Chaos

Lieutenant Lane had briefed us on Operation Chaos. We were to hold our position until he received the signal. What the signal was, he never said. Then, we were to retreat. It would all go smoothly, he had said. But he was wrong.

Three platoons were stationed in Rain Forest that night. Only a portion of mine and a few others were left when Lieutenant Lane was shot. The other officers hadn’t survived either.

With no superior, and no connection to anyone outside the forest, survival was our only thought. Should we have waited for the signal? Perhaps, if we knew what it was. Was it the right thing to do? I can’t say for sure. The thirty-four survivors retreated, yet the gunshots still persisted. I heard bodies dropping and tried hard not to think about it. It seems my life is centered around death.

The shooting stopped for a moment, but we continued running. When I heard it pick up again, it seemed to be going the opposite way, followed by screams. It was then that I knew; Operation Chaos had begun.