Soldier

Chapter 2: Alex

I opened my eyes. All I can see are flashing lights, rushing past my field of view. I'm.... I'm moving, most likely on a gurney. That's better than being dead, I guess. The lights on the roof flashed past me. I tried to move my arms. They are restrained with straps....

I'm breathing through an oxygen mask. I can hardly keep myself awake, my breathing compressed by the machine. I looked to my side. There are two figures running besides me... wait...

Jace and Evan ran at my side, along the gurney. Jace has tears building in his bright blue eyes, his blond hair covered by his cap, barely showing out the sides to reveal his yellow hair. He smiled silently at me.

"Don't die on us, please don't die. You're our best friend. Alex, please don't die!" He wiped the tears away with a swipe from his hand. Evan tried his best not to cry. He looked away and didn't say a single word. He only looked aside and pulled down his grey cap to cover his eyes as a few tears trickled down his cheek. A girl ran up beside Jace and held onto the gurney as she smiled, relieved. She's... the same girl from before, her cloths still stained crimson. She was the one that tried to help me. I can see tears... nearly falling from her eyes.

"Don't be scared, I'm here, you're friends are here. You're going to be... just fine."

She said with a hint of uncertainty in her voice. So why am I the one to feel sympathetic? I caused everyone so much trouble yet I... I-I ain't going to die, I can't! I have so much to live for. I'll be... damned if ...I die now. I slowly started to shut my eyes again. I heard the small heart beat sensor next to me start to beep slower and slower. Jace said...something! I can't hear him... I slowly began to close my eyes. I have to try to keep awake!

I heard the heartbeat sensor go into one steady high pitched sound. I slowly drifted away from reality into a dark black abyssal world, into an empty space, with nothing for an eternity of walking. I looked around blindly. Nothing's there.... Nothing...

A faint light shone from somewhere. I turned around. I can faintly see in the distance a cloaked figure. Candles flickered on from where I was toward the deathly creature. One by one the candles flared on closer and closer. The figure illuminated as the last candle flickered on. The light revealed a skeleton underneath the cloth of the cloaked figure. It raised its bony hand to its mouth and hushed. I looked inside its hollowed skull to see nothing at all but pure darkness. Even if it doesn't have flesh, I can tell it is smiling.

The skeletal creature shook its head while a gondola appeared behind it... Something wet touched my skin. I looked down to see a dark inky substance start to cover my arm. What is this...?! The ink continued to spread and as I looked around, the skeleton seemed to get closer. For a moment, I tried to scream, but my voice was drowned by the empty world. My life flashed before my eyes, all in a moment. My eyes started to tear up. I remember my friend from the orphanage. I cannot break that promise!!! Suddenly a light burst around me...

I forced myself to wake up from this horrible nightmare of the dead, pitch black, abyssal silence I saw before my eyes. It was only my conscious, that's all it was, all it was...! It was just a phantom that doesn't exist. I don't want to see it anymore! The sensor started to beat again as I gasped a deep breath and opened my eyes. A doctor yelled at the others to be quiet. He told the ones pushing the gurney to hurry, while he flashed a small flashlight into my eyes

"He's okay for now. That was quite the scare though..." he looked agitated. He yelled out of nowhere "Were going to lose him at this rate! The only thing keeping him alive right now is his own will. We have to get him to the hospital wing, now! Why did we have to be so unprepared?!"

I felt the gurney speed up. I stared back up at the lights. They seem to flash by faster and faster on the ceiling. My friends were forced to stay behind as someone held them back. Only the girl was left at my side. She held onto the metal bar on the side of the gurney. She kept on a smile at me that assured me I will be fine. Yet her sad eyes tell a different story. She's someone who cares about me, and I don't even know her. Why is she being so nice to me, no one's ever been this nice to me other than my friends. And now I'm going to... No! I will not die. I still haven't found that special someone, I haven't done anything! All I wanted was to have a family, and her, she might just be it. And now I'm... I'm going to...

I stopped my thoughts instantly as the girl held onto my hand. It feels so soft, so comforting, it feels... nice... My heart began to beat and flutter inside my chest. I calmed down...

"It's ok, I'm right here, and I always will be. You aren't going to die on me yet!" She nodded cheerfully. That filled me with hope. Thank you, your just like an angel, only your here. Thank you... I started to close my eyes again. This time though, I'm going to make sure I wake up again... I have too...