Artificial Horizon - A César Fernando Basa x Reader story

XLI - Open-skies

Referring to a policy of allowing aircraft belonging to any country to fly over an area, without restrictions on surveillance of military installations.

* * *

My ears become already attuned with the sound of screams and cries, and of the exasperated breathing and those that slows down and finally stops. My eyes become accustomed as well to the sight of too much blood from missing limbs or a series of shrapnel wounds, the gruesome burns of skin and flesh almost deep to the bone, and the pain and anguish visible on the faces of every wounded and the dead. And my heart already turns cold and hard at every plea of them asking to be saved, saying that they don't want to die just yet and when knowing how grave their injuries are, all I can do is to let them hold on to me as minutes or even seconds alone, they breath their last; the action itself almost turning me to some sort of a priest.

Somehow, the bombing subsides. But it didn't stop the onslaught of the wounded being brought in as those who are able manage to recover them just now. It seems like those flying American and Filipino planes manage to wear them off, or the Japanese realized that their fuels are about to run out than be provoked at all. But it didn't shake away my fear about the sound of planes any longer; that when a few manages to land on other flat lands of Zablan airfield than on the destroyed concrete runway, I flinch in hearing their presence.

My eyes are drawn to the view of where I can hear the sound of the last of the planes landing comes from, and I am starting to be fearful of the possibility that I'll end up being traumatized by anything related to it by now or I—

I almost jump and instantly swivel my head when I feel someone touches me by the shoulder. I am not the only one who seems to be so surprised by the action, that even the one who've cautiously approached me do so.

It is Lt. Florencio Flores. I know him even beyond the Sixth Pursuit Squadron as he is also on the same class as César during their flight training; hence, I know that they are close pals, too. Right now, as if surprised with how I've reacted, he stands a foot away from me and has his hands raised. He is wearing one of those flight suits that are lighter that didn't restrict them from most of their movements. However, it isn't as pristine as I think of it will be; for his flight suit is marked with blood, too. For him to be standing perfectly fine, I can already hint that it isn't his. And so, he speaks up another time, "Ah. Pasensya na kung nabigla kita, (Y/N). Pero kanina pa rin kita tinatawag at hindi ka sumasagot, kaya..."

I lower my gaze and says, "P-Pasensya na. Paniguradong sa dami ito ng iniisip ko."

He sighs heavily and crouches low in front of me. "Naiintindihan ko. Pero, (Y/N)..." He turns to the soldier right next to me, whose hand I've allowed to hold on to me as I can offer no more than my presence to him upon diagnosing that applying first aids is not enough as he is in need of an expert's surgery with too many shrapnel that are buried on his stomach and chest. "You can now let go of him."

I then turn to the patient myself, and find the dullness and blank stare in his open eyes. The absence of light on them as his face no longer shows too much pain with whatever he is feeling back then makes it clear that Death had taken him already. I don't know when, and seeing it firsthand throughout this raging war, it is no longer a surprising matter to find normalcy at the sight of it.

Florencio slowly reaches out to me, closing his own bloody hands around that of mine and pulling me away from the deceased's. He also helps me stand up as if I will stumble from where I am right now.

"Ah," I tell him. "Hindi ko... Hindi ko napansin na..."

He sighs heavily before looking on at the surrounding mixture of blood and gunpowder and burn on where we are right now. "Napansin kita kanina na dumating kasama ang iba pang mga nars. Hindi ko akalain na pupunta ka rito dahil noong tinanong ka namin kay César, sabi niya na kasama mo raw ang kanyang mga magulang at kung nanaisin mo man na tumulong ay sinabihan ka raw niya na manatili sa PGH. Kaya, noong una, hindi ako makapaniwala na nandito ka nga. Ang natatanggi sa medical team ng Sixth Pursuit Squadron na nandito samantalang ang iba ay nasa Batangas, nag-aabang pa lamang sa hudyat ng digmaan doon."