes towards me, his blue lips open wide as he releases a guttural scream into the room. I put up my arms to protect myself but it's no use. He tackles me to the ground and begins to punch me repeatedly in the face, sending wave after wave of agony through my head. As he raises his fist to strike me again, I use my left hand to push his fist out the way, which crashes into the floor. I grab his shoulders and headbutt him as hard as I can, which sends him flying backwards. I use the precious seconds to stand up and face John head on. My training and reflexes take over. I run towards him, push him against the wall and send punch after punch into his face. As my fist connects each time, blood oozes out onto my hand. But I can't stop. I keep punching again, and again, and again. Harder and harder until my fist is through his head, and the wall is covered in a red outline of his body from all the blood. I wake up in my bed and sit up screaming. I didn't save him. I didn't save him. I killed him. I murdered him again! Sayori jumps awake, slightly confused as to what had awoken her.
"Flynn!? Are you okay?" She says, placing her hands on my shoulders as she gently massages my neck.
"No… No I'm not okay. Sayori I don't know what the fuck is happening to me. I keep seeing… Things. I keep hallucinating I keep… I don't know! I can't keep doing this Sari, I can't! It's too much." My face falls into my hands as I gently cry. The tears leak through the spaces between my fingers and droplets fall onto the bed, soaking the mattress in my sorrow. Sayori holds me close and gently kisses me neck.
"Hey it's okay. You're okay don't worry. Whatever is happening, whatever it's going on. Whatever these nightmares are? I think you need to see a Doctor."
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I watch him as he sheds tears. He feels pain. He will drive her away. He will need me. He will only need me. Only me.
