Miasma

Suddenly, everything stopped.
I mean, I saw the surroundings—everything was slow. I didn't know what I was seeing. Was this a superpower? A hallucination? I don't know.
I saw the bullet in thick smoke. I heard the hmmmm sound echoing in my ears, louder and louder.
Hmmmmmm. Hmmmmm. Hmmm.
I grabbed my ears. I felt something off. I saw blood on my hand. My tears were also blood. My nose bled.
I didn't know what this was.
Then I heard a small whisper: "You have to endure it."
"Who are you?" I said. "Where am I?"
In a flash, everything was gone. No blood. Nothing.
On the battlefield, everything was in chaos. I heard shouting.
"Aru, are you okay?"

I saw it in his eyes—a little smile on his face, full of hope, trying to say, "Not today." He wore a red scarf which his mom had given him.
I realised: How do I know that?
The more I thought, I heard a voice: "March! Everyone attack! Kill the enemy! Fight for the glory!"
Everywhere was the sound of artillery, grenades, land mines. People were shouting. Every man ran towards the fence and died.
I grabbed my weapon and ran towards the fence. I blindly fired my gun at the enemy. I passed the grenade to my man. We jumped into the trench. I threw a grenade into a bunker. I counted: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6...
Boom!
Thick smoke and debris.
I saw Nick kill the soldier who tried to run. I saw the trench full of water. After a moment, I felt a cold chill on my skin. A wind. A sound was increasing.
Something bad was coming. I didn't know what.
I saw one of our men shout, "Planes! Everyone go to the bunker!"
I ran with Aru and the others. The only sound in the air was planes howling—screaming, wailing—to capture the terror of an impending attack.
No wind. Only chills. And I could feel the vibration.
Then the planes started dropping bombs one by one.
Dooom! Blast!
I ran faster with my gear, which felt heavier than earlier. I ran faster and faster as the planes and bombs approached. I jumped into the bunker.
One bomb fell into our bunker.
Everything became black. The roof fell off.
I think I am dead. This is over.
I heard a shout like a dog"Aaaah! god ,please,not today ! Aaaaah!"
Everything went silent.
I don't know after that. I think I am in heaven.
i  heard one sound: thump, thump, thump, thump. Louder and louder. Heavy breathing.
I think my ribs are broken.
I heard a voice from outside: "I can't see anyone alive in there."
I wanted to say "Yes," but I couldn't. I am half dead.
Someone said, "Help me."
They removed the rubble from the alive soldiers. I am one of them. I sat on the bench with Aru and others.
I looked backwards towards the bunker. I saw somebody's hand. Smashed skulls. One person about to die.I looked backwards towards the bunker. I saw somebody's hand. Smashed skulls. One person about to die.
I realised: some minutes ago, they were giving instructions. They laughed. I remember the training days—they used to bully me. But now they are dead.
I am not sad. But I feel something off. I can't explain.
They are dead. They are gone.
In war, death comes from anywhere. They had dreams, but it is all gone now. They had loved ones—maybe old mothers and fathers, children waiting for their return—but everything is gone.
I feel the heaviness in the air. Chill. Rain. No stop. I can't see through that much rain.
I heard a voice. "Hi Aru, you survived?"
"Looks like that," I said. "You too?"
He laughed. His red scarf on his face. He looked like a girl—long hair, no facial hair—but eyes full of hope.
We shivered in the cold, heavy rain. I don't know what to do. I remember our urge to go home, to lie in bed.
"Hey comrade, in one day you shiver?" someone shouted.
"No, sir!" we said.
"I can't hear you!"
We shouted, "No, sir!"
He said, "I have a secret technique. Put your hands under your pants."
We looked at each other. I put my hand under my pants. I felt warm heat.
He laughed and left.
Nick said, "Your throw was good. We destroyed the bunker."
I was lucky," I said.
I looked around. I saw many teenagers on the frontline fighting for the country. I asked their names.
I am Joe."
"I am Luffy."
"I am John," one said. "A communicator in the company."
I asked how much it weighed. He said fifty kilograms.
We all were shocked. "You run with this in the battlefield?" I said.
He laughed and smiled.
I asked what today's date was. He said 1 November 1001.
In my mind, this is not possible. How am I in the past?
I need time to process.
Aru said, "Are you okay?"
A medic came. "Are you okay?" he asked.
I asked his name.
He said, "I may be dead tomorrow. Names have no weight."
I insisted.
He said, "Go straight. Somebody wants to see you."
I noticed John opening his antenna.
"000 000. I am Crow 0000. Crow... hello... sounds very shaky... hello, Crow. Can we talk to your comrade?"
John ran to me. "I meet you guys. Bye."
He goes in the rain. I feel the small hits from the drops hitting my wound. The first time I feel the pain of rain.
Then, at the moment, I see myself in water. I am standing in it. A different face. I don't know whose. My face covered with dirt, mud, blood. My hand—red with blood.
I want to wash it. I put my hand in the water, rubbing. How hard I rub, but it didn't go.
My eyes full of tears. I hit. A big cold wind.
I heard a siren. Er-oo-er-oo. Er-oo-er-oo. Er-oo-er-oo.
"Everyone be ready! Defend the ground! Maintain your position!"
I run towards the machine gun. Add the magazine. Fix my position.
Everything went silent. We heard huffing and thump-thump. I feel the vibration. The ground is shaking.
We see the bullet sound. Molotov. Grenade. Mortar.
Boom. Dash-dash-khow. Fuf fuf fuf.
Soldiers run towards our post.
I start the machine gun.
Brrrat. Brrrat. Brrrat. Brrrat.