Challenge Response: Challenge 11

War survivor

By Jim Guy

Synopsis. Continuation of Mnd’s story.

Quick Beta by Mnd

Warning: The use of Beatles quotes and EXTREME violence

Helm rolled as the Frog’s sword was driven into the ground and a bullet smashing through the back of his head, pulverizing the cavalryman’s face. Blood, brains and teeth spewed onto Helm.

Screaming canon balls suddenly filled the air, terrorizing the soldiers and horses before crashing and exploding among the hand to hand combatants. Canoneers either disregarded the fact that they were killing their own men or lousy shots. Men were torn apart or vaporized by the balls.

Helm heard the scream of a ball and dove into a crater from a previous explosion and landed on a cactus spine. An explosion rocked the earth and spewed dirt, rock, pieces of rifles, swords and body parts and more cacti onto Helm who had covered his head with his arms while trying to meld into the ground, without the aid of a ball.

"Why in the hell did I have to fight a war in the only country in Europe to have cacti?" Helm knew that they only other place in the world to have cacti was in the Sonoran desert located in the States of Sonora and Arizona in Mexico.

Suddenly Helm was bowled over as five enemy soldiers jumped into the crater to escape another canon ball. The soldiers were scared shitless and cowered against the side of the crater. Helm grabbed his sword and prepared to kill.

"Please we are unarmed," cried one of the men, tears streaming down his face. They all put their hands on top of their heads. They were young, mere boys, covered with blood, guts and dirt.

Another cannon ball screamed and shook the ground, knocking them all to their knees and spewing more debris on top of them.

"I gotta get outta this place, if it’s the last thing I ever do." yelled Helm at the men as he scrambled up the side and over the top. He got four feet when he hit the dirt as another ball whistled. Another explosion ripped the earth and Helm could see the ball landed in the crater he had exited. Something rolled near Helm’s head and he looked over and stared into the eyes of the boy who had pleaded for mercy. There was no body attached to the head.

Belly crawling through the blood and gore, the smell gagging him, Helm scrambled into another crater as a mass of enemy soldiers charged him. A canon ball flew straight at the men and smashed a head into pulp, splattering his comrades before ripping off the arm of the man behind him.

Suddenly Helm realized that the cannon fire had ceased. The soldiers dropped their weapons and ran. He dove for cover as his own troops opened fire and then moved forward, systematically bayoneting every body that even so much as twitched, regardless of uniform.

A half-hour went by and the battle moved on before Helm dared to move. When he did, he saw more troops moving through the bodies. Miraculously some of the bodies were still alive and the troops help the wounded back towards the hospital unit. Helm passed out.

He woke as gentle hands picked him up. He forced himself to advise of his name rank and unit. His ripped leg had been wrapped with a handkerchief and the bleeding had slowed. He relaxed as he was carried into the hospital tent.

"Captain, after 2 days you are well enough to leave. Don’t over tax your leg and the stitches will be ready to be removed in a week. Now get out of here so we can treat real patients," said a doctor with a grin.

Helm did as he was told. He commandeered a horse and rode away from the killing field as fast as he could eventually stopping to rest in an abandoned building. The sun filtered through the splintered roof as a single beam coming to rest on a cross. Helm was in a church. He looked closer at the cross. A Spanish sword was tied to the cross with a red sash. Though the smashed window he saw a figure dressed in black, with long raven black hair, riding a Chestnut colored horse riding away. He rubbed his tired eyes with his hands. When he looked up again, the figure, the horse and the sword were gone.

Helm raised his eyes skyward. "Lord God, get me out of here," he prayed.