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The Aftermath of Ghosts

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22 Hours Later

 

I let out a loud sigh, glaring at Slate.

“Come ON! Just let me back out there!” I whine, and Slate groans, then turns to face me.

“Keegan, Elias said you're to rest. So I’m making sure that's exactly what you're doing.” He plainly states, and I sigh.

"But it's been a full day and I'm not out there yet!!" I exclaim, and Slate shakes his head.

"Tough shit. Now shut up."

I frown, holding back any sarcastic, derogatory comments. 

Looking up, I see Merrick and Spike and Gavin and Kick and Elias all standing next to each other, firing furiously over the wall. The men around them drop like flies, being shot back from their defensive positions to their bloody grave on the ground.

Swinging my gaze around, I see fewer and fewer men holding the line in the late afternoon light.

The sun low in the sky creates dark shadows, hiding many of the Federation soldiers. From where I sit, the only trace of the Feds I can see is the bright flash of their guns.

Rorke is yelling commands to the men, then he looks over at us.

“Slate, get Keegan to cover!” He shouts, and I glance up at Slate, who nods.

“Yes, sir!” He runs over to me and bends down to pick me up, but I shove him away.

“No way! I’m not going anywhere!” I shout, and Slate drops his shoulders with a heavy sigh.

“Keegan…” he starts, but I narrow my eyes.

“Don't ‘Keegan’ me! I’m a soldier just like you! Treat me like one! I’m not a kid!” I shout, and Slate raises his eyebrow.

“Yes, you are.” He pushes my arms out of the way and picks me up.

I struggle against him, but his tight hold won't cease.

“LET ME GO!” I scream, flailing in his arms like a child.

Merrick turns to gaze back at me, and he sighs, shaking his head. Catching my eye, he gives me an exasperated look.

“Just go with Slate.” He mouths, and I frown at him, narrowing my eyes. He raises his eyebrow, and I sigh, relaxing my body. Merrick turns back to the line, then disappears from my view as Slate carries me away.

He sets me down far from the front lines, standing in front of me with his hands on his hips.

“Not a kid, huh?” He remarks with a sarcastic tone.

I hang my head, looking to the side.

I hear Slate sigh, then he kneels next to me.

“Keegan, you're only seventeen. You'll get your chance. You just need to heal up first.” He says, and I frown.

“I feel fine, Slate. I don't need to heal up any.” I growl.

But in reality, my side still hurts like hell.

The red-stained bandages under my shirt, pressed tightly against the wound, are stained with both my sweat and my blood. The pain from it shoots through me every time I turn.

Slate’s right. I DO need to heal up first.

But I don't want to.

I want to be on the front lines with Merrick.

Sighing, I lean back and close my eyes. The late afternoon turns into night, and I know the fighting will end soon.

But it won't end soon enough.

My fellow Marines are getting their asses kicked, and I’m just sitting here, useless.

How could this get any worse?

Suddenly, one of the soldiers runs up to us.

Corporal Spenser Jones.

His eyes are wide, and he stops to catch his breath, gasping for air. Slate grabs his shoulder, holding him up.

“Jones, what is it?!” He asks urgently, and I raise my eyebrow, curious as to what could be so important. The fighting has stopped for the night, so why does he seem so scared?

Spenser takes short, sharp breaths, then lifts his head.

“Slate, we're done for! There's only fifteen of us left, including you two! Rorke sent me to get you both!” He explains, and my eyes widen.

Slate lets go of Spenser’s shoulders and steps back, wide-eyed.

“Shit…” He mutters, then he turns to me. Bending down, he picks me up, and I don't resist this time. We're going back to the Marines. My brothers.

Slate holds me on his back tightly, and we run with Spender back to our position. I can see the remaining thirteen, and my chest tightens. They're all collapsed against the rocks and concrete blocks, beaten and weary.

Slate lets me off of his shoulders, and my head swivels as I look for Merrick. My eyes finally fall on him a bit away, and I slowly make my way over, pain slicing through me with every step.

I finally reach him and lean against the rock.

“Thomas.” I say, and Merrick looks up at me, his eyes tired and hurt.

“Keegan…” He murmurs, and I notice the blood stain on his arm where a bullet cut into him. Shaking my head, I slide down the barrier next to him.

“What do we do?” I ask, and Merrick looks up at me with a raised eyebrow.

“What the hell are you asking ME for?! Ask Elias or Rorke.” He mutters harshly.

I lean back a little, startled by his changed persona.

I sigh and lift myself up. I turn to see Elias not too far away, and I limp over to a concrete block next to him.

