Unfamiliar Sky

"Fall back! Fall back!"

Chaos was a necessary part of war.

Screams of his brothers and sisters were heard across the desert. Explosions and gun shots and crying.

But, Brian never really expected to find it on the winning side. His side.

"I'm not leaving you here, Johnny. I won't let you die."

He started to drag Johnny's limp body away from the twisted, blistering metal that was once a jeep.

"Brian... I'm already dead.” Blood spurt from his mouth as he struggled to speak. “Get out of here. Quick."

The car exploded, knocking Brian back, and sending a piece of shrapnel flying at Johnny. It went cut straight across his neck, splattering Brian with blood.

It was silent at camp tonight. Everyone was licking their wounds. Grieving for everyone they had lost today. And the day before that. And the day before that. And...

"Matt, please, not you too. You have pull through. You're all I've got left. Everyone else..."

Brian held Matt's hand, gripping tightly onto his shoulder. Matt lay in a hospital cot, blood dripping from his ear and from the gaping wound in his chest.

"Sorry, Bri. We'll all be waiting for you on the other side." Matt's eyes fluttered to a close and Brian tried to control his breathing as incredible rage and terrible sorrow rushed through him. He shut his eyes tightly, gritting his teeth painfully.

The moon shone high in the sky. It was a full moon.

There was no fire made to keep him company in the cold for fear that enemy planes would spot them. It was silent and dark. They weren't even there. They were nothing in the desert. Nothingness that blended in with the sand and the night. Nothingness ready to kill and destroy.

For the greater good. The heroes. God bless America.

Brian was lying in the cold sand, just outside of the circle of camp, close to his tent. He was looking up at the stars and the moon, thinking. Thinking very hard.

Brian kicked the table over angrily, scattering pencils, papers, books, and pictures through his tent. He wanted to scream. He wanted to scream and curse at the sky and the heavens and the God that refused to notice him. Instead, he collapsed to the ground in a silent heap, holding everything in.

His eyes scanned the mess he'd made, settling on a picture of him as a kid, with his father and grandfather. His head spun as a thought suddenly came to his head.

"What if his stories were true?"

His grandfather used to tell Brian a lot of stories as a kid. Stories about supernatural beings and mythical creatures. His stories were vivid and always made Brian happy. His grandfather was always in the stories, killing the creatures. He was like a superhero, taking out the bad guys.

Brian never even considered the fact that his stories could be true, but when he'd died, and saw all those other guys at his funeral. Ones who had crooked noses like his grandfather, and scars on their faces like his grandfather... He'd asked his father one time if he had gotten them all in the war, and his father just shook his head with a sigh, closing his eyes, and said no.

So... what if? Just... what if?

Brian stood up from his position, emotionless. He'd learned to hold everything inside in the past two years. The deaths and pain were held inside. A true soldier. He glanced over his shoulder, and didn't see anyone around. He licked his lips and headed inside of his tent, gathering the necessary items for what he was about to do.

-*-

Brian had remembered seeing a crossroad about a mile or two away from camp.

It was dark, but Brian could see the very top of the sun rising in the distance. It cast a purple haze on the dark desert sky.

He came to the crossroad after about thirty minutes of quickly walking. He needed to do this fast before it was noticed that he was gone. If they thought he was missing, they would brand him a traitor.... And, that would end decidedly not in Brian's favor.

From his bag, he took the box filled with his picture, the bones he found in town the other day, and a few other items that were rather difficult to come by. He had thought about this for a while, but it took him a while to finally gather the courage to actually do it. Some items he found, some he stole, and some... well, Brian always had a rather strong stomach.

He stood in the middle of the crossroad, rethinking his decision once more. He shuffled his heavy boots in the dirt, glancing around for any signs of life. It was a baron wasteland. Not a single sound. He shuddered with loneliness. He didn't belong in this place.

He dropped his backpack to the ground, digging out his box and a spoon, and starting to shovel away the sand and rock before he lost his nerve. His heart pounded with anxiety.

What if this doesn't work?

If it didn't work, then he didn't lose anything. Or gain anything. He would return to war and misery.

But what if it does work?

He dropped the box into the hole and started to cover it. Brian licked his dry lips as the top of the box disappeared into the desert. He took a deep breath, staring at the sand, waiting. He looked up to the sky. No changes.

He had expected something big. Fire and brimstone. Thunder and hail. But it was quiet.

Brian's heart dropped, and he stood up. He closed his eyes, rubbing them with the palms of his hands. He stood like that for a while.

How could I have been so stupid?

He dropped his hands.

A man stood there, in front of him. Brian nearly gasped, but kept his composure, staring in awe.

It had actually worked.

