War Comes With A Price

• Emileeh Fox, Grade 10
• Short Story
• 2022

Hundreds of gunshots were fired out in the smoky air as men ran, shot, screamed, and dropped to the floor in every direction, and dark red blood spattered the battlefield like buckets of red rain leaking from all angles. More than half of our men were down, and nearly all of those were dying. Captain Lance was yelling to our army, “Get down! Come on men, get down and shoot!.” With barely a dozen of ours left, and nearly fifty of the British Troops, we were on the brink of losing. But the remainder of our army was not about to give up yet. Alongside my best friend John, we took down as many of their men as we could, while avoiding the deadly bullets aimed our way. More blood was shed, and the endless cries of our fallen foes and friends cut through the violent battle. Hours later, perhaps even longer, a thick silence roamed the air, and all was quiet, as if the calm before the storm. We thought they were about to surrender, about to give up and stop the battle, but instead one man, while we were distracted, aimed his rifle at John, and pulled the trigger. It all happened in one blur. One minute John was standing, face determined and focused, and the next, he was lying on the floor, in a pool of his own blood, eyes glassy and barely open. The British troops had fled the field, and their dead allies were left dying upon the blood-stained floor. “John!” I screamed, my voice broken and scratchy, and collapsed to the floor, beside my fallen mate. “No-no John, y-you’re going to be alright, just stay awake, a-alright?”. My best friend weakly shifted his head and shakily raised his hand, bleeding and scratched, and smiled at me, although the tears falling from his eyes were unmistakable. “Aiden,” he whispered, his tone as soft as a sheet of wool. “I- It’ll be fine, I promise. I’ll be okay, just worry about yourself, please.” I glared at him and shouted, “How the hell do you expect me not to worry about you John? You're dying, and I’m going to lose you like I have lost everyone else and-”. John, who was alarmingly more pale and sickly looking than before, just responded, “Aiden, you will never lose me, I’ll always be with you, even if not in the physical world. You may have had a tough life, but you have so much to live for! Just don’t give up for me, alright?”. His wise, loving words struck my heart, and I sobbed, “N-no John, don’t talk like that, don’t talk like it’s the end!” But John simply remained silent, and his gaze towards the sky became distant and lifeless. In horror, I watched my best friend die, with nothing I could do. I felt many eyes on me, and people whispering in the background, but the world shakily tilted and turned black, and I knew nothing more.