What'd you do in the war?

(Cont. from the week before last week.)

The shooting lasted forever. There were just so many of them. They’re shooting back like there’s no tomorrow and we were dangerously close. I guess Alonzo wants to get real close to shake ‘em up a bit, maybe a few would drop their guns.

I clicked on my headset, “Looks like we’re a little close.”

Still, we keep diving. “Hey Alonzo, I know I’m not a pilot, but I think we’re too close.”

No response.

“Alonzo?” I tap my headset “Alonzo?”

No response.

“Alonzo!!!!” We shake up real bad, and I hear a fatal crunching sound. I go blank.

Everything is a blur and I have no idea why I’m in one piece. I undo my harness; open the top and climb out of my pit. It’s kinda quite. Lotta smoke but we didn’t blow up, maybe Alonzo drove until we ran out of fuel. I head toward the cockpit but it’s pretty smashed up.

Alonzo’s helmet if filled with blood inside, he’s lifeless.

Brotha’s dead.

My sense of direction is all screwed, up…I don’t know which way is which, but nobody’s around. An eerie silence. We landed in a ditch so I climb to the top to take a look.

A sea of the opposing force, or what’s left of them is in the horizon. Something big hit them, and it didn’t come from our plane. I don’t know what did it, but I think it was something close to the power of a nuke. Must’ve been the blast that knocked us out of the sky. Don’t know when or how Alonzo died, can’t really think about that now.

I can’t believe how many brothers are dead before me. I don’t want to think about how many of them I knew. I don’t’ want to think about how many of them I killed. Not even an apposing army really. Just a crap-load of people who took up arms against an oppressive government that refused to back down.

Don’t know why I even answered the call when I was called to join, I should
have just left the country. There's too much blood on my hands. I never thought
about it at the time, just doing what I was supposed to do. I knew the supreme
leader was crazy, still I was in the army now, and I just went along with
orders.

I can still remember the end of his last speech.

He was
calmly explaining that the rebels were traitors against the state. That they
were morally corrupt, minds distorted by the lying media and the Internet.

Then he started saying they should all die and their corrupt families
and children should all die. Then he started screaming about how it was
all some other countries fault, and they should all die.
Followed by the end…

“I WILL PUT ALL TRAITORS IN PRISON,
JUST
BECAUSE I DON’T LIKE THEM.
OUR SOLDIERS CAN SHOOT A TARGET THRU A TELESCOPE.
AND I CAN AIM A MISSILE WITH A SATELLITE.
AND I CAN END THIS WORLD IN A
HOLOCAUST.
IN A HOLOCAUST.
IN A HOLOCAUST.
IN A HOLOCAAAAAAAUST!

The crowd went crazy with cheers.
Me?
Not so much.

I look over the hill of fallen people. They’re not enemies anymore. My own people are down there, my friends, my neighbors, my co-workers…my relatives. I take the gun from my holster and throw it.

I’m done, this is not right. The line is drawn here. This far, no farther.

I hear the sound of tanks and trucks from behind. It’s the army.

Across the killing field I see some survivors being met by reinforcements.

It’s not over.


COMING NEXT: One brave man, or a tough court martial.