The Queen's Shadow

The Unseen Casualties

(This chapter contains Child soldiers and murder though not historically accurate this is a chapter that is not for the easily offended.)

~~~Gabriel December 27, 1944,

We spent a few days getting ready for another invasion we were pushing forward into Europe. It was baffling I was still alive, I had seen some of the worst things imaginable, and I know why people say you wouldn't wish some things on your worst enemy. It's because, honestly, some things would destroy that person, this war is a reminder of how ugly humans can get. Why was I fighting? War was something I could have avoided altogether. I joined to escape America and hope to make a better life when or if I got back. The fact of the matter was, I was a fool. My father before me chased after a woman who is quite literally a monster, and here I am trying to save someone who devours people. IRoNy

Lately, Carter has been getting a lot more ravenous, what went from every other day has become three times a day. It only started a day ago, but I'm beginning to feel lightheaded. John has frequently been checking in on me to make sure I don't pass out. I don't know what he knows, but he's been watching me—even more than he used to.

On top of that, he has been watching Carter just as much. We've been giving him the slip every time Carter needs to feed. I think John is going to catch on soon. Even if Carter says, John isn't who he says he is. I can't help but feel a little bit more secure. If Carter loses control, he may drain me dry. I think he even tried to use that trick that Edward and Jacob did to me—forcing me to give him more blood. I can't be upset with him. Carter is in a fucked up situation. Of course, I don't think he has experience in it yet. I saw right through it. I wonder what would happen if he succeeded. He couldn't go out in the sunlight. It was then that a frightening thought came to my mind. I couldn't trust John, and I couldn't believe Carter. In war, you needed to trust a man beside you.

It was cold as hell, so he would just have to cover his face from the sunlight. The major problem was whenever he went out in the sunshine. It would burn him. He tried it once, which ended badly. The second he went out in the sun. Almost burned him to the bone. His wound increases his hunger. It seems like to heal immediately; they have to feed on humans. It was still in the dead of winter so he could keep my wound covered.

The battle of Arden took only took place a week ago. A week since those events unfolded. A week since I've been a target. Another thing I noticed was he never got cold anymore. He was used to it. For me, it was cold as fuck in Europe. So cold some of us went out and stole the thermals from our dead.

The cuts on my wrist began to start hurting. I had to keep reopening the wound, the slice mark above my wrist wound that never stayed closed. Pretty soon, I would have to find a better spot. The medics said that it could get infected if it doesn't close, from what it looks like it is getting infected, so I'm going to have to clean it again. It's a good thing it wasn't my right hand. Even though I am left-handed, all of these guns were right-handed. I check the sharpness of my knife, I did an excellent job of keeping my wound open. I kept it sharpened because it helped me out more times than I can count. My sidearm is reliable.

We were on the outskirts of a city, but we concluded that there were people there or were there. As we got closer, I saw it. I saw something that would make a priest lose their face. I saw something I would not wish on anybody; this was a living nightmare. They---were They were children shot and hung. Some were even just hung. What made it worse was that some of them were shot in the stomach or the legs. The bodies were emaciated to the point you could see their skulls. What in God's green earth happened? Some of them were just left bleeding out while hanging. A lot of them had their eyes open glazed over with death. Boys and girls just hung from a noose or even crucified like Jesus Christ.