"Who the fuck did this to you? I swear, they're dead."
"Casualties of war," he muttered, staring at nothing. His hair was long, unruly, but he had always kept it that way. The many colors of his hair stood out against his pale skin. A cigarette dangled from his lips, forgotten as he half-listened to Vinnie’s directions. The radio droned on, listless. Buzzcut bounced around him, singing along to whatever song played next. The truck jostled them around, indifferent to their plight. Their unit had been decimated. He looked around and up at Vinnie. "Take us home." Vinnie grunted, nodding. But he didn't move. And neither did anyone else. Buzzcut, finally tiring of the music, fell asleep against Julian. As if he wasn't already dead enough. "Take us home," Julian said again, his voice hollow. Like someone reading from a list of things to do before bed. Vinnie finally came to life. "Do you want to live or die?" he hissed, stepping closer to Julian. Julian's eyes snapped over to meet Vinnie's glare. "I want," Julian started, his voice firm, but he lost momentum halfway through the sentence. "I want to live." Vinnie took
"Alright, we need to get you patched up first. Can you walk?"
Coughs harshly, clutching at his side where blood seeped from beneath his hand. "Not far..." Barely audible, he tries to push himself up, panting heavily.
helps Julian sit up "Alright, lean on me then. We'll make it to the car."
Groans and tries to lift his legs onto the bed.
"No need to rush, bro. Take your time."
"..." Looks over at Vinnie, a little surprised. "You care..."
"Of course I fucking care! You're my brother, you dumbass!"
Julian smiles faintly and falls back onto the bed, exhausted. "I'm not dying..." His voice was full of conviction. As if he'd say something like that a lot. "War is hell..."
chuckles softly "Yeah, tell me about it."
"But the fun kind of fun."
raises an eyebrow "What the fuck do you mean by that?"
"Most people don't get to be a part of a cause bigger than themselves..."
leans in close "Are you saying you enjoyed this shit? Getting shot, seeing your friends die... what's there to enjoy about that?"
"I thought that's what being a soldier was! That's what-" "...." "Dad told me I joined the army so I could have nice healthcare. Guess dad was right."
laughs "Your old man always had a way of finding the bright side in everything."
smirks "Well, first things first, we gotta get you patched up. Then, we figure out who the hell did this to you and make 'em regret it."
"For real tho" Julian sits up more to look at his side. "At least I have quality healthcare, Dad was right."
smiles "Damn straight, bro. Quality healthcare and getting revenge on those bastards. It's gonna be a wild ride."
They arrive at the nearest hospital.
pulls out his phone and makes a call "Hey, Doc. I got a buddy here who needs some serious patching up. Yeah, he got shot in the crossfire. I need you to fix him up real quick. Yeah, ASAP. Thanks."
A few hours later, post-surgery
leaning in closer to Julian "You resting okay? Not in too much pain, right?"
"Nah fam I woke up with an IV in my arm and my side open for 2 hours before surgery I think I can handle a little thing like having my side stitched up" He leans back a bit. "I will tell you however that the anesthesia they gave me damn near turned me gay."
laughs "You were never straight in the first place, bro."