1 Flashback - Cold Reflection

★Blood-Lust★

'The heights by great men, reached and kept. Were not attained by sudden flight, but they, while their companions slept, were toiling upward in the night.'

†Flashback†...

The battlefield was bloody and gritty, bombs were exploding everywhere. I glanced around swiftly, only bloody corps were in sight.

The sky appeared red, stained with dark clouds. It was an eerie scene. The sound of gunshots bellowed in the near distance.

As if that wasn't bad enough, the voices of fallen comrades being slaughtered echoed all around.

I glanced around with trembling fear.

To my right, the Bodies of deceased humans lay around wasted. The sight of bodies without heads, hands with missing fingers and bodies with hands and feet severed. Lay aside.

All around me all I can see is blood and death.

Across my left, I can see dozens of dead dogs swimming in their own blood. Thousands of Birds on their backs'.

The cry of children, the cry of innocent people, the cry of the disturbed animals gushing about, traveled from a distance.

It was a lot to take in, mentally disturbing scenes, traumatizing events could make any sane man go berserk. It crippled the ears and then slowly poisoned the mind.

I hid, crouched behind a stone, tucked my head out slightly, but, cautiously.

"BLAAAM!!!"

A gunshot zoomed past my face. Something bounced off the stone and grazed my right cheek. Immediately I pulled my head back. I was lucky, but frightened. My heart leaped from my chest.

A dozen more shots were fired at least, towards me. Most lodged in the back of the stone, a few flew by.

I looked around. In front of me was another rock roughly about 6 meters away. I tucked and rolled quickly behind it.

Gunshots were fired at me rapidly, someone spotted me. I shrunk up against the rock. None hit. I hugged my gun tightly with my head hung down. I was a damn coward. Never had the courage to fight or when to be brave.

Reflecting, I don't even know why I am a soldier or how I got here.

'What am I doing. This was a suicide mission.'

'WAIT! WHAT WAS THE MISSION?'

Suddenly I fell into a trance. My brain freezes up. I panicked, shaking like a leaf in heavy wind. I've got to snap out of it.

Suddenly, something outrageous happened.

I raised my head. Amidst everything, out of nowhere came a dragonfly, it looked as if it was at war and not me.

It pitched on a small bush in front of me.

One of its wings was damaged, like something took a big chunk out of it. Its body was badly bruised.

Shots were rippling through the air, everywhere. Despite the odds, it still was able to withstand what was going on. I was so stunned and amazed, it motivated me.

Suddenly, when it was about to leap. A gunshot Zapped it. A small piece of its wing swung by in the wind.

The moment was ruined, the smile was completely wiped off my face.

"Those scavengers, I uttered."

Suddenly! Something came over me, it's like I was a different person. Hurriedly, I swiftly cranked my rifle.

It was an M10-94 G-MAC DUAL, a real bad boy if you asked me. At least how I pictured it in my head.

But what do I know it was my first time using the damn thing? It was a prototype rifle the army wiped up from a schematic and rolled out for beta testing. But only this was in real life. Now I knew they really must have hated me.

'Why was I chosen with a freaking beta gun again? In a freaking real war?' As I war with myself in my head.

After I cranked my gun, without a sec to spare.

Up -- I leaped -- above the stone feeling like a boss, it all feels like a scene from a movie. Wind gushes through my hair. I gripped tightly onto the handle - suppressed the trigger and squeezed it with vigour.

'Somebody got to pay.'

AS I THOUGHT OUT THE WHOLE SCENE EPIC IN MY HEAD. - ME SLAUGHTERING EVERYONE GRUESOMELY.

"Aw Snap"

The gun jammed. Or was it out of bullets -- maybe, shit I forgot to check. But it was already too late to run, or hide.

The enemy took the advantage and started several rounds.

I was pelted twice before I realized it.

My vision became blurred, as blurry as a camera out of focus. My life flashed before my eyes.

But little did I know. Everything seemed as if it has happened in slow motion, my whole life flashed before my eyes. As my body slowly made its way to the ground.

'No!!!', a voice cried out in my head. 'This is not the end. Not even one dead body, NO!! Am not going down like this.'

In a flash, I slid my foot back, braced myself from the fall, and stood my ground.

I collared up my weapon, pulled a clip from my vest, and slipped it into the gun's magazine.

Rage coursed through my veins. I've never felt so alive. This urge craved for blood and vengeance. Like a lion out for meat.

