A gunshot rang out in the chaotic night, blending in with the orchestra of other weapon noises filling this street.
Beth had been standing next to her platoon medic at one moment, but the next the doctor dropped. A small gasp left the soldierâs lipsâ she was hit. Angela was hit.
She was sprawled in the middle of the dimly lit room, breath trembling and quiet. Blood stained her medicâs uniform, blossoming out from her chest in a sick rose shape. Beth could feel her own breath catching, and she stumbled over to her fading flower, lower lip trembling. No, no, this couldnât be. Not her Angel. Not her.
Shaking hands pressed into Angelaâs wound. It wasnât good, she could tell that much by the massive amount of blood leaking around her hands. Around the pair, battle raged. Gunfire, yells of the wounded, earth shattering explosions shook the ground. Frantic yells, possibly her own, pierced the air. But she didnât care. There was only one thing that mattered here. âAngela! Oh, god, Angel, wake up! Wake up.â Bethâs voice was a hoarse whimper; her grubby hands caressed the other girlâs cheeks. Wake up, wake up.
It was nothing short of a miracle that she regained consciousness. A fluttering of eyelids, and she was there. Her bright blue eyes, rosy cheeks, she was there. âS-SalâŚâ it was a name only Angela was allowed to call her.
Beth murmered a few curses, and muttered into her commâ something about a man down, urgent backup requiredâ for a few heated seconds before responding. âAngel! Youâre alright- youâre gonna be fine, Iââ she removed a hand to wipe at her teary eyes. Her poker face had gotten rusty. âI can fix you up, good as new, just stay with me.â
â⌠Honey, donât lie to me.â Angela gave her a faint smile, quivering, red tinted hand coming up to stroke her face. As if she was the one who needed comforting. âGo. You can make it out.â
âLike hell Iâm leaving you! You canât die! We promised! Iâ we were gonna beââ happy.
They were under an ancient sycamore tree, itâs shadow the only seperation between them and the blazing sun. The grating noises of combat dissappeared, replaced with the sounds of nature. âWeâll make it out of here, yeah?â Beth had asked, hand absentmindedly twirling itself in Angelaâs curly brown hair.
âYep. Weâll make it out. And then we can do whatever we like, me and you.â
âHmm? Whatever we like?â A blissful smirk ran across the soldierâs face, and she bent over, planting a chaste kiss on Angelaâs forehead. âWeâll make it out, I promise. Me and you.â
A dreadful click echoed from behind them, something awfully familiar. A grenade. Angelaâs tired eyes changed, from a look of sadness to determination. Using the last of her waning strength, the medic curled herself around the deadly explosive, using her to absorb the blast. Beth felt herself instinctively reach out, trying to stop her, but it was too late. She had made her choice, and god knows there was no changing Angelaâs mind when she set it on something.
A final, bright smile filled her pale face as she looked upon Bethâs horrified expression. Beth would live. Giving her life was a small price to pay for that. âSee you later, Sally Johnson.â Their hands found their way together, and they simply held on to eachother, sharing a gaze that communicated more sadness, longing, and love than a thousand years of conversation could.
And everything erupted into flame.