NOTE: Thought I might play around some more. By the way, this chapter might get dark. I'm trying something different.
Eyes. Dead eyes. That is all she sees, staring into what she believes is Death incarnate. The the bloodless face smiles; wrinkled skin peels all the way to the earlobes while jagged yellow teeth greets her in a menacing grin.
She deflects its arms with her bayonet but it still grasps for her. She shoots it away but to no avail. More come from behind it, all draped in the glistening breastplate of the Imperial Army. Their faces are shrouded in shadows, pairs of red dots piercing her sight. She glances ahead and feels her heart stop—her very own image now bearing the sadistic smile of a killer without conscience.
That is not her, she tells her self. She is not a monster. She is not a psychopath. She is a controlled, professional soldier. Then she feels something cold grip her shoulders. Her weapon is gone from her hands.
She opens her mouth to scream
Shino Kuribayashi gasped awake in her bunk. She raised her hands, looking at the sweat glistening on her palms. Her breathing steadied as she studied the callouses on her fingers, the crumpled folds in the skin from using her battle rifle so much. She dropped her head back onto her pillow when she felt her heart ease back to the normal rate of fifty-per-minute.
She wiped her forehead. She tossed aside her blanket to feel colder. Her whole body was drenched, her army shirt and shorts sticking to her skin.
"It was just a dream. Just a dream," she quietly chanted. Another damn nightmare, if she was really honest with herself. They just wouldn't stop.
Again, she ran her the back of her hand across her cheeks and felt the drying moisture of her own sweat. She swung her legs over her bunk and dropped down to the floor. The rest of the barracks was quiet save for a few snores. She gracefully made her way to the end where she isolated herself in the lavatory.
Shino eyed her own reflection in the mirror after splashing her face with the water flowing from the tap.
"Get a grip, damn it. You're a soldier, not a mental patient," she growled.
Click.
What was that? Kuribayashi snapped her head to where she heard the sound.
Click.
There it was again. Slowly, she tiptoed to the meager space outside the restroom. Light was shining from the open storage closet. Who could be in there at this time of night?
Click.
It sounded like someone was feeding bullets into a magazine. Could it be one of her comrades, stocking up on ammunition just in case? She couldn't be too sure. She had to investigate.
Click. Clack.
Shino was inches from the open door. She could see the person's shadow illuminated on the floor. It was a man. She felt her heart race again. What was a man doing in the women's barracks? That would only spell trouble, especially if it was some pervert private who somehow got in.
Click.
"Who's there?" she demanded in her most authoritative tone.
"I could hear you from outside, Kuribayashi."
She leaped in front of the doorway, eyes sizing up her commanding officer sitting on a pile of metal boxes, idly feeding seven-six-twos into an empty magazine. "Captain!?"
"You were thrashing on your bed."
Kuribayashi stared. "W-what are you doing here?"
Itami looked up at her for the first time. "I don't even know the answer to that."
She simply gawked. This was skirting protocol and the many unspoken rules that went with it. What the hell was her direct superior even doing here out of all places on the base? There had to be something reasonable for that. There had to be. The captain was almost always professional. Almost always.
"Captain?" She was aware of what she looked like and it was both embarrassing and humiliating. Not to mention how mortified she was feeling at how much skin was on display. "Permission to speak freely?"
"Permission granted."
"What the hell are you doing here!? You're not supposed to be here! H-how did you even get in here?"
Itami chuckled. It was a different sort of chuckle that she normally heard. Rather, it was soft, humorless, grim. He kept feeding more bullets into the magazine until it could take no more. He stacked it next to the assortment of battle rifles tucked on the rack and reached behind him to collect another to continue the mind-numbing process.
"C-captain?"
"Relax, Kuribayashi. You'll wake everyone up." He looked up at her again. And it terrified her. This was not the Itami she served under. No, it was him. He was just different. Scary. Frightening. Like in her dreams. "I'll be gone before dawn. Just can't sleep, that's all."
She gulped. She did not like the way the shadows formed under his eyes. "I see."
"The Americans have this mantra," he suddenly began. "It's an old practice that they drill into their recruits as soon as they get their guns." Itami reached for one of the rifles, loaded the magazine, and flicked the safety off.
Kuribayashi froze when he aimed it at her.
"If I recall correctly, it goes something like this. 'This is my rifle. Without it, I am useless. Without me, it is useless.' I forgot the rest." He pulled the clasp all the way, chambering the bullet. "Is this yours?"
She was too stunned to speak. Instead, she frantically shook her head. What was her direct superior doing? Was he insane? Has he lost his mind? This cannot be him. This isn't him!
"C-captain, you're n-need to stop."
Itami laughed. Again, it was humorless. It sent shivers down her immobile spine. He removed the clip and released the bullet from the chamber, the shell clattering against the grated floor. The rifle was replaced on the rack and the rest of the magazines were tucked into an open ammunition box on the shelf.
Shino was still paralyzed when he brushed passed her. She dared to look up only to hear his words resound into her ear, "That'll kill your nightmares. Go back to bed, soldier."
She watched him leave the barracks, his shadow disappearing into the moonless night. It took her another five minutes to recollect herself before she climbed back into her bunk and forced herself to sleep. Needless to say, the rest of it was dreamless.
The following morning, as she made her rounds around the base, Shino caught the distinct olive green beret bouncing above the tents. She stood stiff and peered until her eyes caught Itami's haphazard glance. Suddenly, he too stopped dead in his tracks to lock his gaze fully on hers. Those same eyes were still there. Haunting. Dead.
The way he smiled was unsettling.
Kuribayashi made sure to personally lock the door to their barracks later that evening.
ORIGINALLY DRAFTED: March 7, 2017
LAST EDITED/UPDATED: March 10, 2017
INITIALLY UPLOADED: March 8, 2017
NOTE: Did I do a good job of breaking Itami? Also, does anyone remember that scene from Full Metal Jacket? Yeah. Let me know what you guys think about this second one.