"I don't what you to think I was eavesdropping," Gina began. "I wanted to walk out, but things got pretty heated between the two of you.".
"What were the things you heard?..." Claire asked.
Claire's words caused her to replay what she just witnessed. All of those words that were thrown between Gabriel and Claire, they managed to get to Gina too. 'Do you really see me being as weak as that?'. Such words coming from Claire made her feel even worse at herself. "I heard you say to him that he thought of you as weak. And then him replying, saying...". 'Since when does, I, protecting you, give any indication as to whether on not you're weak??'. "... saying how he was protecting you...".
Claire felt her stomach turn. She knew what they talked about straight after. 'Can't you see that I did this because I care about you, Claire!'. The words all came back to her. 'The day you told me that you've developed feelings for me. You told me that you couldn't afford to worry about me, nor can I about you. You did the thing that you said you shouldn't.'.
"I couldn't help myself but knock. It felt wrong hearing all of those things, mainly because they weren't aimed at me," Gina spoke out as her eyes darted down to the ground.
To her words, Claire couldn't help but soften her gaze. It wasn't her fault she found herself in such an ordeal, she knew how Gina felt.
Swallowing the lump in her throat and dropping her gaze too to the ground, right by Gina's feet, something caught her attention. Gina geld something in her hand.
Her fingers were wrapped around a small bottle of pills.
"Are those for a patient?" Claire asked, hoping that the topic change would also change the mood.
It seemed as if Gina was surprised that Claire noticed such a thing. Looking down at her hand, Claire felt the mood only get heavier.
"Well..." Gina began, chuckling melancholically before clearing her throat. "They're actually for me. I haven't been feeling the best recently," she paused for a second, a frown developing on her lips. "The war is taking its toll on me. Very recently, I felt myself get overly stressed before I get a panic attack. During those moments, I find it very hard to breathe. I begin hyperventilating, I get very nauseous. I have a total breakdown.".
"Gina?..." Claire's voice trailed off as worry painted itself across her face.
"Please don't tell the Captain. He can't find out about this," Gina told Claire, as she put the bottle into her pocket. "I barely managed to talk to the nurse, who checked in on me and prescribed me these, into letting me stay. She told me that if the Captain finds out, I won't be able to stay on the battlefield.".
"Gabriel doesn't know?..." Claire asked Gina, stunned at the new information she just found out.
Though Claire was too busy trying to digest Gina's words to notice the fact that she referred to Gabriel by his first name. But Gina noticed such a thing.
Gina couldn't help but smile ever so slightly. Things were slowly starting to make sense. "So is that his name?".
"Hm?...". Only upon repeating her question in her mind did Claire realise what Gina was talking about. Claire widened her eyes as her gaze met Gina's.
Claire felt some sort of relief when she saw the small smile on Gina's lips. "There's something I don't know, is there?".
To her words, Claire let a small, sheepish smile form on her lips, before pressing one against the other in confusion. "If I am to be honest... I am just as confused as you are... I try not to give it all much thought.". A small break followed her words. "Ever since we met... he let me call him by his first name. That is if we weren't to be on a mission or something like that.".
Gina nodded to her words. "I see...". Then, she couldn't help but let out a slight chuckle. "It's all making sense now. He was so caring of you while you were still unconscious.". Gina made a brief break. "He carried you in his hands, held you until I found a vacant bed. And then as if he made it his duty, every so often, he'd check in on you.".
To Gina's words, Claire furrowed her brows as her eyes widened ever so slightly. "He did?...".
Gina nodded as a reply. "It was as if the whole words had to wait for those few minutes he had to separate to check in on you. See how you are.". A pause followed. "I was the witness of that," Gina added, letting out a chuckle or two.
But then, as she thought back to when both she and Gabriel were in the truck, on their way to the current camp. The things that Gabriel told her about all that they've been through.
"Both you and he were very lucky you made it out alive..." Gina added moments later.
She looked at Claire. The expression across Claire's face had softened, she felt something swirl in her chest and stomach. Sadness.
"You are a strong person, Claire..." Gina began. "He didn't want to make you feel weak, nor did he want to make you feel small. But at times, when we aren't at our best, we need that certain someone who we can lean on. Just a little bit before we return to being our glorious selves. You know?".
To her words, Claire felt her brows quiver ever so slightly as she tried to swallow down the lump that grew in her throat. She replied with a nod. "Yes...".
'He saved me... he saved me and yet I reacted in such a way towards him...'.
There was something Claire wanted to ask Gina, but before she got a chance to do so, a knock interrupted her.
Upon the door opening, the same, young nurse that assigned Claire the duty to look after the Lieutenant poked her head after she opened the door just enough. "There you are, Claire," she began. Then, clearing her throat, she continued. "We need you both, can you two please come with me. Thank you.".
Gina looked at Claire, and Claire returned a gaze. Then as they both looked back at the nurse, they followed her out.
