July 8th, 2702 - Soldiers (part 2) - Private Geraldo Valdez, Spanish Army

"Geraldo, please we have to do something!" begged Paula, her face dirty from the ongoing battle, hidden behind her short, curly hair, wildly spread as she frantically tried to stop her friend Anna from bleeding. Geraldo searched for what he knew was not there in his bag. They had already used up all the bandages they had and there wasn't a medic anywhere in the city of Girona. As the first tear dropped he punched the rucksack away from view.

"Mierda!" he yelled. Anna desperately looked at them, life fading from her eyes, the lids forcefully drawing down, ready for the eternal sleep.

Anna was bleeding from her torso, already bandaged from before but she had internal bleeding and something had to be done fast. They had never seen her so pale. Anna was once beautifully bronze, spending most of her time on the beaches of Barcelona, but was now as white as the clouds covering the city. Geraldo couldn't bear to look at her. It was his idea to hide in the restaurant behind the counter. They had encountered a Demigod that sent shockwaves, shattering not only glass but also wood, creating the devastation of a dozen fragmentation grenades.

Everyone was hurt but not as bad as Anna. Geraldo and Paula made quick work of the Demigod, immediately spraying him with their assault rifles. He was nothing but holes within a few seconds. After that, they took Anna up to the second floor, into the elegant office of the restaurant. 

Geraldo peeked outside from the window. There were groups of Demigods pouring in from the French border. Fear clasped his heart and he couldn't breathe. He was only twenty years old and didn't have enough training for this kind of battle, not that anyone did. 

"Geraldo! What is going on outside?" asked Paula. Geraldo violently shook his head. The tears were rolling down and his face was burning. He pressed his palms against his eyes to try and stop them. "Geraldo! Hold yourself together! I need you!"

"WE'RE GOING TO DIE! PAULA!" he shouted. Paula immediately felt the shock of fright, unsure whether it was because he raised his voice at her or because he spoke the truth. Her lower lip started to tremble.

"Shut up!" she hissed, tears running down her cheeks. "They will hear us." Geraldo ignored her, loudly sobbing into his hands, rocking back and forth. 

Paula checked Anna's vitals but she was gone. There was too much blood. She gently lifted her friend off her lap and gave her focus to Geraldo, crawling over to him.

"Geraldo. You must stop! Please!" she insisted.

"Paula, we are dead. We are dead. We are dead dead dead..."

"Shut up! We are still alive! You and me! We will make it out alive but not if you don't shut up!" Geraldo ignored everything she was saying and began to loudly moan. He continued rocking back and forth, hitting his back to the wall harder and harder, almost hitting his head in the process. Paula put her arm behind him to cushion but he didn't stop at the attempt. She started to become very irritated, her fear turning into anger and desperation. Paula lunged at Geraldo, grabbing hold of his neck. "Shut up you fool!". Geraldo attacked right back, entering a state of frenzy, and punched her. Paula immediately retreated, holding her face.

"Stay back bitch!" he yelled.

"You fight me but not them?" Paula hissed, urging herself to keep her voice down.

"Fuck you! I'll kill you."

"But not them!?" She finally raised her voice over his, Geraldo unexpectedly leapt over to her and began strangling. She responded with a kick to the groin and pulled him to her side before jumping on top of him. Paula, fuelled by her anger, began laying heavy punches across his face. He grabbed her vest and tried to pull her away to the side but she had taken a balanced position. His hands finally felt weak and fell on top her thighs. His left hand touched something hard. He knew what it was. 

Two shots, with a few seconds between each shot, erupted from the second floor of the restaurant. Three Demigods were present on the first floor, all sturdy men in their middle ages.

"I'll check upstairs. Watch my back." said one with short grey hair and trimmed beard. He was wearing an open, navy blue, checkered shirt, with a black shirt underneath with blue jeans. He slowly crept upstairs, trying his best not to make a sound.

There was crying coming from the inside. They already knew there were two people on the second floor but the gunshots were unexpected. They believed the people were civilians arguing and were not armed. He didn't know what to expect as he slowly opened the door handle and pushed. In front of him was a young man, covered in blood, in military gear, besides two women. Both of them seemed to be dead. Did he shoot them? They were both wounded from the torso. 

He finally had eye contact with the young soldier who had his back against the wall and was sitting on the floor, previously staring at it. The Demigod and human briefly looked at each other. Both of them knew what to do yet none of them moved a muscle.

"What happened here?" asked the Demigod. The soldier didn't reply and continued to look straight at him, his eyes sore, his nose bleeding and cheeks bruised. "How old are you?"

"Twenty." The Demigod wasn't expecting a response and the answer took him off guard.

"You're only twenty?"

"Yes." he replied bluntly.

"What happened here?"

"My friends shot themselves." The Demigod was appalled. "They... they were too scared to face your kind. Please don't kill me. Please. I don't want to fight." begged the soldier, cowering behind his hands. 

The Demigod studied the tearful soldier for a second before deciding on something he knew he would regret.

"Get out of here. Take off your uniform and hide somewhere. You're too young to die."

"Are you serious?" the young man was surprised, his mouth open.

"Yes. Take my shirt but you're going to need to find new pants fast. You'll be killed wearing those." The Demigod began to take his checkered shirt off, "What's your name?" 

There was suddenly a third shot.

"Geraldo Valdez." The Demigod took a few steps back before collapsing down the stairs. The two Demigods downstairs immediately rushed upstairs. Geraldo took another shot with the pistol he took from Paula but the bullet only scathed the next Demigod on the arm. The third immediately brought up a watery forcefield to shield them from the next few rounds before pushing the forcefield towards Geraldo, smashing his body violently into the wall. The force dented the rest of the building outwards. The Demigod looked around in the office, astounded by the two other bodies. Something very depressing had happened in this room and it disgusted him.

The Demigods finally recuperated downstairs.

"Why the fuck did you trust that son of a bitch?" The two Demigods were glaring at the one with the checkered shirt, waiting for his reply.

"He was young and afraid. I didn't think he would actually shoot me."

"We're at war man."

"But this isn't his war. Maybe he didn't want to fight."

"That kid was obviously scared, we aren't arguing about that, but that doesn't make him innocent." The Demigod stood up from his chair and the others followed.

"Guys, we shouldn't become animals when we're at war. We're all fighting for a better life. Once this war is over I want to have a clear mind. I don't want any regrets. I don't want nightmares."

"Well, sometimes it's either that or death. Choose one." 

His two comrades exited the restaurant out a giant hole in the building. He held the bullet hole on his ab and felt blood stick to his palm. Studying his hand he began to wonder about their purpose.

"Why are we really here? What's going on?" The Demigod stepped outside but something held him back. Looking back into the restaurant he realised something he needed to do. He didn't want any regrets... or nightmares. He wanted peace.

"I forgive you, Geraldo Valdez. I hope you will forgive me too."