Question Of Life

• Amelia Craft, Grade 10
• Short Story
• 2012

In a few minutes the sun will rise, but until then darkness
Having left my ten man squad alone in the field as I delivered an important message back to base, I travel back now just before dawn in this bare, sun dead, land. I have been serving my country for a year as a squad leader, a captain. The men I have worked with have become my family, my support network to get me through this never ending war. Upon leaving to come to this hell hold, my wife told me that every day is a brand new day. When I wake I think of this, it helps me get through my day. Thinking that the sun is going to rise any minute now, I think of all the mornings back at home before work spent gazing at the sun rise with my wife. The sun rise is one thing that can bring happiness into my day and remind me of home.
Seeing the little mountain in the distance indicates that I am close to my ten men quad. I smile slowly beams across my face knowing I’m about to reunite with my team, my mates. They are a funny bunch, always finding humour in the darkest of times. I wonder how much work they have down since I left. Only a little while to the sun rise now, I wonder whether it’s going to be like the ones at home. As I approach no noise from my team, my heart drops and a tear forms in my eye.
Mouth wide open and filled with shock, I scream at the horrific, traumatic site placed in front of me. Tears flow from my cheek, as the pain is to much to handle, I drop to my knees for I have just witnessed the scene, the aftermath of my ten mates being slaughtered. In a panic i rush to the lifeless bodies that were once my cheerful mates, Little Johnny, dead, Vince, dead, Joe, dead. All dead. Out of instinct alone I grab a gun of the ground and barricade my self in the car. Still filled with shock, I sat and cried in silence for minutes.
My head is filled with twisted thoughts of suicide. I have the gun, I can leave this nightmare and not deal with all this emotionally pain. All it takes is one shot, one split second to stop the tears and the heart ace. Why do they have to die instead of me, I am the captain, their leader, should of perished with them, along side them. With no sign of any hope ,my decision was final, there was only one way out of this. Why would anyone want their life after witnessing such a death filled scene. With tears in my eye, I raise the gun to my head, I take a deep breathe in, three two.
Startled by a beam of light shining upon me, I place the gun down and realise it’s the sun rise. I gaze in wonder as I truefully admit that this sunrise is one of the best I have ever seen. As I close my eyes and breathe in the morning air, my wife’s quote is played through my head, every day is brand new day. With this slight glimpse of hope, my life suddenly becomes a precious gem that’s worth saving.