"I will see you on the other side." Freya smiled.
"I'll wait," he smiled back.
And with that she left his sight, leading her squad to charge at the enemy from east.
This would be the closing battle to seal off this war. The odds weren't in their favor but Diego would make sure to win. By one way or another.
"All clear, Major." His second in command reported. And with that he charged in, too.
Diego felt homesick. He shouldn't be thinking of his family in the middle of war. For even a tiny distraction could cause them defeat. He wondered if the person he had just shot dead had a family he was missing too? Of course, he did. But Diego never was a man with much empathy. He didn't feel even an ounce of guilt as he killed his enemy.
He knew in this world it was either kill or get killed. There was no middle ground.
At least, that's what he told himself to keep the guilt at bay.
One.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Diego kept count as his comrades fell.
Among them was a kid who was barely twenty. Even younger than his brother Kai back home.
Five.
Six.
It was his fault. This reckless strategy was proposed by him. But they had no other way. It was a gamble he had to take. He wondered if Freya was doing alright on the other side.
Maybe he would get down on one knee and ask her to marry him. Properly, this time. Nothing like the rushed one they had in June. Something better than that, way better. He owed it to her.
The battle was over marking their victory. The dead bodies of their enemy soldiers littered around them.
He caught sight of Freya who was still clutching her rifle tightly, ready to shoot if any of the fallen were to move.
"We won," he smiled, reaching her.
"We did." The first signs of relief appeared in her face.
Before he could comprehend what was happening, a shot sounded.
Freya fell.
Before her body could hit the ground, he caught her.
There was a big gaping hole in her heart and blood gushed out. Placing his hand against the hole he tried to stop the bleeding. He needed to stop it.
"You stay awake do you hear me?! Don't you dare close your eyes! Please! Come on!" he begged as she struggled to keep her eyes open.
"Please, baby. Please. You promised me forever." Diego reminded her their wedding vows. "Forever can't be this short. Please."
She tried to speak but instead coughed out a mouthful of blood.
"Don't speak. We are survivors. We will get through this." He wasn't sure whether he was telling this to Freya or himself.
But the weakening of her heartbeat told him they wouldn't.
"I am sorry, baby. Let me go." She tried to raise her limp hand to touch his face one last time.
"Take me with you." He demanded, refusing to let go. He brought her warm hands to his cheek and held it against it.
"I can't." It was getting harder to speak by each passing moment.
YOU ARE READING
Rheostat
Teen Fiction"It's not what we are but what we do that defines us." Aylin Black has come to believe that she deserves all the misfortunes life throws at her. Yet she refuses to back down. At least not without a fight. But as her past comes knocking at her door s...
