Titan Part I: The Fallen Hero

Meeting Gus

I take ASVAB and I pass with flying colors. I head to Boot Camp. I didn't have many friends there. The other cadets thought I was weird. My supervising officer also thought I was weird. 

"You are a freak!" One soldier would say to me.

I never let their words get to me. One day, I am having lunch when suddenly a guy dumps porridge on my head. 

"Hah! Now you look like a freak!" The guy says.

A cadet walks over to me with a washcloth in his hand and helps me get the porridge off of me. 

"T-T-Those guys are jerks! A-A-Are you alright?" The cadet asks after getting most of the porridge off of me. 

"I am fine thank you. What is your name?" I ask, shaking his hand. 

"Mah-Mah-My name is G-G-Gus. I have a stut-stut-stuttering problem."

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Gus." 

I walked away but I felt a tap on my shoulder. Gus was still behind me.

"Yes, Gus?"

"Wi-Wi-Will you b-b-be ma-ma-my f-friend?" Gus asks.

I smile.

"Of course."

Gus is an interesting fellow. He had a distinctive-looking face. He stuttered a lot, his grammar was weird, and he had a twisted wrist. However, he seemed like a nice guy who just wanted someone to talk to. We always have lunch and dinner together. I looked after him and he looked after me. 

"I-II-I knows people think that I'm w-w-weird but I don't really cc-cares," he would say. 

One day, we are running and Gus trips and falls to the ground. I run back and help him up.

"Private! Fall back in and leave that filth behind!"

I ignore my officer and pick him up.

"Why's you help me?" He asks confused.

"No man gets left behind," I say.

When we get back into formation the officer looks at me with an enraged look. However, he calms down and finally speaks to me.

"Private! In a war, you won't always be able to save others! Sometimes it's every man for himself. Do you understand private?"

"Yes, sir!" I yell. 

That night at the camp, Gus and I preparing to go to sleep.

"Do you have any friends or family?" I ask.

Gus looks down in sadness.

"I-I-I have a son and daughter."

"How old are they?"

"I-I-I don't know. I-I-I hope I can s-s-see them again one day." he says, trying not to cry.

"What about a mother, father, brothers, or sisters?"

Tears start falling out of Gus' eyes.

"I-I-I use to b-b-but t-t-they are g-g-gone."

I try to figure out what to say. 

"I am so sorry Gus. I wish I could take away your pain."

Gus wipes the tears from his face.

"Whu-Whuh-What gives me hope is that th-th-they are in hea-hea-heaven now."

"Yeah, I hope so," I think to myself.

"Wh-Wh-What about yuh-yuh-you?"

"I have lost my fair share of people," I said. 

"Lights out!" The commander yells. 

"We should get some sleep," I say.

That night, I am awakened by footsteps and voices. I look up and see 3 guys walking toward Gus' bunk. I quietly get out of my bed and follow them. One of them is holding a whip, another one is holding a muzzle and two strings of rope, and the third is carrying a pillow with bricks. I watch from a corner as they approach Gus' bunk. 

"Y-Y-Your commander isn't here to protect you now, isn't he Gibberish Gus?" One of the guys says, putting the muzzle around Gus' mouth. 

He ties the ropes around Gus' wrists and attaches them to each end of the bunk handle. He nods to the other guys who quietly laugh. The guy carrying the whip starts hitting Gus in the chest with it. Gus bolts up and tries to scream but he can't. He tries to escape but he is stuck. The guy stops whipping him and nods to the guy carrying the pillow with bricks. He starts whacking Gus in the stomach. I could barely watch anymore. Rage fills my body. I run over to them and grab one of the bullies. I put him in a sleeper hold. The other guys spot me.

"What the hell do you think you are doing?" One of the guys says.

"Teaching you guys a lesson!"

The guy holding the brick-encased pillow walks up to me and tries to hit me with the pillow. However, I feel nothing.

"What the hell?"

I snatch the pillow from his hands and whack him in the face with the pillow. He falls to the ground unconscious. I look the final bully holding the whip.

"What about you?"

The guy is actually smart and hands me the whip.

"I never wanted to do this. They forced me."

"Go back to bed."

The guy heads back to bed. I tend to Gus. I remove the muzzle from his mouth and the ropes from his wrists. He starts squirming and freaking out.

"Hey hey hey! It's alright! They're gone!" I say, holding him down trying to calm him.

"Wh-Wh-What happened?" Gus asks.

I show Gus the unconscious bullies on the floor. I head to the kitchen and grab some ice packs to tend to his injuries.

"Go back to sleep. We will report to the commander about the 

Gus goes back to sleep. I carry the bullies back to their bunks and then I head back to my bunk.