Hope you all enjoy it.
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A couple of days had passed since they had started re-building the school in the local village. The squad had successfully built all the tables and chairs for the classrooms, plus they had finished digging the foundations for the classrooms and had leveled all the floors. Thanks to Puck who had o ce helped build a garage in his high school life to earn a bit of extra money during the summer.
Today they were going to start filling the foundations with cement for the floors, of the classrooms.
###
"Come on Puck move that fat ass" Santana shouts as she sees he is still in bed and that if he doesn't get up, be won't get any breakfast. Which wouldn't be a good idea when they are going to be doing a lot of physical work today.
"I can't remember the last time I did this much work over a couple of days" he groans as he moves into a sitting position searching for his clothes.
"Same. But God does it feel good to have that ache in your muscles when ya get up the next day" Santana muses as she stretches.
"I swear you get weirder everyday" Puck stares at her with a 'what the fuck are you talking about face'. "And why would that be a good thing anyway." He finishes with whilst putting his boots on.
"I'm not weird and because it feels like you have accomplished something."
"Ok. Lets go get some breakfast. I think your starting to go delirious or something, as you are normally the laziest person I know, well second to me of course." Puck grins and stands up before throwing his arm around Santana's shoulder and walking out the tent.
###
"Morning Serg" Connor mumbles through a mouthful of food.
"Morning guys" Santana says back as she sits around the table were the squad is sat.
Just as she is about to take her second spoonful of cereal she hears "Hey San, you know stuff about basketball right?" Blake shouts at her from the other end of the table.
She sighs internally, before asking sceptically and placing her spoon back in her bowl. "Yeah, why?"
"Well its just that I think Kobe Bryant is the best player at the moment, but thing 1 here" she says pointing at Jack who is next to her "thinks that LeBron James is instead". Blake then crosses her arms and asks " So who's right?"
Jack sits there pointing to himself, while Blake mouths that she is right. "Well I personally think that they are as good as each other" Santana tells them with a straight face and a nonchalant shrug before going back to her cereal.
"Really Serg that's your answer" Jack whines, wanting to be right for o ce against Blake.
"Yep" she replies popping the 'p' and giving a single nod of her head making everyone around the table chuckle at their friends.
The pair then give a simultaneous huff, making everyone chuckle again before carrying on with their breakfast. Once everyone has finished they head back to their bunks to gather their gear, before heading to the trucks to go to the village.
###
The village was relatively quiet this morning with everyone just getting on with their jobs.
Puck and Connor were mixing up some cement for the foundations, whilst Nick, Jared, Jordan and Joe went to check that the villages perimeter was ok and to give the soldiers who normally do it an hours break. That then left Santana, Amy, Blake and Jack clearing up any rubbish and waste material that was lying around to make the place look a bit tidier. They then went to see if there was any odd jobs that they could do around the place.
Around 9'ish the first batch of cement was ready, so Puck poured it in the space that would be a classroom floor and lets Santana and Jack make sure it was level and smooth. It took them about 15 minutes to do that and they were pretty pleased with themselves.
Connor them came over to them to tell them that the next batch of cement would be ready in about 10 minutes. So Santana and Jack thought they would go get a drink first.
###
Santana's POV
"I'm laughing my head off at Jack, who is pouring water over his head as if he was in a wet t-shirt competition. He then rings out his shirt before downing a cup of water and walking over too me.
"What are you laughing at?" He says in a serious voice just making me laugh harder. "Come on Serg lets go back to work" he continues giving me a mock salute, before he walks in the direction of the school.
I just shake my head and follow him.
I have only taken 5 or 6 steps before I hear gunfire to the east of me. "Shit!" I shout while sprinting to where I left my gear.
Once I get there I put my vest and helmet on and then grab my rifle. I then sprint in the direction of gunfire.
As I get closer to it I move as stealthily as I can to avoid bringing any attention to myself, so I have the element of surprise on my side. I can just see Jared and Jordan from my position, who are behind a wall. I then look around to see if anything offers protection to me, so I can get to them.
