War Guilt [#Wattys2015]

Chapter Eight

"Never end the fight..." - The Lone Survivor 2014

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Hydra Base, Germany, 1942

Maria

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What was that? Was that a gunshot? Oh my god it was a gun! Who got shot!? Everything is blurring...but I didn't get shot. It's the adrenaline. Who got hit? Are they dead? Please don't be dead! Who was it?....

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I turned around, the adrenaline haze taking over my vision. I could see someone on the ground, crying and yelling in pain. There was blood - and a lot of it. I couldn't see who it was and I seemed to be getting further away from them. I was still running because I couldn't think properly. My mind was working on it's own, like I was not in control anymore.

I tried to calm myself, to pull myself together again. As I made it to the trees I was able to get a better view at who it was. My first thought was to see if it was Ryan. It wasn't. He was standing right next to me, huffing and puffing, also trying to see who it was.

"Who is it?" I said self consciously.

I squinted to see better. My vision came out of the haze and I could see that it was the sniper. He was desperately trying to drag himself towards us. Pain and determination painted across his face. There were a few Hydra soldiers making their way to him, guns at the ready.

"We can't leave him!" I yelled to no one in particular.

"We'll die if we try to get him!" One of the other guys argued.

I looked into Ryan's eyes to see the same thought in them. It disappointed me greatly that he would even think about leaving a man behind.

"Maria, even if we were able to get him, he'll die on our way back," he said softly.

I couldn't believe them. As much as Ryan was apart of my life, I could never trust him with what he was trying to tell me.

"Let's go," he said to me, turning around to follow the others.

I couldn't do it. I couldn't leave a man knowing that there was a chance - just a small chance.

"No," I said back.

"Maria!" Ryan yelled at me.

I armed my gun and ran out into the open. My only thought was to reach sniper and bring him back. He saw me running towards him and shook his hand at me.

"No! Go back! Go back!" He screamed.

"In your dreams!" I yelled back.

The Hydra soldiers began to rain fire at me. I shot as many as I could before I ran out of ammo.

"Maria!!" Ryan was still yelling at me.

I turned my head slightly to see him and the other guys run into the open and shoot at the Hydra soldiers. I reached the sniper and helped him to stand up. He was going pale and his breathing was short. Ryan reached us and picked sniper up onto his shoulder.

"Don't you dare die on me now!" I yelled at sniper as his eyes began to close.

The other guys were just at the tree line, shooting and throwing small hand grenades. We reached them and ran as fast and far as we could into the forest until we could no longer hear anything other than our own heavy breathing.

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Ryan

She's mad I tell you, going after him. She basically asked for death! But I can't look at her the same way now. She put her life on the line to save another. She is a hero, someone that I, and others, can look up to.