Take Me Home

44. Death

Axel's eyes closed, the tears spilling over as he remembered everything.

"Come on, Axel. We can do it!" Axel looked over at Roger, who held him up, helping him. "We can do this, not too far now, mate!" Axel dragged his feet, forcing himself onward. He felt the continuous draining of the blood in his arm as he half walked, half leaned and depended on Roger.

Roger was determined as he looked down at Axel. "Good job, almost there..."

They flinched as an explosion blasted glass and bricks close to them, dodging some debris as it flew by. Roger gasped, looking around as smoke began filling the area, his eyes wide as he saw a few German planes flying unusually low. His eyes widened and he began moving faster, realizing that the American planes were going to be a little successful. That meant that bombs weren't the only thing they needed to look out for.

Planes were also falling from the sky.

Axel and Roger stuck closer to the buildings as they continued moving. They wouldn't make it to where Freya was, but if they could find some shelter, they would be okay.

Roger then froze as he saw blinking lights in front of him. He narrowed his eyes, stopping in the middle of the dark street as he watched the lights fly closer. His heart sunk and he looked at Axel, who was staring at the lights in fear.

"Axel, what are those?" Roger yelled above the sound of the sirens and the bombs. Axel looked up at him, his green eyes wider and more awake.

"M-move, its a fighter!" Axel yelled and Roger understood. He saw the light explode as the German fighter grew closer, the booming of the firing bullets echoing in their ears as it began shooting at them.

Roger screamed as he threw himself and Axel to the ground, his eyes closed as he felt the ground shudder as it took the blows from the bullets, the plane swooping over them and rising back up, twisting for another round. Roger looked around desperately, heart pounding as he searched for some shelter. He saw the darkness of the shadows and he knew the plane wouldn't be able to spot them well there.

"Over here, come on!" He grabbed Axel, who stood up frantically, and they both began sprinting toward the shadows as the plane bared down on them, lighting up the street as it shot at the road, engine roaring. Throwing themselves down onto the ground, they turned, watching the fighter rise back up, flying away.

"How do you feel now that your own people are trying to kill you?!" Roger yelled, looking over at Axel, who just shook his head, eyes half closed as he suppressed the pain. Roger stood, "Come on, lets move!"

He and Axel ran down the streets, Axel more able to run alone and support himself after the near death experience. Roger motioned for them to turn at the next block and they continued running through the darkness, slowed because of Axel, but fast enough. They reached the turning point and they turned, expecting more shadows and a clearer way.

Both of them froze, hearts dropping.

Before them was a fallen fighter plane, the German flag symbol marked on the wing as flames overtook and licked at the plane, lighting up the whole streets and letting clouds of smoke rise up into the air. Roger stared at the plane, the wings and body dented as the thing smoked and burned. He then looked toward the front of the plane, looking for the pilot. The cockpit was wide open, no one inside as the flames lit up the area near it. He saw the shadow of a moving figure as someone jumped out from behind the wing, holding a pistol.

Axel sucked in his breath, watching the German pilot stalk forward from the darkness, revealing blood and gashes all along his forehead as he approached, pointing the gun at them. Roger gasped, stepping backward as he stared at the enemy.

"Wenn ich sterbe, wirst du es auch!" The fallen pilot screamed, running at them and aiming his gun.

Axel screamed in return, shouting words that Roger could not understand, trying to back away as the Pilot approached, listening but ignoring, screaming in return. Roger watched, his hazel eyes wide, as everything suddenly seemed to freeze. He saw Freya and Axel together and he knew she wouldn't be able to handle losing him as well. He had several options and he jumped on the one that seemed to be the most reasonable. If he was to die, so be it.

Axel gasped and clutched his injury as the pilot aimed at him, watching the gun lower to where the barrel was aligned with his chest. The flames lapped nearby, casting a red and orange glow as the screaming and roaring above and around them continued.

A flash of movement caught his eye as Axel watched Roger lunge forward, grabbing the pilot and tackling him. Both screamed as Roger's hands gripped the barrel of the gun, pointing it away from Axel as Axel stood, frozen and panicked. Roger and the German hit the ground and the Pilot flipped Roger, pinning him while trying to force the gun back toward Roger, the barrel growing closer to his face. Roger screamed, putting all of his effort into pushing the gun away, his eyes wide as he reared back up, kneeing the German and flipping over. Axel limped forward, his eyes wide as he yelled in German, pleading with his own race for this to stop. He was German, too!

He got ignored as the fight continued, their screams drowned out by the surrounding noise. The German rolled away, standing and turning to point the gun at Axel. Stepping back, Axel opened his mouth in shock as his green orbs landed on the barrel. The German approached further and Axel realized that he was about to be shot.

There was the sound of a gunshot and the gasp as it hit the body that had jumped in front of him.