“Forget it! Run! Run!”
Seeing the body of their officer across Silva’s shoulders, they didn’t need much encouragement to follow their Sergeant in fleeing outright. They had done little that day and were full of energy. The platoon scarpered across the rough terrain of no man’s land, knowing their lives depended on it. After half a kilometre, the Sergeant finally stopped and looked back. He’d noticed the enemy guns had stopped firing. Corporal Hall rushed up beside Silva and turned to investigate what he was glaring at.
“They’ve stopped?” he asked.
“They know it’s suicide to cross those lines, just as we knew it.”
“Then why the fuck are we out here?”
Silva shook his head in astonishment.
“Two fine marines were thrown away because of one man’s attitude problem. I’ll be damned if I’ll let there be another.”
Hall nodded in agreement.
“This shit has got to end. We have to get back into the fight for real, and we need our gear back. We need our Major back!”
Chapter 5
“What the hell is going on out there?” shouted Chandra.
The troops around her said nothing. They could all tell that the mission had gone sour. She stared out across the plain, looking with her binoculars for any sign of the platoon, but they had long ducked and weaved their way out of her sight. She spun around with a furious expression. Her heart was heavy, but she could only imagine at the losses.
“Major!” shouted Blinker.
The Private came frantically rushing across the tops of the trenches to reach Chandra.
“What is it, Private?”
“Ma’am, you’d better come with me.”
She stepped forward and grabbed the soldier back by the collar of his shirt, hauling him in close.
“Tell me what the fuck is going on!”
Blinker gasped to find his words but could not answer. Monty arrived a few metres behind his brother, and Chandra turned her gaze to the soldier. She could see the same blank expression on the man’s face. She released her grasp and looked at their bleak pale faces.
“Please, Major, come with us,” whispered Blinker.
She knew it was not the time to press the two brothers. Chandra nodded in agreement.
“Alright, lead on.”
The Major knew that whatever she was about to witness was not good news, but she tried not to jump to any conclusions. Ten minutes later they reached a troop staging area just a hundred metres from the front line trenches. She recognised a few of Friday’s platoon, but the Captain was nowhere to be seen. The two brothers led her on through a mix of allied troops into an opening where a doctor was overseeing a wounded marine being taken off on a stretcher.
Blinker turned and continued onwards. The wounded man was clearly not what he was bringing her for. Then she saw it, the bodies of two marines laid out flat on the ground. Sergeant Silva was sitting on an ammunition box a couple of metres away with his head in his hands. She looked down at the bodies and instantly recognised Friday, but she didn’t want to believe it. Chandra took a few paces closer so she could get a better look at the face to be certain.
She shook her head as she realised beyond any doubt that it was Captain Friday. A gaping hole had been torn through his chest. The light armour they wore had done little to slow the path of the energy pulse. Little blood seeped from the Captain’s body due to the immense heat at which the round had struck. It was clear to her that he had died within seconds.
The sight of Friday’s body reminded her of her own mortality. She had thrown herself into the most brutal and prolonged combat with little care in the world. Now she was starting to appreciate life more. She looked at the faces of the troops around her. Many stared in astonishment that the Captain had fallen, and others looked away and hoped to forget. She had known Friday long enough to consider him a good friend, but it was clear that to the marines he was far more than that.
“Taylor should know,” said Monty.
Chandra nodded. She already knew that the news would be monumentally tragic to Taylor who was closer to Friday than any of them. Having lost Jones in Amiens, she knew to some extent how he would feel. But at least at that time she still had some hope of Jones’ survival; there was no coming back for Friday.
“You think this will be enough to warrant a pass to see the Major?” asked Blinker.
“It’s sad to think that’s what it could take, but you might be right,” she fumed.
She stepped over and knelt beside Silva who looked more lost than the rest. He was an astonishingly tough and capable man, but it had been too much to bear. As she lowered herself down onto one knee, he looked up at her with a distraught expression.
“He didn’t stand a chance,” muttered Silva.
“You were ordered out there alone? No support? No armour?” she asked.
Silva nodded as he came close to tears.
“You did right by your platoon, Sergeant. You got them out,” she whispered.
“When will it all end, Major? How many friends do we have to lose?”
Chandra shook her head. It was a question she had been asking herself since a few days after the war had begun. Death and dismemberment had become a part of their everyday lives, but it never got any easier to accept.
“We may be asked to give all of our lives before this is over, Sergeant. Would that be so bad? Us dying, in place of those who cannot fight for themselves, and the millions who do not stand a chance against these creatures.”
She could see that Silva was starting to see some sense. He looked up to see the platoon was at an all time low point, and that they all looked to him.
“Look at the good we have done. How many of those bastards have we killed and left in our wake? Together, we cannot be stopped. We are the Immortals, and remember that. Remember how many soldiers rely on us for inspiration.”
Silva nodded. He knew in his heart that the Major was right. He knew he was the one who should be giving such words of encouragement to the demoralised platoon. He could see that their shell shock and depression was already starting to rub off on the other members of the Company around them. He leaned in closer to the Major.
“We are stronger together. Get Taylor back,” he whispered.
Silva leaned back and stood up with a newfound confidence and strength. He drew in a deep breath to bellow his words to the demoralised marines. Just as he was about to speak, he was interrupted by a vehicle’s horn blaring as the driver made his way through the surrounding troops. He looked to identify the incoming vehicle that was clearly trying to reach them with some urgency.
As the troops scattered, and the vehicle came in to view, they could make out the HQ stencils and realised that General Schulz sat in the back.
“Fuck,” muttered Silva under his breath.
Chandra’s back straightened as she saw the General she resented so much. He sat confidently in the back of the vehicle, as if to be welcomed and celebrated by the front line troops he had been sending to their deaths. He peered around at the joint allied units in surprise at the cold response he was getting. The jeep pulled up just a few metres from Chandra and the body of Captain Friday that still lay uncovered.
Schulz stepped out from his vehicle and looked around at the stone cold faces around them. He looked down to see the dead Captain and the horrific chest wound which was on display for all to see. He made a quick scan of
