The soldiers around me were shaking and shivering, partly from the cold but mostly from trepidation. Tears ran down most of their faces. Some tears were silent, some sobbed quietly and others howled violently. Then that was it. Thousand rifles fired. The sounds of the bullets made me feel frightened and alone. I turned around uneasily with my eyes closed, my glasses steamed up by the hot air. I could hear screaming and shriek of bullets. I opened my eyes slowly and gently.
I found myself beneath the surface of the water. I tried swimming but the water that surrounded me was red, bright red. It was cold, like this dreadful war. The icy water was salty like the nervous drops of sweat that ran down my face and into my mouth. It tasted like blood, like the blood of my friends. Bodies were floating on the water, I couldn’t watch this anymore so I swam on. I was moving up and down, side to side, I didn’t have a clue where I was going. I looked down at the water it was a gloomy crimson colour, I could sense the bullets smashing through the icy water. One of the bullets hit directly a soldier’s leg and his blood sprayed over my dank uniform.
I touched my soggy face again with my filthy hands and looked at them, they were covered in blood. I looked around trying to find someone I knew, but my heavy, itchy uniform kept pulling me down.
I tried to pull myself up. My whole body was shattered and exhausted. I looked up and saw someone very familiar. I swam closer, swimming fiercely like a shark with all the strength I had in me. I swam towards the shore, and I couldn’t believe who I saw. It was my best friend. He had always been there for me and that day I couldn’t do anything for him. He was covered with blood. I pulled him towards me, I could still hear him breathing but then a bullet ripped through his body, crimson blood flowed out and mixed in with the sea water. He was screaming in agony, writhing in pain and knowing that the last things he will hear is not the loving words of his family but the sounds of guns and cries.
I tried yelling at him but I felt like my voice wasn’t coming out. Then I saw him shut his eyes very painfully. I froze, shocked like a dead body. I couldn’t feel anything, all I could see was the gloomy, olive sea changing into a cerise colour. Then like a bolt of lightning my senses came back to me. I took my helmet off and tipped all the water out, the sounds of the bullets were coming closer. I quickly placed my helmet back on. I looked around and saw that some of the bullets were aimed at me. I hid behind a hard, black barricade. I could feel the bullets punching on to the metal.
My heart was a pumping engine. I looked up, the sky was luminous, it was a bright shade of yellow and the birds were flying rapidly. It was so magnificent. I sat with my eyes on the beach and couldn’t look away it was horrible. The bodies of the soldiers were littered on the beach. The sand and the sea was scarlet, with the blood of my soldiers. I could smell the blood, I could see the blood, and it was horrifying. I peeked to see if it was safe for me to come out. Then I saw some barricades that were close to me and I swam from one barricade to another stopping each time to see if it was safe for me to move on.
By the time I got to the last barricade I felt as if I couldn’t move on more. I felt so tired, but then I saw a big wave coming in, I tried to swim away but I couldn’t. Next thing I knew, I was on a beach, laying next to my soldiers, I felt so peaceful. I saw my life flash upon me and sadly closed my eyes still thinking why I couldn’t be the hero of the country...