“Lieutenant Walker?” I say quietly, and Elias looks up, then gives me a curious look.

“Russ. What is it?” He asks, and I look around at the few Marines left.

“What are we going to do?” I ask, and he sighs.

“Keegan, I know things look bleak right now, but-”

“Bleak?!”

A voice from behind us shouts, and I turn to see a tall man in his early thirties with buzzed hair staring at Elias with crossed arms. Elias turns towards him.

“Thrash, I don't-”

Thrash shakes his head.

“Elias, things are beyond bleak now. WAY beyond bleak. The Federation has almost 200 men left, and we're only fifteen in numbers. No, fourteen, actually, considering the kid is hurt.” He says, nodding towards me.

I grit my teeth and clench my fists.

“I’M NOT A KID!!” I yell furiously, and all the soldiers stop to look up at me.

I shake my head with a deep breath, then look up at Thrash with fiery eyes.

“Everyone keeps calling me a kid. But I’m NOT. I was a kid when I went to West Point at fourteen. I was a teenager when I graduated top of my class and joined the Marines. But that, being a Marine? That made me a man. Being in a fight for my life against a force of 500 enemy soldiers with just 60 men around me makes me a man. I may only be seventeen, but I am a loyal Marine ready to pay any price necessary to win this war. So if you want to call me 'kid' again, just remember who has your back on the battlefield.” I spit, and Thrash stares at me with wide eyes.

All the men around me have the same expression, and I huff out a deep breath of air.

Kick looks at me with an impressed smirk, then snickers a little.

“Damn, Keegan’s got a bite to him!” He laughs, then Merrick elbows him, making Kick frown and rub his arm tenderly.

“Ow…..”

Thrash opens his mouth to say something, then closes it, rubbing the back of his head.

“Keegan, I…..I didn't….” He tries to find words, then a throat cleared makes us all turn.

Rorke walks up and looks around at us all.

“Now that we're done with this petty feud, let's get going.” He says, and we all exchange curious glances.

Spike raises his eyebrow.

“What do you mean? Go where?” He asks, and Rorke crosses his arms.

“We're evacuating the hospital. NOW. Then we take down the Federation.” He says confidently.

I glance back at Merrick with wide eyes, and he matches my expression.

Elias stands up and turns to three of the men. One is tall with light brown hair, about thirty-three. The next is about two inches shorter with bright blonde hair, maybe twenty-eight. The third is a medium thirty-two year old with red-brown hair.

Elias addresses them.

“Heath, Bolt, Match! I need you three to carefully infiltrate the hospital and get the patients out. Once you get back here, Spenser will lead them out of here.” He orders and Spenser’s eyes widen.

“Sir, you need me to help fight off-”

“Spenser, this job I am giving you is far more important than any battle. You are saving lives.” He says, and Spenser stops, then nods.

Elias and Rorke turn back to Heath, Bolt, and Match. Rorke crosses his arms.

“I want you boys to be quick and quiet. Get those civilians out, and keep each other safe.” He demands, and they nod.

Running off with their gear, the three of them and Spenser disappear into the black of night, protected by the shadows.

I watch as they go, then I turn back to Rorke. He looks us all over and nods.

“Okay boys, here's what we're going to do. We return to the front line and wait for the Federation. Then, when they're right on top of us, we attack.” He says, and Cody raises his eyebrow.

“Um, won't they notice us before they're right on top of us?” He asks, and Rorke shakes his head.

“No, because we'll be hiding beneath the bodies of our fallen brothers.”

All of our eyes widen, then fill with determination.

Rorke nods.

“Move. We don't have much time.” He orders.

We all grab our weapons, and I start towards the line, but Elias pulls me back.

“No, Keegan. You're staying here.” He says, and my eyes narrow.

“Are you serious?! There's only fourteen of us! You need me to-”

“I need you to listen to a direct order, Corporal, and keep your ass right here!” Elias shouts, and my expression of anger softens to hurt. I sigh, and Elias nods.

“You stay right here, Keegan. Right. Here.” He repeats clearly, and I sit down on the concrete block.

Elias runs to the front with his men, then Merrick runs past. I grab his arm, and he looks down at me.

As I look at him, my eyes are full of pain, determination, and fear.

“Just...be careful out there…” I say after a moment, and Merrick nods, gripping my hand tight.

“You know it, Keegan.” He answers, then drops my hand and runs off.

After a few steps, he stops and turns around to meet my eyes.

“And Keegan?” He shouts, and I lean forward.

