Walking out of the tent, I feel like a completely different man. I have just made love to the most beautiful woman I have ever set my eyes on, but I have also not wavered in my decision. Isabella is known to have the ability to bring me to my knees. I can, for certain, say that I shall do anything for her. Even though her decision to have come is clear, what does trouble her is if she should remain where there is nothing but fear surrounding her. I can almost say that she has what happened to Mark still very present in her memory.
I do not blame her for feeling this way, we have not been here two days yet, and she has been attacked twice. And then I get myself stabbed in the process as well. So you can say that terror lies in every corner of her body.
Now, what can I do to make her feel differently? Nothing. Isabella is very strong-willed, and do I even dare to say stubborn. It is that hard-ass attitude that made me fall in love with her in the first place. Do I wish t
I watch Isabella stand motionless while she watches me as I am about to disappear into the bushes behind the very far end of the camp. Just as we completely disappear, I turn to her one last time and mouth to her, 'I love you.' She waves at me, and seconds later, we are completely out of sight.I feel my heart skip a beat at the overwhelming thought that it might have been the last time that I would see her. It is absolutely absurd; that is not even a thought I need to entertain, for I shall always return to her no matter the circumstances.But I need to push this fear aside and focus on the mission at hand. So it is in absolute silence that we make our way into the forest, with Clark ahead scanning the floor and the surrounding to check for any fresh footstep. With each step, we are scanning every bush as we slowly creep our way past it.With the sun hanging low, there is a warning of rain that should become in within the next hour; if the present situation is
What terrifies me the most? The sounds of their voices getting louder as they are getting closer? Or the crippling thought that I have heard this voice before?Here, where I had felt safe only a second ago, I have an incredible fear that in only a few seconds, my trembling body shall be discovered and that I shall be ripped from underneath the thick brush.So, with a suffocating grip on my heart, I wait patiently as their feet passed me one by one. The sounds of their boots squashing as they disappear into the mud are even more horrifying than the deep laughter that is coming from their chest. The mere sight of their belt-fed machine guns brings so many memories crashing into my mind. For one moment, it feels that I cannot breathe.But my determination and the mission at hand snaps any thought from my mind. This has now not only become an urgency for the protection of the camp, but I shall bring down on him what he deserves. I am not a man for revenge, but a man
I feel let down that Harrison will keep something as important as this from me. I have now reached a point where I am beyond frustrated that everyone feels the need to treat me like a porcelain doll. I am a Marine, but even more importantly, I am a man. I am not a little boy that needs his handheld; I do not need anyone to fight my battles for me, and least of all, I will not let anyone tell me what to do.Life is too damn short to waste your time on trying to fix something that is not broken. Yes, my body might be broken, but it does not mean that I can not perform at the best of my ability. I, and I can proudly say it; I am even far better than your average Marine. Every single man in this camp has his own problems. Am I sitting here and judging him?Now talking about men, where is Isabella? I would have thought that she would be there to greet us. Well, I love the woman, but sometimes I do fear that she does not have her priorities straight either. She, after all, i
It is early morning, just before sunrise. We are all lining up, waiting for Harrison to brief us on the mission that lies ahead. I will be honest; my head is not in the game. I am still very much upset at Harrison and Isabella. I cannot shake the feeling of rage that I feel towards them both for betraying me. Somehow I can still accept Harrison, I guess he was just trying to protect me, but Isabella, that is a low blow. I keep on convincing myself that she is only feeling lost and scared, and yes, I understand that, but to leave and not say goodbye. If she had this in mind, why did she not tell me?I try to push this to the back of my head and listen to the plan of attack. Harrison is going over each detail twice and then wait for the third time. The plan is clear; we will attack them after sunset; we need to catch them completely off guard. MacKey will take them from the south; we will move in at the northside. The attack will be swift; there will be no one left alive; our i
The lush green bushes are the only barrier to safety we have from imminent danger. In the dark of the night, we are hiding, ready for the attack. To say that there is not one nervous bone would be a lie, for, amongst the excitement, there is a sense of dread. The enemy is ruthless, and they shall not take kindly to our invasion; they will come dome with force.My only mission is there walking in his own delusion grandeur. Revenge is going to be swift but very much sweet. I am not a man that holds a grudge and stew on things, but there are certain things that you shall not forgive. Tonight I will get the closure that I have been seeking for. The minute I watch his body drop to the floor is the minute that I can safely go ahead and live my life in peace.This I not only need for me, but I need to do this for us, for Isabella and me. I cannot be a man if I live my life in the past. She knows what I am set to do tonight, and she gives me her unconditional support. I cannot
…Isabella POV…In the deep of the night, I pace my way barefoot up and down the camp. My hair is getting soak, and my toes are disappearing deep into the mud. Why on such an evening does it have to rain so hard. The same hardness the thoughts are pounding through my mind. Is Clayton okay? Why? Why now did they have to do it" If it were not raining so hard, I would have felt better, or is that even the truth. What if I did not walk myself into trouble? Would this have happened? There are so many what-ifs.Then I feel a hand come from behind and rest on my shoulder. As I spin around and nearly slide off my feet, I see Harrison, showing for me to come in from the rain. I have been doing it for hours. As I finally step out into the dry tent, he hands me a towel and a hot cup of coffee."You are going to drive yourself crazy out there; the boys are fine, don't let your head tell you any different.""How, how can you be so sure?""They have
As I look at her with a world of questions whirling in my eyes, the very thing that comes to mind, are we in danger again? Do we need to get ready to head out again? Well though I do not mind being prepared to go again so soon, I would not have mind to spend time with her and just unwind. But this is not home, and there exists no such thing."Boo, tell me what is wrong?""Soldier, they are calling us back home.""What? Why?""They have signed a peace treaty. They said not all of the squads are needed here anymore. There will be a few that will remain behind for at least another three weeks."I pause for the moment to take it all in. Did I just hear her, right? "So, I guess that we are going home," I ask her, not knowing if I should be happy or relieved. I did not think we would be going home so early. "Boo, how do you feel about it?""Soldier, I don't think I even need to answer that.""You know, I say let us go home. In some crooked
Isabella has not been herself cheerful self for the past few days. At first, I thought that she must be nervous to see everyone again. But then it started to become more serious, getting sick so often. Now it seems that she has been hiding something from me as well. We promised no more secrets; even if I say it is fine, it does make me slightly mad."Boo, what are you not telling me? Are you not deploying with me again?""No! No, soldier! I can't go!""What do you mean you can't go? Everything was fine; why have you changed my mind."My mom, along with Matty, tries to excuse themselves from the kitchen, "I think we will leave you kids alone. Come, Richard, I think we could do with a walk.""What makes you think I want to walk Denise."Matt drags my dad by the arm towards the door, "Dad, you just like to have a bit of good gossip to listen to. Sometimes I think you worse than that old Betty."Isabella is standing in dead silence.