Until The War Came

Chapter one

His heart was thumping. You could hear the snap of branches as his weight pressed down on them while he ran through the dark forest surrounding him. All he could hear was the blood rushing in his ears, the other sounds drowned out from the adrenaline pumping through his system. And even as he though this, his foot slipped in the mud and he fell into some large shrubbery, narrowly missing a grenade being thrown over his head.

He hit the ground hard, feeling all his bones jolt with the impact, a thumping pain quickly blossoming in his wrist and traveling up his arm when he threw out his arm to stop his fall. He quickly gathered his thoughts and looked around, he was covered up enough that he could probably lie still and wouldn't be noticed. As he did, he could hear gunshots being fired, and screams echoing through hollow trunks as he watched his fellow soldiers fall. He was susurrant as he spoke, trying not to give his position away, "Ron?" Nothing. "Ron?" He tried a little louder.

A soldier then came out from hiding, quick on his feet he kneeled down beside him. Looking around 19, he scanned the boy in front of him as he spoke, "Hold out your arm, Alex". He did as he was told, and slowly lifted out his arm, although  still completely baffled as to where his best friend had suddenly just appeared from.

The soldier picked up a small stick afterward moment of looking, and placed it on Alexs' wrist. Using an old, dirtied bandage that he had grabbed from his belt, he firmly secured the stick to his wrist, holding them together. "This will have to do." He spoke. "Your wrist is badly sprained, this will keep it from moving."

"Thank you" Alex answered as he looked at his now bandaged wrist. He was honestly amazed at how quickly Ron had grasped the exact nature of his injury and fixed it. He supposed Ron must have seen him fall, he'd always known Alex to be a bit of a klutz.

He shook away his thoughts and moved to get up, quickly wincing as he did so. "Careful!" Ron exclaimed quietly. "I told you, you've badly sprained it. You're going to have to be careful with it. Don't put pressure on it and-".

He was cut short by a bullet whizzing past him, he flinched at the sound. "Listen, Alex... I've got to go." He looked over his shoulder. "Stay here and keep hidden, don't let anyone see you. You can't fire a gun with your wrist like that- so don't even try!" He quickly added when he saw Alex open his mouth to interrupt. "And either way, as soon as you're seen you'll be shot dead, so just stay here for a while alright? Someone'll come and get you eventually. Do you understand me?" he looked over his shoulder again.

Alex shook his head in understanding and felt as Ron placed his hand on his shoulder, clasping it tightly. He looked him in the eye as he spoke, "Good luck, Alex." And then he was gone, gun in hand as he crept off into the woods again, dodging bullets and stepping over broken branches and bodies as he did so.

Alex looked around. He lay silently in the shrubbery, almost unable to spot unless you were looking very closely. He was the same age as Ron, about 19. He had slick brown hair and he wore the same soldier uniform as Ron did. It was a darkened mix of green and brown that was worn with a dark, brown belt which sat tightly around his waist and then stretched over one shoulder.

Alex continued to lay silently, not moving a muscle as not to give himself away. He didn't know what to do. If he moved or spoke he might risk giving himself away, and he couldn't shoot a gun with a sprained wrist like his. He was as bored as when he was a little boy laying in his bedroom on a Sunday afternoon with nothing to do. He could ever so slightly see through small gaps in the shrubbery he lay amongst.

He could see Ron. Moving like a fox through the woods. Silently creeping his way through the trees, sneaking up on the enemy and shooting them from behind. He was fast on his feet and his dirty blond hair was covered in mud, along with his legs, hands and up his wrists.

He kneeled down beside injured soldiers, who were shot or hurt, careful not to be seen. He would pull out small and dirty bandages like the kind he used on Alexs' wrist, and secure them to the injuries held fourth to him. He was a soldier like any other person out here but he had, had medical training and deciding to use that to help his country, he did the best he could to patch up his team. Then he would creep up to his feet, slightly bending down, looking around, and trying not to be seen or shot by anyone. Silently moving to the next injured soldier, and shooting enemies along the way. His only goal was to win the war. He crept behind a tree and Alex lost sight of him.

He thought about his home back in the country side. And the small little school where him and Ron found themselves to become best friends. He missed his home and he missed his family. Most of all he missed his best friend Ron. Not the Ron running around shooting people, but the old Ron, the Ron he knew before the war, the Ron that used to run around the playground, smiling and joking. Now he's lost his smile, he's lost his sense of humour and he's lost himself.

He remembered the day he used to dread going to school, the days he'd do anything to get out of it. Now he wished he was at school, sitting in his boring little classroom next to Ron, listening to Mrs. Shepherd go on and on as him and Ron made paper planes under the desk where she couldn't see them.

They used to ride their bikes down to the lake on the hill and go fishing there. Then they would grab a rope that hung off the old brown tree and swing into the lake. They used to spend hours there, just running around. Climbing the trees and jumping into the water. Then they would ride back up the hill and get home just in time for tea.

He used to be given the best food, he had juicy steaks. Delicious fish he caught, fresh milk, straight from the cows and delicious homemade bread. He can still remember sitting down at the table with his sister and watching his mother pull the delicious bread out of the oven. The smell was magnificent and the taste was even better.

He thought of his cosy bed back at home, where he used to rest after a long day's work with Ron. His mattress was old and dirty and smelt of mould and dust, but he didn't care. To him that was home and that's all that matters.

His mother and father used to work a lot and he always had to take care of his little sister, Lucy. He didn't really like it, he always wanted to go do his own stuff but he still did it. He would do anything for Lucy. He loved her more than anyone.

She was 5 years younger than him and had the same looks as him except for the fact that she had dirty blonde hair like Ron instead of slick black hair like Alex. She loved the colour pink and carried her doll 'Patty' around with her everywhere. She dressed it up every day in the same clothes as she was wearing. Typically long white dresses that go down to her shins and little black shoes. She brushed the dolls long orange hair every night and every morning.

His thoughts were interrupted by a crunch behind him. He flinched and slowly turned his head, looking over his shoulder to find a soldier in a blue uniform, a white strip ran down the right sleeve of his arm and leg. The soldier held the gun up to eye level, Looking Alex dead in the eye. "Chick-chick", the soldier pulled back the gun. He held his finger to the trigger.

Alexs' heart was racing. You could see the fear inside him creeping out. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He heard a gunshot and flinched, preparing to be shot except he wasn't shot. He slowly opened one eye followed then by the other, relaxing as he did. He saw the soldier lying dead on the ground. He turned around to see Ron standing over him.

"I told you to keep hidden!" Ron exclaimed angrily. "You'd be dead right now if it wasn't for me."

"I know" said Alex gratefully. "I'm sor-"

Alex didn't have time to finish his sentence before a bomb went off to the left of them, and Ron was flung sideways. Alex held his head and ducked down. He felt a sharp pain slice it's way up through his body before he heard a ringing sound and looked over to see people getting up slowly... then everything started going dark and he turned to see Ron laying on the ground still, not moving to roll over or get up, just before the lights finally turned off and he blacked out.