November 12, 2133
Creole, Lousiania
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Taking Hill B-502 proved to be pointless. The hill provided no tactical advantage for our artillery, since we had already secured more effective, sloped hills.
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In the two hours we were on the hill, we lost 133 men. Alpha Killer Division was almost eliminated, while Scroll Division had lost 95% of their forces. We suffered very few losses compared to our sister Divisions. All of our new guys were killed, Timothy and Zach were also killed. I always thought Zach would make it. I was wrong. Hill B-502 was later renamed Burg Hill due to it being a meat grinder.
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Daniel didn’t recover after Timothy’s death. He blamed himself for a long time. Daniel lost himself and commited suicide one night. I walked in seconds before he fired a shotgun into his lower jaw. With Daniel’s suicide, Command sent us to Cameron for R&R.
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Alpha Sector was more civilized than our sector. There were towns and small farms that were willing to support the NCC. Cameron quickly rebuilt and the Mayor welcomed any and all NCC troops. A lot of troops went to Cameron for R&R. Troops at Creole built trenches and mortar positions, troops at Cameron built bars and clubs.
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While at Cameron I met someone. She was a bartender. Her and I had a similar vibe. I’ll never forget her.
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I sat down at the bar for a drink. A beautiful woman came to me and asked, “can I get you anything?”
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She had long red hair that touched her shoulder blades and glistening blue eyes. She was curved like a back road at home. She held her head up with a smile and shirt in a knot on her side. She wore tight jeans with a brown belt. She was wonderful. I almost forgot about the war for just a second. I relished that second.
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I told her, “I’d like a lite.”
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She nodded, pouring a lite beer into a glass. She asked, “you from around here?”
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I shook my head, “I’m from Georgia.”
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“So you’re with the NCC I assume.”
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“You assume correct.”
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“Well, my name’s Katey. Friends call me Kate.”
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“I’m Matthew. Friends call me Kid.”
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“You don’t look like a Kid. Nor Matthew.”
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“Well, Mom always had a bad naming scheme.”
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“Yeah. Moms huh?”
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“They’re the best.”
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“Or the worst.”
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“Depends on where you sit.”
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“I never sat too close to home.”
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“I wish I stayed home.”
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“You’re a draftee?”
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“Yeah.”
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“I’m sorry you had to get involved.”
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“If it led me to you, I’m okay with it.”
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She smiled and brushed her hair back. She said, “I get off in twenty. I can show you around Cameron if you want.”
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I chuckled, “are you just trying to get a good tip?”
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“No. I can show you a few tips though. Joana’s bar closes but it re-opens at midnight as a night club. Fun stuff.”
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We traversed the town all night. She showed me where she had her first kiss, where she went to school, and where her father bought a business. Eventually, she took me to her apartment.
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We sat on the couch and watched a few movies together. I never had sex with any woman before, so I didn’t know the sudtle hints she started sliding at me. She asked questions, I answered.
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One question she asked was difficult, “am I just a one night stand to you?”
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I didn’t know what I wanted. For my entire life I was told what to do. I was told where to go, when to do it, and how to. Now, I had someone asking me to make my own decision. I didn’t know how to answer.
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She asked, “what do you want?”
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All I wanted was her. The first woman I was ever attracted to, and I found her in a goddamned warzone. I looked into her ocean blue eyes and said, “I want you. Just you. Whatever that comes with.”
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I left her apartment to let her sleep. I snuck into the barracks, trying to not wake Tent. While I was getting into my bunk, a hand laid on my back. Instinctively, I reached for a nearby rifle. The figure grabbed the rifle and tore it from my hands. Tent whispered, “it’s me Rogers!”
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I sat down in my bed, “I’m sorry Sergeant. I’m so sorry.”
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He sighed, “that was my fault son. I’m sorry. Where have you been? I was about to put in a missing person report.”
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“I was hanging out with one of the bartenders. I really like her.”
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“Well shit. Why are you here?”
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“I didn’t want to get in trouble.”
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“What?! Come on. Are you going to see her tomorrow?”
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“Yeah I’m trying to.”
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“Okay. I’ll wake you at 0700. Be ready.”
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He patted my shoulder, “goodnight Rogers.”
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I nodded, “goodnight Sergeant.”
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In the morning, Tent woke me up and brought me outside. We crossed the town into a lush field full of flowers and cows. Tent picked a few of the flowers and gave them to me. I asked, “what’s this for?”
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“For her. Of course.”
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“Oh. Thank you Sergeant.”
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“I had a wife once, I said the same thing as you when I met her. My Sergeant did the same, so I might as well carry on his legacy.”
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“Sergeant?”
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“Yeah?”
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“Do you mind me asking what happened? To your men. Daniels told me…”
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“We were ambushed. A few of my men got away but were snatched up by Tigers Breed. I was wounded and my Captain, who was also my Sergeant once, carried me across four miles of mine fields and trenches. He was shot but kept moving until he reached an aid station. He died that night, while I lived. I divorced my wife after I found her in bed with one of my soldiers who was on leave.”
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“Sergeant… I’m sorry.”
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“It’s fine Kid. I figured you deserve to know.”
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“Thank you. That means a lot.”
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“Rogers, I wanna say you’ve come far. Farther than I would have ever asked you. I’m proud of you. When the opportunity comes, I want you to be Devil Dogs new Staff Sergeant. Once we get reinforced I’ll be moving up to Lieutenant.”
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“Of course I will, Sergeant.”
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“Good. Well what are you waiting for? Go get that girl.”
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I walked to Kate’s apartment and knocked on the door. Nobody came, so I knocked again. Nobody came. I sighed, “what the fuck where you thinking Matt?”
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I walked back down the stairs, kicking myself for falling so quickly. Why would I have emotions for a girl I just met? She could be screwing everyone on base right now. Fucking stupid.
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A soft voice alarmed me, “hey Kid.”
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I looked up from my dragging feet to see Kate. She stood in a pair of leggings and a dark grey hoodie. Sweat drops were rolling down her face and off her fingertips. She asked, “are you stalking me?”
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I shook my head, panicking, “uh… no! I came by to… to see if you had… any uh…”
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She chuckled, “I’m kidding. I just got back from the gym. Want to catch a movie? Burning River episode two is out.”
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I smiled, “I’d love that.”
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I reached into my pocket and showed her the flowers Tent retrieved. She smiled, and her eyes lit up. She gasped, “are those flowers?”
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I shook my head, “no no. They’re bullets. Found them in the armory.”
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She grabbed the flowers and smelled them. She sighed, tearing up, “I’m sorry. Geez.”
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She turned away and started fanning her eyes. Concerned, I asked, “I’m sorry. Are you allergic?”
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“No no-” She turned back to me, “I don’t mean to sound like a brat, but no one has ever done this for me. Thank you Matthew.”
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I nodded, “yeah! No problem.”
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We watched movies all day and she made me meals. She made fish tacos at lunch, and a coconut breaded chicken breast for dinner. Coming off baked bean MREs and shitty mess hall food, her cooking gave me a sense of home. Her smile gave me a sense of hope. Her presence gave me life.
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That’s when I knew I wanted to make love to her. She made me feel human. For months I had to pretend to be this ruthless killing machine without my own thoughts. She let me be human.
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But, I couldn’t be human for long. In early September, we got orders to head for Lake Charles and secure it.
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