Save Me, Soldier

Chapter Twenty-Seven;

CHRIS'S POV

Jake and I start running through the trenches, and soon enough, the chopper comes and doctors jump down off of it. They run over to Klaus's trench, but I'm not focused on who the doctor is. Not now, not while Jake and I are out here in the stomach of the battle.

For the most part, the enemy doesn't touch us. They're more focused on the other groups that surround them, shooting in all different directions.

Jake cuts through another one of the trenches, and looks over at the one we want to get into. In the trench sits an enemy soldier, maybe in his late forties. He's smiling as he re-loads his gun. Jake looks over at me and nods. He crouches and starts half running to the trench. I manage to get a hold of his jacket and pull him back. He looks at me quizzically.

"Isn't this what we were suppose to do?" He asks. I shake my head, then think about it. We were suppose to get to that trench and take it over, then we'd have control of all the trenches around and the enemy would soon be dead.

"Yes, Jake, it was. But we can't. Not right now anyway. We have to wait until that man becomes occupied with other things, or else he's going to shoot us right away. He's going to see us coming, that's the advantage of that trench." I tell him. He shakes his his head.

"No, Chris. There's two of us and one of him. We'll be fine. Let's go" He states, and before I can grab him to pull him back, he takes off, dirt crunching beneath his feet as he goes.

I start to follow him, running to where he is. I'm stopped by a Soldier who sees me and shoots in my direction. The bullet misses, though the man in the trench knows about Jake and I now.

Everything from beyond this point happens so quickly. Me running towards Jake, trying to push him out of the way before the soldier can load his gun. Jake, falling to the ground as the bullet hits him sqaure in the chest. The sound of Richard, not so faint now as he calls out, "CHRIS, NO!"

It takes me a moment before I fully understand what happened. Jake had been shot, he could be dead for all I know. I look down at him, blood splattered across his chest and uniform. His gun sits beside the Solider in the trench, though he doesn't touch it. He makes eye contact with me, holds his gun up, and just as I close my eyes and prepare for the blow, I hear one.

But...I don't feel any pain.

I hear a scream. But...it's not mine.

I open my eyes and look around. The enemy solider is now laying dead in his trench. Richard stands beside me and taps me on the shoulder. Down on the ground, in a puddle of blood, lay Peyton in her green army uniform.

I drop to my knees and look towards Peyton. Her eyes are shut, and blood pours out of her wounds. I cradle her in my arms for a moment before Richard lifts me up off the ground.

"We need to get her back on the chopper, along with Klaus" the words come out of his mouth, but I can't hear them. I look down at Peyton, then over to Jake. I point to him, trying to make the tears in my eyes stop from flowing, but they won't.

"W-w-what ab-about J-Jake?" I ask, my words stuttering, and my breathing unsteady. Richard looks down at his boots, and shakes his head. "We can't leave him!" I yell, pushing Richard. He takes a few steps back, but takes my wrists with his hands.

"Do you want to lose Jake AND your girlfriend?!" I shake my head. "Then get her on that chopper, now!" He says, helping Klaus up. Peyton must have saved him, thank god. But someone needs to save her. And fast.

I put her onto the stretcher in the chopper, and Klaus goes into the other side. I look at Richard, there's only room for one other passenger in the chopper. Klaus is his best friend, I barley know him. I point to the seat and step back.