We left the enemy territory under heavy fire. But due to the support of the air force, we were able to escape. Barnett switched on the helicopter's portable ventilator and pressed the oxygen mask to Valkin's face. The oxygen was pumping, but it wasn't enough for Valkin. After a while, his hand felt limp and slipped from mine. My gut told me he was gone, but I couldn't accept it. I slammed my palms on his chest, over and over, but there was no response. Ferry placed his hand on my shoulder. I turned my head at him. He looked at me with tired, defeated eyes. And he moved his head sideways. I…I couldn't believe it. I looked at Valkin. His eyes were looking above. His mouth was open. I got back, sat. Both my hands were on my head. And there lay the scarred, empty corpse of a person we once called Valkin.
That day, we didn't lose the mission alone. We lost a person who was our brother, our friend. That day, we lost Valkin.
After some minutes, the helicopter landed. We were back at Egnisk. The door opened, but I couldn't stand. I had no power.
"Lieutenant…we…We have arrived." One of the sergeants in the extraction team said to me.
I gathered some power and got up. I stepped out of the chopper, and medics came rushing. A medic came to me, but I didn't stop. I kept walking. Captain Pierson came running to me and stopped me.
"Martin, are you alright?" He was worried.
I looked at him helplessly. He understood that something was wrong.
"What happened?"
I looked below, "One KIA." I couldn't face him. I had failed.
After hearing my answer, he looked behind me, saw a medic, Ferry, and Alfred take out Valkin's corpse. He understood everything and ran towards them. I turned and stood with a hopeless and weak body. The captain stood there. Ferry said something to him. Then he turned and looked at me. Just like us, his heart broke.
Valkin was brought to the hospital. His body was cleaned. And then Alfred, Ferry, and I lifted him onto a stretcher and carried him to the graveyard outside Egnisk. It was the four of us and Captain Pierson. Ferry, Alfred, and I picked up the shovels and began to dig a grave. I felt so powerless while doing it. The pain wasn't in my wounds alone; it spread in my heart. My whole soul ached. We, slowly and painfully, dug the grave. And then buried Valkin under the soil. He had parted from us and has now joined the 30,000 martyrs.
After that, the four of us went to the hospital and got our wounds checked. The nurse bandaged our injuries and gave us painkillers. After that, we walked back to our room, and we sat on our beds. Seeing my hopeless face, Alfred spoke.
"Martin…He was honoured to fight alongside you. He was honoured to fight alongside us."
I looked at him.
"So we should be honoured as well, that he was our friend, our ally, our comrade. We should be honoured that he is not 'just a dead person'. He is a martyr. We must stand tall and keep fighting."
His words were assuring. They fixed my broken soul. I felt ashamed that Alfred didn't lose his composure, but I, being the leader, had lost it. Alfred had Valkin's uniform. He went to the rack where we placed our uniforms, and placed them there. I, who had Valkin's badge, went there and placed the badge on the uniform. It reduced my pain a bit. I remembered that I was still the leader. I can't fall early.
Then Captain Pierson entered the room.
"The supreme commander is here…"
"Why?" I interrupted him.
"To see how the battle is going. To see it up close. Well…It doesn't matter much. Go to the Colonel's office and give him the post-mission debriefing. Martin, you were leading, so go alone." He completed his orders and left.
I took a deep breath, "Yes, sir!"
"See you later," I said to my team.
I took my cap, wore it, and then went to the colonel's office. He was standing near the window, looking outside. Upon seeing me, he walked to his chair and sat on it.
"I am sorry for your loss. But don't let the grief get in the way of your duty." He said as he placed some documents aside. "Now tell me from the time when your mission began."
"On 28th December at 8:00 am, the General and his convoy arrived in the valley. I had anticipated that he would send a decoy convoy. So I took the necessary measures. I placed a scope as bait. Because I thought there would be an enemy sniper. I was right, and he took the bait. I spotted the actual convoy, and using a TMAP bullet and the AMR Barrett M95, took out an armoured SUV. But it was a decoy as well. Then…" I told him everything from the beginning to the end.
He took a deep breath and spoke. "So you took out his arm, and he took out Valkin. I know it isn't the right time, but what you did to him was something no one could do since he got in the army. That is the maximum damage he had ever been given. Good job. He will be useless for some months… Okay, you can go."
Then I left his office and went back to my room. It was 3 hours before sunset. But my injuries still hurt. The three of them were sleeping. I stood beside my bed. And looked around the room. One of the beds was empty…Forever. I lay on my bed and went to sleep.
I had a dream that night…Rather a nightmare. First, I saw my father, pressed under the rubble. I ran to him, called his name, and he lifted his head. But…that wasn't my father. A demonic face with no eyes and only blood coming from the eye socket. I stepped back in fear, and then heard my voice. It was my brother. He had the same facial condition as my father. He stared into my eyes and deep into my soul. Then again, I heard someone say my name. I turned, and it was Valkin. Same as father and brother. They kept walking towards me. They were around me, slowly and slowly thinning the circle. And they only said one sentence.
"You couldn't protect us. You are a failure." The three of them kept repeating it.
Suddenly, I felt a light behind me. I turned and saw the same black figure of my mother. I began to run towards but by the time I reached it. It had vanished. I again turned, and there was no one. It was all black, empty. I was in an abyss. Then I felt a hand on my left shoulder. I couldn't move and not even turn my head. And it said one thing.
"Martin…just like us…die."
These words shook me. Those were the most dreadful words I had ever heard. I woke up and got up with a jerk. That sudden jerk had revived the pain in my ribs and back. I tightly held my ribs and groaned. But that nightmare came back to my mind. It was all fresh and so real. I felt some salt on my lips and realised that I was crying.
I got out of my room and then to the bathroom to wash my face. I entered, and it was empty. I went near a basin and washed my face. I was looking down. The same dream repeated in my mind. I got scared and washed my face again. As I thought about it. The tragic memories of my father's and Valkin's death rushed into my mind.
But suddenly, another memory came to mind. The AMR shot that tore off Argen's arm. The scene flashed vividly in my mind. I lifted my face and saw in the mirror that I was smiling. It was a demon's smile. But that moment when I ripped off his arm made me feel immensely happy. He must be pleased that he killed Valkin. However, he must have forgotten that I…Martin Arkila…am still alive. At that very thought, I started to laugh.
The laugh became louder and louder. And after a while, I was laughing like a maniac. I cooled down slowly. But I was still smiling.
"Oh man, that shot was so lovely."