Soldiers And Beasts

6. John And Ruth's Broken Threnody

John's Pov.

With my chores finally over, I was patiently waiting for Ruth to come back to my room with a plate of the food that they were serving in the mess hall, lying on my bed, and the softness of the pillow was, thankfully, no joke.

I fought the urge to go there and eat within those anthros because anyone with half a mind would know that going there would be a different level of stupid, and I can handle my own against anthros, but a large group of them, especially with guns? No way. It was a better idea to stay here on my bed where I can at least find the last bit of comfort I can find.

"Oh, man..." I mourned solemnly, taking the three dogs but only dropping mine when recognizing the ones that belonged to my mom and dad. I stared at their names in silence, feeling my heart break from the inside when I read their names over and over again. "Mom...Dad...please, come save me." I begged quietly, finally breaking down and saying the words my dad always told me never to say as I felt tears run down my cheeks...

"I'm so scared. I don't want to be alone again."

My head was beginning to spin and hurt as my eyes tried not to break the focus I had on the names on the dog tags that belonged to my parents. Even though my eyes were getting blurry from the tears on my face, I was still keeping my eyes on the tags, not breaking eye contact as a clear memory started to flash in my eyes from when I was little. When my dad was still around...

Third Pov.

Jackson sat in his office, cleaning his gun when he heard the door creak open behind him. He turned around and saw three-year-old John walking into the room. "John, what are you doing here?" Jackson asked him as Jonh didn't say anything and instead stared at the M27 IAR in his father's hands.

"Ah...this." Jackson huffed, showing John his M27 as he lightly patted his hand on the handguard. "One day boy, you're going to be having one of these on your own. Just gotta wait for when that day finally comes John. No father could ever ask for anything better than you." Jackson laughed as he picked up john and hugged him, John slowly resting his head on his father's shoulder as his father began to lightly cry before sobbing. "You're all I have left of your mother John. You're the last family I have left. " He sobbed as he patted John's back.

"I'm afraid I'll lose you someday buddy. That's the worst fear in the world." Jackson said between sobs. John hardly knew what he was saying because him being only three years old but he was glad he understood by the time he became a teenager.

"John, for as long as I live, it'll be a cold day in hell before I let you fall before I do. But you don't gotta worry about that." Jackson stated as he hugged John tightly. "Papa will always be here for you buddy. I'll protect you no matter what happens. No one is going to take you away from me. I promise you." Jackson vowed as tears ran down his face. His sobbing continued before he whispered something that John remembered all this time...

"I'm so scared. I don't want to be alone again."

John's Pov.

"I can't blame you Dad. You did the best you could for me..." I muttered between heavy breathing, immersing my teeth together as I struggled not to cry but the will to not cry was not strong enough as I inevitably collapse back onto my bed and begin to sob rather loudly as I hug the tags to my chest and toss and turn, my face becoming smothered with tears as I tried my best to cover my mouth but that only made the tears more powerful as I eventually surrender into their embrace and cry my heart out.