𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐀𝐓𝐎𝐏𝐇𝐎𝐁𝐈𝐀 ━ jason x reader.

Seventeen

[Temple, Iraq. Friday,
May 31, 2003.]

𝙲𝙰𝚃𝙰𝙲𝙾𝙼𝙱𝚂
𝟶𝟷:𝟸𝟶 𝙷𝚁𝚂
𝙳𝙴𝙿𝚃𝙷: 𝟹𝟽𝟶 𝙵𝚃.

Deep within the stillness of the catacombs, a voice heaves as the person it belonged to pushes a seemingly dead vampire off them. It was none other than Jason Kolchek, alive and — more or less — unscathed. After a moment, he stands up to his feet and tries to catch his breath. "Teach you to mess with a marine." He glared at the corpse, scowling.

Salim Othman, on the other hand, explores a hallway in the catacombs before seeing a light in the distance. Was it a flashlight? Not wanting to hide only to be found again, Salim swallowed his anxieties and raised his hands in surrender, "I come in peace." He says out loud.

Jason, who was responsible for the light, advances and raised his rifle at the Iraqi. "Don't you fucking move," he lowly whispered. "All this shit... it's on you. If you people hadn't ambushed us, none of this would've happened." He blamed Salim.

"I don't mean you any harm. I swear." Salim tried to reassure the American.

"No shit. I'm the one holding the gun," Jason cocked his head to the side. "Honestly..." he trailed off. "I'm just glad to see a human face."

"Me too," Salim nodded his head, agreeing. "Your friend said — the 'enemy of my enemy is my friend'. That's not always true, but if we both want to live, we must fight as one. The sword and the shield." He tried to negotiate into allying with one another.

"Bit too wordy for my liking..." Jason started as raised a brow at the notion, thinking about it. "But I'm in." He agreed and, hesitantly, the pair lower their weapons.

As their conversation came to an end, both soldiers descend some stairs and continue to explore the catacombs. "If I think for one second you're trying to cross me, best, believe me, the following second you're dead." Jason threatened his newfound comrade.

"I kill vampires, you think I'm afraid of a jarhead?" Salim retorted as soon as they came across a pile of skulls on an altar. "Many people died here..." he noted.

"Have your people always been like this?" Jason asked, looking at Salim accusatorially.

"It doesn't matter what our ancestors did," Salim reflected. "It was a different time. The only thing that matters is our actions today."

"So you think the U.S. is the big invader." Jason assumed the worst, raising his voice. "That we're the barbarians?! Why do your people hate us so much?"

"I don't hate anybody. Is that okay with you?"

"I'll get back to you," Jason replied, tilting his head slightly as they continued their search.

Returning to the main area, the two soldiers stopped when seeing an old door. "That looks like our best way through." Jason speculated. "One of us holds up the gate, the other can slip through." As Salim said this, the pair relinquish their weapons and set them along their backs and walk up to the door where they use all their might in an attempt to pry it open.

"Go!" Jason groaned after they made a decently sized opening. Salim, without a second to waste, crawls through and — when finished — Lieutenant Kolchek lets go and allows the door to slam shit. At the sudden impact, bits of the door along with the structure around it to crumble. Successfully breaking and dividing the two further. 

"Are you okay?" Salim yells.

"What do you think?" Jason spat with disdain. "It's blocked. I got to find another way around." As he said this, Salim walks to the other side — which Jason does too — where he finds a tower of boulders blocking the only other entrance.