Day of Conquest – A Short Story

         By Jordan Foster

         The bloodshed should have stopped, yet it surged, unexpected and unasked for. The war was over, but death exploded through our ranks. Our allies turned on us when we felt safest, butchering our countrymen when we sought peace most. The war against the Mexicans was fraught with peril, loss often dominating my waking hours throughout its duration. The betrayal was devastating, lingering in my mind to this day. So, in hopes of bringing closure to the events that haunt my nights, I pen the tale that may never be heard or told by anyone else. I escaped the slaughter by no merit of my own; only the valiant sacrifice of a dear friend saved me. Without him, I would have died like the thousands of other Canadian soldiers before me.

         I swatted the sweat building on my forehead, quickly snapping my hand back under Caiden’s leg. I pushed his limp body firmly against my back, his labored breath warming my neck. Good, he’s still alive. My mind raced as quickly as my heart as my footsteps pounded through the forest. I couldn’t believe how quickly things had changed from the joyful expectation of returning home after a long fight to running to preserve not only my own life but the life of my wounded friend. My stomach sank as the recent disaster replayed in my mind, spurring me faster over tree roots and through the underbrush. 

         My lips formed a line as fallen comrades filled my mind once again. No matter how hard I tried to focus on my scouting mission, my mind always drifted to what could have been different in the various battles I’d fought. If I changed one thing, could I have saved at least one more person? Had I done something that inadvertently caused someone’s death? I couldn’t shake the thought that I might be just as responsible for an allied soldier’s death as the Mexican troops we’d been facing.

         Caiden placed his hand on my shoulder. “You’re thinking about them again, huh?”

         I peered into the blue eyes of the friend I’d bonded so tightly within the course of our deployment together. It was impossible that we would have met without the war pulling us together, but now I knew my life would forever be lacking some elusive bond if I had never met the American soldier. 

         I nodded, careful to continue surveying our surroundings, a lively forest in Michigan. I did not want to miss anything that might lead us to the rogue Mexican party we had been tasked to locate. 

         “It’s hard not to think about them.” I glanced down at the GPS programmed with the last position of the Mexicans. “Sure, the war is won, but at what cost? If I knew what to do to save more lives, then I’d go back and relive those years in a heartbeat.”

         “I wish I could go back, too,” Caiden said, his piercing eyes lingering on me. “There isn’t a second I don’t wonder if I could have done something different that would have saved a life, but we honored their loss, Axel. They would want you to protect those whom they left behind. Think of those you saved; you can still help them. What can you do for those who are already gone? This is a time of rejoicing. The time to honor the dead will come later. They’d want us to enjoy what they sacrificed themselves for.”

         “Where do you pull all this wisdom from?” I shook my head, briefly closing my eyes. My friend never ceased to amaze me. He was younger, which didn’t mean all that much since I was twenty-three. I swore he’d aged a thousand years in twenty. “You’re right, as always.”

         “That was from my father,” Caiden grinned. “I learn a lot from just listening.”

         His words soothed my mind for the moment. I fingered the old compass in my pocket that he’d insisted I bring to remember him by. I was coming home where I’d have more than just the memories of him. I’d be able to see and talk to him again, my wife, Katherine, and children as well. How I longed for them! I hadn’t even gotten to hold my youngest yet; I’d only seen her in pictures. “Are you excited to see your wife again?”

         “Oh, I miss Lauren more than anything!” Caiden’s eyes filled with passion. “I can’t believe how close we are already. Just a bit further to Lansing.”

         “I still don’t understand why we had to walk all the way here. I’d hoped to have been home weeks ago.” I sighed. “At least, we were able to discover this party of Mexicans…” 

         I still didn’t quite understand why walking to Michigan from Mexico would make dealing with them any easier.  If we had flown, we would have already arrived. My sore feet desperately wanted a half-decent answer, but I didn’t have one. I was merely following orders.

         “Our leaders know what they’re doing. They’ve sent us out here for a reason,” Caiden assured me.

