Brothers

Chapter 25

Chris immediately reached for Jones' gun and wrenched it out of his hand, making it clatter on the dirt floor. From my peripheral vision, I see Sergeant Wood bolt towards the gun.

My eyes zoned in on his hand that held the remote. I immediately went for the little device, taking advantage of Jones' distraction.

As I reached for the remote, I noticed his thumb was hovering over the large button.

It seemed like it happened in slow motion, my hand reaching for the detonator, my hand pushing against his thumb in attempt to wrench it out of his hand. All you could hear was the deafening sound of multiple bombs going off all at once.

Everyone fell to the ground from the quake of the ground.

Chris was the first to react; he quickly maneuvered his body, so he was on top of Jones' back and pulling his arms behind him, so he couldn't move even if we wanted to.

Seeing him punnet down on the ground, unable to move, made me hate him even more. He was acting like he owned the place, but now that we have the upper hand, he was looking defeated and weak.

Just looking at him made me want to see him in pain. I wanted his blood.

I got up from where I laid on the ground and bolted towards Jones, throwing a right hook at before anybody could catch me.

"You son of a-"

"John!" the Sergeant yelled, cutting off my insult. Before I could throw another punch at him, I felt arms wrap around my torso, throwing me back until I hit the table with the backs of my legs.

The Sergeant pointed a finger at me.

"Lieutenant, watch yourself." he warned.

"He killed my brother! I want his blood." I pointed an accusing finger at Jones but kept my glare on Wood.

"You don't know that!" his voice over powered mine. "Why don't you go to the hospital? Maybe they made it out and the bombs didn't touch him." he said in a calmer voice.

I took a deep breath before letting it out. I looked at Jones, who was staring at me with a smirk on his face like he already won.

I turned back to Wood.

"This isn't over."

He nods.

"I know."

I turned around and walked away but not before sending Jones a glare that could make other people shake in their shoes.

"John!" I heard my name being called as soon as I stepped through the door of the tent.

It was Tyler.

"What happened?" he asked as soon as he was close to me. I turned and walked down the walkway; only one destination in my head. "Next thing we know is Chris is walking into the tent and bombs exploding the next."

"Where's the others?" I asked without answering his question, picking up my pace.

"They split up to see where the bomb landed, they wanted to see is everyone was okay." he told me, keeping up with my fast pace.

When we reached the deuce and a half, I was relieved that McCarthy left it here. I went to the drivers side and got in.

I swore under my breath when the keys weren't in the ignition, knowing that I have to rip the underside of the dashboard to hot wire the thing so we could get to the hospital.

I quickly found the wires and twisted them together making the engine roar to life.

"John, what's the matter?" Tyler asked. I hadn't realized that he got in the passenger side.

"Jones blew up the hospital." I told him, putting the truck in drive. "I have to go over there."

"But Jason is in there." he said in disbelief. "What if-"

I gave him a hard look. I didn't want to believe the words that he was going to say. Not until I see it for myself. I mean, Jason has always been there for me, he couldn't be dead.

The truck came to a screeching halt a couple yards away from the burning building. Soldiers and nurses were running around getting the wounded out of the building.

I hopped out of the truck with Tyler right behind me. I ran up to one of the nurses and grabbed her shoulders, making her look t me.

"Do you know where Lieutenant Jason Hertz is?"

She started to shake her head before I asked again, a little desperate. But she shook her head again.

"I'm sorry, Sir."

I dropped my hands from her shoulders and let out a frustrated sigh, running my fingers through my hair.

"John, they got some people out, let's go see if he's there." Tyler said, grabbing my forearm and tugged me with him.

We approached a tent, not far from the burning building; soldiers littered outside, waiting to go inside to get checked up on. Some of them where screaming out in pain; they were all covered in burn marks and blood.

I didn't want to go in there. I didn't want to see them wounded and lying on the cot, close to death, but I had to find Jason.

Tyler and I walked through the flap of the tent only to get hit with the stench of blood and burnt flesh.

"I'll start on this side and you start over there?" Tyler suggested.

I nodded and walked towards the right side of the tent. The tent was very long, it could hold two rows of thirty men. It was set up last year as a second hospital just in case the brick building was packed with wounded men.

I reached the end of the tent and there was no sign of Jason.

Soon Tyler was beside, once he's seen my questioning eyes, he shakes his head and looked at the floor.

It was like all the air in my lungs left, making me gasp for air.

My brother was dead.

What am I going to tell his mom when I hand them a folded flag?

We promised our mothers that we would keep each other safe.

And I broke it.