The Scar of War

We're getting closer, the oceans smell is strong. The sweat that is dripping off my head is making a puddle on the floor. I hear our commander shouting the plan "CHARGE AT MY COMMAND" his voice is loud and clear, I am thinking about home and my family; what if I don't come back? will I even make it off the boat?. We are arriving at the shore and I can hear guns shooting and screams, we have officially arrived at our destination, hell.

"Charge!" one by one, soldier after soldier start to drop like flies as they left their boats. I am behind and I can see a mans death before he can blink. My heart is racing all I can think is "run forward, don't get shot, don't look back". The smell of fresh soil that has been exposed by the bombs is blocking the wrenching smell of the blood and the remaining stink of the oil that had caught on fire. It's starting to get worse, as the gas is fogging my vision and all I can see is black figures in the shadows. The shadows are bent like hunchbacks crooked spines and fade as they disappear into the ring of death.

As I'm running, I can heavy footsteps charging at me, as the threat got nearer, they lunged at me with a knife and drew blood as it hit my arm. My reaction was quick and in the blink of an eye, he was lying on the floor, paralysed by the bullet in is head, which I had placed there. His remains are a scar in the back of my mind. A loud bang and a beam of light hit me and I went flying through the air like I was a speck of dirt that had been kicked. Then all was black...

The sound of the generals voice woke me up, but the panic took over quicker than I could think. I couldn't see, my vision had been blurred; the light was that bright that it left a haze over my eyes. I was petrified, was this it? I'm going to die on the battle field, but last sight was not seeing my family it was murder and left the word with blood on my hands. All of a sudden I was lifted off my feet, the general spoke " fight, you can do this". I stumbled through the horrors.

I staggered to the ground as the general let go he had to as he told me to wait. Once again I was alone, but this time I could only picture my surrounding as that was stolen from me. Scared not knowing if someone was watching, ready to pounce on me like a tiger catching prey, All went silent as my mind went black.

I felt like I had been waiting for days, my arm hurt and I ached from the sound of bombs and screaming of someone who sounded almost innocent, as they cried and cried and repeated the same words "what have I done?", when it stopped I came to realise the man who cried out was me and I was overwhelmed by what I had done. Footsteps hurried from the distance, I crawled back latching onto the only object I could but the they spoke "its ok, it's just me" It was just the general. As I rose onto my feet and staggered my way to the end of the beach, I felt a calm atmosphere it was all over and I could finally breathe. I had made it through the storm and got to the other side knowing my family is waiting for the call that settled them. But the memories of war were waiting as well , as that was the last thing I ever saw and my prize for freedom, was a scar, my sight that I left on the battle field.