When Stars Align || G. Lafayette

Chapter 3

I gritted my teeth and reloaded again.

The sun was beginning to rise and the sky was taking on a dull yellow color where the smoke above was catching the light. Faint yells, muffled through gunshots, came from all around as I continued firing on the British. Blood splattered the ground, digging into the mud as soldiers' heels pressed it down.

Bullets whizzed past my ears, and my knees shook in fear with the knowledge that any of those bullets could have easily taken my life. The smoke that filled the air all across the field was growing more dense by the second; I could hardly see a meter in front of myself. The unwelcome smoke filled my lungs and I burst into a coughing fit just as I fired my gun.

I gasped for clean air in such distress that I didn't realize when a man emerged from the cloud of smoke and charged at me with a bayonet. I rose my head to get back to the fight and my eyes widened in horror at the sight of the man who had nearly reached me.

Everything seemed to move in slow motion as I tried to fire my gun but realized I hadn't reloaded. A figure jumped out in front of me to stop him from reaching me.

Stay alive, I pleaded whoever it was who had come to my rescue. In a swift movement, he dodged the bayonet of the other man and stabbed another through his shoulder. The Redcoat fell to the ground as the bayonet was pulled from his shoulder, shining with newly spilled blood.

He turned around with a look of concern when I finally realized who it was. John Laurens had saved my life.

I gave him a nod signifying that I was fine and he gave me a small smile before returning to his station.

After that, I was completely shaken. The battle lasted well into the afternoon, but to me it passed quickly in a blur of reds and yellows. Neither side advanced in the war; we ended in a stalemate after hours of trading gunshots. But I was hardly paying attention to that.

Of course I had known that in a war my life would be at risk every day. I had known that freeing our nation meant having blood on my hands. But when the reality of it finally hit me, it just felt so... real. I could have easily lost my life that morning. That simple thought stayed with me all day.

When the battle ended, I didn't go back to my barracks at first. I started to, but somewhere along the path I discouraged myself from going back. I instead just kept walking around the camp, trying to clear my head.

I wandered aimlessly down the path for hours. I turned right then left then left again and lost track quickly, often ending up where I had already been. Finally, the sun began to set. I knew I couldn't just keep walking.

So I found myself going to the last place I thought I'd end up. I walked up the creaky wooden stairs, my shoes adding to the dirt that already covered them. I pushed open the door and almost smiled as I was once again hit with the noise of drunk yelling men. This time it didn't feel quite as unwelcome.

I sat onto one of the stools in front of the bar.

"Strongest thing you 'ave got," I told the bartender and he nodded and went to get me a drink. While he was looking through the shelves, I glanced around. A small smile settled onto my lips as I noticed the four men from my barracks sitting around a table, laughing merrily.

"Here you are," the bartender said, regaining my attention. I thanked him and almost started to drink what was in the cup he gave me before I caught a whiff of it. I crinkled my nose and put the cup back down.

I drank my first glass of the liquid little by little, when I heard someone behind me slam their glass down and start to talk; it almost sounded like a speech.