The Darker side
The darker side
“I wish things could have been different.” Sophie started, her voice cracking before rising to a panic “I wish he could still be here with me. I wish--” She paused, … hesitated for just a moment, a single tear rolled down her cheek “But I wish a lot of things.”
Twelve hours earlier:
“You really do have a horrible outlook on life don’t you Nick?”
“Life is full of denial, rejection, and disappointment. The sooner people realize that the sooner they can move on. That’s just the way things are.”
Great, he’s on a rant again. I just wish I could figure out what’s troubling him.
“Don’t you ever once stop and wonder what things would be like if you weren’t glum?”
“What’s the point? Sooner or later someone would just come around and slap me out of it anyways.”
“Well you had to be happy at one point in your life, and I know I’ve seen you laugh and smile. So come on then.” Sophie paused, but Nick just looked the other direction “What’s troubling you?”
“It doesn’t matter anyways, it happened a long time ago.”
“Alright you two.” General Zechariah interjected with a half shout, half grunt “Quit flirting over there and eat your eggs. They’re gonna’ get cold.”
“We’re not flirting, we’re talking.” Nick shot back. Sophie ducked her head just quick enough for no one to catch her blush, and scooped another spoonful of her half finished breakfast into her mouth.
Well you’re not flirting anyways. Still, why won’t you just tell me … I know you Nick … you can’t actually believe all of that stuff.
Sophie lowered her voice a few notches and leaned across the table. “You know you can tell me if something’s bothering you. I worry about you sometimes Nick.”
Eyes fixed firmly on his untouched breakfast; he replied, “Don’t. I’ll be fine.” Suddenly he looked up, “I’m sorry. It’s just … It’s over. Nothing I do can change the past. She’s gone … and I have to life with that.”
“She’s gone?” Sophie replied, pondering who she could be. “Bailey, Your sister?” She paused … “You know … you never told me what happened.”
“She was. … It didn’t.” He took a breath, “I just wish things could have been different, you know? I wish she could still be here with me. I wish that.” He paused, she could feel him getting excited, see the passion in his eyes as he seemed to look not at her, but through her. “But then again, I wish a lot of things.”
And I wish I could help you. Sophie thought as she placed one of her hands on his arm. Whoa, that’s firmer than I remember.
“Thanks Sophie.” He said as his gaze seemed to return to her eyes. “You know, after we get back home … back away from all of this.”
Yes? Sophie’s heart skipped a beat.
“I was wondering.”
Yes? Two beats
“If maybe.”
But Nick never finished, he was cut off as a siren went off from the other wall.
General Zechariah was the first to his feet. “Heads up, we’ve got incoming! Nate, Sam, Eleanore get over to that window. Nick, Sophie quit flirting and on your feet!”
The general was wasting his breath, by the time he’d finished Sophie already had her body firmly pressed up against the wall, her rifle pointed out the window.
For a few seconds, nothing happened.
“Where are you?” Nick breathed standing next to Sophie.
Everyone in the room held their breath as they scanned for any sign of life. Sophie looked down her iron sights, sweeping left and right, looking for anything besides the dust that seemed to extend for miles, but the first noise came from behind her.
“Grenade! Get out!”
Sophie didn’t even think, before she knew what had happened she was pressed on the other side of the wall with Nick close at her side. The other three soldiers were over on the other side of the door hugging the wall, a split second past, and then Sophie regained her senses.
Where’s the general?
An explosion came from inside and a shout of pain followed it. Sophie bolted to her feet and looked through the window, but Zechariah was already at the door. He staggered out clutching his arm.
“Sam! He needs a medic!”
“Got it Sophie!” Sam dropped to his knees at the same time that the general collapsed to the ground, the sand underneath him changing from a brown to a deep crimson.
“Contacts around the building!” Came Nick’s voice from the Humvee parked near the side of the hall.
Sophie ran over to him and dropped to her stomach, propping her rifle up with her elbows and lifting the sights to her field of vision. There must have been hundreds of them. She didn’t waste any time. She centered on one and squeezed the trigger, then another, and then another. They dropped just like they should, … and yet more kept coming.
“What happened to the barracks? They can’t just take a US military outpost can’t they?”
“I don’t know Sophie, it looks like they came prepared to.”
If the two had been any farther apart then they would not have been able to hear, the gunshots seemed to sound all at the same time, compounding their volume into something that could shatter even the strongest glass.
