The fire and flame of war

No way out

(China)

Daniel landed on a landing strip in the middle of nowhere. Around the airstrip was a makeshift base, with all sorts of equipment set up, telecommunications, anti aircraft guns first aid bays and more. Once everything was unloaded from the plane, it took off again, circling around and heading back towards Australia. Daniel was assigned into a combat section and given 12 hours to rest and recover before he was sent forward, into the chaos, blood and sweat of war.

Twelve hours later...

Daniel and his section advance forwards, at night, through the Chinese scrub towards the invading North Koreans. Daniels rifle sat across his chest. His face painted in a camouflage pattern to help him blend in. Nobody spoke as they moved silently forwards, like a black snake across the ground. A soft whistling sound can be heard in front of them. It lasts maybe twenty seconds before it finishes. The ground in front of them begins to grow light.
"Flares sighted. Halting advance." Daniel whispers into his microphone. All the Australian soldiers crouch or lay down in concealed positions, aiming their weapons towards the flares. Through the light, a North Korean patrol appears. 'The idiots gave themselves away. And lost their night sight.' Daniel thinks. The Koreans advance to the edge of the light.
"Open fire!" Daniel yells, letting off a few rounds, dropping three enemy soldiers. In the short space of five minutes, the whole patrol is wiped out. Soldiers advance past them to take sentry positions whilst others go through their items, disabling their weapons and taking their ammunition, taking identification tags and other items of value. Daniel just walks past, continuing his advance forward.
'The sooner we push them back, the sooner I get home to my family.'

(Australia)

After daniel had flown out, jade decided to give Amelia a week away from school. Once her father had walked away and boarded the plane, she hugged her mother and cried until he took off. On the way home in the car, she sat and looked out the window forlornly.
"Might be worth visiting the counsellor soon hey?" Jade says as they pull up in the driveway.
"Mmmmm" Amelia replies as she gets out of the car. The girls head inside and jade makes herself a cup of tea before sitting on the couch with Amelia. Amelia curls into a ball and rests her head on her mothers lap. They both silently watch TV until they fall asleep, right there on the couch.

The phone rings at 9:30 the next morning. Jade wakes with a start, and slips out from under Amelia, who sleeps peacefully. Jade looks at her reflection in the fridge and notices how tired she looks.
"Hello? Pilot Officer Kelly."
"Hi jade, its Emily from the school. I was just ringing to enquire about Amelia's whereabouts? She doesn't normally miss school."
'Of course' jade thinks, 'its Tuesday.'
"I meant to ring you this morning but I slept in, Amelia won't be coming to school for the rest of the week." Jade says, holding back her emotions as she remembers where her husband is.
"May I ask why?" Emily says.
"Her dad was sent to Korea last night and I don't think she's coping to well at the moment." Jade says, a tear escaping from her eye.
"Oh my, I'm sorry. Well, thank you for clearing that up and I hope all goes well." Emily says.
"Thanks. Bye." Jade says and hangs up, not waiting for Emily to reply. Jade goes back to the couch, where Amelia is still lying down. Jade sits beside her, and notices that she's actually awake, and crying. She wraps her arms around jade.
"I don't want to lose him mum" she sobs.
"I know, I don't either. But he will come back. He did it to me all the time in the Russian war."
Amelia sits up, sniffing and wiping her eyes.
"What do you mean?" She says.
"Wait here." Jade goes into her room, and reaches into the lowest drawer of her bedside table. Out of it she pulls a folder, which contains many pages of typed text. The front cover reads,
'In the heat of the moment'
Jade returns and passes it to Amelia.
"Your father and I wrote this together whilst he was recovering in hospital. We wrote it so we would never forget what happened, and so that we could show you one day. That day has come. I want you to read it, and hopefully it will explain a few things about what it's like. To be in war, I mean." Jade watches Amelia flick across the first few pages.
"Please, read it sweetheart. I'm going to have a shower, ok?"
"Ok mum." Amelia replies, settling in to read the book.

Jade returns from her long, hot, lonely shower. She finds Amelia exactly as she left her forty minutes ago, curled up on the couch, engrossed in the book.
"What are you up to?" Jade asks as she sits beside her. Amelia begins to read aloud,
"Your family didn't survive the invasion. They were caught in a bombing. I'm sorry."
Amelia turns to her mother.
"That's why I don't have any grandparents. They died in the war." Amelia says.
"Yes." Jade responds. Amelia turns back to the book, and jade goes and starts making breakfast, anything to distract her from the memory of that horrible time.

(China)

The Aussies are loosing. North Korean soldiers appeared over a ridge, taking them by surprise. In all the chaos and confusion of the battle, Daniel was shot through the leg. He managed to escape the battlefield and hide, avoiding capture whilst many others were either killed or taken prisoner.
'Fuck fuck fuck' daniel thinks as he sits there wrapping his wound with a pressure bandage.
'I'm gonna have to pull a rabbit out of my arse to escape this alive.' He thinks. Just as he's ready to move again, a group of North Korean soldiers walk past his hiding spot in the shrubs. They don't notice him.

Once the Koreans have disappeared, Daniel stands and tests his leg. He can put a little weight on it. 'Great. Now I have to limp back.'
He begins the long trip back towards friendly lines. Step, limp, step, limp. One foot in front of the other. Blood is soaking the bandage.