Everyday War

BLLLLLLLLAAAAA! BLLLLLLAAAAAA!

"Fuck. Fuck I can't keep it -" BLLLLLAAAAAGGGGHHHH!

*Pant* *Pant* *Pant*

"Okay, okay I - th-think that's the last of it."

"Good I didn't get it on his body. That's the least amount of decency I can give him."

Looking at the trail of the green projectile, Leading to a uniformed corpse. Fresh with blood leaking from the skull. This wreching man hunched over, having his hands rest on his knees. Almost as if he's ready to go another round.

"I already m- *Huuuh* too much noise. They can hear me. I know they can."

The green combat uniformed man with vomit stains craning his neck up from the bloody grass to look around into the pitch-black shadows. Seeing yellow dots sprinkled throughout. Blinking, staring, watching, and waiting.

Teeth chattering, body shivering, vision fading.

"I ca-can't stop shaking! How-how am I supposed to pull the trigger?!"

The soldier crouched low to the ground. Crawling over the lifeless body. At first averting his eyes, not wanting to confirm his kill. Though, feeling as if he owed it to him, he looked. Squinting one eye.

Looking to the top of the head. Somehow it was completely missing. Blanketed by shadows.

"Where...where's his face? Where's his face?!"

Frantically feeling over the corpse's body. Looking for a phantom limb. Nothing in between the shoulders of this cold body.

"There's no way! There's no way! I-I closed my eyes when I pulled the trigger. Se-Serg said I'm the worst shot in the whole platoon!"

"So there's no way I made that shot!"

Then a spark of brilliance suddenly hit him.

"The Serg I can wait for him. Wait for backup."

With this second of levity. The very next second it came crashing down. A flashback of them inside a military jeep. Forked into a tree, at the edge of a Sahara dry desert. A lush and thick forest was in front of them.

This soldier trying to pull the Sergent right out of the driver's seat. But his Sergent waved him away.

"Get outta here Rook. I'ma stay back and watch yer six."

"Serg! We're all goin together I'm not-"

"That's an order Rook." Revealing a bleeding bullet wound. Right through the stomach.

The Soldier staring in disbelief.

"I'm an Ace driver Rook, you shoulda known somethin' was off when I started swervin'. But oh well."

The Private was just about to open his mouth to protest when his Sergent put up his finger.

"Remember Rook I gotta..." Both he and the Private spoke at the same time.

"4 outta 5 chances of makin' it." Holding up 5 fingers on his right hand, but his ring finger was missing. Hence the '4 out of 5'

The Serg sounded so confident he was able to persuade the Private. The Private backed out of the jeep to run off into the forest.

The Sergent groans while reaching over his side to grab his pistol. Cocking it while watching his subordinate run into the ocean of trees. Slowly craning his neck to the side to see the oncoming horde.

It was high noon in that Sahara-like desert, and it is midnight dark now in the Forest.

Back to the present, the realization crushed the Private's confidence completely.

"Why?! Why?! Why is this happening?! I shoulda never came! My-my brother was always better at this stuff!" The private then became stunned after his own comment.

"So then why did I stand to take his place when he was drafted?"

Suddenly the Private noticed the complete silence. Not even the creatures of the night stirred. More importantly, his predators didn't make mincemeat out of their prey yet.

Taking a moment to peer over, using the stone body as cover. The yellow eyes were still there. Still unblinking, unmoving, unfeeling, and inhuman.

"Why haven't they shot me yet? That's why I was saying all that stuff to myself. I thought it was the last moments of my life."

"Hahahaha" A weak laugh came from very close, in front of the Private.

The Private knew exactly where it was coming from. Though, believing it was a whole other thing entirely.

The bleeding corpse craned its neck up from the ground. Only having the mouth down remaining of his face. Everything else was missing, chipped away and soaked with blood.

The Private's eyes were so wide they almost rolled out of the sockets. He knew everything felt unreal, but this is beyond what the mind can handle.

"Y-oou ttt-ttthi-ink you're the hero?" The zombie jittered. Speaking like a Halloween decoration coming to life.

Starting to sit up.

