When We're All Used Up

Chapter 6: Victor Charlie Down

I run to regroup with my squad, tripping on tree roots on my way there. Once I'm there I get way low and look around. I see their muzzle flashes all over, thanks to the dark, thick canopy of the trees. I see Ray run over to a tree right across from us, he is hit in the leg by a stray bullet. "GOD, FUCK!", Ray screams. It's hell. Every second. Is hell. Hearing him cry in pain. The bullets WHIZZing over our heads, THWAPing on the jungle soil, with gunshots just all over us with a TAK-TAK-TAK-TAK-TAK-TAK-TAK. Their 7.62 caliber bullets are loud, but ours are louder. I sling off my rifle from my shoulder and hold my rifle by its barrel as I run over. "I'LL HELP YOU OUT RAY!", I yell out, trying to be heard. I dash over to him, evading fire as I do. I think I feel a bullet hit my helmet, but I know that's not true, because if it did, I'd be dead. I snag my medical kit from its pouch. "STRAIGHTEN YOUR LEG, RAY!" I yell into his ear now, because the fire is deafening. He does, thankfully, but probably painfully. And I open up the kit and apply the bandage onto his leg and apply pressure. "RAY, I'LL LEAVE YOU HERE FOR NOW. I NEED TO GO FIND THE CHARLIES!", I yell into his ear. "THANKS GRASSHOPPER!" He yells back. "NO PROBLEM, RAY", I respond, I attach my bayonet and rush into one of the muzzle flashes. I strafe left and right when the VC guy halts his fire. I'm almost at his position atop a small hill when I look down. Kitty is there, dead. Hugging his rifle and helmet. I guess the war wasn't for him. This is sorrowful, but it also gives me a feeling of determination. Determination to get back for him. Across from me I see Nails, shooting at a VC muzzle flash with his 1911 pistol. This all gives me the power to jump up and meet the VC guy face to face, I immediately lunge at him with my bayonet, he seemingly didn't see me coming as he thought it would be smart to reload. I stab him, directly in the gut. I pull out the bayonet from his body with a swift pull of my hand. And then, I go crazy. I stab and jump like a wild monkey. Each time I get a satisfying resistance from stabbing him. And when it's all done, I stab his head, right in between his eyes, and fire into his skull, the fully automatic fire completely destroying his brain. I quickly reload and realize, it's not a hill, we're just in a crater in the ground. I run in a circle as I stab VC all around the boys down at the bottom. Every time I stab someone, I fire my rifle into them for good measure. And once I'm done, and the fire has seized. I hear a deafening silence. I run one last lap around, counting each body. 9, I have 9 kills now. The rest of the VC probably ran away, but 9 is still very good, especially since it's my first mission. And also considering that Kitty had none. I run down to the crater and look around. Nails, Shadow, Pop, Castle, Napoleon, and John are all huddled around Ray. He just had to poke his head out. There's an entrance hole and wound on the left side of his head and helmet, and an exit on the right. I watch as Nails takes out a .45 caliber bullet from his pistol by pulling back the slide, catching it as it falls, and he slowly pulls back the band on Ray's helmet and places the bullet in between the band and the helmet. "Sir, there's something you must know.", I tell Nails. "WHAT IS IT. CAN'T YOU SEE THAT I'M TRYING TO GIVE RAY A PROPER GOODBYE!", he lashes at me. "Sir, it's Kitty..." I say, softly and slowly. "Wait. WHERE'S KITTY?!", Nails freaks. I gesture for him to follow me. He and the rest of the men do so. I stop at the foot of Kitty's body, he's littered with bullet wounds. Nails does what he did for Ray to Kitty. I gesture for the squad to follow me again, and they pick up their guns, Nails holsters his pistol, and the rest of the men sling their rifles over their shoulders, including me, and we head up, I am going to show them what I did for Kitty.
Thanks. Lyndon B.

[CHAPTER 6, END]

(Thank you so much if you read this, I'm a rookie and am open for fixes and feedback. Feel free to send it all in the comments. And hey! First 800+ word chapter, so do pat yourself on the back for reading all that! Once again, I love you all oh, so very much and remember that you're sacred. And if you give me the privilege of your time again, I will see you in 1-2 days when I release the next chapter, love you all.)