"What?" Tommy whirls around to follow the direction of the soldier's finger "No!" Tommy growls. The water continues to flow in, reluctantly forcing me to steady myself onto rickety storage box where the water barely laps against my thighs
"She's injured, she's dead weight"
"So is your lad over there"
"We're regimental brothers, mate. It's just the way it is"
"I helped you. I tended to your wounds, you knobhead!"
"But you're dead weight, love" A Scottish soldier butts in
"You won't make it out alive with that wound" Another one shouts. My consciousness feeds lies into my feeble mind, saving me from insanity. I'll make it.
"She will." Tommy snarls, glazing the soldiers with a piercing gaze. However, Alex does not falter. His gaze travels to Gibson, launching himself onto the boy before his regiment joins in to attempt and shove him up the steel ladder. Tommy is quick to react, barely keeping Gibson below deck.
The water has reached the chests of all the men, restricting their strength. The vessel dips forward, sending the men tipping accordingly
"We float!" The long-nosed soldier exclaims once the soldiers have steadied themselves
"Start the bloody engine!" Alex shouts as the water forces my body to join the swimming men. The salt strikes at my wound, gnawing away the flesh. Alex's orders send the Dutchman hurrying towards the ladder and disappearing above us
"Plug the holes!" The men rush towards one side of the ship, attempting to prevent any more water to enter the ship but failing miserably. The water continues to seep in through their fingers and jackets
"With what?" A frustrated, frightened soldier cries
"Other side!" Alex commands, sending the men to traverse to the other end of the boat and attempt to do what they have previously done before. The water continues to rush in, pushing my head close to the steel ceiling
"Tommy! We got to go!" Tommy whips around with his fingers pressed against the holes "Tommy!" He nods after I call out his name once again, my legs kick against the rising water bringing me closer to the ladder until I make contact. Slightly wincing at the dull pain, I scale the ladder with all the strength I could muster.
A sinking destroyer with countless men sprawling away from it fills my vision. Thick black liquid escape the destroyer, tainting anyone beneath it. The liquid begins to diffuse near our boat
"We have to" Tommy says, urging me to jump. I send him another look before plunging into the polluted water
"It hurts" I wince at Tommy after he joins me in the water. The rest of the men come spilling out of the sinking boat just before it disappears under the dark waters. Tommy swims closer to my body, taking my arms around his neck allowing my aching body to rest on his back.
In the far distance, men shout and scream in terror as the smoking destroyer threatens to take them into the depths of the channel. My eyes catch a Luftwaffe and a spitfire in close pursuit, far into the distance. However, they inch closer with every passing second
"Tommy, gunner" I tighten my grip around his body
"It'll aim for the destroyer not us"
"The destroyer's already sinking. It's going to aim for us," I say shaking my head frantically "why can't they just leave us alone?" I exclaim, frustration clinging onto my words. Tommy scans the frantic waters, searching for a route of the escape
"A small boat, it's heading our way. We have to hurry." Tommy kicks his legs furiously against the waters. However, his efforts are broken by the heavy wool
"Tommy," I release my grasp around his neck leaving my body floating on its own "I can swim" Tommy nods, swimming ahead of me. With every kick, a dull kick strikes my wound. My arms flail against the waters.
The black water sprays into the air as the endless kicking from Tommy and I breaks trough the surface of the water. The wool begins to gain weight, working against my aching body. My kicks begin to slow down, my hamstring aches at the weight. I have to push through
"Down!" Tommy shouts, ducking into the oil-polluted water. Reluctantly I bury my head beneath the oil as a spray of bullets break through the water, quickly losing its speed and power. Instinctively, my hands reach up and clamp my ears while the bullet continue to penetrate the waters.
The waters turn silent, they must've flown by. I push my body upwards, breaking through the water to come in contact with air once again. I allow oxygen to travel through my lungs, slowly paddling towards Tommy who has already taken off in full speed. I attempt to accelerate myself to keep up with the soldier but the pain in my abdomen prevents me to do so.
With my sluggish advances, the oil-covered boy races ahead with his eye keen on the oncoming boat. I can't die here. Using all the willpower left in my drained body, I push forward. I ignore the growing pain and kick my legs with such force sending the water spraying even higher than before.
Tommy's oil slick hair grows closer, the boat has come close enough that I could make out two young men leaning over the edge, readying themselves. A young blonde civilian along with a young blonde RAF pilot. A small crowd forms near the boat, awaiting their rescue.
The first men has begun being rescued, sloppily pulled up and slapping against the boat's side. I kick my legs to stay afloat behind the men
"Oil. Oil! You're getting into oil!" The RAF pilot shouts
"We've got to go before that plane crashes into the oil!" The civilian adds, frantically pulling soldiers up onto the boat. The crowd begins to diminish, I shoot a quick glance behind me to see countless oil covered men speeding through the water to reach the boat. Only a few men remain directly in front of the boat, the men stand directly above me with furrowed eyebrows and heavy breaths
"Take her first!" Tommy bellows as the pilot grabs onto my wrists with Tommy pushing against my body to lift me onto the boat. I let out a pained cry as my stomach smashes onto the boat with immense force.The pilot eyes my wound, placing his hands under my arms to further assist me onto the crowded deck. Once leaning against the boat and out of the oil, the pilot frantically looks at the sky
"GO! GO! GO!" He waves his arm to the way they came with force, a roaring hum breaks through out the boat
"NO!" I cry, a surge of energy propels me to the edge of the boat where Tommy was last seen. His hands are perched against the boat with frightened eyes, I reach out for his hand just as the boat begins to steer away from the oil.
•
Woah this book has been a ride, I'm sad that it's ending soon. Thank you for reading <3
See you next chapter
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Bury
Fanfiction| Operation Dynamo is in effect, 1,300 nurses are appointed to aid the soldiers in Dunkirk. | Katherine Bennet, a young nurse appointed to stay at Dunkirk and offer help in the heart of terror.