The battle seemed to last for days; it could have been half an hour, it could have been five. Sophie couldn’t tell, and she didn’t think Nick laying next to her in the sand could either.
Then a tank rolled through the near wall. “Tank heads up Nick!”
“No! That’s ours!”
It turned to show a big green number forty-five on the side and launched a huge shell at the propane tank sitting near the center of the compound. A soldier dropped down next to Sophie
“Forty-fifth armored division, where’s your commander?”
“He’s over in the mess, he’s been shot. I’m not sure if he’s still alive even.”
“Are you two okay?”
Nick looked over Sophie and addressed the other solider “Yeah, they came out of nowhere though. We’re luck you guys showed up.”
“We’re just here to help.” He looked at the mess hall, still billowing smoke from all of the hell that it had been receiving. “I’m gonna’ go check on your commander.” The man got up and started to run off, at the same time that Sophie heard something heavy hit the ground next to her … and saw Nick grab it.
Present day:
“So.” The man in a suit was looking at her with as gentle an expression as he could manage … that being said, he still looked pretty grumpy. “He grabbed the grenade.”
“He saved my life.” Sophie was nearly in tears.
“You and your unit were involved in a six hour firefight, only you and the general made it out.”
Nick gave his life to save mine ... She repeated the idea in her head
The door opened and Sophie saw Alyssa rush in.
“Leave her alone Dylan.” She moved over and sat down right next to Sophie
“She needs to be debriefed.”
“She needs.” Alyssa spat back “To see Nick. Your debriefing can take place later.”
Dylan just scoffed and walked out.
The door slammed behind him … for a moment the room was silent. “Sorry about him, he’s not the nice type.” But Sophie didn’t respond. She just kept staring at the ground. “Hey … you okay?”
“No.”
“I know. … I’m sorry.” Alyssa wrapped her friend in a hug
“He was going to ask me out, you know.”
“What?”
“Three years … I waited three years and he was finally ready to ask me … at least I think he was.”
“Sophie I’m so sorry.”
“I … I wish things could have been different.” Sophie started, her voice cracking before rising to a panic “I wish he could still be here with me. I wish--” She paused, … hesitated for just a moment, a single tear rolled down her cheek “But I wish a lot of things.”
Twelve hours earlier:
“You really do have a horrible outlook on life don’t you Nick?”
“Life is full of denial, rejection, and disappointment. The sooner people realize that the sooner they can move on. That’s just the way things are.”
Great, he’s on a rant again. I just wish I could figure out what’s troubling him.
“Don’t you ever once stop and wonder what things would be like if you weren’t glum?”
“What’s the point? Sooner or later someone would just come around and slap me out of it anyways.”
“Well you had to be happy at one point in your life, and I know I’ve seen you laugh and smile. So come on then.” Sophie paused, but Nick just looked the other direction “What’s troubling you?”
“It doesn’t matter anyways, it happened a long time ago.”
“Alright you two.” General Zechariah interjected with a half shout, half grunt “Quit flirting over there and eat your eggs. They’re gonna’ get cold.”
“We’re not flirting, we’re talking.” Nick shot back. Sophie ducked her head just quick enough for no one to catch her blush, and scooped another spoonful of her half finished breakfast into her mouth.
Well you’re not flirting anyways. Still, why won’t you just tell me … I know you Nick … you can’t actually believe all of that stuff.
Sophie lowered her voice a few notches and leaned across the table. “You know you can tell me if something’s bothering you. I worry about you sometimes Nick.”
Eyes fixed firmly on his untouched breakfast; he replied, “Don’t. I’ll be fine.” Suddenly he looked up, “I’m sorry. It’s just … It’s over. Nothing I do can change the past. She’s gone … and I have to life with that.”
“She’s gone?” Sophie replied, pondering who she could be. “Bailey, Your sister?” She paused … “You know … you never told me what happened.”
“She was. … It didn’t.” He took a breath, “I just wish things could have been different, you know? I wish she could still be here with me. I wish that.” He paused, she could feel him getting excited, see the passion in his eyes as he seemed to look not at her, but through her. “But then again, I wish a lot of things.”
And I wish I could help you. Sophie thought as she placed one of her hands on his arm. Whoa, that’s firmer than I remember.