“Yeah?”

He points at me.

“If you leave where you're sitting now and try to get to the action, I'll beat the shit out of you.” He says with seriousness on his face.

My eyes widen, and he meets my gaze one last time before he runs off. I sigh and look down at my gun. The insignia of the Marines is printed on the end, and I sigh.

Running my hand along it, I think of all the many soldiers I've killed in three days. It almost seems unreal, but at the same time, it's too real for comfort.

Swinging my legs on the barrier, I take a deep breath. 

Glancing up, the Marines are nowhere to be seen, no trace. They must already be in position. As I look around, I feel my chest tighten.

The bloody bodies of all the marines that fought these past three days scatter the ground. My heart breaks when I think of my friends joining that horrible graveyard.  

Heaving a heavy sigh, I shake my head.

I can't just sit here.

I just can't.

Even though Elias gave me a direct order to stay here, and Merrick said he’ll kick my ass if I moved, I still can't let my friends die.

Grabbing my sniper rifle, I run towards the front line, and I can see the glint of the guns belonging to my friends under some of the soldiers.

My pain seems to completely disappear as the adrenaline pumps through me.

I slowly walk closer, then another glint makes me look up, and my eyes widen when I see the Federation stepping out of the shadows.

I drop to the ground and slowly move under one of the bodies. I cringe as I do so because I knew this man.

His name was James, and we were good friends when I first joined the Marines.

Private James Cawley.

I sigh and shake my head.

I’m sorry, James.

As I lay under his body, I can feel his blood dripping down onto my face, running down in cold streaks.

I take a deep breath, closing my eyes.

Gripping my gun tightly, I look up at the advancing Fed forces. They walk through the field of bodies, and I can see them passing the men that my friends lay under.

A gust of wind blows a cloud of sand up, and it sticks to my bloodied skin, clinging to me like a mask.

The enemy draws closer to me, and I feel my hands are sweaty around my gun. Slowing my breathing, I exhale slowly and clear my head.

I then see my friends slowly stand up from under the bodies, the sand stuck to their skin, making them almost invisible to the enemy.

Rorke fires his gun, and the Fed forces switch to high alert.

“Go loud!” Rorke yells, then the blaze of our guns lights up the battlefield in a fiery glow.

I raise my own rifle to find the Federation in my sights. Pulling the trigger, I hit one in the chest, then another in the neck, then another in the forehead.

The Federation soldiers spin around in fear and confusion as they try to fend off against us.

I can see the Marines drop their guns, ammo gone.

Elias pulls his knife and rips it into a Fed soldier.

The sheen of blades now shimmer in the night as more and more of the enemy fall.

I continue to fire, dropping one after another of the black-clad soldiers.

Narrowing my eyes, I smirk.

It feels good to be back in the field with my rifle in my hands after two days of being utterly useless.

As I pull the trigger again, my gun clicks, and I glance down. I pull the trigger again, but again it just clicks, and I curse.

I’m out of ammo.

Shaking my head, I toss my rifle aside and pull my knife.

Standing up, I realise I look just like all the other Marines. Cloaked in a shroud of sand and blood that makes me unnoticeable to the Federation.

Running forward, I swing at one, slicing his throat.

Blood spurts onto me, and I stop for a moment with wide eyes as the warm red drips down my face.

My hand holding my knife shakes, then I clench it tight. I shake myself awake and keep fighting.

I can see the Federation numbers are running low, only about 75 left.

Cody drops his knife and snaps one of the soldiers’ necks, then another. Spike does the same, and I know that we can win this.

Watching my brothers fight a force that had us outnumbered far too many to one with such strength gives me hope.

I stab a soldier lifting his gun at Slate, plunging the knife deep into his heart. The gun goes off as he falls, and the bullet narrowly misses Slate. He looks back, and his eyes widen when he sees me.

Keegan?!” He shouts, and I nod my head, running over to stab another soldier.

Slate glares at me as he snaps another soldier’s neck. I turn to stab another, but Slate grabs my shirt and pulls me in front of him. He narrows his eyes at me and takes an angry breath.

“What the HELL are you doing here?! Elias told you to stay put! So did Merrick!” He yells, and I groan.

Shoving his hands away, I stab a Federation soldier, then drop him to the ground, along with my knife.

“Yeah? Well, I wasn't going to let you have all the fun.” I mutter, and Slate clenches his fist.

“Keegan, I swear…” He mutters through gritted teeth. I grab another soldier, and he shouts in surprise, then yelps in pain as I break his arm, then his leg with a hard kick. I pull the knife from his belt and push it into his neck. He sputters, blood dripping from his mouth. Finally, he falls silent, and I drop him to the ground.

