Before Death By Angel IV Esguerra
BY ANGEL IV ESGUERRA
W… Where am I?
An adolescent male who laid in a trench with fair skin, blue eyes, and reddish brown hair weakly woke up. What he did first was open his eyes and what he saw was the sky of the Jovian moon Io, terraformed to accommodate human life hundreds of years ago yet it became a battlefield.
Why am I looking at the sky? wondered the boy. W… Wait, I remember now. I last saw an explos- Oh no!
The boy moved his head next to the left. As he was able to do so, he saw another dead male sprawled to the bottom of the trench where the former laid. The latter was four years older than the former and he had fair skin and green eyes with his blond hair covered by a blue-colored helmet. The male corpse wore a tunic and trousers underneath a greatcoat; all of which were also blue.
No… Dolf… thought the boy. Then everyone…
The boy moved his head to the right. He saw more corpses, all of whom in the same uniform. This time, there wasn’t just men his and Dolf’s age, there were also women.
They’re all dead… thought the boy, who began to move his lower body but found the opposite of the effect he desired. Why can’t I feel my legs?
The boy struggled to move his head forward but couldn’t. He knew that despite the corpses, there was still a war to be fought.
If I can’t feel my legs, could I at least feel my arms? wondered the boy.
The boy chose his right arm. He felt that it can still move, giving him a slight relief. He then moved his right arm slightly toward the right leg. However, the boy realized that he couldn’t find his leg and instead felt liquid.
Wait, what’s this liquid? pondered the boy. Shouldn’t the leg be… no…. no… no… I… lost my leg… ?
The boy continued to touch the area where his right leg used to be hoping he was wrong. However, it was to be in vain as the leg was no longer there.
I get it now... thought the boy once he realized the futility of continuing to look for his right leg. We were all killed when that bombardment hit the trench. Dolf and everyone apparently died much quicker than I did.
W… What was it all for? Why did I enlist in the first place? I didn’t want to die in Io. I hadn’t even found a girlfriend yet… until I met Harumi. But now, she’s corpse like I am.
The boy, as he realized what had happened, heard footsteps coming toward him. However, he was losing his vision. It was either from the blood loss, or deliberately as if he wanted to rest, or both.
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Mistwood Publishing
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All characters in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
All characters, character names, and the distinctive likeness thereof are property of Angel IV Esguerra.
This short story is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any reproduction or unauthorized use of the material or artwork contained herein is prohibited without the express written permission of Mistwood Publishing or Angel IV Esguerra.
Published by Mistwood Publishing.
Those are probably Centauri troops, thought the boy. What’s there to find in this trench? We were the only ones left in here because of that stupid order to stay. We were told help would come…
The boy ultimately closed his eyes. Two male soldiers, wearing the same uniform albeit gray-colored, stopped one meter just before the trench. They saw that it was a shame such a scientific wonder became a battlefield. In their minds, despite everything, an order was an order and continued to look at the trench. They found their blue-colored enemies and saw one with only his left leg remaining while there was a puddle of blood where the right leg used to be at.
“The artillery did its job well,” said one soldier in gray.
“I feel sorry for the men and women that got killed here,” said another in the same uniform. “That was foolish for the Federation to leave them here while the rest fled.”
“Well, it’s done now. Let’s report this to base.”
“Agreed.”
The two soldiers in gray left. The boy in blue who lost his right leg kept his eyes closed. The mouth showed no movement.