Prologue

*BOOM!*

“Run!!”

“We won’t make it!”

“Just run!!”

Right after they heard the loud explosion just a few miles away, the soldiers ran towards the opposite direction as fast as they could. They forced their feet move even beyond their limit. A soldier heard a crack in his ankle but never cared about it and still ran as fast as he could.

“Ack!!”

The other one’s feet gave in and trip face flat on the ground but forced his arms to crawl as far as he could. He scraped his hands from the sharp rocks along the hot asphalt. The soldier felt it was the end. The instinct to survive is the only thing that makes him move.

[I don’t want to die…!]

All the soldiers at the site screamed that one line inside their head for over a hundred times already. They literally ran for their lives.

*Bang!* *Bang!*

“Urk!”

One soldier felt an excruciating pain in his back through his abdomen and held the part while running. A zapping pain throbbed as he touched the area and felt a warm liquid coming out from it.

“W-wha…?”

Slowly, the soldier’s knee fell out and drop to the ground. He was shot by an enemy soldier while they were running. They are being chased by the Russian army as of the moment. The soldier who shot him is now nowhere to be seen. Perhaps he thought the soldier already died and went for his next target.

“Kuh…!”

But that may be the next thing that will happen for the fallen soldier. A lot of blood already flowed out of him as he felt his eyes already blurring. His feet felt a lot cold compared to when he ran out of fear from the enemy soldiers. All sorts of thoughts starting to surface from deep within his minds and reminded him of all the good memories he had before coming to the battlefield.

“Am I dying…?”

Even without asking that question, he already knew the answer. He doesn’t have much longer to stay in this world and fight for his dear country.

He loved the country next to his family.

“*pant* this one’s still alive!!”

While enduring the pain as he curls up on the ground, he heard a loud voice just above his head. He thought he would die from blood loss and die a silent death but life for him is not that sweet. Until the end he was met by the shadow that haunts them.

“D-damn it…!”

The soldier standing holds his gun while panting heavily. He was tired from running around and chasing the escaping soldiers.

But in the eyes of the fallen soldier. It was a huge dark shadow holding its scythe preparing for his execution. It was death himself. Delirious, hallucinating, he felt he will end up being mad before he died. He forced his brain to remember the smiles of his family, his wife and daughter.

“It’s a waste of ammo! I’ll just stab this trash to death!”

The fallen soldier closed his eyes as he was preparing for his end while all that remains in his mind are the smiles of his beloved.

“Martha… Leila…”

The soldier prepares his knife and aims for his throat.

“My love… I’m coming for you two…”

*Bang!*

“Gah-!”

A loud piercing sound of a gun reverberate around the premise. The next thing is a thud just beside the fallen soldier.

“K-kuh…”

“Soldier! Are you okay?!”

“W-who…?”

“It’s Sergeant Schmidt! I’m here for reinforcement! Stay with me!”

“N-no… It’s too late… I won’t… last…”

The fallen soldier cough up a huge amount of blood. His pale face was obvious even in the dark surrounding with only spreading fire laminating the now destroyed city.

“Damn it!”

“Sergeant… d-did I… serve my purpose right…?”

“…”

It was a soldier’s purpose to serve the country and lay his life for the people who lives within it. But that doesn’t mean dying for the country is everything. But for a soldier, it is the greatest honor to live and die for their own country. It was without a doubt, that the fallen soldier splendidly performed his duty as a soldier and protected the people of his country. Schmidt paused for a while and looked straight to the eyes of the fallen soldier.

“You did more than enough, soldier!”

“I… see…”

The soldier raised his hands to the heavens attempting to reach something and after a short while, it dropped lifeless to the ground. He is dead.

“May your soul rest in peace.”

At his final moments, it was definitely a fulfilling end. It is apparent with the expression of the now passed away soldier.

“I won’t forget that expression, soldier!”

Schmidt ran towards the battlefield and prepared his resolve once more to fight for his country.

…

Five years later…

“I welcome you again, Second Lieutenant Schmidt.”

“Sir!”

Prologue End