Like automatic, bullets Spouted from the muzzle of my gun as I compressed the trigger. A rapid successive round of ammo was fired. A bullet to a soldier's head. Bodies fell to the ground like rain droplets.

The day slowly grew dark. Angry clouds with big bellies, grouped, which cover the sky. Roaring thunder bellowed in the distance, loudly like savage beasts.

Lightning dashes across the dark red sky, which lit up the dark atmosphere each time.

Suddenly the rain came. It poured down on us heavily.

I was wet as a mouse.

As the rain proceeded, water from the ground ran about the now muddy surface. The water was red as blood, as it's mixed with the blood spillage on the ground.

I've successfully gunned down approximately 50 men. As I counted. Only two of us were left standing.

Me the rookie and the bastard that seemed to shoot me; his sarcastic grind gave him away. He was the captain's subordinate, judging based on the stripes on his shoulders Epaulette.

Two of my comrades rushed out from the nearby bushes. They seemed to have been watching from the sideline. And took the advantage now that the odds were greater to attack.

He quickly pulled a gun from his waistband and selected it within seconds and shot the two men in the head propelling them backward. Before their bodies had the chance to hit the ground, he delivered an almost equal number of bullets count to their chest.

What were the odds of it actually being an equal number of bullets they've gotten?

It was a very lethal blow. Gruesome and cold act. It brings a bitter taste to my mouth.

He turned, pointed the gun at me and stared me dead in the eyes.

He pulled on the trigger. The gun stick. It was obviously empty.

My heart skipped a beat. My balls went up to my heart and my heart went up to my mouth.

Blood dripped from his vest. His clothes were stained with blood and the visible gunshot wounds all over his body.

This man was an animal, this man was a beast. Even at a glance, you can tell that this man loved the battlefield. He loved a challenge.

With a grin as wide as the ocean floor. I knew he wouldn't back down, that it was going to be a fight to the death.

I looked at him dead on as our eyes met. We looked into each other's soul. As I can see the dead look in his eyes.

I watch for his slightest movement. My eyes followed his hands as he lifted them and pulled two knives from their case on his waistband on each side.

He held the knives up with an iconic Martial art pose.

I didn't have a knife on me at the moment. And I was already out of ammunition. So, I held the gun as if it was a baton.

I made the first move. I stormed at him while yelling.

He charges at me with his knives.

We tussled back and forth with each other.

I went in for the kill. I took a heavy swung at his head with the gun. He dodged it returning a swipe strike with his blade which cuts me in the abdomen.

I felt a sharp pain while the blade penetrates my skin. I staggered backward. While he returned for a second blow at my neck while he had the advantage.

At the very second, I realized in time and countered his attack with the gun, which blocked his strike. Even though his pace was the same. His reaction seemed arguably slower.

I landed a successful kick in his chest that propelled him immediately in the opposite direction.

His body slammed to the ground as he rolled several times in the mud before he came to a complete stop.

As he picked himself up from the ground. He looked up, this revealed a satisfied grin on his face. Visibility of blood leaked from his mouth side. As he quickly wiped it away and spit.

"That was a lucky hit. You won't be so lucky next time, he said confidently while he picked his knives up next to him.

Without a delay, he fleeted in my direction with an incredible speed for a normal human. As he swipes the blades at me rapidly from all directions.

As I retaliated, I difficulty tried to block a few of his attacks, but he was too fast and he managed to slice me several times all over.

I retreated with a double backflip. I tried to get as much ground between us as I could.

A deadly grin remained on his face, he looked pleased with his attacks.

I can't outfight this man. Even though it seemed utterly impossible. I got to find a way to escape or injure him somehow.

My body aches as if this man has poisoned his knives.

My eyes suddenly opened wide with surprise as I realized I'm right.

It was a cold serene feeling, slowly my body started to feel numb. My strength grew weaker by the second. My head felt really heavy as I sensed my consciousness begun to disappear. I staggered about as I tried to maintain upright.

I looked at him, my vision was foggy. I knew I've lost. Tears flooded my eyes, as the memories of my parents came to me. I know dad would have been disappointed at how weak I became. He taught me better and to grow to be a fighter. He said 'son this is a cold world you got to know how to hold your own, get a good job and stay on the right part. Live a good life and find a girl to marry someday and bring forth children.'

His last words before he died. Mom was a bitter more humorous and soft-hearted. If she was here, she would try to cheer me up and tell me how I did well and I can do anything.

But too bad they're not here, I am all alone and I will die here alone.

The last thing I saw before I went completely out was the enemy rushing towards me with great force to slam into me and knock me over.