Start by pulling him out of the fire and
hoping that he will forget the smell.
He was supposed to be an angel but they took him
from that light and turned him into something hungry,
something that forgets what his hands are for when they
aren't shak...
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Warnings: Graphic depictions of violence, wounds/injury, death, adult language, adult content, mentions of past sexual abuse
(Disclaimer: No part of this story was created using generative AI. I do not authorize any part of this story to be scraped and/or used to train AI. My stories will be removed PERMANENTLY if I find out they have been used to train AI. I do not condone the use of AI for fanart/banners/covers, etc.).
Cover/Banner art is by me. You can find me under Nine.Lives.Art on Instagram and TikTok
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I couldn't breathe through the pounding of my heart. I tried to steady it by doing what I'd been taught. "Count your heartbeats, Hayes," my Commanding Officer would tell me, gently guiding my hand to my chest. "Even if you can't feel them. Put your hand over your heart and count to four. Over and over until it's steady again."
My hands couldn't move now. They were preoccupied with clutching the rifle I had across my chest. My sweating finger slipped over the heavy, deadly machine. I knew that gun better than anyone. I'd spent countless hours pulling it apart and putting it back together again. Just to learn how it worked and keep it maintained. So I could never be caught off guard. But at that moment, I couldn't bear the weight of it in my hands. I wanted to throw it aside, afraid of what it could do. Of what it could make me do.
"Something's wrong," I said as I followed my CO toward the sound of gunfire. Captain Russell was a broad man with ebony hair and equally dark eyes. I trusted him with my life. He was the one person who believed in me when no one else did. Ohio-born, just like I was. Rough around the edges, but warm and compassionate in other ways. This team was everything to him. And he loved each and every one of us. Even if he was a little softer with me than the others.
"Just follow my orders, Hayes," he responded.
His tone said he wasn't as terrified as I was. When I spoke, the words tumbled out of my mouth, shaky and terrified. He was as steady and calm as a mountain. This was just a usual mission for him. He didn't feel like this would be his last. Not like I did. Something was off.