         He was right again. I passed him the GPS so I could check that my blaster was ready. If the Mexicans ambushed us, I wanted to be prepared. We trekked long through the night, the chorus of the sleepy forest surrounding us. We set up camp for the night with no encounters from the Mexican party, who had slipped into Michigan, even though we were within yards of their estimated position. They must have moved, but it was odd that we received their exact last position and yet found nothing. 

         When morning came, we scanned the clearing more thoroughly. The GPS indicated that we were in the right spot. I shook my head, staring at the empty display of my portable scanner. Caiden scrunched his eyebrows, glancing over at my display from his.

         “That’s weird…” Caiden mused, adjusting the settings on his scanner. “How can we both be picking up nothing? Did we both do something wrong?”

         “I don’t think so…” I followed the standard strength procedure. It should have picked up any fingerprint, sweat, or indentation in the ground that might indicate human visitation, even if they were thorough in removing all their equipment. I watched as Caiden scanned the area again.

         “Nothing…” He murmured, tucking his scanner away. “I’d say we should search the surrounding area, but that could take days with no trace of these Mexicans. How do we even know they came here?”

         We turned out of the clearing back towards camp, still searching for anything that might indicate that soldiers had passed through. My scanner came up dry again. Did the Mexicans just disappear? How could they leave no trace? A thought flashed through my mind.

         “Do you think someone intercepted the correspondence the captain received and rerouted the Mexicans?” I asked Caiden, hoping he had something to put my mind at ease as usual. His widened eyes only made my worries surge.

         “If they intercepted a signal, they’ll know exactly where our camp is. We have to get back now,” Caiden instructed, immediately darting into the woods.

         I followed after him, desperate to warn the camp of the potential attack before it was too late. Maybe it was already too late… I shoved that thought aside. I wouldn’t know until I got there, so I needed to give it my all for the sake of my fellow soldiers. 

         Caiden kept a steady lead no matter how hard I pushed, which was why I was startled when I slammed into his back about fifty yards from our camp. I immediately saw the blue haze that always accompanied a barrage of blaster fire. Either we were too late to save our camp or the Mexicans had already been fended off. I backed up, ready to apologize for the collision, but Caiden hadn’t seemed to notice it at all. His eyes were fixed on the communicator on his arm. I glanced at my own for the message or order that could have caused such a reaction, but it was empty. What was going on here?

         “Caiden…what’s wrong?” I asked, messing with my communicator for a distress signal that might have moved him to such utter shock. He didn’t answer, only shaking his head. “Caiden?”

         The silence hung in the air as thickly as the residue of plasma. 

         “Switch clothes with me,” Caiden instructed suddenly, ripping his eyes from his communicator with grim determination.

         “What? Why?” I questioned, rather startled as he pulled me into a thicker portion of trees. Caiden’s eyes shouted of urgency, so I undressed quickly, swapping clothes and gear with him. “What’s going on?”

         “You want to see your wife and kids, right?” 

         I nodded with scrunched eyebrows. 

         Caiden tightened my boots, now on his feet. “Well, then you’ll have to trust me.”

         “Can I at least know why I need to do this?” I blinked at him as he shook his head. He only stared at me, his face very grave. Right, he wanted me to trust him. “A-alright, Caiden, I trust you. Just be careful, ok?”

         He nodded, motioning for me to follow him. Caiden entered a breach in the wall instead of the northern entrance of the camp. The Mexicans must have attacked the wall there. It was rather strange that the metal was bent outward as if they’d be trying to escape. Maybe our troops had made their escape from this hole. If the Mexicans were in control of our camp now, then it made sense not to take the main entrance, but why wasn’t this breach guarded? 

         I glanced at Caiden in my red uniform, who waved for me to follow him. I observed the blue uniform I had on now. What was swapping clothing going to do in an enemy camp? Canada and America were both enemies of Mexico… What advantage did pretending to be American give to me? 

         Trust Caiden. 

