Chapter 4: Waking to a Nightmare

      Author’s note: this is chapter four in my story The Dog Tags of John Parker, it is meant for the writing rubric.
    
       “…OW! What in the?...AH!...What’s…happening?” When I first open my eyes everything is blurry, my eyes come into focus every few seconds. I can’t get up, there’s a searing pain in my left knee and I can’t even feel my right leg, I tried to look at my hands. When my eyes come into focus, I see that my hands are cut up, scratched, and bruised everywhere. I felt like I was hit by ten busses while going through a washing machine, I couldn’t get up all I could do was tilt my head. I looked around the roof where I was and there were small patches of fire everywhere. I look behind me to see if anyone in the battle was still alive and my vision was blocked by the crashed Black Hawk. It was just five feet behind me facing parallel, the very bottom of the helicopter was in the building. The top of it was on fire with thick black smoke spewing from the tail and engine into the sky. Its side doors were opened and I could see inside the chopper, I could also peer into the cockpit. Both the pilot and co-pilot weren’t moving, the windshield was all cracked and there were patches of blood on the inside. My vision became blurry more frequently now; I knew it was only a matter of time before I passed out.
        
        I attempted to turn over as painfully as possible; when I finally do I saw that McKinley was just about four feet in front. He was lying on his side facing opposite of me, I didn’t know if he was alive or not so I hopped for the best. I didn’t see where Corporal Holland or Private Hull were, I couldn’t see them. “Did they escape? Did they call for help? Were they killed?” These thoughts flew through my head. James wasn’t moving at all and I was scared out of my mind, I didn’t know what to do every nerve of my body hurt like heck. “I can’t move, I have no food or water, I’m going to pass out any minute, what am I supposed to do!? Oh god I’m going to die out here!” I was screaming in my head! But what was I to do? For all I know everyone is dead “or are they? Is James dead? God please no! Is the sergeant dead? Killed? God dang it!” I didn’t know what was going to happen, whether I would live or die, the waiting was driving me crazy. Waiting for death, waiting for rescue, as I was falling in and out of consciousness I spent the terrifying time waiting….watching….wondering….hoping….dying. Before I knew it I was out, but to what awakening? So I just went out…waiting.                                               ........
          
         “Ahh, it’s so bright!” I am awake, well at least I think so, my eyes are still closed, there light seeping through my eye lids. “Am I awake? Is it morning?” The last thing that I remember was passing out and then dreaming. I hadn’t dreamed since my first day at boot camp, after that…time was too rough to dream. The death of friends in combat is too much to bear to have my imagination run free while I sleep.
           
         The more time I spend awake I think, “Where am I? Was I captured? Are any other marines here with me?” The mere thought of being captured sent shivers down my spine. If I was captured I would no doubt be beaten and tortured. I notice my body is in a different position and I am not lying on that concrete roof anymore. There are faint voices not so far around me; I can’t make out what they’re saying and curiosity takes over. I finally open my eyes but no one is there, my vision is blurry for four seconds before regaining focus. Unlike before I can move, well…sort of, the pain is searing. I finally realize that I’m not lying on the ground at all but on a stretcher? I’ve been bandaged where my cuts and bruises were and my right leg has been put in a white cast. I still don’t know if I’ve been captured or not, so I give out a “Hello?” After a few seconds I hear someone running, the sound is getting louder and louder closer and closer. “Oh shoot! What if it’s a terrorist!? He’ll probably execute me! No god please no!” I thought in my head, by now I was almost sure I was captured I was sweating bullets waiting for death. My eyes still a little blurry, a silhouette appeared over me and I thought this was it, this is the end. But the silhouette seems somehow familiar, like someone I know; when my eyes come back I am relieved that it’s not a terrorist at all. What I see is the best thing that’s happened to me since boot camp; James McKinley was smiling over me. I’ve never been so happy to see his face, all the worried feelings I had have been washed away like a sand castle on the beach. “Morning sleepy head.”