It All Came Falling Down

two

    My back was leaning against the sand-coloured stone wall behind me, and I had my rifle propped up next to me with the butt on the ground and the muzzle balanced on that wall. I had been dozing off, not feeling the need to patrol the town I was in. It was a quiet, peaceful day in Southern Anfaria, and the sun shone brightly and beautifully above the clear, blue sky.
    I was adjusting my helmet, as the front began sliding downwards, when I heard a soft voice speak. A hand grabbed my shoulder and shook it. “Wyllis, get up! Get up! He’s back!”
    “Huh? Who’s back? What the hell is going on?” I sat up and blinked my eyes several times to catch sight of a comrade, Sergeant Jorlan Gabros.
    “Captain Daven!” he exclaimed.
    “That quickly?!” I hopped to my feet, wasting no more time slacking off. 
    “Yeah! He wants us at the forum. General Hanley’s bringing his whole freakin’ brigade over.”
    “When do we go?” I asked.
    Jorlan glanced at his wrist watch. “In five damned minutes.”
    “Well, we better move then!” I picked up my rifle, slinging it around my right shoulder and hurried along.

    “Company, attention!” Captain Rugard Daven’s command voice boomed. “Listen up! General Hanley arrives here in precisely two and a half hours. We’re going to do one last sweep, make sure the town is clear of hostiles. Hail victory, boys! Liberty is our cause! Fall out!” 
    “Hail victory!” cheered every soldier. With that, the formation of troops dispersed, each soldier heading towards their assigned section. I looked at my partner. He just shrugged and led the way. 
    “Hi!” A cute little voice spoke; it was strong, yet soft.
    “Hello there, Lurissa!” I spun around and waved at the familiar girl dressed in a navy blue sweater and tiny green rain boots. She came running up to me, as I stooped down, and into my arms for a hug. The girl was an orphan, at least after the war began. But everyday, she would come greet us and bring us a thing or two. She loved roses, and very often, she’d hand out the beautiful, red flowers to us. Honestly, the girl was the most pleasing sight any man could see amidst conflict, in definitely the greatest part of Anfaria I had witnessed. The soldiers all loved her.
    Lurissa picked a rose from the bouquet she held in a hand, which I was sure she made herself by picking the flowers at the local garden, and gave it to me. She was once the daughter of a flower shop merchant.
    “Aw. Thanks!” I smiled and kissed the little girl on her forehead. 
    Jorlan walked on over and received a rose from her as well. He grinned and gently touched her brunette hair. “Thank you.” Turning to me, he signaled me to move.
    “I gotta go sweetie. I’ll see you later.” I released the girl from my embrace.
    “Come back soon!” She happily skipped away in the opposite direction. 
    As we continued down our part of the town, we caught sight of an older woman hiding behind a narrow ledge, which was created by a sudden indent on the walls of a villa. 
    “Ma’am, can we help you?” I asked loudly, suspicious of her actions. The two of us dropped our roses.
    The woman wrapped a scarf around her head, hiding her face, and walked quickly away.
    “Ma’am!” I shouted. She ignored me and dashed into a small, multi-storey building, four storeys high.
    Jorlan and I ran to follow suit. Reaching the door, my partner twisted the knob to check if it’s unlocked; he shook his head. Raising his rifle up, he moved to the side. I kicked open the door powerfully and ducked aside for him to enter first. I went in close behind, covering his back. 
    We came beside a second door, which led to an apartment. This time, Jorlan swung the door open as his boot came in harsh contact with it. I aimed my rifle appropriately and stormed in. 
    “Get on the ground!” I yelled to a boy inside the living room, in front of a television. He seemed no older than sixteen. The kid was startled and confused. He stared straight at me with his hands half raised, not knowing what to do. “Get on the ground!” I screamed again. “Get—” 
    It was at this moment, I realised my training had interrupted my train of thought. I pulled the trigger without hesitation, sending three bullets to bring the teenager to the floor with holes in his chest. The wounds quickly stained his grey garments crimson red. 
    “Damn it!” I cursed aloud. I couldn’t bear to take another look at the kid’s scared, open eyes as he laid lifelessly on the floor. “What did I do?!” I panicked, wanting to just go lower the boy’s eyelids out of respect, but I simply turned away and held my breath
    “Hey, comrade, calm down. You did nothing wrong,” Jorlan told me. “He wasn’t your first kill.”
    “I’ve killed enemy soldiers; he was just an innocent kid! Of course I’m wrong; I shot him!” I retorted.
    “It’s his fault for disobeying your command. If people don’t listen to you, you shoot them. Welcome to war. Now, come the hell on!”  
    We looked around the apartment without another word, but found nothing of importance. At the entrance, an old man, the boy’s neighbor, stood and stared in horror at the body. He led out a string of words in the local language I could not comprehend.
    “Hey. There’s a woman that came in here,” Jorlan explained, “old, dressed in black with a scarf. Do you know where to find her?”
    By then, the man raised his voice. He was angry, and I knew from reconising a bunch of curse words and his rough tone.
    “Move!” My partner shoved him aside. I followed Jorlan out of the door with a look of guilt on my face. I had no idea what to say. And I could tell that the old man was scared; he seemed speechless as well. “Wyllis, move it upstairs.”
    I snapped back to attention and took a deep breath. “Moving. Cover me.”