Surrounded by chips of oak, splintered in moments from the wild spray of the crossfire, Earnest ducked down to cover after taking only a few shots. He could see the body right in front of him, laying on the ground, concealed behind bushes and thicket of the field. Staring at the body made him realize the reality of the current situation. He found himself pondering, losing initiative, losing hope. Then he reminded himself that this must be done, repeating his mantra pushed under the echoing noises of the attacking party, gunshots, spraying bullets impacting the woods. He tried to block out everything, and paid no heed to the ongoing slaughter. His ragged breaths overlayed the mantra he whispered to himself. He looked down at the body one last time, the living-breathing body of meat laying in front of him, not budging an inch, still as a dead body, yet alive. The immense value he placed in the life he must now safeguard no matter the cost.

He throws a small log of wood on his left, as far as he could get it and swiftly moves to flank right. A branch shivers from the impact, deflecting the log into a piece of land concealed behind tall grass and thickets. Impaled from the intensely concentrated round of bullets by the party, the misdirection worked as he moved to flank at the moment he heard them run out of rounds aimlessly shooting at the dead trees. He pulled out his trusty blade while his gun hung around him, piercing the first person he could catch off-guard. The blade skewered into the jugular, spraying his face with the enemy's blood. He pulled out and sheathed his blade, and used the body as armor as he aimed his gun from below the meat shield's left arm, short bursts of concentrated shots taking out the targets as efficiently as possible. He managed to cut through four people, before the alerted ones finished reloading and returned fire. The meat shield burst with sprays of blood, as the bullets riddled it with holes all over. He kept pushing, shooting whatever was in front of him. The remaining group spread out, surrounding him and limiting his cover. He pushed the body to his right to fend off the incoming shots from the right flank and faced the left group head-on. The inane bravery of a young soldier, serving the ideas and beliefs that define him. He pushed forward, pushing against the force of bullets impaling him, until he dropped to his knees. He lost all strength before he could fire even a single shot at the men he faced.

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"We live to die for freedom" he mumbled, saying his mantra one last time, as he grinned smugly at the enemy standing over him readying his handgun. A clean head shot. Perfectly centered, making it all the way from his forehead through his brain and leaving a clean exit wound on the back of his head. A perfect hole through his head as his body dropped on its back. In the moments of death he could only see the empty darkness that was cast upon the world, not even a single star to fill light into the empty void. Leaving only a dead smile behind, he looked up to the sky with a deep and tragic sadness as his eyes finally lost their light where his hope had disappeared long ago.