I couldn’t believe it. A year ago, I was but a child with an almost far-fetched dream of becoming a brave marine who’d find and capture pirates, the symbol of evil, and protect the lives of all innocent people who lived in the desert wastelands that were the islands surrounded by the crimson sea.

But the scene I saw in front of me? It was nothing like I’d imagined. The blood, the smoke, the fear in the soldiers’ eyes as a bayonet ran through their chest and the same unmistakable look of despair painted on every single one of their faces.

My best friend’s, no, my brother’s eyes were filled to the brim with anguish as he let out a soul crushing scream that echoed through the corpse-riddled field in front of me.

Hacksaw stood beside me, his mouth agape in front of the scene before us. Ally and enemy alike all stopped fighting to see what should’ve been the end of the war that had taken away so many lives, separated hundreds of families, and broken the spirit of thousands of people.

Coronel Doyle was dead, the Tsar’s envoy that carried our bases’ blueprints and plan of attack was gone. We had accomplished our goal, the Russians were no longer able to win this war, so it’d end, it should’ve ended, I wish it had.

“We’re wiping them out, take no prisoners! Air support is coming soon, they’ll drop the gas on a camp a few kilometers ahead, our job is to push them back and be ready to finish off any survivors!”

…..What?

The camp he was talking about had injured soldiers, they had medics and diplomats there, was he insane? We did what we’d come to do, and he wanted us to keep killing? Killing more russian soldiers wouldn’t do us any good, after this battle, their government was sure to surrender; we were already holding them at gunpoint, taking any more lives would be disgraceful to those who sacrificed themselves to end and win the war

That couldn’t happen, I wouldn’t let it happen.

And so, I ran.

I ran at speeds I didn’t know I could ever achieve, tears flowing out of my eyes and hitting the ground as more and more of my friends and comrades fell on the pavement with wounds that almost made me vomit, the Soviets hurrying to make their escape before we reached their camp.

“STOP IT!!”

“PARKINSON!!!” Screamed Corporal Daniels at the top of his lungs, attempting to stop me. However, I was already standing in front of one of the highest ranking navy members, an admiral, whatever anyone below that rank had to say wouldn’t make me move a muscle.

“Stop it all! This fighting….just end it!”

“We’re throwing people’s lives away even though every soldier has a family waiting for them to return! Even after accomplishing our goal, we aren’t stopping?!”

“We keep running after soldiers who don’t even want to fight anymore, drawing out a battle that should already be over… and abandoning soldiers who could be saved if we treated their wounds now!”

“And still we keep sacrificing people, what about the soldiers that will fall after this?! We’re making them look like fools! Fighting for a goal that’s already been accomplished, giving their lives for an ideal that has been changed, corrupted, one that they don’t even believe in!

The Admiral did not even flinch, staring me down with a look as cold as the Siberian winter before aiming his gun towards me, his face expressing nothing but disgust and disappointment.

A bullet ran through my chest, my ears ringing and mouth bleeding as I did nothing but fall on my knees. It’s almost funny how nine millimeters of lead could end a life so easily, it’s almost funny how I gave my life for nothing.

We won the paramount war, we killed our enemies’ leader as well as their morale, we were chasing them down, finishing off the remains of their army with no mercy. But then, if we had so clearly won the battle, why did it feel as if we had lost?

I’d never know, after all, I was dead.