"Y-oou ttt-ttthi-ink you're here to save us?" The formerly dead just about to get to his feet when.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

The Private sent him back down to the ground with shots from his pistol.

Screaming all the while. Not even thinking about alerting the rest of the forest.

Putting this zombie back to the ground for good this time. Then looking around cautiously.

He could see it like they were glowing right along with the luminescent eyes. Pearly white, razor-sharp, teeth.

Suddenly another flash runs through the Private's mind. On the jeep ride over here, one of his squad mates saying

"Into hell we go."

Another flash of them being briefed on the mission with their squad leader saying

"We are going straight to hell with this one."

The last flash comes as the most recent. One of his squad mates dying in his arms in the pitch-black forest

"D-do-n't - Don't let this hell beat you." Before going completely limp.

The Private then picked up the dead soldier's pistol. Holding them both up as he aimed them at the forest of eyes.

"If I'm in hell-" The Private spoke with a chest full of determination

Continuing

"Then I'll kill Satan!"

BANG-BANG-BANG-BANG!!!! - Shooting into the crowd.

Not even able to finish shooting his clip. He feels something zip right past his ear. Then feeling the red wetness a second later. His earlobe on the red grass behind him.

ZEET! - Another bullet fired so fast it was almost noise-less. Just grazing his forearm.

ZEET-ZEET-ZEET!!! - The piercing of wind the only sound to go off of.

Now they're starting to pierce him in his bones. Hitting their marks, his leg, arm, and shoulder. If it weren't for the adrenaline in his veins he would be laying right next to that body on the ground.

The Private diving behind a tree.

BR-AAH! BR-AAH! BR-AAH! BR-AAH! Feeling like cardboard about to crumble away. Bullets piercing through it.

"What do I have?! What can I use?!" The Private feeling on his belt. Looking for his hail mary.

Finally finding it in the form of a concussion grenade latched on his belt. The Private not about to peek out with bullets flying overhead.

BR-AAH! BR-AAH! BR-AAH! The strong oak shaking with hot metal landed in the middle of it's body.

The Private licking his lips in anticipation "3..."

BR-AAH! BR-AAH! BR-AAH! BR-AAH! ZEET! ZEET! BR-AAH! "2..."

The mighty oak shaking, leaning back and forth with it's middle being widdled away.

BR-AAH! BR-AAH! BR-AAH! BR-AAH! BR-AAH! CRACK!

The tree falling away. Revealing The Private using it for cover. "1!"

BOOOOOM!!!

The Private tossing the flash grenade. Exploding light flaring up the entire dark forest for a moment.

Using this moment that his smoke screen gave him to run in the opposite direction.

ZEET! ZEET! ZEET!

They're still trying to hit The Private even if they couldn't see him.

Seeing an opening in between the trees. A light shining through. Like a light from the heavens leading the way for The Private to meet St. Peter at the gates.

The Private sprinted towards it.

ZEET! ZEET! ZEET! - The demons trying to drag him back into hell.

BLAM! - One shot finally landing, piercing through his right leg. All the private could do was grit his teeth and forge on.

BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! - His other leg now hit, slowing his sprint to a limp.

Hitting each shoulder along with his legs.

Still. The Private headed to the light. Reaching forward like he held out his hand for a guardian angle to reach back.

ZEET! ZEET! BLAM! ZEET! BLAM! Most missing their marks, but as The Private drug his body along like a zombie he was hit more and more.

Shots landed in his left side and near his neck.

The Private on the verge of tears. Trying to hold back the pain of burning metal singing through his skin.

ZEET! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! ZEET! ZEET! Trying to bring him to his knees, the enemy didn't stop. 3 shots put into his legs.

The Private falling onto his stomach. Even with holes in his body, he pulled himself towards the light.

"Al...most...there."

The Private reaching his hand forward, in a feeble attempt to pull himself to safety.

Before finally fading to black. Everything faded along with him.

"So this is what death feels like...I feel...weightless."

Though even in the darkness he heard whispers. The Private is barely beginning to process acceptance. But they won't let him go.

Now feeling hands touching his body. Slowly creaking his eyes open, all he saw were shadows. In the pitch black darkness.

