Chase, Chris, and Connor

In the snow

At the army camp, he ate his meal while his mind slowly wandered. It visited his family back at home. It stared lovingly at his wife's face, Evellyn, whom he met at college. It watched his two children, Adam and Olivia, both ten and three respectively, play with their toys. It didn't wander for long.

A figure slammed the table. "Focus, soldier!"

"Chris, will you not play right now? I'm not in the mood."

Chris sat beside him. "You're moodier than usual. Homesickness hitting hard, Chase?"

"I am but you know I can't, Chris. I still have work to do after the replacement comes."

"Then just fake an injury. Take a shot. Slip on the ice and break a leg, maybe."

"I can't just fake an injury. I'm a respectable soldier," Chase exclaimed.

"You don't have to fake it. Just wait for the enemy."

"Chris, I've been here for five days," Chase said while showing off his open hand. "Five days. I'm going back in two," Chase folds three fingers. "There has been no enemy sighting and I'll bet it stays that way til' I go back."

As soon as Chase said that, the alarm sounded. An enemy breach. Light filtered to the tent through a bullet hole.

"Get down! Get down!" someone said.

Chase and Chris scurried under the table.

"Speak of the devil, eh Chase?"

"Not now, Chris," Chase hissed.

"Anyways, Chase?" Chris tapped on Chase's shoulder.

Chase turned to face Chris. He saw that Chris had his other hand over his chest. His shirt was soaked with blood. Chris slowly laid down on his back. There was no time to save him nor was there any chance of. Bullets were flying through the tent, holes everywhere.

"Meet you on the other side," Chris said weakly through a smile as his eyes grew lifeless.

Chase left Chris under the table. He crawled towards his rifle at the edge of the tent.

"Why is it so far away," he thought.

He reached his rifle and backrolled into the adjoining tent to hide.

"Not much of a hiding spot but it'll work."

He swiftly headed towards the telegraph machine and informed of his base situation. After sending the message, a bullet flew over his head.

"A blind shot. They don't know I'm here. Otherwise, they would have got me," Chase thought. Too bad his hands were faster than his head.

He had fired his rifle. At the sound, another bullet came. This time, it punctured his neck. Blood started to flow.

"Tsk."

As Chase got distracted by the pain, the enemy stepped inside the tent.

"Chase?"

"Chris? You're... alive?"

"Oh, Chase. It seems we met on the wrong side."

"Chris, what do you mean? Are you... a traitor?"

"No, no." Chris readies his rifle. "We are." Shoots. No bullet. Shoots. No bullet.

Chase ceased the opportunity to aim his own rifle. He shoots. His rifle clicked. No bullet. It was jammed.

As Chase fiddled with his rifle, Chris attempted to hit his head. Chase shielded the blow with his rifle. Each exchanged hits and the other would deflect it.

Finally, Chase landed a blow on the back of Chris's head. Chris dropped to the ground on his face.

"Even since the academy, you were troublesome to beat," Chase panted.

Chase turned around to walk away. It was unusually quiet now.

"What happened to everybody else?"

Suddenly, a sharp pain registered at the base of his neck. The world turned black.

— — — — —

Chase woke up. His eyes slowly adjusted to the blinding ceiling lights. His nose picked up on the sterile scent of the hospital. He tried to sit up.

"Don't bother. You're paralyzed from the neck down. Doctor said it's permanent."

The person came over to the bed.

"Hello, Sergeant Chase."

It was Chris. Chase tried to attack him, forgetting he was paralyzed.

"Don't worry. I'm not like my twin brother. I just came to say that you are permanently relieved from the army, effective immediately. They will still give you monthly allowances due to your heroic act to support your family. You can stay with your family now, Chase."

The man starts wearing his coat. "Well, best be leaving. Your family should be arriving soon. Don't want to interrupt the reunion. It has been a pleasure working with you."

He tips his fedora on the way out. "Goodbye, Mr.Chase."

-At the hospital parking lot-

"Congratulations, twin brother. You once again failed to brainwash and recruit a traitor."

"Shut up, Conner. It was your fault. If you didn't interfere and made him paralyzed, I would've got him."

"While you were unconscious? Don't lie to yourself."

"What about you?"

"What do you mean?"

"You tell yourself that you're not a traitor. Why are you helping this traitor, then?"

"We are twin brothers. We are bound by blood and fate."

"A poet now, are you? Just drive. You know I hate hospitals."

Conner starts the engine. It sputters to life.

"Just because Father died in the hospital due to betrayal doesn't mean you should be against the world."

"Can you shut up already?! Stop trying to be what you're aren't."

The car slowly exits the parking lot.

"You should listen to your own advice."

"Hmph."

"But you know, one good thing has come out of this."

"I can't imagine."

"You sent your friend home, back to his family."

"...Yeah, I guess you're right. Loser couldn't stand for anything himself. A loyal dog of the army."

Conner smiles at his brother's calm response.

"Just take us home."

"As you wish."

The car enters the traffic and disappears from sight.

-The End-