1865
Squinting into the smoke, Sully saw a new assault wave forming down in the woods. The Confederates were a dirty rabble, many of them in torn and tattered gray and butternut uniforms. At the summit of the gentle slope the Rebels would climb, Sully and his fellow soldiers were sprawled behind trees, bushes, and clumps of weeds.
Sully sited down the length of his rifle and hears his commanding officer, Major Thompson, call out, " Hold your positions boys."
The first gray wave commenced firing and Sully anticipated Major Thompson's command, firing his weapon at the advancing enemy soldiers, before quickly reloading his rifle, so he could fire again and again.
All the while the Confederates advanced on his unit Sully and the others had to resort to using their swords and fists. Bullets whizzed by his head as he grappled with a Confederate bent on killing him. An uppercut sent him reeling backwards on the incline, the foul smelling Confederate landing heavily on top of him, knocking the breath from him momentarily.
Hands wrapped around his throat, squeezing until darkness threatened to set in, and Sully realized how easy it would be for him to just let death claim him.
'No Sully! No!'
Abigail's voice seared through him, encouraging him to fight against the men hell bent on killing him. She pleaded with him to not accept death, but to rail against it and live, even if it meant doing so without her.
Sully felt a surge of energy sweep through him, as he grasped the hands at his throat. One by one he managed to pry the fingers of the Confederates right hand from its hold on his throat. At the same time, he brought his knee up into his opponent's groin as he hard as he could, and heard a swift intake of breath in his ear, and felt the Confederate's left hand ease its vice around his throat.
Sully sucked in greedy gulps of air, and with both hands, shoved the enemy soldier off him. He watched as the Confederate tumbled down the incline, before scrambling for cover, picking up his fallen rifle and sword as he did so.
Death had almost claimed him, and for the first time since he lost Abigail and Hannah, he was glad that it hadn't. He still didn't know how he was supposed to live without them, but guessed that he would have to do so one day at a time.