“Thanks Sophie.” He said as his gaze seemed to return to her eyes. “You know, after we get back home … back away from all of this.”
Yes? Sophie’s heart skipped a beat.
“I was wondering.”
Yes? Two beats
“If maybe.”
But Nick never finished, he was cut off as a siren went off from the other wall.
General Zechariah was the first to his feet. “Heads up, we’ve got incoming! Nate, Sam, Eleanore get over to that window. Nick, Sophie quit flirting and on your feet!”
The general was wasting his breath, by the time he’d finished Sophie already had her body firmly pressed up against the wall, her rifle pointed out the window.
For a few seconds, nothing happened.
“Where are you?” Nick breathed standing next to Sophie.
Everyone in the room held their breath as they scanned for any sign of life. Sophie looked down her iron sights, sweeping left and right, looking for anything besides the dust that seemed to extend for miles, but the first noise came from behind her.
“Grenade! Get out!”
Sophie didn’t even think, before she knew what had happened she was pressed on the other side of the wall with Nick close at her side. The other three soldiers were over on the other side of the door hugging the wall, a split second past, and then Sophie regained her senses.
Where’s the general?
An explosion came from inside and a shout of pain followed it. Sophie bolted to her feet and looked through the window, but Zechariah was already at the door. He staggered out clutching his arm.
“Sam! He needs a medic!”
“Got it Sophie!” Sam dropped to his knees at the same time that the general collapsed to the ground, the sand underneath him changing from a brown to a deep crimson.
“Contacts around the building!” Came Nick’s voice from the Humvee parked near the side of the hall.
Sophie ran over to him and dropped to her stomach, propping her rifle up with her elbows and lifting the sights to her field of vision. There must have been hundreds of them. She didn’t waste any time. She centered on one and squeezed the trigger, then another, and then another. They dropped just like they should, … and yet more kept coming.
“What happened to the barracks? They can’t just take a US military outpost can’t they?”
“I don’t know Sophie, it looks like they came prepared to.”
If the two had been any farther apart then they would not have been able to hear, the gunshots seemed to sound all at the same time, compounding their volume into something that could shatter even the strongest glass.
The battle seemed to last for days; it could have been half an hour, it could have been five. Sophie couldn’t tell, and she didn’t think Nick laying next to her in the sand could either.
Then a tank rolled through the near wall. “Tank heads up Nick!”
“No! That’s ours!”
It turned to show a big green number forty-five on the side and launched a huge shell at the propane tank sitting near the center of the compound. A soldier dropped down next to Sophie
“Forty-fifth armored division, where’s your commander?”
“He’s over in the mess, he’s been shot. I’m not sure if he’s still alive even.”
“Are you two okay?”
Nick looked over Sophie and addressed the other solider “Yeah, they came out of nowhere though. We’re luck you guys showed up.”
“We’re just here to help.” He looked at the mess hall, still billowing smoke from all of the hell that it had been receiving. “I’m gonna’ go check on your commander.” The man got up and started to run off, at the same time that Sophie heard something heavy hit the ground next to her … and saw Nick grab it.
Present day:
“So.” The man in a suit was looking at her with as gentle an expression as he could manage … that being said, he still looked pretty grumpy. “He grabbed the grenade.”
“He saved my life.” Sophie was nearly in tears.
“You and your unit were involved in a six hour firefight, only you and the general made it out.”
Nick gave his life to save mine ... She repeated the idea in her head
The door opened and Sophie saw Alyssa rush in.
“Leave her alone Dylan.” She moved over and sat down right next to Sophie
“She needs to be debriefed.”
“She needs.” Alyssa spat back “To see Nick. Your debriefing can take place later.”
Dylan just scoffed and walked out.
The door slammed behind him … for a moment the room was silent. “Sorry about him, he’s not the nice type.” But Sophie didn’t respond. She just kept staring at the ground. “Hey … you okay?”
“No.”
“I know. … I’m sorry.” Alyssa wrapped her friend in a hug
“He was going to ask me out, you know.”
“What?”
“Three years … I waited three years and he was finally ready to ask me … at least I think he was.”
“Sophie I’m so sorry.”
“I … I wish things could have been different.” Sophie started, her voice cracking before rising to a panic “I wish he could still be here with me. I wish--” She paused, … hesitated for just a moment, a single tear rolled down her cheek “But I wish a lot of things.”