"The last one out"

Exhausted, tired physically and emotionally. Hard to keep a steady breath while walking through the fresh ruins. It is a struggle not to stumble over them; a struggle to accept the truth. The truth of what lies before jaded eyes. It is a terrifying nightmare come true. Sitting down against the remains of a broken wall, the sorowful jaded eyes avert themselves from a 'Once so full of life' body. Those jaded eyes belong to a Woman, a Marine, and that body was the instrument of her Platoon Sergeant. She summoned the courage to plant her jaded eyes on the body. "So lifeless..." She thought. The flame inside her was now dull but painful. It hurt so much, seeing one of the few people she truely trusted, laying dead in front of her. Chest unmoving; no rise or fall. Tears threatened to fall, though she blinked them back. She will no longer be able to hear his firm commanding voice. She will no longer be able to look into those remarkable eyes, that always seemed to remind her so much of the sun. Was it wrong to love ... What you can never have? She didn't know why she had fallen for him. Maybe it was a fetish for authority or perhaps a simple crush. Maybe it was her love for everyone she came to know. Still, this hurt too much. Why him? She obeyed; Listened to every word he has ever spoken. Cherished every small, once in a blue moon, praise he has ever given her. Memorized every movement she has ever seen him make. Still, it was'nt enough... It didn't seem fair. She closed her eyes, remembering his last words to her: "Take the 2nd and 3rd squad, gather up you gear and leave this hell-hole. You don't want to be the last one out." His words haunted her, and she soon realized what he meant. You don't want to be the last one out of a battlefield. For if you are, you will recieve the bitter privilege of see the tragic ending of a war. Rising to her feet, she stood tall with tragic honor. Saluting her friend, with overwhelming grief. As she turned to make her way off the battlefield, to safety, she shouted in her mind: "I am a Marine !! Hooooraaaaah !"