Rebellion

Soldier's Funeral

Soldier's Funeral

​He looked at the men around him. Brad and Joe. His most trusted allies since the very beginning. Mike. The young man who had brought about his fuel to go ahead with his rebellion. Bono and Larry, the soldiers who had ambushed them in the dark of the night before they raided the bunker. Ryan, Mike's second hand man who had helped them rescue the other man. Benjamin and his other men, who had helped them get to the prison and take over the Capitol building. And Chester. Their oldest enemy who had saved their lives and had become a part of their group.

​"Are you guys ready?"

​"Yes," they all responded. He smiled slightly and then nodded.

​"Take a few minutes and....do what you need."

​He didn't know who would be coming back from this. The small group moved around from person to person, making sure they talked to everyone. He saw Mike lean over and hug Chester tightly. They had definitely grown extremely close. He saw them exchange a few words and then he nodded to himself. He had to get them all ready. They had to go.

​"Chester, Mike, Bono, you three are my animal squad. I need you guys to spend as much time as possible as you can using those gauntlets."

​"No problem," Mike said and the other two nodded.

​"Brad, Joe, Ryan, you guys are going to be my snipers. I need one of you on each side of the square."

​"You got it."

​"Ben, your group as well as Larry and I are going to be fighting in the main square as well. We'll spread out and try to close in on them like before. Stay as hidden as you can."

​They readied their weapons and then Dave took a deep breath and dashed out the door. There was no one out there but they ducked down under cover. He saw Ryan, Brad, and Joe head off to different ends of the main square. They heard the rumbling engines before they saw them. Gun shots went off immediately from the cars and Dave turned to the three soldiers behind him.

​"Once they get out of their cars, go for it," he called over the noise. They nodded and drew their guns to start firing. He saw Chester had put his armor back underneath his jacket. He turned back to the approaching cars and then shot off his first round. There were yells from the trucks and soldiers poured out of them. He heard growling and he ducked as a tiger leapt over him followed closely by a wolf and a leopard. He watched as the animals tore into the closest soldiers and he immediately started laying down cover fire for his friends. He swallowed as he saw the sheer number of people who were coming at him. This was going to be rough. A whine came from off to his right and he turned to see a wolf laying on the ground with an obvious wound. The tiger was balanced over him snapping at anyone who got to close. The wolf shimmered and Mike appeared back on the ground with blood pooling around him.

​"Chester!" he managed, "Get him out of here!"

​The tiger grabbed Mike by the collar and pulled him behind a barrier before Chester reappeared. Tears were running down his face and Dave swallowed before shooting out again. He could see a man stalking towards them and realized this was Charles Bennington. He holstered his gun just as Bono reappeared behind him.

​"Go for him! I'll cover you."

​Dave nodded and then drew his sword before leaping the barrier. Gun shots followed him, shooting anyone in the way and then he was met head-on with the very tall and muscular Charles Bennington. This was going to be a rough fight considering Chester was his height and he could barely manage to get him. Their swords clashed together and Dave gritted his teeth. Soldiers were falling all around them but he ignored the blood and continued to fight as best he could. He hadn't trained too much with a sword. Ben and the others were moving in and then backing up as more troops arrived. They weren't doing too badly. He slashed at their leader before jumping back and taking out a few soldiers next to him.

​"Well Dave, I didn't expect this fight to last very long," Charles Bennington said and Dave smirked.

​"Like I said, you don't know what I'm capable of."

​They fought for a bit longer and then Dave was forced to back up as more soldiers overwhelmed them. He hit the barrier and watched as two wild cats leaped over him. Chester and Bono had recharged their gauntlets. He looked over to where Mike was laying and saw the younger man had a bandage around his leg where he must've gotten shot but other than that, he looked alright. He gave Dave a small smile before shooting from his cover. Dave ducked next to him.

​"Are you alright?"

​"Yea. It just got me. Hurt like a bitch in wolf-form and then I was bleeding a lot when I changed back."

​"As long as you're good."

​"Yep. I'm fine. Chester's angry," Mike noted as they shot. Dave glanced at the tiger who was ferociously tearing people apart. The animals started their retreat as their forms shimmered and then Chester and Bono were standing there again with their weapons drawn. Dave fired at the approaching soldiers.

​"I have to get to Charles Bennington," Dave said and Mike nodded.

​"Go ahead, I'll cover you!"

​Dave nodded and ran out of cover again. He had his hand on his sword but he also shot anyone who threatened him. He hadn't wanted to become a killer, but now he had. He slashed at the older man who parried his attack.

​"Back for more?"

​"You won't make it out of this alive!"

​"Maybe not," the man smirked. Dave didn't like the look that he had. He pushed the older man back with his force and then thrust his blade forward.

​"I'll kill you," Dave growled, "I'm not afraid."

​They battled for what seemed like forever and then Bono and Chester had joined him on either side, back in their animal forms. The huge tiger mauled people on his right while the leopard protected him on the left. He knocked the taller man down and held his sword to his neck.

​"I told you! You should've given in when you had the chance," Dave snapped, "You'll be tried and killed."

