War Never Changes

Chapter 1

"SIR YES SIR!" shouted the several military personal at the command of their officer.
"AND DO YOU SWEAR, TO HONOUR YOUR COUNTRY IN ALL OF YOUR DUTYS?" the tall, bald officer boomed at his soldiers.
"SIR, YES SIR!" replied the petrified soldiers. The helicopter began to jerk as it moved in for landing. The piercing sound of gun shots and spinning rotors flooded in from outside the small windows. A small bump signalled that they had landed. Screams echoed from around them as the helicopter doors began to slide open. Victor took a deep breath as light covered his painted face. His heart beating violently, he charged forward bravely, rifle primed.

3 years earlier
Victor Jones lay on his small bed, alone, gazing puppet-like at the low ceiling of his hotel room. His bright blue eyes wondered as dancing shadows were cast above him from the small open window. Sighing deeply he tilted his head towards his small digital clock and examined the red numbers.

00:36

He rubbed his tired eyes as he dragged his naked body from his bed. His legs felt numb as he stood on them and he wobbled slightly, causing him to clutch his bed for support. Upon regaining his balance he took large strides towards his small kitchen. He pushed open the door and felt for light switch. He flicked it and felt his eyes sting as they adjusted to the new light level. Flickering his eyes, he made his way to the small refrigerator. He crouched next to it and pulled open the door. He briefly reached inside before pulling out a tall, thin can of beer. He cracked open the can and listened to the light fizzing noice it made as he leaned against the counter top. The granite was cold on his bare back but his drowsiness numbed the chill. He remained there taking small sips from his chilled can and smiled lightly.
"Happy birthday me" he whispered to himself as he drained the rest of the can.

Upon returning to his bed room he switched on the light and walked over to his chest of drawers. He pulled the top drawer open and pulled out a pair of white boxer briefs and proceeded to put them on. Rubbing his eyes again, he plucked a red T-Shirt and jeans from other drawers and slid them shut. As he placed on his cloths and socks he thought of what to do to celebrate his nineteenth birthday alone. He quickly erased these thoughts from his head as he slid on a pair of sleek trainers ans exited his room.

He exited the front door and felt the cold air of Canada's Winter blow onto his exposed arms. Shaking slightly, he set off down the illuminated street that lead to the town center. As he walked he remembered why he enjoyed being in Ottawa when night falls. Being the capitol it is inhabited by frequent partygoers and gamblers alike. As Victor walked past a small bar he peeked through the door and saw two drunken men dancing to a classic pub song as they clutched each other's shirts for support. He continued walking and eventually came to a small nightclub that he frequented. He glared up at the glowing neon sign above the door.

The Ottawan Angel

He swung open the small door and stepped inside. The bass of a violent dubbstep track vibrated through the floor beneath his feet and he saw many people wildly dancing and screaming joyfully. He stood there and watched the various men and women laughing uncontrollably. Victor slowly paced towards the bar and took a seat on a stool.
"What can I do you for?" the young looking barman asked him as he brushed his mid-length brown hair away from his eyes. Victor ordered for a drink and the barman began pouring it. As he yawned violently he rubbed his hand against his head and felt the bristle of his freshly cut,black hair. The barman returned to Victor and placed a drink in front of him. A cheer sounded behind Victor. He twisted his head and saw a man and a women passionately kissing each other while the remainder of the crowd clapped for them. Victor returned his attention to his drink as the barman went to serve a young girl who sat close to Victor.

Victor sat for several minutes, blankly watching his bronze drink bounce inside the glass as a beat struck through the floor. He still felt extremely tired as he took his first sip. Buried beneath the noice of the music he heared a shuffling noice next to him.
"Hey", began a female voice from his right, "pretty wild in here, huh?". Victor looked towards the voice to see a young woman glaring at him affectionately. Her long blond hair curled around her elegant face as she smiled at him.
"Yea, I guess it is", replied Victor, smiling awkwardly. The girl nodded briefly and the two looked back to the bar.
"I'm Crista, by the way", she began as she took a small sip from her wine glass. Victor looked blankly into his drink as he took a large chug from it.
"I'm Victor" he told her bluntly. Crista seemed to occasionally flicker her eyes towards Victor and release an uncontrollable giggle as she did so. Victor ignored it and continued drinking slowly.

"So, how old are you?" Crista asked in an attempt to break the silence between them.
"Nineteen today", he replied reluctantly as he returned his gaze to her ,"You?". Her face seemed to light up as he mentioned his birthday.
"Well happy birthday!", she yelled cheerfully as she stood up from her stool ,"come on let's go have some fun!". She gripped Victor's hand and pulled him to his feet. He sighed as he followed her to the large area, filled with people. As they got there she turned to him and patted him casually on the arm. She placed her hand on his shoulder affectionately and leaned close to him."And to answer your question", she began, "I'm eighteen". She giggled as she threw herself backwards, clutching Victor's hands as she did so. Victor couldn't help but smile as she began jumping up and down to the beat of the currant track. She smiled joyfully to tell Victor to join in. He smiled as he started to dance with her. Their laughs echoed loud above the music. He looked into her wide, green eyes and she stared back. Victor felt a serious friendship between them as they continued to dance throughout the night.