D007

Prologue

Jordan
-
It happened so quickly. The night shielded them from anything, the moonlight was the only light. Jordan remembed leaning over to grab a bottle from the side of his pack when they heard a siren go off. Robin froze and scanned the area, he was just as unsure as Jordan was. They couldn't find where the sound came from, it felt like we were surrounded.

He quickly turned over to Jordan. "Did you step in one of the traps?" He shook his head vigorously. It was Jordan's job to find all the traps and deactivate them if possible. The sirens ceased until they were left in deafening silence again. Until he heard a single sound that filled his entire system with dread.

The sound of someone cocking their gun.

The boy's eyes widen with terror and his mouth went dry. "We need to go" He breathed through his teeth but Robin had already gotten the message. He held the straps of his pack and started to sprint ahead of him. Bullets started to rain down from above. Jordan tried to use his pack as a shield as he ducked and dive between the trees. He could feel the ground vibrating underneath him, like a hungry beast. Hungry for destruction.

A stray bullet almost hit him, it dug into a decaying tree besides him. Jordan gasped, clenching his teeth. That was close. He looked out for the familiar red haired boy just ahead of him. A distance, inaudible sound of muttering could be heard. Whoever was there was creeping closer and closer.

"RUN!" My voice cracked in fear.

Then Robin went down. He hit the ground with a heavy thud, barely avoiding our fire. Jordan quickly dropped his bag and booked it down to his friend. A dark stain began to grow on his shirt, a flowering patch of blood. Robin let out a quivering moan of pain. Tears threatened to fall. Robin couldn't leave him now, out of all times?

"Robin, get up... We need to go" he kneeled besides the man, his face was dirty with mud. Jordan knew it was pointless but he tried to pull his friend to his feet, only to fail. "G-get up..." He whined desperately. Robin just stared up into the forest ceiling. He inhaled deeply.

"I'm gone, Jordan. Stop" His tone was serious and cold, unusual for Robin. There wasn't a day when he wasn't friendly and laughing. A tight feeling grew in his throat.

"No! Just get up, you'll be fine!" Jordan stammered, a feeling of anger growing inside of his chest. He pulled off his dirty black shirt and tried to mop up the blood that dribbled from the wound. Robin groaned in response. "I can't Jordan, I'm losing so much blood" He closed his eyes and rolled his head back.

His body hung limp in Jordan's arms, the last of his life escaped quickly.

"Jordan?"

The young boy jerked back into reality, staring wide eyed in shock at the man in my arms. He smiled up at him weakly, his eyes crinkled warmly. His best friend rubbed his bloodied fingers on his arm.

"Yeah..?" Jordan choked out.

"What do you think will happen to me?" Robin's eyes darted around the trees. He inhaled loudly.

"What? Don't think like that. You'll survive for sure..." Jordan hesitated, his eyes burned with regret. Robin was bleeding all over his dark red shirt and the ground beneath them. The night sky swallowed them whole, the gently dying fire was the only thing that kept the shadows at bay.

Robin let out a shaky laugh. "I might be dying but I can still smell the bullshit" he croaked in pain. Jordan winced and carefully pushed his shirt up. The bullet dug deep into his flesh, leaving a gaping wound. He tried to tie pieces of his flannel around his waist but the bleeding wouldn't stop.

"Don't worry about it, Jordan" he shuffled in his arms and threw his head back. Jordan's hands were soaked in his warm, sticky blood but it didn't matter anymore. The man watched him sadly, noticing how the flames reflected off his dark eyes.