Ashes to Burn (Work In Progress)

Ashes to Burn - Chapter Two

***This story is intended for mature audiences, as it contains graphic violence, gore, coarse language and some sexual content. Viewer discretion is strongly advised. 

December 11th, 2015

08:00 hours

Smolensk, Russia

Sarge woke us up quickly. We quickly ate some of our dried food packaging and sipped on water. But, this was not the time to rest. We had to keep going. It was our only purpose. We had to bring peace. We had to restore humanity. We had to give everything.

Even though we have nothing left to give. 

Mouse settled down beside me and helped me up. I smiled at her.

“You’re getting better, beautiful.” She smiled. I hugged her tightly. I wondered, what would happen if this all went away. If everything that I loved, everything that I had ever held onto, were to disappear. 

Times are hard. Those thoughts become so dead close to reality. 

I kissed Mouse and cradled her in my arms. She kissed me back and Sarge gave us a bad look.

No one ever actually cared that we were dating. Everyone was really understanding about it, actually. There used to be a ban in the seventies, so my father would say. That they would have to protest for their rights, until January 25th, 2011, when gay marriage was legalized and DADT was repealed in The Americas, Japan, China, Australia, Germany, France and Spain. The world had taken a change. For once, it was a good one. Mouse and I never thought of our futures, or what it would be like to get married, or start a family.

What it would be like to have a real life. A normal one.

I had always wanted to get married in Barcelona, on a beachfront, at dusk, with a beautiful sunset. I would tell myself to ask her when the time was right.

Quite frankly, I think that time had passed a long time ago. 

“Julie, we have to move.” Sarge said, springing me from my thoughts. I nodded and limped along beside Mouse. Sarge handed me my assault rifle, some ammunition and two flash grenades.

“We’re getting low on ammo. We have to pick some up at one of the bunkers here.” She said. I nodded, looking around at the barren, dusty land.

“I think there’s one in Novosibirsk, I overheard Jennie talking about it, before the damn Russian’s took out our bunker. But that is like a few days pace away.” I replied curtly. Sarge nodded.

“I understand. We need to move forward.”

“Sarge, there’s five of us and thousands of them.”

“We can’t give up, Julie. Not after what happened three days ago. We have to press forward.” She swiftly turned, picked up her gun, and walked forward. 

“We could be the last chance to end this. We could be the ones to end it. Forever.” Sarge said briskly. I stood still for a moment before nodding slightly. She turned around and continued walking. 

Sarge had the most emotional story out of us. She was bossy and rude for a reason. Most people never understood her, how she felt. Sarge was a complex person, and was more fragile than anyone on our squad. When she was five, her mother died of drug overdose, and in turn her father claimed her. For years she was raped, beaten, abused, neglected, mistreated and frowned upon. Her aunt was killed by her father one night when she was seventeen. From that night, Sarge put her dad away. Then she joined the Army so then she could avenge everything that had happen to her. 

So her mind could be at ease, fighting for something she knew she could protect.

I heard the crackle of sparks above us. They were lighting a flare.