THE AFTERMATH

ch. 5

The days that passed were utterly boring. Work was not that eventful, Alex and Gibson weren't even at their houses these past few days, and the weather is freezing again. Thankfully, John let me off work again for two days! He wanted me to take a rest since I've been working non-stop for him.

I decided I was not going to let my first day of break go to waste, so I got ready to take a stroll around town. After I washed myself and ate some breakfast, I went out my front door and started to walk.

Everybody around me looked happy even if the weather was bitter. Kids were chasing each other around, couples were walking around with their hands clasped together, and other people were just laughing and chatting amongst themselves.

I sighed and continued to walk with my head down. It just hurt that I couldn't be as happy as those people because of an event that ruined my mental health and my sanity.

I looked up abruptly to hear somebody laughing. The laugh echoed around the street, coming in waves. Christ, who could be laughing that loud?

Two people suddenly came into my view, a girl and a boy. The girl was laughing still, clutching her stomach. I squinted my eyes to get a better look at her.

It was Olivia who was laughing! My eyes widened as I began to walk back to avoid her. I looked over my shoulder one more time to see if she was still there. She was indeed still there, but now she talking to the guy she was with. His back was faced towards me, so I couldn't get a good look at him. He suddenly nodded and turned around.

I don't know why, but I turned around to look at them for a few more seconds. The guy had ginger hair with a bit of blonde mixed into it and a really structured jawline. His red sweater really fit him well, if I'm honest.

He vaguely looked familiar to me, I just can't put a finger on where I met him. I took a look at him again, watching him roll the sleeves of his sweater.

Suddenly, it all clicked in my mind. He was the guy who took me into the civilian boat to finally leave Dunkirk! That sweater he was wearing was the exact same one he wore when he lifted me onto the boat. His hair looked the same, just messed up a little bit.

My jaw dropped. Was he in a relationship with Olivia? I turned around and scurried over to another street, making sure they couldn't see me.

I ran to a wall and put my back against it, breathing heavily. If Olivia was in a relationship, then why did she give me compliments? Also, how do they even know each other?

I pushed myself off the wall and walked over to the grocery shop across the street. I walked inside and began to wander through the store. Why was I even here?

I picked up a milk carton and looked at it, pretending to be busy so the owners of the store wouldn't kick me out. After about 5 minutes of looking at the carton, I walked out of the store.

I walked into random stores after that, just looking at some objects. I just wanted to get my mind off Olivia and the guy.

The next shop that came into my view was a tobacco store. I shouldn't really be going in there, but why not.

As I stepped in, the sudden fumes of smoke attacked me. I coughed a bit and proceeded to go inside.

I looked at some cigarettes and shook my head. Cigarettes are plain disgusting and deadly. I went over to another section and looked at the items there.

The smell of the smoke was still very present. It seemed to be getting stronger and stronger. I coughed even more, making the people around me raise their eyebrows at me.

Suddenly, it was as if the smell of the smoke changed to the smell of gunpowder. Not just any gunpowder, though. It was the same exact smell of the one they used in rifles that the soldiers used in the Battle of Dunkirk.

I felt dizzy and scared just thinking about the gunpowder in Dunkirk. I began to make my way out of the store, stopping a bit to massage my temples.

"Are you okay, sir?" A man asked me, standing near the register of the shop.

"I-I'm fine." I stammered, opening the door to leave.

I stepped outside and took a deep breath, trying to inhale as much oxygen as possible. The air still smelled like gunpowder to me, weirdly. It must be a hallucination.

The smell of the gunpowder intoxicated me, almost taunting me. My breath staggered as I grabbed onto a small table to the left of me, trying to hold it to steady my body.

As I looked at the people roaming the streets, their clothes suddenly changed to solider attire. I panicked even more when I saw the street change to the beach at Dunkirk.

All of a sudden, I could hear explosions happening, with rapid gunfire mixed into it.
Everybody now was running around, carrying rifles to shoot at the planes above us.

I suddenly fell backwards and dropped to the floor. The next I know, I blacked out and fell into darkness.

~~~~~

"Is he alright? What happened to him? Did somebody hit him?" I heard muffled voices say.

My eyes shot open, looking around me. People were above me, their eyes filled with terror and confusion. What happened to me?

I saw Olivia and the guy she was with standing to the left of me, pointing to me.

The scene in front of me wasn't at Dunkirk anymore, it was just... normal.

I got up and looked at Olivia.

"What happened to you, Tommy?" Olivia questioned, her eyes filled with concern.

The guy beside her was staring at me intensely, making me feel a bit uneasy.

"Hey, I remember you. You were one of the soldiers in Dunkirk." The guy acknowledged, still eyeing me.

"Y-Yeah I was." I stuttered, looking down at the floor.

"What the hell happened to you just now?" The guy questioned.

"I had a hallucination that I was still on the beaches at Dunkirk." I replied, feeling ashamed of myself.

"Dunkirk happened two years ago. Can't you just move on and forget about it? It certainly seems to be taking a toll on your life." The guy stated, his face showing disapproval.

"Peter! Stop that right now!" Olivia demanded, slapping Peter on the chest.

I felt tears in my eyes, not signifying hurt but pure embarrassment. I pushed through the crowd and ran back to my house, feeling nothing but shame and weakness.