Dating : The Letter Written With Blood

Explosions… screams… gunfire… Utter chaos was all around him. His head felt like a bag of iron and he could taste the blood in his mouth. He held his hand on his stomach, from which blood spilt out. His uniform was raggy, covered in mud and blood. He stumbled in the forest, gasping for air as bullets flew past him, barely giving him another moment to live.

As artillery fired upon the forest, blowing up trees and men around him, he leapt to the end of a tall and strong looking tree, hiding from the chaos. He cursed as he laid in the dirt, barely being able to move his legs. Cold sweat ran on his forehead as he listened to the chaotic voices and sounds all around him, without being able to make sense out of it.

He closed his eyes for a moment, feeling how the cold breath of death got closer to him. He was finished. There was nothing he could do.

“Mikael” said a beautiful voice from somewhere beyond his vision. He flinched to life and panicked. He glanced around him, seeing how men fought against one another with pistols and blades. Screams echoed in the forest as the smoke from gunfire filled the air.

“Jannah,” he chanted suddenly as his heart jumped to his throat.

Pressure rose in his soul as he remembered the thing he had fighting for here today. Jannah. He tried to stand, but his legs didn’t move an inch. With immense pain and effort, he was able to push himself up, laying onto the tree.

“Jannah…” he said as memories of her came into his mind. It felt like the world around him vanished and he could only see what he had once seen. Her beautiful eyes were deep as the sea, as well as her long sleek hair which danced in the wind. Tears fell from his eyes as he focused on her eyes. The pain became unbearable.

With his last remaining strength, he pulled out his journal. His left hand had turned numb, leaving him with one working limb. He opened the dirty journey and searched for an empty page, finding it soon after.

He pulled out a pen and rested it on the paper.

Jannah. By the time you read this, I am long gone. I got a bullet into my stomach and I’m bleeding very badly. My legs stopped working as did my left arm. I’m writing this with my last remaining strength. I just wanted to write to you for the last time.

I really think you a lot. Every time we’d move to face the enemy again, I looked at the photo you gave me. You are still as beautiful as ever. I prayed I’d see your eyes one more time.

Before this war, we were close, weren’t we? I remember us talking about anything imaginable, yet I always kept the most important thing hidden. I didn’t believe you’d accept my words and my thoughts, thus, I pushed them away. I told myself I’d tell you one day… guess that won’t happen.

Jannah. I love you. Since we met, I’ve always seen you as the woman I’d love till the end of my days. I didn’t dare to tell you this because of the fact that I’m not the type of man your father would approve. I wanted to wait till you’d leave your home so we could be in peace without the fear of your father.

It burns my heart to know that I can never tell you this directly, nor can I hear your answer. But I still want to ask you this.

Jannah, will you marry me?

Suddenly, an explosion detonated near him, sending waves of sharp wood around it. Some went deep into his legs and arm, making him scream in pain.

Now, he couldn’t move at all. His head hanged freely in the air as his body bled onto the ground. Thunder arrived upon him, sending rain which got mixed up with the blood.

He stared into the sky, praying. With tears in his eyes, he thought about her, one last time. He then reached for his letter and used his bloody hand to sign it. He then pushed through the burn and pain in order to hide the letter in his jacket before he lost control of his remaining limb.

His vision slowly turned more blurry. His body felt like it had been set aflame. His breaths became deeper and slower until they ceased entirely. One last time, he could think about her, until he thought nothing and the eternity took him. By the time he was gone, the battlefield had been covered with bodies as the storm raged upon them all.

The end had come.