War Without Reason.

Story 7: War Without Reason.

“I’m going to be a war hero! Save countless lives- get the medal of honor! And come back home and tell my wife!” A young voice exclaimed in the back of a humvee. There, uniformed soldiers sat, one noticeably younger than the rest was talking to an older veteran. A low growl escaped him. “For our sake- I hope you are, maybe you’ll save all of us, like those old movies…” He smirked at his own joke, a scratchy tone escaping as a laugh. The uniforms, a dark blue color, no intricate patterns, tossed together to be thrown on a thousand soldiers. “Come ON man, you wait and see!” The veteran and rookie continued talking…

“Why are we fighting again?” A tired- yet knowing voice echoed from the back of a red painted truck. “Because the government is coming, why else?” A voice responded. Inside, HELL soldiers, draped in all red, not exactly good for stealth, but it was their style certainly. “But- why? Did something happen? Are they gonna do something?” He inquired eagerly. Another voice responded. “You’re asking questions above what we are allowed to know, idiot.” A hostile sneer from the man. He huffed in frustration. “When we start shooting, just watch me, I’m gonna be the new face of HELL and kill all the soldiers!” He spoke with a fire. Only to get mocked by his peers, they erupted in laughter, the silence broken…. He frowned, scoffing and looking away from the group. “You’ll see…”

It was dark, near midnight, raining lightly. Fog was rolling in on both sides, closing in and obscuring the view slightly. On arrival, groups of government soldiers and HELL soldiers arrived, and the fighting didn’t start automatically, an odd silence, no rifles raised, just them standing before each other. The government rookie was the first to raise his rifle. The silence finally broke as the rest of the soldiers raised their rifles. Another few moments of silence… Shattered by firing guns, orders being shouted, boots slapping against muddy terrain. They took cover behind semi-detached buildings and fallen trees, the sound of gun fire echoing through the field.

The government rookie- named Paul- had taken a stealthy route, behind bushes and trees, he snuck to the side, aiming to ambush the HELL soldiers and get the upper hand for his people. He could hear some of the soldiers speaking a foreign language, but most spoke English. He listened closely, trying to pick up on their orders… “Go around, secure that shed.” He glanced to the side, a wooden box made of rough wooden planks. Leaking with mold and filth, it seemed kinda pointless to go after it. He gently slipped behind foliage nearby.

The HELL rookie- named Hannibara- had been given orders to take care and secure the shed. “So stupid… they want me out of the way- what USE could a shed provide” He grabbed his rifle and bag checking every corner before he slowly pushed the door open, pinching his nose as the stench hit him. He gagged, stepping back and falling on his back for a second, sitting up quickly. “GOD DAMN IT- WHAT THE HELL- IT SMELLS LIKE A DEAD BODY!” He slowly stood, racking his gun to load a bullet. He pulled his uniform shirt over his nose, turning a flashlight on around his head. He checked the corners, the roof, everything. “So that’s what’s been the cause of the smell…” there laid a dead scavenger… Hannibara took a step back, checking if anyone was behind him.

“GET DOWN!” Paul jumped from the bushes, his gun falling from his hand- but he tackled Hannibara who also dropped his gun. They wrestled in the mud for a few moments, Paul having the advantage and the surprise was on top for a while. “Fuck- GIVE UP!” He drew a knife- stabbing him in the hand ‘Just like Zero taught me…’ he thought to himself, Hannibara shouted in pain. Hannibara rolled to the side in pain for a moment, before he drew his own knife and stabbed him in the jaw, forcing Paul to stumble back. The brief separation gave them both enough time to rip the knives from their wounds. Paul held his jaw in agony, while Hannibara clenched his hand- he was in no shape to hold a gun like that… They both regenerated slowly, Paul grabbed his gun- covered in mud aiming at Hannirbara “I SAID GET DOWN!” He shouted again, his hand trembling, he hadn’t even taken the gun off of safety, despite being the first to raise his rifle, but neither noticed.

Hannibara slowly raised his hands, dropping the knife. “Fuck… just don’t shoot…” Hannibara turned red from embarrassment. The silence was audible… ‘What do I do now…’ His mind echoed with countless possibilities- shoot him, capture him, lock him in the shed… “YOU get-” He was cut off, his words drowned out by the howl of incoming artillery that tore through the air. Paul and Hannibara’s faces turned pale with shock- that was going to explode… and kill them… “FUCK!” Hannibara grabbed his rifle, and bolted away, Paul watched- not even bothering to squeeze the trigger, he turned back, both sides firing artillery and bullets… “They- THEY COULD BE DEAD!” He thought of his group, finally scrambling, splashing and slipping through the mud as fear took control.

Hannibara got back first, seeing flames engulf the small outpost they had roughly set up, clearly alive people behind flames, laying on their back… He looked to the side, a leg, missing everything above it… Hannibara didn’t scream, just stared in disbelief, adrenaline pushing him forward, he ducked and weaved through flames, grabbing a random soldier, and dragging him away from the flames and smoke, near the edge of the forest. He ran back in, he had left his rifle behind…

Paul got back, seeing his people scramble and panic, leaving behind wounded soldiers… Flames crawled across the ground like a snake spreading to everything it could. The night was interrupted by the bright, hungry flames. He scrambled towards the first soldier he could see. Slinging his rifle on his back. He grabbed the man by the arms, lifting him onto his shoulder, he ran for the humvee’s, placing him inside one. Running right back in.

Neither had a count on how many they had saved, just kept running in and out. Paul spotted a soldier near the center, it was risky, but he bolted in. He grabbed the man, seeing a wounded HELL soldier, his eyes shot between the two… He grabbed his man first… “I’ll be back- don’t worry!” He heard footsteps approaching as Hannibara turned the corner and grabbed the HELL soldier. They locked eyes again… Hannibara murmured “Godspeed…” before they continued to run back…

The ride back was nearly silent for Paul… The wounded in the front humvee, no medical support called, nothing. The wounded were merely placed into a humvee with each other. He looked down into his hands- there was the medal of honor he so wanted. Given by commander V who had attended the conflict… He gently stroked the medal, dirt staining it ever so lightly. He had gotten what he wanted… but it was not what he expected. Sure, he hadn’t seen someone explode, but he knew there were people he hadn’t saved… A hand gently touched his shoulder, taking him out of the trance. “You did good, kid.” The same veteran from earlier, smiling and reassuring him. “I… I almost killed someone…” He muttered quietly. The veteran merely nodded, the rest of the ride was silent.

Hannibara sat in the painted truck, staring down at his hands covered in blood- he was missing a rifle and a knife. He touched his chin slightly, dried blood, staining him like something he could never forget. Looking up, nobody was there with him, just the driver. He couldn’t stop thinking about that leg- it sent shivers down his spine. He looked out back, medical vans had arrived at the scene, taking care of the people he had saved. It was slightly reassuring that what he had done saved some people. He looked away, 2 other trucks, they had lost so many people, it was pointless. “Less competition for you- kid.” A voice called out- the driver. “I wish there was more…” He muttered… The rest of the ride was silent.