​"I guess I have no choice then," Charles said before drawing a gun and firing four shots into the wild cat on his right. Chester. Those were his first thoughts. He turned away from the man on the ground as everything seemed to vanish. All sound faded. The gunshots echoed in his ears as he stared down at the shimmering form of the animal. Tears filled his eyes as it vanished and left a bleeding person in its place. But it wasn't Chester. It had never been Chester. They had switched sides at the last moment and Dave was pretty sure that Charles hadn't even known they had done that. He heard screams and then four more gunshots. Charles Bennington wasn't getting a trial. He was dead. Dave turned to see Larry running forward with his gun still aimed at the dead man's body. And then the sound returned.

​"NO! NO!"

​He looked down at the soldier's body that laid to his right. The bullets had killed him immediately. He didn't have a chance. The remaining soldiers had departed and there were too many bodies. He swallowed as he slowly stood up. He looked around. Three members of Ben's group remained and Ben wasn't one of them. It was only Keith, Shaun, and Jeremy. Ryan, Brad and Joe were alright. Chester was okay. Mike was shot but alright. And then him and Larry. He swallowed.

​"We need a flag," Larry stuttered, "We need a flag to cover him in. That's what we did with soldiers before."

​"I know," Dave said quietly. Chester walked up slowly to them.

​"I should've been there instead. I had jumped to help cover him and then we just switched. I should've been on your right. Then it would've been me."

​"Don't say that," Dave said. Larry gently lifted the fallen soldier off the ground and then swallowed before walking slowly back to the Capitol building. Dave made sure everyone else had joined up before heading back inside as well. The battle was over but they were nowhere near the end. Chester was sitting next to Mike while the younger man ran his hand down his back comfortingly. It was silent in their room.

​"When is it going to be?" Larry asked finally.

​"Tonight."

​"Okay."

​The small group departed and Dave found himself sitting on couch in the main room by himself. He wasn't sure exactly what to do with himself. He knew what he would end up having to do but he didn't want to accept it. He wasn't sure if he could lead a nation. He'd led troops to battle, yes. But this was different. This was a whole land. Millions of people were depending on him to help them. He swallowed and then headed outside. He pushed a table out into the middle of the square and started setting up grass and sticks. The wood stuck out and he covered the majority of it with a thin blanket. He sighed and then he heard quiet footsteps coming up behind him. He glanced back and saw Brad.

​"You need any help?" the man asked and Dave shook his head.

​"No....no....I can do this."

​"Well then maybe just someone to talk to?"

​"I can't do this," Dave said quietly, "I can't lead a nation. I'm not ready to do something like that."

​"That's okay. You'll have help."

​Dave looked away and saw the sun was setting, "It's been a bit of a long day hasn't it?"
​
​"Too long. I'll get the others."

​"Okay."

​Brad headed back inside the building and soon some of the others were coming out. Mike and Chester were walking together. Ryan was with Joe. He saw Jeremy, Keith, and Shaun walk out but they were heading over to where their friends' bodies were. That was fine. They needed their own time. Larry came out last with the body of their fallen soldier in his arms. He laid him down on the table and then stepped back. Mike stepped forward and unfolded something on his arm. It was the same flag that they had waving at the Capitol building. He laid it over the body and then returned to his spot next to Chester. Dave swallowed and then stepped forward. He clicked his lighter on and lit the wood that he'd doused in oil. The flames immediately caught and started to eat away at the wood. They each pulled their guns and shot into the air. It was the least they could do. This was far from what he would've gotten in the military.
​He looked around at his friends. Brad and Joe were sitting by each other on the ground. Ryan had his arm around Larry's shoulder while the older man cried. He hadn't wanted to lose anyone else. He glanced at the other two men that were here. Chester was leaning against Mike and stroking his hair while the younger man hugged him tightly. He sighed softly and sat down and watched the flames finally reach the soldier's body. The sparks rose into the night sky and disappeared. It was all too quiet....too peaceful. No one wanted to say anything because there was nothing to say. They all knew what he'd done and he'd died fighting for his country.

​"I'm sorry," he said finally. Everyone turned to look at him and Dave shook his head. "I was going to arrest him. I should've just killed him on the spot."

​"It was the right thing to do. No one blames you. I don't blame you," Larry said, "The world has a funny way of telling us that we made a bad call. We didn't see that coming."

​Dave nodded towards Larry and the other man gave him a sad smile before going back to staring into the flames. He was approached then by Mike. The younger man forced a smile and sat down next to him.

​"It's over now.....we lost a lot of people on the way, but it'll get better," Mike said quietly.

​"I know. I just wish it wasn't me who had to make it get better."

​"I know you'll be a good leader," Mike whispered.

​"I wish I had the same confidence."

​"You should. I believe in you. I know that all of these men will follow you no matter what."

​"It's just hard," Dave sighed, "He was supposed to be able to help me. I would be able to watch him until he retired and then take over from there. I didn't want to do this alone."

​"You're not doing this alone," Mike said, "You have all of us. We'll do the best we can."

​"I know you will," Dave smiled slightly, "You should take Chester inside."

​"Why?"

​"Because he fell asleep."

​"Oh," Mike got up and gave him a pat on the shoulder before walking over to where Chester was laying on the ground and picking him up. Dave watched him go inside before turning back to the fire. The flames were dying down and the sky was pitch black now. He should probably go inside too. He'd have to start running the nation tomorrow. He nodded at the others before heading into the building. He knew if he spent much longer out there he'd end up there all night.