As they approached a room, the yelps, cries for help only got louder.
The nurse who lead them turned and faced a door that was closed shut.
Opening the closed door, it only allowed the cries to be heard louder. Stepping inside the room, Claire and Gina saw people upon people upon people, laying on their beds, trying to be treated for their pains.
Very quickly, both Claire and Gina were briefed on what patients to tend to. Some suffered minor injuries while for the rest, their pain must have been unimaginable.
It was some time after it had passed 3 in the afternoon when shots were heard.
"What's that?..." Claire asked as she managed to reach Gina.
"Sounds like shots to me," Gina replied, worry only growing on her face.
"It couldn't be... have the enemies managed to find us again?" Claire asked as she worked her way with the equipment she had in front of her, getting it ready to apply to her patient.
"I really hope not. If they did... who knows if we'd be able to make it out this time..." Gina replied as her eyes darted to the main door of the big room where they both stood. "Let's just get back to work...".
And to Gina's words, Claire did as she said.
For the next few hours, the shootings only continued. They got louder.
Though nothing was passed on to anyone in the room, everyone knew as a fact that something was up. Claire knew that something was happening, and it seemed far from good.
But regardless, both Gina and Claire continued tending to the injured.
It wasn't long before shouts and roaring were heard. Claire made out the voices to belong to a group of men. But something else she managed to make out was the profanities that were tossed between the men.
For a few minutes, the shouts mixed in with the gunshots continued.
And then, without any warning, the door bolted open before shots echoed throughout the room. Claire had just about enough time to duck down and hide behind an empty bed.
The gunshots only continued as screams of agony began mixing in with the sound of the fired bullets. The patients and Claire's fellow nurses fell down to the ground, as from their bodies flowed blood that made puddles across the ground.
Looking to her left, she saw Gina, also hiding just like the way she is - behind a bed. When their eyes locked, she saw the way she widened her eyes. It was the first time that she saw pure terror in Gina's eyes.
"You fucker..." a voice caught Claire's attention. Turning around, she saw the man on a bed. He was a bed away from her. By his uniform, she knew he was a friendly. He held a pistol up to one of the guys who barged into the room.
Pressing the trigger, a shot was launched from the gun. A second later, it penetrated the enemy that was a mere metre away from him. Instantly after, he shot the gun 3 consecutive times before the enemy was grounded, grounded for good.
Seconds later, the greying soldier turned around and faced Claire. He managed to give her a brief smile before another loud wave of shots was heard.
The friendly soldier cried in pain as his gun slipped out of his grip, coincidentally landing Claire's way. Moving out of her place of hiding, she grabbed it before she quickly his back behind the bed.
The soldier on the bed fell down to the ground, and though Claire was behind a bed, she could hear the sound of footsteps approaching her.
It was, in fact, another weaponed enemy who approached the injured soldier. The grounded soldier hitched a breath before tensing his jaw as his eyes looked into the eyes of the soldier who towered above him.
He cocked his weapon and aimed it at his target.
Shot. Shot. Shot.
Claire felt shivers coarse down her back seconds later. She heard it in the shots how careless the enemy was. How cold-blooded he was killing him.
And then, she heard steps. She knew it was him. He continued walking.
Immediately, she turned her head, her eyes meeting Gina once more. Looking towards the enemy, she saw him approaching the bed that Gina was behind.
"Is he behind me?..." Gina mouthed to Claire.
Slowly, Claire nodded. But she wasn't going to let him see Gina. So, looking around, Claire saw an empty glass bottle near her. Carefully crawling and taking the glass container into her hand, without thinking, she threw it towards the other side of the room.
Seconds later, the sound of the glass shattering bounced off the walls of the room as Claire returned back to hiding behind the bed.
The enemy reacted by turning around and walking towards where he heard the glass break.
Hearing his footsteps grow a bit faint, only then did she allow herself to peak out to see where the enemy soldier was.
But then, someone sneaking up behind him caught Claire's attention.
It was the youthful nurse. She held a glass bottle in her hand. Claire knew exactly what she was trying to do.
'She's going to die,' Claire thought to herself, but then remembered she had a weapon in her possession. Looking down at it, she realised that she had no experience handling a gun.
She saw others handling a gun. She even saw how the soldier, the owner of the pistol she had, held the gun. And so she tried to copy his grip upon the gun.
Looking back at the woman who sneaked behind the soldier, she saw her maintain her position behind him. Almost as if she felt a gaze on her, she looked to her left only to see Claire. The nurse widened her eyes, but Claire placed a finger on her lips, indicating for the nurse to remain quiet.
With a nod, she lowered her head before walking towards Claire, but somewhere along the way...
Crackle. She stepped on something.
Almost immediately, the soldier turned around and saw her and point his gun at her.
And at that moment, Claire stood up. "Hey!" she called out. 'I'll not let another person die on my fucking watch,' she thought to herself.