I can't see anything so my only chance to get to them is to leg it across the open area in front of me. I quickly look around and check the tops of buildings before rising my rifle and going for it.
I'm just about to reach them, when gunfire cones from the right of me causing me to quickly dive towards the other two. Who then take the shooter out. I then sit there for a few moments getting my breath back and composing myself before I rejoin the action.
"You alright Serg" I hear from my right.
I look at Jared and nod "Yeah just a little too close for comfort is all."
I then readjust my grip on my rifle and ready myself. "You guys know where anyone else is?"
"No sorry Serg it just happened so fast and we got split up from the others. But there is one of the soldiers who we took over from not looking to good over there" Jordan points to the right of them in front of the wall.
I quickly stick my head around the wall to assess the situation. As I duck back round bullets whiz past over the top of us.
"Alright I'm going to make a break for it, whilst you two cover me" the two soldiers nod their heads. "Do either of you have a med kit with you?"
"Umm, yeah here" Jordan responds as he quickly searches himself for it.
"Ok on the count of three" I say slowly looking into both their eyes hoping that we all get through this.
"One..two..three!" I give them a few seconds to get sorted and let of a few rounds before I dash round the wall, in the direction of the injured guy.
When I reach him, I grab him by his vests strap and drag him behind the closest wall to us. I then put my rifle down and quickly assess his injuries before pulling out the med kit, Jordan gave me and placing a gauze on his right shoulder were a bullet seems to of hit him.
I then slap his cheeks a bit trying to get him to wake up. "Come on man wake up."
After the fourth slap to his cheeks his eyes flutter open. "Hey you know where you are?" I ask, he just nods his head. "Alright, keep pressure on this and help is on its way" I say as I place his left hand on top of the gauze.
I then look around the wall and see a small figure out in the open knelt by a body on the floor. I quickly survey the area and see a wall near a house which will offer protection, not to far from the figure. Immediately a plan forms in my head.
"You going to be alright here soldier?" I ask quickly ask while making sure my rifle is loaded.
"Yeah" he answers in a gruff voice.
"Good. I'll see you on the other side then" once I've said this I dash out from behind cover and head towards the figure as fast as I can.
As I'm nearing them they look up. "Tamira" I say quietly, it is then that I recognise the figure on the floor to be her mother. I then look back up at her face and see tears streaming down it freely. I remember the feeling that consumes you when you lose someone close to you like that.
Flashback
'Yes' I thought one more period and I can get out of this hell hole. Its only been 3 weeks since I started my freshman year and I hate high school. There is just so much work to be done.
I've just sat down when someone from reception comes I to the classroom a d shows my teacher a note. He then looks at me and calls me over and to bring my stuff with me.
I must have a confused look on my face, as he reassures me that I'm not in trouble and that the principle wants to talk about something with me. I then follow the women from reception to the principles office. Just before she leaves she turns and gives me a sympathetic look, which leaves me really confused.
As I step into the room I notice that Miss Pillsbury our schools guidance councillor is there, as well as two police officers. Suddenly a sense of dread fills me.
"Are you Santana Lopez?" One of the officers asks me. I just nod not trusting my voice.
"I'm sorry to inform you that hour parents, Antonio and Lucia Lopez have been involved in a car crash" the second officer says in a solemn voice.
"What-what h-happened? A-Are they ok?" I stutter frantically, my voice cracking at the end.
"A truck driver fell asleep at the wheel and ran a red light. Your Dad was driving and died on impact the doctors say, as the truck hit his side of the car first before it rolled." The first officer explains.
"Your Mum is at Lima general right now. We can take you there once, you have authorised access to leave" the first officer continues. All I can do is just nod. I feel like my whole world is falling apart.
Since being told everything, everything else has just become a blur, until we arrive at the hospital. We walk over to the nurses station. One of the nurses there then takes me to ICU where my Mum is, whilst the officers stay begin. I vaguely here something about them contacting social services.
When I get to ICU, my mum is just lying there with loads of tubes attached to her and a big bandage around her head as well as a dressing which I peaking out the top of the gown on her chest. I run over to her grabbing her hand and just break down, sobbing for her not to leave me over and over again.
