Chapter 11

Leo P.O.V

I look at the two pictures in my pocket for the hundredth time that day. One was of the love of my life Sarah and Kaz together when we first started hanging out, after taking this picture and staring at it I knew she was the one for me. The other was of my brothers who I hope still believes I'm alive. But now I don't know what to think. I'm living in hiding with a family of two kids that went to the school I was trying to rebuild. After the route I used was blocked off I had to take the long route and come up between an alley to the school and the houses near it.

Then after that all I remember are the gun shots and people yelling. Me pulling my weapon and joining the fight the explosion came soon after. My mind is foggy after that but I remember seeing the father of the kids and the oldest boy and them dragging me.

I've been hiding in a small room in their house for three days recovering from my injuries and hiding from the people still after me. I tried calling home but my phone was badly damaged in the fire fight. So now there was nothing but static. My family thinks I'm dead and their no way for me to call for support.

"L you hid now"

A youngest boy ran in and told me to hid. They couldn't say my name quiet yet so I told them to just call me L.

I grabbed my stuff and pulled some boxes away from the hole I stayed in and hid there. The boy pushed the boxes against the hole and left. I placed my dog tags inside my mouth in case I had to bite down on them to hold back my voice.

I've had to do that twice. The enemy came in and to test I wasn't hiding in the boxes against eh wall they stabbed the boxes with their machetes to test if I was there. The boy's family were farmers so they just said it was their food they just got from the fields and town that they need to put away still. Opening the box proved what they were saying was true so they would leave. Later on the boys would come and get me and their father would help me with my wounds. My torso was covered with clothes that the father wore and bandages underneath them.

"L you have friends" the boy whispered.

The boy pulled the boxes away from the hole and when I got out and looked up I saw Chris and his team standing in front of me.

"Guys?"

"Hey Leo we're here to bring you home." Chris said extending his hand to me.

I gripped it and he helped pull me up.

"There's helicopter waiting for us a click away so we need to move now." Chris said.

I nodded my head.

We were about to start leaving when the oldest boy ran into the room with a scared expression.

"L they're here."

"Who's here?" Chris asked.

"The people who attacks us." I said.

"We can't leave" Chris said.

"Give me a gun Chris" I said.

"Leo I don't know-"

"Chris its better to arm me and let me help you fight then there is for me to be a sitting duck." I explained.

Chris handed me his back up gun and two magazines. I checked the gun and placed the magazines in my pocket.

We took our places in the village and waited for the enemy to walk in. The villager ran and hid in their homes. I hid inside the house of the family I was staying with peering out the window hiding in the corner with the tip of the gun pressed against my chin. I wipped the sweat from my brow, I look at Chris who is waiting with me now.

"Yo, Leo what are you going to do after this?" Chris asked me.

"What do you mean Chris?" I asked.

"I mean are you thinking about leaving the army after this or stay?" Chris said.

"I don't know yet. I love what I do but seeing all of this everyday is killing me." I said.

"How long have you been seeing the doc?" Chris asked me.

"How you do know that?" I asked rasing an eyebrow and turning my attention to him.

"I know because I've been in you shoes Leo, I know how you think." Chris said pointing to his head.

"Since I first got back from my first tour I guess. I started having nigh terrors and I slept in a closet for a week. A friend of mine gave me the docs number and ever since then I've been going. He helps out a lot so I can lead the life I have now." I said.

"Have you told anyone?" Chris asked.

I shook my head.

"They have their own problems to deal with I don't want to push more worry and work onto them so I just keep it to myself." I said.

What I didn't know at the time was Chris had a mini camera on his vest and it was recording in real time back to the states where my family was watching.

Chris took his gun into his hand and turned to the window.

"Leo there here." Chris said in a hushed tone.

I turned my attention to the window and grasped my gun tightly in my hands.

Looking out a group of five enemy soldiers were walking into the village pulling baskets to the ground and stabbing boxes and cloths draping over things to see if they got a reaction.

"Ready?" Chris whispered to me.

I nodded my head.

"Okay then." Chris pressed his transceiver to radio in his team.

Chris aimed his gun out the window.

"Alright guys, let's rock this place."

Chris fired a shot at one of the enemy, killing him. The enemy's finger was on the trigger of his gun firing it into the air as he fell to the ground.

Bullets started flying like mad flying at every building, object that moved, just to find the person that killed their comrade. We fired out guns from the windows and rooftop above.

Dust flew through the air as bullets were fired into the building we were hiding in. Chris and I covered our heads and faces as bullets started to penetrate the walls.

"Go!" Chris yelled.

Covering our heads we ran out of the house into the streets. Taking cover behind some crates we continued to fire back.

People screaming and yelling was all that could be heard over the constant firing of bullets. Looking around Chris peeked his head over the crates to see that everyone was dead.

Chris and I walked over to the mass of dead bodies on the ground. It made my stomach churn some of them were the same age as me. Chris pressed his finger to his ear.

"What are you saying I can't understand you." Chris yelled.

"Chris behind you!"

Everything was in slow motion.

A soldier kicked the door to the building to the side of me and Chris. He took out his gun and aimed it Chris who had his back turned from him. Chris started turning around but just as the enemy's gun was being fired at Chris. I pulled his arm towards me and stepped in to where he was just standing. Chris turned to face me as I pulled him away forced to watch as the three bullets meant for him entered my body.

I fell to the ground clutching my left shoulder. Chris turned his gun onto the soldier killing him instancely.

"We need a medic!" Chris yelled.

Chris and his team started calling in for backup as their medic ran over to me. Chris and one other of his teammates held my shoulders and legs down so the medic could look me over.

I took a bullet to my shoulder, one to my right leg above my knee and one to the gut, through and through.

"Apply pressure!" Chris yelled to his medic.

I started coughing trying to get air to my lungs.

"Don't you dare quit on me now Leo! I swear I'll kill you myself if you quit on me now!" Chris yelled.

I placed my hand on top of Chris's hand and stared at him in the eyes. I was telling him I wasn't going to stop I was never going to quit.

"Damn it where's backup where's the damn helicopter!" Chris yelled.

I closed my eyes and started coughing again. It was starting to get harder to breath.

"Doc you got to do something to help him!" Chris yelled.

The doctor was doing his best but without knowing how much damage the bullets did to me he could only do so much.

I wanted to go to sleep my eye lids were getting heavy.

"Hey Leo "Chris said slapping my cheeks a bit. "You need to stay awake."

"Tell me about Sarah. Tell me about how you two are getting married and everything." Chris whispered.

Chris was trying his best to keep me awake and focused.

"Come on Leo tell me about the ring you gave her. I heard you wrote something in it for her. I'll keep it a secret for you just tell me what you wrote."

I signaled for Chris to come closer so I could whisper it into his ear. Truth the camera on his vest could still record and tell everyone watching it what I was saying but at the time I didn't nor cared I wanted someone to know my secret.

"I wrote YAMH YAMS"

You are my heart

You are my soul

I closed my eyes so that the last thing I saw then and there wasn't Chris or the village I was dying in but Sarah and Kaz waiting for me to come home.