1. Taking Shelter


    Date: 9/17/2015, Categories: Historical, Author: ClarkRoberts, Rating: , Source: LushStories

    “I’m sorry I froze up back there. I could have gotten us killed,” said Amelia, her blue-eyes tinged with tears. She still hadn’t let go of my hand, I didn’t mind. “It’s natural to be afraid in the middle of combat zone,” I replied. Giving her hand a reassuring squeeze, I added, “Trust me I know. The first time I was in combat, fighting Sandino’s rebels in Nicaragua back in 1932. I’ll never forget the sound of bullets going past my head. The loud snap of spent rounds made me lose control of my bladder. I prayed that my trousers would dry before the battle was over and everyone noticed that I pissed myself.” “And, did they dry?” asked Amelia with a smile. “Nope,” I replied with a chuckle. “It took me years to live down my nickname, Pisser.” Her smile faded as the rumbling of the bombing grew nearer. She said, “I hate this war.” “Yeah, war is a terrible thing,” I agreed. Amelia cocked an eyebrow at me and said, “You’re a professional soldier. I would think you rather enjoyed war.” “Nobody enjoys war, especially soldiers. A soldier bears the burden of battle. But, sometimes war comes to you whether you want it or not. I was part of the 4th Marines in China in 1938 and was sent to Nanking to protect the Safety Zone that the International Committee had set up. After the Japanese conquered the city they went on a six week killing spree. They raped, murdered, and mutilated Chinese civilians who couldn’t fight back. If folks could get to the Zone we could protect them.” Amelia ...
    asked, “Did you have to fight?” “Almost, a Japanese commander showed up at our position one day and demanded that we let his infantry company pass through our compound. I knew he didn’t want to pass through the compound. He wanted to turn his troops loose on the refugees. So I said no and told him I’d shoot him if he tried to get into the Safety Zone. He smiled and asked me if I thought I could kill all his men before they killed me. I just smiled back and said I didn’t plan to kill all his men, just him. He lost his smile and led his men around our compound.” “And would you shoot him, knowing his men would have killed you.” I nodded, “Yep.” “You really are daft,” said Amelia. Her eyes took on a far-away gaze as she continued, “I know we can’t give up, but I’ve lost so much already in this stupid war. My father was killed in the first of the bombing, my mother and sister have been evacuated to the country after our home was destroyed and my fiancé is on a corvette in the North Atlantic defending convoys against U-boats. So much death and destruction, I don’t know how much more I can take.” The ceiling of the shelter shook and dust washed over everything as bombs impacted nearby. The lights went out and the shelter was pitched into complete darkness. There was a call for torches and people who possessed flashlights turned them on. The shelter was cast into varying degrees of light and shadow. From the deep shadow that engulfed us, I laughed. Amelia scolded, “What’s so damn funny ...
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