A Nameless Soldier

The drops of rain mixing with my sweat. The heavy breathing of the soldier’s next to me. The sight of the enemy charging towards us. The weight of my armor. The warcries of the enemy soldiers. The deafening sound of eventual thunder. Everything turns into nothing the moment Death gives the order.

• Charge!

As I hear the call, everything vanishes. Nothing is left behind but one single thought. “Survive”. There is no space left for fear, and no time for doubt. Kill or die is the absolute law in the battlefield.

The frontline starts the charge, and we all follow. There is no point in staying. Death awaits in both sides. I grip my sword tight, and my shield tighter. I hide myself behind it as I see the fire rain, and feel the blow of the arrows hitting my guardian angel. Comrades start falling. Some  injured. Some dead. Some pretending. They all die in the end. The Injured become the dead, and the pretenders are always discovered. But the charge doesn’t stop. Nothing ever stops the charge. While charging, death pursues you, and also runs towards you from the front. The only way to escape from it, is becoming part of it. Death pursues Death, and Death runs towards Death.

The frontlines clash in a chorus of steel that would shake the mightiest god. The struggle starts now. By my side, men just like me run against Death. Becoming Death. Some to never be again. Some deserve it, some not. All following Death’s order. On the enemy’s side is the same. The soldiers that I am about to kill, or be killed by, have done nothing to me, and I have done nothing to them. Many of us could have been friends, and now, because of reasons beyond our control, we face each other as Death.

Our frontline falls, but so does theirs. Our turn is here. As I raise my head from the safety of my guardian angel, and even though the rain makes it hard to see, I can see it clearly, Death stands in front of me, wearing a heavy armor and wielding a sword and a shield, just like me. And so, Death faces Death. It strikes first, but my guardian angel covers his blow. The sound of steel clashing chills my every bone, but there is no time left for doubt. It’s my turn. I swing, but his guardian angel also saves him. We exchange several blows before he trips and falls. I take the chance, and bury my sword deep into his neck. I look at him in the eye as he goes. Luck was not by his side today.

I raise my head. The confrontation that I felt took an eternity to end had lasted less than a minute, and it had taken all the strength, both physical and mental, I had left. But the charge goes on. Fatigued, I hide behind my guardian angel once more, and continue to charge, but it fails me. An arrow hits me on my left leg, and I fall. As I am rising up again, other two one hit my chest, and I fall on my back. It’s over. Death got me. As I go, the things I feel the drops of rain mixing with my sweat. The heavy breathing of Death all around me. The sight of Death charging towards Death. The weight of my armor. The warcries of Death. The deafening sound of eventual thunder. Nothing turns into everything the moment Death releases me.