-TeeJay

BTW, belated welcome to the board, marquettefan!

-TeeJay

Bullets whizzed above the young soldier's head.  He hurried to reload his gun; it was another school-shielded attack.  The cowards that hid behind small children and their school teachers while shooting at the soldiers deserved to die, the soldier thought.  He coughed when dust filled his lungs.  His gun was finally loaded, he turned, looking above the small wall that protected him from the enemy fire, searching for a target, hoping to find one that wasn't hiding behind a child.  He found one on the third floor, aimed, and fired.  His aim was true.

'Nine,' he whispered under his breath.  He was about to fire again when he heard someone whisper in his ear, 'ten.'  He whirled around, searching for the owner of the voice.  The nearest person was his friend, Jacob, who was crouching fifteen feet away.  The soldier shook his head, trying to focus.  He found another target, aimed, and fired again.  Once more, his aim proved true.

'Ten,' he whispered.  'Twelve,' the voice whispered in his ear.  He whirled around, searching for someone.  Once again no one was there.  Even if there would have been anyone, he knew well enough during a battle, you have to shout to make your voice heard from only two inches away.  Whispered don't exist in battles. 

An image of a rag doll, soaked in blood, flashed in his mind.  His breath caught in his chest and adrenaline surged through his veins.  The image disappeared.  He bent down, panting heavily.  The whisper had sounded like the voice of a child.

"Max, we're moving on!"  Jacob yelled. Max grabbed his gear, tightened the strap on his helmet, and followed Jacob, ducking behind pillars in the building, avoiding bullets.  "Many of 'em are dead," Jacob explained to max as they moved.  "We're going to go in and try to get those kids out."

Max nodded and followed Jacob, as well as other soldiers from their company.  They reached the back of the enemy building.  Explosions and the rapid fire of a machine gun filled their ears, pounding on their heads.  The doors leading inside were locked.  Max fired his gun at the lock.  Jacob gave the door a firm kick and it swung open, allowing then to storm inside the building.

"Private Williams, you search the basement," the Sargent yelled.  Max nodded.  "Private Peters, go with him and stand watch."  Jacob nodded and followed Max down the narrow staircase that led to the cramped basement below. 

"I'll wait here," Jacob said when they reached the bottom of the stairs.  Max turned the corner, searching for enemy gunman or children.  The room was unnaturally quiet.  He could barely hear the sounds that were coming from the battle that had been deafening only moment before.  An unearthly chill filled the room, sending shivers down his spine.  He crept forward, holding his gun at the ready.  Suddenly, someone grabbed his arm.  He whirled around, preparing to shoot.  He was startled to see a woman standing next to him, holding a baby in her arms and a small girl clinging t her dress.  the woman's face startled him  She was pale, her dark eyes dull and empty. 

"Please," she said.  "Please save my children."  She attempted to hand him the baby but Max shook his head. 

"Ma'am, we can save you, too.  Come with me."  He held his hand out, waiting for her to take it.  She shook her head.   "Please, save my children," the woman repeated.  He wouldn't take the baby when she held the infant towards him.  "Max, hurry up!"  Jacob yelled from the stairs. 

"Lady, come with me.  Your children will be alright if you'll just bring them and come along with me,"  he said, urgency stinging in his voice.  "Save my children!  There is no time! I must keep watch!"  The woman said, forcing the baby into Max's arms.  He cradled the infant in his arms gently and grabbed the hand of the little girl as the woman handed it to him. 

"I must go," the woman said, "There are more coming."  She turned and walked slowly to a window that looked up into the streets above. 

"Come with me!"  Max demanded.  "You have to get out of here!"  The woman said nothing, but looked out the window.  The little girl tried to rid herself of Max's grip, but he held on tightly to her.  She moaned, begging him to let go. 

"I must keep watch for him!"  The girl said.  Max let go out of surprise as a cold sweat formed on his body.  Her voice...  It was her voice that had whispered to him.  The girl, dropping her rag doll, ran to the window with her mother.  He cradled the baby in his arms and ran towards the stairs. 

"What's wrong?"  Jacob asked.  "You're pale." Max didn't listen.  He kept going up the stairs and handed the baby to a woman who was being led out of the building by the Sargent.  "Where did you find her?"  The woman asked, blood draining from her face.

"In the basement,"  he answered.  He turned to the Sargent.  "Her mother and a little girl are still down there.  They refused to come.  They said that they had to keep watch for someone, but they never said who."  "That couldn't be," the woman said.  Her body trembled as she spoke.  "This girl's mother was shot accidentally by one of your men from outside.  Her mother is dead.  Her body is on the third floor.  Her little girl was also hit.  She died just moments ago."

The Sargent looked from the woman to Max, then saying nothing, took the woman outside to an army jeep that would take them to safety.  Max hurried up the stairs with Jacob.  He reached the third floor landing and ran into a window.  There, in the corner, was the mother.  She sat crumpled next to the window in a pool of blood.  The small girl sat next to her mother, blood trickled down her small chest. 

"We've gotta get out of here," Jacob said.  Max wordlessly followed him back down the stairs.  A soldier met them at the back doors.  "We've checked out the basement.  There isn't a woman anywhere, or a little girl, for that matter. All we found was this."  The soldier handed a rag doll to Max.  It was stained with blood. 

"Get down!" Jacob yelled.  Enemy soldiers appeared on the stairs and fired at the soldiers.  Max grimaced with pain as a bullet struck his chest.  He seemed to fall in slow motion.  He fell against a wall and clutched his chest.  His breath came in painful gasps and he could taste blood in his mouth. 

'Thirteen.' the voice whispered in his ear. 

Jacob knelt in front of him.  Max tried to speak to him, but Jacob couldn't hear .  He ripped max's army jacket open and touched the spot where the bullet hit gingerly.  Pain shot through Max's body in agonizing waves.  Jacob put his fingers under Max's chin, and moments later, dropped his head.  When his head finally raised, his cheeks were tear-stained.  Max watched as Jacob got to his feet and left.  He tried to call him for him, to get him out of the building. but he walked out of the door.

Max struggled to move, but couldn't.  His eyes clouded over.  He struggled, fighting the darkness that filled his vision.  Soon, the darkness left his eyes, and he couldn't feel any pain in his chest.  A blurry figure stood in front of him.  His eyes struggled to focus.  The little girl stood in front of him, clutching a rag doll. 

"Mommy told me to come find you.  We've been watching for you."