Don't fear the reaper - Captain John Price

XXII

The train passed through one endless tunnel after another. Small carts packed with people were taking the passengers from one side of the tunnel to another routinely. Men, women, kids, everyone were on their own unknown path following the plans in their heads or written on paper not even thinking about the next moment.

Our life seems to be long. During the days of bright and happy childhood, we can not wait to grow up and become adults to do the things that parents are telling us we are too young to do. In adulthood, we always rush something, as if running a marathon every single day. Running from home to work, and back home into the arms of our loved ones. Waiting for Friday, another paycheck, a vacation. Years pass by, leaving the stamps of the time on our faces. But, when someone we love suddenly disappears into the arms of the reaper, we finally get an understanding of how fragile and short life really is.

An officer was rushing along the service tunnel to the team. The hope to catch Makarov was escaping with him deeper into the tunnels. The mission failed, but the main concern was the KIA Price talked about on the radio just a moment ago. They had to take that person out of the tunnel. The air was stiff as if the death herself was still walking around the dark tunnel. Even the light seemed darker. With each step, the team was closer to 141, as the silhouettes of the men were seen on the horizon. Amelia counted only three of them, preparing herself for the worst, but nothing in her life could prepare for what the gaze of her brown eyes would see next.

"Johnny!" A woman found herself running to MacTasvish's dead body, looking at the pool of blood he was lying in. Her backpack with the medical equipment was lying somewhere on the side, as the brunette's knees touched the cold concrete.

"No-no-no," Amelia whispered to herself, seeing how unresponsive her childhood friend was. The woman's hands were shaking, and her mind was not ready to accept that Johnny was dead. The officer's cold fingers were running along the sergeant's wrist, hopelessly looking for the pulse. But, there was nothing. Knight had to try everything she could. The ray of hope was still present in her mind, as the woman's hands took off Johnny's tactical waist, to do the CPR. "One, two, three..."

"Amelia.." Simon placed his gloved hand over the palms of the brunette's hands, trying to stop her. The pain was in the air. It was always hard.  Sometimes, teammates can become closer than a family. They all knew Soap was already dead. His lifeless eyes were pointing at the ceiling, as the man's head rested in a pool of dark blood.

"C'mon, you can't Johnny, no," Amelia helplessly sat on the floor. Finally, the understanding hit her like a train. Johnny was dead. Johnny whom she knew since she was a little child. The person who knew everything about herself. A woman knew how to control her emotions in a room full of people, but the tears were forming in the corners of her eyes, just to flow down her cheeks in the arms of hysteria a moment later.

"Lia, you can't do anything," Despite the pain in his leg, John made a few painful steps towards the brunette trying to take her away from Johnny's body. The captain hadn't known her as long as he did know Soap, but Price would bet on his leg that a woman would try anything she could before admitting that Johnny was dead.

"It's all my fault," Knight whispered, covering face with her hands trying to stop the tears that were creating the rivers down her cheeks. She turned around to look at Price, who wished to take the pain away from her but had way too much of his. His hand was tenderly caressing her back, trying to calm the woman down.

"Shh, no, it's not. ," The captain looked at the rest of the medical team who were waiting for the opportunity to take Soap's body off the cold floor. The black bag made the man think about how many of his teammates he buried throughout the years of the service.

Failed mission wasn't the first thing Price was thinking about that evening. John felt the bitter feeling of guilt on the tip of his tongue. Price's leg would remind him about the mission for a long time, but he was standing there alive because of Soap. If it wasn't him, the captain's body would too, lay on the concrete floor waiting for the arms of the black bag. The feeling of guilt was taking over Amelia too. Guilt, anger, and pain were mixing inside of her mind. She took the man's hand to stand up from the cold floor, as the dark blood stained her uniform and hands. Knight never needed anyone in her life. Complicated relationships with her family, and betrayals of the people who were close to her, made a woman find a friend in her own self. But Soap was a special part of her life that was gone now. A grief was choking her in the room full of air, as the tears were silently flowing down her cheeks. A gaze of brown eyes found the captain's blue eyes as if she was looking for a savior, and there was only one person who could offer it. A brunette found herself falling into Price's arms, leaving the wet mark of her tears on his jacket. They both had enough pain in them to share with the whole world but kept it inside and were quiet about it. And maybe, after years of being her own savior, Amelia finally admitted she needed someone in her life. Not anyone else, but Price.

"If only I was here, I could do fucking something," Everyone in the room knew that even if she was with them in the tunnel, there was little to no chance to save Soap from the shot in the head. He lost blood way too quickly. But still, a brunette became a medical officer to save people, not to bury them

"You need fresh air and water, love," John watched how the once bright blue eyes of the sergeant were closed to never look at the world surrounding them. The loud noise of the bag's zipper closing echoed in the tunnel before another train passed by.

Price was limping as the sharp pain in his leg reminded the captain about itself. He was taking a brunette away from the tunnel full of darkness, and death. It seemed as if Knight ran out of tears, there was nothing inside of her mind and soul except for the pain and numbness. She wasn't blaming herself anymore, because it wasn't her bullet that found Johnny. Amelia even felt the anger towards John for a slip moment, but the common sense came back quickly to her mind. Price was right. There was nothing she could do, even if she was there with them when Soap was shot. The captain's hand was wrapped around her shoulder, as they both were walking into the new reality of life.

The mission failed. They lost Johnny. Makarov escaped. It was another shitty day that was never supposed to go this way. But now, they had no other way

But get revenge. For Soap.

Felt so much pain for my kids while writing this chapter