IN THE DEAD OF WIN TER
It was supposed to be a simple 'hold down the fort' mission. I didn't expect it to turn into a game of survival. And it couldn't have happened in a colder time. The winds were heavy; blowing the falling snow into my face, making it sting. The howl of the wind made it hard to hear my squad - wherever they were. I sat in the snow bunker we'd dug out by hand, gripping my machine gun and pulling my ski mask down over my face. It was the dead of winter and we were fighting a war.
I had seen a few of my team member's fall to the ground after being shot; I had known these men for years. But I had to stay strong and fight my way out. I, as well as the rest of my squad, couldn't lose this battle. It was out of the question.
Through the blowing wind and drifting snow, I could hear footsteps crunching on the ice outside of the bunker. The bunker was cold and small but it certainly hid me well from the enemy. The crunching in the snow was getting closer. This was it - I could fight my way out or die trying. At this point in the war, it didn't matter to me.
I gripped my machine gun with my gloved hands and waited - staring out of the bunker into the looming dusk. I heard enemy soldiers yelling. It was obvious they had spotted more of my soldiers. Their yelling was followed by the loud pops of their pistols and the returning fire of machine guns. I closed my eyes until the gunfire passed. Then the footsteps started again; closer than before.
I leaned forward to the opening of the bunker and peered out. Three enemy soldiers stood to my left, holding their weapons, looking at me.
I screamed a lionhearted scream and lifted my machine gun towards the center soldier. I gripped the trigger and didn't hesitate to pull it back until it scrapped the metal behind it. The ensuing blasts from the gun were of a sonorous and fierce nature; one in which I held back no mercy. The center soldier dropped to the ground like a rock and as I swayed the fire spewing machine gun side to side, the other two dropped without even enough time to raise their weapons.
I gathered myself and stood up, looking into the vast, snow covered land. I saw where a couple of my men had bravely stood and taken their last breath. I also saw an approaching band of enemy soldiers running in my direction. I glanced around again, noticing that I was the only survivor in my squad. I faced the oncoming men and took a firm stance. I raised my gun up to them, but they were already firing on me. I ducked and rolled in the snow. Was I hit? I wasn't sure. Between the cold, the
blowing wind and the excitement, I didn't even feel if I was shot or not. Forcing myself back to my feet, I aimed my machine gun at them and began to pump out round after round into them. One of them dropped immediately. Another showed weakness as he grabbed his shoulder and rolled around in the snow. The others keep pursuing me. I looked through my crosshairs; explosions lit up the dimming sky behind them. The spotlight was on me now. As they cracked off shot after shot at me, I began to race towards them, holding the trigger back on my gun.
The deafening scream of the gunfire was then overpowered by someone calling my name.
I saw the storming soldiers ahead of me stop and put down their weapons. In a state of confusion, I turned around, and peered through the falling snow. Was one of my men still alive? Then through the snow and the overcast of the approaching night, I saw my mom standing in the front door.
"Tommy! Dinner!" she yelled to me. She had been calling my name for a couple minutes, but I guess I let my imagination keep running. I turned back to all my neighborhood friends and dropped my toy gun.
"I'll see you guys tomorrow!" I shouted.
They replied with the same, and I ran up to my house to have dinner with my family. The war was over for now, but hopefully we'd have another snow day tomorrow.