Bury

SEVEN

The stench is all too familiar, the sight just as dreadful as the night before. I refuse to take in too much of my surroundings as I fear for my well-being. Willingly, the surroundings are now numbing. Struggling to keep the demeanor, it blankets over my fragile mind and the stream of uninterrupted work resumes.

Tommy.

He resides in the crevices of my consciousness. However, all the same he nestles at the core of soul, preventing the loss of my sanity and loss of hope. I wish to see Tommy outside of this war but I am too certain Tommy would simply be thrown back into training and the front lines after a brief duration of R&R - if he receives it. Perhaps I would be able to see him during his R&R. Would Tommy and all these soldiers receive R&R time? Would I receive one too, for my time served? I am still uninformed about Tommy's place of residence or simply the area he is from, I cannot be thinking ahead of myself.

Exhaustion seeps into my bones aching for proper rest. My hands suffer tremors with imprecise handiwork. Faces around me are blurred, carrying the repeated expression of exhaustion. However, not one nurse or medic dared to speak in such a crucial situation.

"Kathy" A voice murmurs near my ear

"Yes? I answer, delayed and startled

"It's awfully late, come outside" I look up at the person speaking before me. The boy who has captivated my heart beyond measure, how naive of me

"It's late?"

"The sun went down hours ago, rest" Tommy's dark hair shakes with his head, leading me to the exit by my arm gripped in his hand. Nurses and medics settle near their assigned stretchers, they rest on standby. However, it's evident that they are not truly at ease, their eyes may be closed but their bodies are alert and ready to snap back into tending the injured. Lanterns are now the lone source illuminating the tent. The sun's absence has ridden the beach of any heat, the crescent moon barely illuminates the miniature mountainous sand. The wind has softened, carrying a subtle chilly air.

Soldiers continue to line up throughout the beach, instead of standing they have settled on the cold sand to rest their aching legs. The distant waves carry ships to and fro between Dunkirk and our sweet home, the mole remains frantic. Angry distant shouts can still be heard, they do not rest.

"Kathy, here" Tommy stops with an abandoned truck before us

"Thanks, Tommy" Almost tossing my bag into the back of the truck, I struggle to climb into the back without Tommy assisting me.

Tommy begins to shuffle around the moonlit truck, laying his large coat on the cold metal and dragging my medical bag towards him he lowers himself and rests his head atop. A barely visible Tommy nods, beckoning. Blindly crawling through the truck, fine-grain sand prickles my sweaty palms. My sand coated palms sweep the iron until it comes into contact with wool. His angular fingers wrap behind my head, pushing me down onto his arm. Our close-packed bodies barely fit the makeshift bed

"We're.. very close" I breathe, dusting off the sand against my dirtied pants. Tommy murmurs in agreement with a slight smile. His fingers feel around for my shoulder and pulls my body closer to his own. Hiding a smile, my heart begins to pound faster. Tommy's scent is filled with smoke and dirt nevertheless I feel safe in the arms of Tommy.

Raising my gaze up to glance at his face, his eyes are already shut and he seems to have relaxed for the first time since I've met him. Mimicking him, I close my eyes and attempt to fall into slumber

"Kathy?" His deep voice mumbles

"Yeah?" I reply without opening my eyes. His muscles work against my head Tommy raises, sliding off his arm and onto the coat beneath me. My eyes shoot open as his face is in close proximity, his body almost completely over mine. Hesitation shrouds his face, examining my face with trembling lips. Tommy proceeds to lower his head, closer to mine. At last his lips meet mine very gently. A light touch before he pulls away

"Why did you stop?" I whisper after a pause, his eyes perk up and briskly he reconnects our lips. Passionately they move against mine, my hands reach up to cup his face and bring him closer. His body lowers onto mine completely and we move against each other with our eagerly connected lips until our bodies tangle. A familiar distant low rumble becomes audible. The frightening whir of propellers sting my ears. Quickly I break away from Tommy

"Do you hear that?" I whisper with widened eyes. Tommy eyebrows are furrowed, eyes concentrating on mine before realization hits him

"Fuck," he growls, retreating to lie on his side and pulling me into his  firm chest "don't be afraid" I nod with approval, moving as close as humanly possible to his body. His arms tighten around my body as the deafening roar of Luftwaffe bombers terrorize the beach once again.

There seems to be multiple planes flying overhead. They roar as they zoom past us, dropping bombs as they do. The ground quakes at the impact, sand crashes into the thin layer of metal covering the truck. The truck rocks violently as countless more crash into the ground. My hands dig into Tommy's shirt, balling it up with tight force. My eyes have been shut with fear. My exhausted bones rattle beneath my skin as they did countless times before.

Soon the truck ceases to sway, roaring engines die out and the crashing waves are all that can be heard once again. As quickly as they come, they have vanished in the night sky. Tommy's arms loosens in strength, giving just enough room to look up at him. His face stern and alert, concentrating to detect any more anomalies within the Dunkirk sky. Soon he relaxes, looking down at me with a small smile

"That was much needed" Tommy's eyes flicker to my lips momentarily

"Indeed," I reach up to peck his now softened lips "but I've lost the mood"

"Oh, agreed" Tommy lets out a nervous laugh of relief, my hands carry a slight tremor that I was not aware of before due to the overpowering eruption of explosions. Tommy shuffles to lie on his back, leading me to his arm and grasping onto my anxious hands. Just as we previously done, we close our eyes and attempt to escape through slumber with the event of horror still fresh in our minds

"Tommy?" A soft mumble of response "Where are you from?"

"Richmond..." He mumbles "and you?"

"Kingston" I smile, snuggling against him.

*R&R is military slang for rest and recuperation. When soldiers receive a sort of time off. Rescued soldiers of Dunkirk received up to 48-72 hours I believe before training and eventually going back into war

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I HAVE FINALLY UPDATED!! WOOO! I'm excited to continue my story and finish it, the end is sadly near. Please do not hesitate to leave a favorite and criticism!