Heart of a Warrior

The Heat of Battle

Bullets fly, bombs are dropped, grenades are thrown and the pungent smell of war fills my nose. I hear a thunk resonate a few inches away from my left ear and I feel a stinging sensation in my right shoulder.

I look down at my feet and I see a polished hand grenade. Before my conscious gains control of my actions, I swiftly pick it up and run a few meters with it clutched to my chest. I plant my feet and throw it as far as I could. Thank the Lord I'm ambidextrous.

I try to race back to my platoon's base, which now lays in ruins due to the enemy's hostility, but I somehow manage to twist my ankle in an abandoned fox hole. Mikey, Carl, Jacob, and Steph ,my best friends since preschool, saw that I was crawling on my stomach towards them. They are fighting for their lives at this point. The enemy outnumbers us three to one.

Dirt, broken glass, and sharp rocks are embedded into my palms as I try to drag myself across the battlefield out of the crossfire.

I feel a bullet graze across my temple and as soon as I know it I'm welcoming the darkness that will blanket my eyes from the horror that is my reality.