Afraid of What You'll Find
The War.
16th June 1945
Frank
I looked over to Gerard. He looked just like he did when we first joined the Army in 1939. He looked pale and solemn. I couldn’t blame him; it was the day we were sailing to Normandy to fight against the Germans. I remembered the first day were at the Army. I never realised how much we had changed. Bob was still chubby but he wasn’t the anti-social person he was and even had a girlfriend. Mikey had become almost six foot tall but still wore his horn-rimmed glasses like he always did. Bert had changed his appearance completely. He made his hair greasy and was nicknamed the ‘McCracken Madman’ because of the unorthodox things he would do. Ray became the sweetest person I knew with the strangest hair I had ever seen and, like Mikey, became six feet tall and had a girlfriend who loved him dearly. Me and Gerard were still lovers like we were six years ago although the Army never found out about it. Gerard had barely changed at all. He was still the same person inside although he was a lot more serious sometimes than he used to be. In the distance I saw grey land. I felt my stomach turn inside out in fear. I saw Mikey in front of me throw up over the side of the boat. Sgt. Moore took this as being ‘weak’ and pulled him up over the boat by his hair. Mikey didn’t protest; he was used to him doing this. Gerard looked serious and clutched his AK 47 so hard his knuckles had gone as white as chalk. Soon we came too close to the land and I could hear Sgt. Moore shouting above the storm.
“Out, men! Everyone out! Show them what you’re made of!” He screamed, pushing everyone out of the boat. I jumped out and swam across the waves as fast as I could. Bullets went past me in the water, narrowly missing my body by inches. I looked across to see some of the people who were in my dormitory struggling with their huge bags before lying still as they suffocated under water. I saw Bert swimming quickly across the water before he stopped, trying to scream in pain, as a bullet punctured his stomach and blood began to flood out, mixing with the water. He reached for me before lying still, like other people, and sinking downwards due to the heaviness of his rucksack. I tried to carry on regardless and managed to get to the shore.
“How is it going?” I heard someone say. I turned around to see Gerard forcing a smile at me.
“Gerard, Bert’s been shot. He’s dead,” I said sadly.
“Oh... Well we’ll have to carry on,” He said bravely. We ran past the barricades and hid behind large dips in the sand. I picked up my gun and managed to shoot a German soldier in the eye and another in the back of the head. Gerard shot three Germans in a few seconds. Mikey fell down next to me.
“Have you been shot?” I shouted above the gunshots.
“No, I need to reload,” He shouted back. Once he had reloaded, he shot three Germans as well.
“I think we should run now,” Gerard shouted to me. I nodded. We ran as low as we could and I hid under another dip in the sand.
“What are you doing? We can just-” Gerard stopped in mid sentence. He fell to the ground clutching his chest and began to scream in agony.
“Gerard!” I screamed at him. I ran to his side and looked for the wound. He began to cough up blood; it erupted out of his mouth and over his uniform and myself. There was also blood flowing out of his lung area that stained my hands and uniform. I ripped off my sleeve and put it on his wound. I screamed for help but no one came.
“Frank, come here...” Gerard said.
“You’re not going to die. You are not going to die,” I shouted at him.
“Frankie...” He whispered.
“No, you’re not going to die. We’re going to be together, for all eternity, just like we promised each other,” I screamed, trying to convince myself.
“Frankie, come closer...” Gerard said. I went closer to him and he kissed me. He kissed me one last time.
“I’m sorry for all the things I did wrong, and I still love you. I will always love you. I promise that when I die, my heart will belong to you. And I’ll keep that promise. No matter what,” Gerard said. He stopped talking and I watched the vaguest sparkle leave his eyes forever.
“No!” I screamed, “Don’t do this to me! I need you!”
I screamed and screamed until I felt as if my heart would explode. Mikey ran at me and pinned me to the ground. I screamed at Mikey to let me go but he didn’t. He cried with me but we had to go on.
“Leave it, Frank. It’s too late. We’re too late,” He cried. I had to go on without Gerard. I wanted to curl up on the ground and cry until I died so I could be with Gerard, but I had to go on without him. I held my head in my hands and screamed one last time, covering my face in Gerard’s blood. It went in my eyes, stinging them and turning everything I saw red. It dripped in to my mouth, making me taste the sharp taste of iron. I began to fight my hardest, hurting the people who had hurt me and killed my Gerard. I shot all the Germans I could see but it wasn’t enough. I wanted to make them feel what it was like to lose someone you loved and watch them die.
I fought in the war for 3 years before I was shot in the leg by a German and was deemed unfit for fighting.
A few years later we had a small funeral for Gerard. He had already been buried while we were in the war but the others and I had got together to remember him and to say goodbye. Only a few people were allowed to come to the funeral. They were Mikey, Bob, Ray and me. They left me alone after they had said their goodbyes to Gerard.
“I guess this is goodbye, Gerard,” I said. “I wish we could have survived the war together. Remember when we said we would buy a house together after the war? I do. I remember the excitement in your eyes when I asked you to be with me for the rest of my life. My heart will always belong to you, and no one will ever replace you.”
The white rose I was holding was now stained with tears and blood from the cuts on my hands. I put the rose on the grave and stroked the cream head stone. I tried to think of all the good times we had had together; sitting by the lake, history class, the mornings we spent in bed, but all I could think of was when he died in my arms. The visions of that day flashed in my head like warning lights and made my heart race and made me feel dizzy. I vowed to myself, when I walked with the others, that I would never replace him.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*Sniffle*
One last chapter to go.
