Soldier

Chapter 5

It's quiet on the road. There aren't many people who are daring enough to drive on the highway. They are probably too scared to run into hostile soldiers. I try to turn on the radio. I find a radio station where they read the news.

"The English army have freed an village named Carhampton"

I feel some excitement in my body. They are close to Dunster. Maybe they will free my town next. Maybe I will have a home to get back to. I decided to try to find some music. As I'm switching stations I finally find a station where they play music. The music they are playing is very cheerful. As an reflex I start tapping my fingers on the beat of the music. It is nice to hear something cheerful. This whole war has been such an sad time. Especially for me. In the beginning I was still in school. I remember the day the war started. We heard the F16 planes fly over our school. Everyone thought it was an practise flight but there were so many. We returned to class. After a few hours the school principal started talking over the intercom. "Ladies and gentleman, We have just received the news that Russia have launched an rocket in the way to America. The rocket landed in Washington. America have declared war to Russia"

I remember looking at my friends. We all had disbelieve on our faces. How could Russia do that. Why would America declare war. It made no sense to us. Only a few days later we found out what America did. Well what president Allen had done. We all had the hope that the war wouldn't involve England. That we would never interfere with the war and not pick a side like Switzerland in World War 2. But we turned out to be wrong. President Weatherford decided to back America up with our army and supplies like weapons and tanks. If you ask me that was the worst decision ever made in our history. After a couple months America started to ask for more. They needed good trained nurses and doctors. The school I was in was one of the best nurse schools in the whole country so almost all of my friends went to America. I didn't. I had to stay here to take care of my family. Not long after half of my school left to America, the government decided to shut down the school to save up money. Just in case the Russians would attack us and we had to rebuild. I remember getting ready for school but as soon as I got there the gate was closed. I thought I was early so I checked the time but it was already 8.20 am. After a couple minutes the school principal walks towards the gate. In the meanwhile there are a few more students gathered around the gate. " I am very sorry to tell you that we had to close the school. Due to the war going on" Most of the students looked at him with a shocked face. I stood there not knowing what to do. I was shocked. I decided to go back home and figure out what to do.

Once back home my mum asks me what I am doing home. "Do you feel sick?" she asks. I shake my head. "They closed the school" I say back to her as I sit down on the couch. I hear my mom walking towards the living room. "The school principal told us it had something to do with the war and the government saving money for when we need to rebuild" I say and she sits next to me. She wraps her arm around me. "I'm sorry honey. I know how much that school meant to you." She says and she hugs me. "It's fine" I say. "Maybe I can return when the war is over" I say to her and she nods. The rest of the day I had spend on the couch listening to the news om the tv and reading about it online. I tried to get to know as much about the war as possible. I had to know. My life was changing and this was only the beginning of it.

A couple days later. There were some bombings in Amsterdam. The Russians held Holland accountable for standing by America. Everyone in England thought London would be the next target. We openly supported America. We had even send them weapons, nurses, soldiers. It was only going to be a matter of time before they would attack London next. I finally heard back from my friends who went to America, They say it's amazing there and that I should have come with them. But I hesitated for a reason. I couldn't leave everything behind to serve another country. That did not feel right.