I turn back to Slate with angry eyes.

“Look, I know that you all think I’m just a kid, and I shouldn't be in a war zone even if I AM a Marine and the best damn sniper there is. But I won't let you all fight alone! If you go down, I go down with you. If we win, I'll be by your side, cheering.” I state, then another shout catches me.

“KEEGAN, WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?!”

I look up to see Merrick glaring at me, and I give him a sarcastic ‘what does it look like I’m doing’ gaze.

He grits his teeth, then turns away to kill another man. The Federation’s soldiers are down to ten, and I pull one to the ground, then stab him through the heart.

Glancing up, I see Gavin snap a man’s neck, and Spike next to him does the same. Rorke breaks a man’s ribs with one stomp, then he kicks down on his head, killing him.

Ajax grabs a man, pinning him to the ground before he slashes his throat. Slate next to him holds another man in a chokehold, the soldier gasping for air, then slowly relaxing as he loses breath completely. 

Kick grabs one of the last three soldiers, spins him around, then snaps his neck easily, looking up at the rest of the Marines.

Slate twists his arm around the neck of a Fed soldier he holds in a headlock, and the man's eyes widen, then render him lifeless.

Elias looks up after stabbing a man, and his eyes fall on me. The anger flares in them, and my eyes widen.

Merrick puts down the last soldier, and we all look around, breathing hard.

“We did it….” I utter, then I hear a shout.

“KEEGAN RUSS, WHAT DID I SAY?!” Elias shouts, and all the men turn to look at me.

I take a step back, eyes wide.

“You disobeyed a direct order!” He yells, then I narrow my eyes and clench my fists.

“Yes, I did!” I shout, and everyone stops.

I grit my teeth and shake my head.

“I wasn't about to let my friends, my brothers, fight without me! Being a Marine means you never leave a man behind, and I wasn't about to be left. I disobeyed your order because I don't give a shit whether or not I get hurt! I only care that you all stay alive!” I scream, and Elias’ eyes widen.

The Marines stand stunned, staring at me with shock.

Rorke crosses his arms and looks at Elias.

“Even though he disobeyed your order, I think he showed the most courage out of us all.” He says, and I feel startled at this praise.

Gavin smirks and nods at me.

“Nice one, kid.” He says, and Thrash chuckles.

“Careful not to call him ‘kid’. He might kick your ass.” He warns, and Gavin puts his hands up in fake surrender.

“Oh, jeesus, not that!” He jokes, and I roll my eyes.

Merrick crosses his arms and shakes his head at me.

“Jeez, you are one persistent and determined pain in the ass.” He mutters with a smile.

I grin, and raise my eyebrows with a smirk.

“Yeah, I am. And you're stuck with me for-”

Merrick’s eyes widen, and he reaches out towards me.

“KEEGAN, WATCH OU-”

Suddenly a burning hot pain jabs into my back, and I gasp with wide eyes.

My breath stops as I feel a knife twist further into my back.

The Marine's eyes all go wide in fear as I stare at them with fright. 

“KEEGAN!!” Merrick screams.

I choke and meet Merrick’s eyes as he runs towards me.

The Federation soldier holding me chuckles.

“You're dead, little boy.” He hisses as he rips the knife from my back.

I collapse to the ground, blood soaking my back, my breath heavy and shaking.

I can hear the Marines yelling, then a shot rings out and the Federation soldier drops to the ground, a bullet in his head.

Heath runs over, then he stops when he sees me. His eyes widen.

“Oh shit…”

Suddenly, all the Marines are around me, and I look up at Merrick with pain in my eyes as they grow heavy.

Blood drips from my lip, and Elias kneels down next to me as Slate holds his hand on my back to try to stop the bleeding.

Elias shakes his head.

“Hang on, Russ. You're only seventeen. You can't be taken this early.” He says.

I nod weakly, then cough, more blood dripping from my mouth. Short, sharp breaths fill my lungs, and Slate sighs.

“He's not going to hold much longer.” He mutters, and my eyes slowly close as my blood wets my back.

The pain is just too much.

Then I feel myself being lifted up in someone’s arms, carrying me away quickly.

“You're not gonna die on me, Keegan.” Merrick says with determination to his voice.

I take a shaky breath, feeling myself slipping away. In the distance, I can hear the thumping of a helicopter, growing closer.

Merrick holds me tight as I drop into darkness.

“Hang on, Marine….”