#[6,7,8]
Death is a statistic.
The explosion blew him right off his feet. He felt a sharp pain in his back as he fell to the floor, face down. As he slowly turned onto his side, he saw another soldier, a few feet away from him. The soldier's face was horribly disfigured, shrapnel shells embedded in his cheeks and forehead. The soldier seemed confused, his senses dulled by the war. Then, a wave of horrifying pain swept through him and he screamed in agony. A long, loud scream, competing with the gunfire for dominance.
"Hey, you!" he called out to the soldier in pain. He felt his own breath turn into laboured panting, and he struggled to suck in more air. The other soldier kept on screaming in pain, his body writhing in unimaginable agony while blood flowed down his face and coloured the ground red.
He couldn't take the sight anymore. He slowly turned onto his back, hearing the other soldier wail in terror and pain. The sky was devoid of clouds, the noonday sun bearing down on his face. Soon, he noticed that the screaming had stopped. He turned his head to see the soldier dead, just about three feet away, his face staring lifelessly back at his, blood dripping from multiple wounds. It was disgusting. He turned away before the nausea took over.
Suddenly, he heard a voice. It was his Captain, running through the gunfire to be by the side of his fallen comrade. He tried to sit up, but a horrific pain made his whole body spasm, and he cried out in pain as the agony washed over him. The captain ran to his side and knelt down.
"What's... happening to me, Captain?" he asked.
The Captain looked at his torso and legs, and grimaced.
"I can't feel my legs, Captain."
"Don't you worry now, soldier," the Captain said, although there was uneasiness in his voice. "You'll be just fine," he reassured. It was far from reassuring.
He strained and looked down at his body. To his horror, he saw that his hip had nearly completely dislocated from the rest of his body. It was twisted in an awkward position, surrounded by a pool of red he knew was his own blood dripping from the lacerations on his back. Another wave of pain swept through his body and he bit his lip in pain.
"Captain..." he cried out wearily.
"Shh. Don't talk, son."
"I'm not going to make it, aren't I?"
"Don't be foolish."
"I won't survive..."
"You will."
"I won't..."
Regret filled his heart as he realized that he was taking his final breaths. Tears flowed freely from his eyes, making a clear trail through the dirt on his face.
"I haven't done anything useful yet, Captain," he whimpered, and the Captain looked at him worriedly.
"I haven't made a difference," he continued.
"Don't say that."
"Was my life worthless? Am I just another dead soldier on the battlefield?"
"No!"
"I am, aren't I? No one cares about me, whether I live or die..."
"Stop it, soldier! Think of what she'd say!"
Suddenly, her face was all he could see. Her charming smile, bordered by rosy lips, a mouth on beautiful pink skin. She called out to him. Although her voice was muffled, he could hear what she was saying.
"Don't die, love. Don't. Return, and let's be happy together again. Happy together. Together forever..."
"Captain", he cried out softly.
"Yes, son?" the Captain replied.
"Tell her... Tell her I love her..."
The Captain grabbed his hand and nodded affirmatively.
"Tell her... Tell her that... Even if I'm gone, she shouldn't be sad. Tell her to move on..."
The Captain nodded again.
"Tell her... to always remember me..."
"Yes, son. I will," the Captain reassured.
He smiled at the Captain, and the Captain smiled back. He could die with no regrets now, only that he never got the chance to tell her that he loved her one last time. Still, the Captain would relay his message to her, and with that he was content.
Suddenly, the Captain's head jerked, and his eyes grew wide. A single stream of blood trickled down his left temple. His mouth trembled, as if he wanted to say something. He watched in shock and horror as the Captain knelt there frozen in place.
"S... son," the Captain whispered. "I'm sorry..."
The Captain started to tilt, and he fell down onto his side, motionless, eyes wide open in shock.
"Captain..." he cried out softly, though his voice was weak. "Captain!"
The Captain remained motionless.
"Don't die, Captain..." he called out, though he felt his vision blurring even more, descending into darkness.
No response.
"Don't die..."
...
"Don't..."
...
"... die."