And before he even managed to fully comprehend that she was there...
"Duck down!". Claire pressed her finger on the trigger. Shot!
The gun recoiled back, and almost out of Claire's grip, with the bullet managing to fly out. A yelp was heard from the guy.
She managed to hit him right in the arm, but to this, he furrowed his brows. He brought his gun back up to an aim. This time it was at Claire.
But as he tried to work with his accuracy, without thinking, Claire shot another bullet his way. This time, it hit his other arm, in turn causing him to drop his weapon.
Claire looked at the nurse, without thinking, she threw the gun to her - in hope that she knew how to handle such a weapon. She didn't. Regardless, she tried to shoot the guy, but... Click... Click. No more ammunition remained in the gun.
Looking at her hand, in which she held the glass bottle, she thought to take this as her opportunity. The nurse approached the enemy who attempted to get a grip of his gun. But, before doing anything to him, she kicked his weapon away from him before pushing him down. It took very little to ground him, and when she did, she gave his face an even stronger kick.
He landed on his back.
Gripping the bottle in her hand that bit stronger, she immediately went over him before giving him a strong wallop across his face.
Upon her second strike, there was blood smeared on the bottle and upon her fourth, the glass broke, some managing to dig into his face.
With the sharp remains of what she was left with, without hesitation, she dug the blades of the glass right by his neck. Moments later, she pulled her weapon out of him.
Simultaneously, blood began to spray everywhere as the man tried to hold on, block the newly formed wound.
He turned to his side, but it did more harm than good. Blood began to run out of his mouth as he began to drown in the very liquid that - only seconds ago - gave him life.
He moved for a few more seconds before he... simply stopped. Froze... became unresponsive.
Suddenly, another soldier ran into the room, only to see his ally on the ground, surrounded by a pool of blood. Looking up above him was the very woman who killed him.
She dropped the glass as it shattered into its final few pieces before she looked up. Her eyes were met by the nozzle of a shotgun.
And then. Shot.
Instantly, the shot knocked her to the ground, killing her in mere seconds.
He looked around, trying to see if anyone else was in the room. But then, all of a sudden, explosion after explosion hit in close proximity to the building. Some managed to hit the building itself.
It all resulted in the ground beginning to shake as the walls began crackling and dust fell from the ceiling.
To such a thing, the soldier reacted by turning around and running out the door in which he came in. Only then did Claire let out a sigh of relief.
Standing up, only then did she get to see the pure devastation this attack had caused. Bloody corpses scattered the floor as the puddles of blood only grew larger. Claire felt her stomach turn.
Then, "Claire!" she heard a hiss to her left. Turning around, she saw it was Gina. She gestured for Claire to come to her.
"We have to get out of here before we get caught," Gina whispered to Claire, and Claire replied with a nod.
---
The two women, keeping their steps as quiet as they could, sped out of the room. Above them, they heard shouts and screams of agony before a shot marked the silence. And then the same repeated again, and again, and again.
Claire and Gina ran down the hallway, occasionally finding their hiding place inside a free room as a group of soldiers stormed down the hallway. They came out of their hiding only upon the feeling that it was safe enough to continue walking the dimly lit hallway.
After a minute, they saw a door. It was their way out.
"The door!" Gina exclaimed. "That's the way out. Come on, follow me!".
The shots from the outside only got louder.
And then, the final few shots were heard before... silence. Gina looked at Claire and Claire looked at Gina.
With that, Gina opened the door and the two women ran out into the night. They tried to keep up their stealth before they stopped at what they thought was a safe distance.
"We made it out..." Claire spoke out, relief all too present in her voice with a smile forming on her lips.
Gina turned around, only to show her beaming smile under the moonlight. "We did it... We made it out".
They were about to take a step forward when...
Crackle.
Someone behind them. Sneaking up on them.
Turning around, Claire saw a figure, but before she could have gotten a closer look at who it was, two loud shots ripped through the air.
Claire let out a gasp, her ears ringing from the shots. She saw the way the person kept his weapon at an aim for a second more before dropping the gun from its aim.
Swallowing whatever was in her mouth, she heard a thud behind.
Looking back, her eyes widened when she saw Gina on her knees on the ground, her hands on her stomach.
"Claire?..." Gina called out her name.
Seeing an opportunity as the guy was attempting to reload his weapon, Gina yelled at the top of her lungs "Claire! Run!!!".
As a result, Claire backed up, her gaze moving between the man who held a weapon and Gina. Only then did it sink that Gina got shot.
"Claire!?" she heard a familiar voice from a distance, pulling her out of her trance.
With her last hurrah, Gina smiled through her pain, her eyes remaining on Claire. "Win this war for us, for me!". A pause followed as she sniffled.
Claire shook her head, tears accumulating in her eyes.
"Please... never forget me..." Gina said right before...
SHOT.