Tis one sad story...
=[
Frank
I looked over to Gerard. He looked just like he did when we first joined the Army in 1939. He looked pale and solemn. I couldn’t blame him; it was the day we were sailing to Normandy to fight against the Germans. I remembered the first day were at the Army. I never realised how much we had changed. Bob was still chubby but he wasn’t the anti-social person he was and even had a girlfriend. Mikey had become almost six foot tall but still wore his horn-rimmed glasses like he always did. Bert had changed his appearance completely. He made his hair greasy and was nicknamed the ‘McCracken Madman’ because of the unorthodox things he would do. Ray became the sweetest person I knew with the strangest hair I had ever seen and, like Mikey, became six feet tall and had a girlfriend who loved him dearly. Me and Gerard were still lovers like we were six years ago although the Army never found out about it. Gerard had barely changed at all. He was still the same person inside although he was a lot more serious sometimes than he used to be. In the distance I saw grey land. I felt my stomach turn inside out in fear. I saw Mikey in front of me throw up over the side of the boat. Sgt. Moore took this as being ‘weak’ and pulled him up over the boat by his hair. Mikey didn’t protest; he was used to him doing this. Gerard looked serious and clutched his AK 47 so hard his knuckles had gone as white as chalk. Soon we came too close to the land and I could hear Sgt. Moore shouting above the storm.
“Out, men! Everyone out! Show them what you’re made of!” He screamed, pushing everyone out of the boat. I jumped out and swam across the waves as fast as I could. Bullets went past me in the water, narrowly missing my body by inches. I looked across to see some of the people who were in my dormitory struggling with their huge bags before lying still as they suffocated under water. I saw Bert swimming quickly across the water before he stopped, trying to scream in pain, as a bullet punctured his stomach and blood began to flood out, mixing with the water. He reached for me before lying still, like other people, and sinking downwards due to the heaviness of his rucksack. I tried to carry on regardless and managed to get to the shore.
“How is it going?” I heard someone say. I turned around to see Gerard forcing a smile at me.
“Gerard, Bert’s been shot. He’s dead,” I said sadly.
“Oh... Well we’ll have to carry on,” He said bravely. We ran past the barricades and hid behind large dips in the sand. I picked up my gun and managed to shoot a German soldier in the eye and another in the back of the head. Gerard shot three Germans in a few seconds. Mikey fell down next to me.
“Have you been shot?” I shouted above the gunshots.
“No, I need to reload,” He shouted back. Once he had reloaded, he shot three Germans as well.
“I think we should run now,” Gerard shouted to me. I nodded. We ran as low as we could and I hid under another dip in the sand.
“What are you doing? We can just-” Gerard stopped in mid sentence. He fell to the ground clutching his chest and began to scream in agony.
“Gerard!” I screamed at him. I ran to his side and looked for the wound. He began to cough up blood; it erupted out of his mouth and over his uniform and myself. There was also blood flowing out of his lung area that stained my hands and uniform. I ripped off my sleeve and put it on his wound. I screamed for help but no one came.
“Frank, come here...” Gerard said.
“You’re not going to die. You are not going to die,” I shouted at him.
“Frankie...” He whispered.
“No, you’re not going to die. We’re going to be together, for all eternity, just like we promised each other,” I screamed, trying to convince myself.
“Frankie, come closer...” Gerard said. I went closer to him and he kissed me. He kissed me one last time.
“I’m sorry for all the things I did wrong, and I still love you. I will always love you. I promise that when I die, my heart will belong to you. And I’ll keep that promise. No matter what,” Gerard said. He stopped talking and I watched the vaguest sparkle leave his eyes forever.
“No!” I screamed, “Don’t do this to me! I need you!”
I screamed and screamed until I felt as if my heart would explode. Mikey ran at me and pinned me to the ground. I screamed at Mikey to let me go but he didn’t. He cried with me but we had to go on.
“Leave it, Frank. It’s too late. We’re too late,” He cried. I had to go on without Gerard. I wanted to curl up on the ground and cry until I died so I could be with Gerard, but I had to go on without him. I held my head in my hands and screamed one last time, covering my face in Gerard’s blood. It went in my eyes, stinging them and turning everything I saw red. It dripped in to my mouth, making me taste the sharp taste of iron. I began to fight my hardest, hurting the people who had hurt me and killed my Gerard. I shot all the Germans I could see but it wasn’t enough. I wanted to make them feel what it was like to lose someone you loved and watch them die.
I fought in the war for 3 years before I was shot in the leg by a German and was deemed unfit for fighting.
A few years later we had a small funeral for Gerard. He had already been buried while we were in the war but the others and I had got together to remember him and to say goodbye. Only a few people were allowed to come to the funeral. They were Mikey, Bob, Ray and me. They left me alone after they had said their goodbyes to Gerard.
“I guess this is goodbye, Gerard,” I said. “I wish we could have survived the war together. Remember when we said we would buy a house together after the war? I do. I remember the excitement in your eyes when I asked you to be with me for the rest of my life. My heart will always belong to you, and no one will ever replace you.”
The white rose I was holding was now stained with tears and blood from the cuts on my hands. I put the rose on the grave and stroked the cream head stone. I tried to think of all the good times we had had together; sitting by the lake, history class, the mornings we spent in bed, but all I could think of was when he died in my arms. The visions of that day flashed in my head like warning lights and made my heart race and made me feel dizzy. I vowed to myself, when I walked with the others, that I would never replace him.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*Sniffle*
One last chapter to go.
Tis one sad story...
=[