"GET OFF! GET OFF ME!!"

Though the hands persisted. Holding him down. More and more hands came from the darkness to keep him from flailing around.

"DON'T TOUCH ME! GET OFF ME!!!"

"GET OFF OF ME!!!!"

"Private! Private calm the hell down!"

Wait a minute, the Private knew this voice. The stern and strong tone. He knew that voice anywhere, he just heard it a couple of hours ago.

The Private began blinking his eyes open. The darkness of the shadows faded away. The light of a dimly lit room shone on his eyes. Squinting around to see beds, white beds. All pushed against the walls near windows.

Rapidly blinking the blurriness away. Looking to his left to see a black splotch. With his vision slowly coming back, the blotch became more clarified.

"At ease Private." The legendary four-fingered Sergeant ordered.

Once seeing his face, The Private truly relaxed. Laying his back against the pillow. Seeing that he was surrounded by nurses and doctors.

Once he calmed, they all dispersed.

"I'll leave you two alone." The lead Doctor said. Now that The Private calmed down.

"We did it Serg." The Private looked so exhausted like he was about to slip into hibernation as he spoke.

"Yeah, it looks like we're the only ones too." The Sergeant looked a bit somber as he said this fact.

"Well, if it's any consolation Serg. I went to hell with you and I came back. I'd do it in a heartbeat if you ever needed it." The Private somehow not losing the spark of hope in his eyes.

"10-4 Private. I'll keep you in mind for sure." The Sergeant gave a salute.

The Private smiled and was just about to drift to sleep when he noticed something.

"S-s Serg? W-why do you have 5 fingers?" The Private shook as he asked this question. Almost like he didn't want the answer.

The Sergeant took a look at his hand himself.

"Well, would you look at that. Ya caught me...red handed!Ha...hahahahah...AHAHAHAHAHHAHA!!!!!!"

The more the Sergeant laughed the more he became distorted, morphing and transforming right before The Private's eyes.

His teeth shaping into more jagged pointed weapons. With each "Ha" they became sharper and sharper. As for his face, it started to melt right off his face, revealing the skull underneath.

The light from the windows just behind The Private started to become dimmer and dimmer. Until they were nothing but black shadows.

The nurses and doctors came back at the sound of laughter. The Private turned to them, trying to warn them. Though as soon as he opened his mouth he seen their faces began to melt.

They joined the Seargent in his laughing fit. Going right back to holding The Private down. Placing hands all over him as he struggled to get out and away from all of this.

The room transforming along with the people. The roof caved away, but mysteriously not a single pebble of debris fell onto them. The walls fell flat back, as if they were made of cardboard. The beds and floor flew away like they were in the eye of a hurricane.

The Private squirming under their vice-grip holds. The melted Seargent walked over to him.

By now his face is entirely gone, only leaving the skull. Horns curling up from his forehead.

"Are you ready for another round? We'll give you a headstart." The demonic Seargent said, waving to the others to let him go.

To which they quickly obeyed. Allowing The Private to get to his feet, realizing that he's still in his uniform. Bullet wounds and all, nothing had changed.

They all waited patiently. Like Lions allowing their prey to get a running start to make the hunt a bit more fun.

The Private looked around to see eyes in the shadows, razor-sharp teeth, and claws in the distance. Plus the demons in front of him. His weapons were gone, his brothers were gone, his hope...was gone.

Dropping to his knees, closing his eyes. his shoulders slumped down. "Just finish me." The Private said "That's the least you can do for me."

All the demons laughed amongst each other.

"Okay, we'll do you that little favor. But you'll just be right back here when we're done."

All the demons lunging on him like a pack of starving animals. The Private didn't even have enough will in him to let out a whimper. All of them fading into the darkness.

END

(*Author's note: Hi, so when making this particular story I was in a very very dark place. It is being reflected in my writing. Most of my writing has a very inspiring and determined ending, but I had to reflect the struggle I was currently going through at the moment. I always write from the soul and in this moment my soul was very black. I am going to return to my regular style of optimistic and hopeful stories. I do hope that this minor lapse in style doesn't drive you away. Thank you for the support and time.)