I stop after a while and just stare at her for a bit, before a nurse brings over a chair for me. I sit in it still holding her hand and slowly drift off to sleep.
I'm suddenly awoken by a loud beeping noise, causing me to sit up to see what is happening. Next thing I know doctors and nurses are running into the room. One nurses comes over to me and practically drags me out of the room, once I realise what is happening.
I'm literally kicking and screaming as hard as I can and the nurse just wraps their arms round me and holds me close.
5 minutes later a doctor comes out with a solemn look on his face and I just start sobbing again, knowing he is about to tell me they couldn't save my mum. No 13 year old should have to deal with something like this I think to myself.
End of flashback
It takes me a couple more strides to reach her. Just as I'm about to reach her a searing pain goes through my right soldier. I nearly collapse from the pain but then I see Tamira's eyes that have fear in them and push through the pain, swinging my rifle on to my left shoulder so I can grab her with my left arm and head towards the wall for protection.
I'm literally three strides away when I hear a clink at my feet, as something metallic hits the ground. Next thing I know there is an explosion behind me and I'm thrown forwards.
As soon as I hit the ground everything goes black, but I can still feel Tamira in my arms.
###
Puck's POV
Connor had just came back from telling San and Jack that the next batch of cement would be ready soon.
"I gotta question for you. Are you ever going to shave that stupid thing of your face?" I say with a chuckle, only to get a glare in return.
Connor starts stroking his goaty before saying "I'll shave it off, when you shave that weird thing of of your head."
"Touché."
We are just talk about some nonsense stuff, when we hear gunfire come from the west of us. I quickly grab my gear, which is propped up by the cement mixer and grab my rifle before heading towards the noise, with Connor hot on my heels.
I see a group of what looks to be Taliban's pinning Nick and Joe behind a car.
"Hey Nick!" I shout trying to get there attention. Nick looks at me and I signal to him that me and Connor are going to cover them, so they can get to some better cover.
Me and Connor then start shooting towards those pinning the two in behind the car, which diverts there attention to us giving Nick and Joe time to move.
Once they are in a better position me and Connor duck down to reload our rifles.
I've finished reloading so I peek around the wall and see Santana picking up a child and dashing towards a gap in between a wall and a building. But just as she is about to reach it I see something flung towards the floor and I realise it is a grenade and that it has landed by her trailing leg. It then explodes throwing her forward into the gap.
"SANTANA!" I shout, which gets the attention of Connor who looks in the same direction as me.
I can't tell where she is as there is a dust cloud, caused by the explosion in front of where the gap was. Just then I here trucks coming from behind, I look back and see that they are our back up.
Immediately we start pushing forward and the Taliban start falling back. I see an opening and sprint in the direction of Santana, I don't get to far before there is a white hot pain emitting from my left thigh, causing me to stumble and fall.
I quickly look down at my thigh and see that is blood pouring from a small hole that wasn't there before. So I grab my knife and cut the strap from my rifle, so I can tie it just above the wound to try and stem the bleeding.
Once it is secure I grab my rifle and get back up and hobble to my destination. As I get closer I can make out a leg sticking out from begin a wall. When I get around the corner and into the gap I see that part of the wall next to her has crumbled and landed on her lower left leg crushing it. I then notice that her body is covering a smaller one.
I quickly check San's pulse and find it. I let out a breath I ahd been holding before gently removing the smaller figure from beneath her. As soon as I get them out I recognize her too be the little girl that Santana was talking to a few days ago.
I check that she is breathing, before checking the rest of her body for any immediate injuries. I can't find any other injuries just that she is unconscious. I then gently place her on the ground near me, so I can check over San properly.
I take her helmet off first and see she has a gash on her forehead but it doesn't look to bad. I then take her vest off and find a bullet wound to her right shoulder. 'At least we'll have some badass scars' I think to myself bitterly, while applying pressure to the wound. I then chance a look at her leg and know that their is nothing I can do but shout for help, hoping a field doctor is nearby.