The Shadow of Chernobyl

The Battle of Pripyat

"When do you think this will blow over?"

"I... I don't know..."

"Don't worry, I reckon they'll be crying for peace by the end of the war. The westoids have nothing on us!"

I didn't respond, preferring to keep to myself.

"Don't fucking jinx us, man! Did you see the new tanks they have?"

"Which ones?"

"The shitty ones from the Great War- what do you think, dumbass?! The American ones! M-whatever and Abrams; big motherfuckers."

"... Oh."

"'Oh,' he says. This is why you're the gunner and I'm in charge of driving this baby."

"Go fuck yourself."

And with that, the proximity comms went silent.

We've been sitting duck since morning, and small talk was the only thing that eased the tension in the air. We knew where we were, what we were doing, and why we were doing it. No matter what you did, the goal of every man was simple; hold the line.

No matter what happened, we had to hold the line. After the word of the boys from Poland reached us, things were only going to get hotter than they already were.

"Listen, boys... I know things are..." The commander began, but couldn't find the right words.

"Going to shit?" The driver offered.

"Yes," the commander confirmed, "But as long as we keep our cool, everything will be fine. Remember your training, and don't go into panic, ever. That's the first thing that kills you."

"Don't forget the lead, starvation, dehydration, disease-"

The gunner was cut off by the commander, "Why can't you just keep your mouth shut? Unless you have something of value to add, zip it."

"He has a point..." I said, speaking for the first time in the past hour.

That got the attention of the rest, and the commander spoke again, "Kid-"

"Even if we do everything right, things can still go wrong."

"You don't know that, don't think that way. Your attitude matters here."

"But I'm right."

"Even if you are, you shouldn't think that way. We have someone we gotta come back to, right?"

The other two members of the crew agreed, starting another banter about whose wife was more attractive. I wish I could say the same, but I had no one at home.

The commander was trying his best, and I appreciated that, really, but it was a waste. The middle-aged man had only the best intentions for us; being a father as well, most likely, meant he felt something for us as we were much younger than him, a sort of sympathy that came naturally with his character.

Who would've thought that in three months, I could become a trained loader? Not me, that's for sure. I knew not only how to operate the common firearms, but also a real tank. The work itself was simple, the real challenge came when there was a problem with the machine.

There is so much going on, and so little time to process it all. I hope this war will end soon, not just for my sake; for everyone's. No one deserves to lose their loved ones.

"But it doesn't mean shit! So what if we won the Space Race?!"

"That's exactly what it's about! How do you think our government would've reacted? They're still mad they lost, so it only makes sense they would heavily invest into the war!"