Army Of Angels (A Glanny Fan Fiction)

Chapter Twelve

Army Of Angels:

Chapter Twelve:

A rocking movement disturbed me from my slumber. It reminded me of one of those rocking chairs. When I would sit on my mother's lap and just rock on the chair with her. That sweet moment when you were in your mother's arms and you knew no harm would come to you. I felt that right now. I opened my eyes slightly to see I was on horseback in sat in an upright position with my arms around General O'Donoghue. I started slightly and drew the attention of the general.

"Sorry I had to wrap your hands around me so you wouldn't fall off," he said.

"What - what happened?" I asked.

"Well ... After you punched my jaw, nice punch by the way, I taught you well, I had to order you to be shot because that's what we do to cowards I'm afraid," he said.

Something stirred inside me. I am not a coward. I am most definitely not a coward.

"But. But I am not a coward!"

"Your actions today proved it,"

I said nothing in reply.

"Plus you disobeyed your General's orders. Punishable by death," he said.

"So why didn't you shoot me?" I asked.

"Well I did,"

My eyes shot open. But I don't feel any pain whatsoever anywhere on my body.

"But-"

"I shot at something. I shot the wall of mud behind you,"

I said nothing for a few minutes. I had to let this sink in. Why didn't he shoot me? As he had told me, I was a coward and I had disobeyed his orders so why?

"Did you shoot Anderson? Really?" I had to ask.

There was a slight pause. His throat gurgled slightly and he had to clear his throat before answering.

"Yes," he said simply but it wasn't simple. It was full of agonising embarrassment, pain, sadness and a hint of betrayal.

"He was one of the best. Just like you. He was lucky too. In the end he got too complacent and tried to run the army his way. Not the way we have been told to by Lloyd George," General O'Donoghue said.

I nodded against his back. I didn't know how much longer I could stay awake. For some reason I was just too sleepy.

"You've been suffering from shell shock. You wouldn't have gotten much sleep so sleep now. You're safe that I can promise alright?" General said and I nodded again. I tightened my arms around his waist to make sure I wouldn't fall off and rested my head against his back more firmly.

When I opened my eyes again I found that I was in a bed with the covers tucked into my sides. A musty smell filled the room that smelled like dust. Sure enough when my eyes focused I saw the dust particles that I was breathing in.

At first I thought I was at home in my bedroom but then I realised that this bed wasn't as lumpy. The sheets weren't as thin. I did not have a wooden beams racing across the ceiling. My window is bigger at home than the one in this room. It's cleaner too. This one has layers of dirt that has amalgamated over the years and streaks of sunlight try to filter their way through the window.

The quilt is tucked in just like a mother would do it. With meticulous precision and care. I looked to my side and saw another bed but it was made up and no one had slept in it yet. The gas lamp hung to the ceiling swayed slightly as a draught came through the window.