The man was about his age. He had deep brown eyes and tanned, middle-eastern, brown skin. He wore modern clothes. Brian was surprised that he looked so modern and young. This was a demon?

He had assumed a monstrous creature- haggered and terrifying. But this man was handsome and unassuming.

“You're...” The demon smiled, making Brian almost shudder, and nodded slowly. “I didn't think it would work, to be honest.” The demon cocked his head, taking a step closer to Brian, still smiling brightly.

“And yet,” he started, inching another step closer. “Here I am,” he said gracefully. His voice was smooth and taunting.

Brian frowned in disappointment and sighed.

"Why did they send a man?" The demon smirked, edging a bit more closer to him. He was very close now, making Brian a little nervous, but he held his ground.

"Cause I'm the best. And my boss noticed a bit of destiny in your eyes, Brian.” He spoke slowly and carefully, looking deeply into Brian's eyes. “He found it very exciting. He didn't want to send just anyone." He inched closer still. "What can I possibly do for you, Brian?" Brian rubbed his face slowly, closing his eyes and thinking this over for a moment.

All of his friends were dead. He was all alone in this horrible war. He saw flashes his friends' dying moments, and snapped his eyes open to avoid remembering those horrible moments.

"I want you to bring back my friends." The demon tsked.

"Can't do that. You can have one friend, or one other favor." Brian frowned.

"What? I thought I could have anything-"

"Not exactly,” he patronized. “I mean, do you know how hard it is to bring back someone from the dead, let alone four? It's exhausting. Pick something else," he said with a dismissive shrug. Brian closed his eyes, trying to think. Maybe it was for the best. He didn't want to bring back one of his friends just so they could die in the war again, bloody and painful... And then it hit him.

"I want to get out of the war. I want to go back home. For good." The demon smiled.

"That's more like it." He moved a little closer. "That was very noble of you, though, trying to save your friends. Or was it selfish?" the demon asked, putting a finger to his chin in thought. "I can't tell." His eyes glowed in the moonlight. "Do you know what this deal entails?" Brian looked down.

"10 years?" he asked quietly.

"Ooh, you did your research, didn't you? Maybe your dear old gramps helped a bit, too, perhaps?" Brian looked up quickly.

"How do you-"

"Look, I've been alive for a very, very long time. Your grandfather was actually a pretty good hunter in his day. Not great, clearly... but good." The demon smiled cruelly. Brian let out a breath, letting reality soak in.

"So... so he really was a..."

"Yes. He really was." The demon tilted his head. "You actually look quite a bit like him." His lips curled up into a smirk. "Wouldn't he be proud of you?" Brian grit his teeth, clenching his fists.

"Yeah, well, whatever. There's no way, I'm kissing you." His smirk turned to a sarcastic smile as I sneered at him.

"Yeah, well, I don't think you've got much of a choice." The demon reached up a hand and caught Brian's jaw loosely. He looked deeply into Brian's eyes, and brushed some hair out of his face, tangling his fingers into his deep brown hair. He moved into his ear, letting his hand fall slowly from his jaw down his neck, down his muscular chest, and to his waist. He pressed their bodies closer. "What'll it be?" he whispered with a smirk. “Are you ready to go home? To be safe? To be happy again?” His lips had barely grazed Brian's ear, and his breathing picked up as he felt the demon's hot breath hit him in the cold air. Brian took in a deep breath and nodded once.

"Deal."

The demon's smirk curled back and Brian could feel his teeth graze against his ear and jawbone as he attached his lips to Brian's. The kiss was rough and dominating, and Brian really didn't expect much less from a demon. He kissed back, mostly out of fear that the deal wouldn't seal if he didn't. But, he pulled back when the demon tried to force his tongue into Brian's mouth.

They were both out of breath by the time that the kiss ended. The demon had a dirty smirk on his face. He wiped a little bit of saliva from the corner of his mouth, while Brian wiped his whole mouth on his sleeve, sticking out his tongue in disgust and spitting on the ground.

"Ew." The demon laughed.

"You didn't seem to think that a few seconds ago, Brian." Brian rolled his eyes. The demon looked him up and down, taking in a breath and letting it out in a rush. "Boy, do I love a man in uniform." Brian growled. "Calm down, the deal is made. Give it a day, and you'll be back home before you know it," he said smugly, almost mockingly. "Nice doing business with you, Brian." The demon waved at him with a wink and disappeared right before Brian's eyes. Brian unclenched his fists that he had closed tightly without realizing.

He looked back to the sun rising across the desert. The sky was a lighter blue, and the sun cast a yellow light on the sand.

He looked back to the hole he had buried the box in, turned around, and headed back to camp.