         I followed him through the wall, the stench of death afflicting my nose as we crept through the once-lively barracks. My heart throbbed for all the fallen soldiers, so close to reuniting with their families. I shook my head. Focus. Don’t let their sacrifice be for nothing. I hurried forward after Caiden, wondering where he was going and why. We eventually reached what I remembered was the American’s headquarters. Was Caiden looking for his brother? That still didn’t explain the change in clothes…

         “Freeze, Canadian,” a soldier demanded. I almost froze, but quickly remembered that I was meant to be American according to my uniform. I saw the blue-clad soldier, pointing his blaster at Caiden, who raised his hands without a word of defense. What was he doing? The soldier turned to me. “Good work bringing in a straggler. What are you planning to do with him?”

         I quelled my initial panic, making sure my tone was even. Caiden and I needed to get out of here. Now. “I need to see Lieutenant Kirk for further instructions.” 

         Lieutenant Kirk would know what to do. Obviously, he’d recognize his own brother out of uniform and explain to us what was going on, although it seemed as if Caiden already knew. The soldier nodded and tucked his blaster away. I nudged Caiden gently inside the room, only to find Kirk inside. The haze of plasma was everywhere and the stench of death was almost unbearable. The door sealed shut behind us as was normal protocol, but it had never felt so foreboding.

         “Great, another straggler. Bring him to me,” Lieutenant Kirk commanded, his countenance dark. I hesitated, receiving his glare for a split second. “Bring him to me. Or are you a traitor?”

         I weakly pushed Caiden towards him, surprised that he took the rest of the steps with such confidence. I felt as if I was sending him straight to his demise. My stomach dropped as Lieutenant Kirk pulled out his blaster. No. 

         “Lucas!” Caiden exclaimed at the same moment as the shot exploded from his brother’s weapon and struck his side. He clutched his wound, crumpling to the ground with a cry of intense pain. “Why…?”

         “You had this coming your whole life, traitor,” Lieutenant Kirk seethed, bending down over his gasping brother. I stepped forward to help my friend, but Lieutenant Kirk snapped his blaster towards my chest. “Not another inch, Reid. I know it’s you. I’ve been ordered to dispose of your kind anyway.” I froze, looking between the blaster and my best friend. I couldn’t do anything for him. Lieutenant Kirk switched his attention back to his brother. “You’ve taken everything for me.”

         “Wh-what are you talking about…?” Caiden moaned, hissing in pain.

         “You stole the love of my life, so I’m taking back what’s mine. Lauren should be mine and her unborn baby is mine too.” 

         “L-Lauren’s expecting?” Caiden stammered, tears coming to his eyes that I knew weren’t from the pain he was in. 

         I drew my weapon quickly, aiming it at Lieutenant Kirk. My eyes narrowed as he glared at me. Caiden was going to get back to his wife if I had anything to say about it. 

         “Wh-why didn’t she tell me?”

         “It was a surprise, one she’ll never get to share with you.” Kirk frowned, taking his blaster off me to finish off his brother. 

         I fired immediately, aiming for his blaster instead of Kirk himself. The weapon blew out of his hands, knocking him back a few feet and stunning him for just enough time for me to sling Caiden over my shoulder. Caiden was fighting for every breath and losing blood fast. I needed to attend to his wounds quickly or I’d lose him, but we needed to get out of the barracks first.

         “Axel…not worth…; ...only slow…down…caught. …see…wife and kids. …Lauren….” He shoved his wedding ring into my pocket. “Show…this…know…friend.”

         “I’m not going to leave you, not after all you’ve done for me,” I responded, gently adjusting him on my back and dashing out of the headquarters. I darted straight for the breach despite the suspicion that it raised. Alarms blared as soon as I’d reached the outside wall of the camp, but I didn’t look back. I kept running into the heart of the forest.

         I was still running now as the sun reached its peak, my aching feet thoroughly annoyed with the whole situation. They believed I should be resting in my tent by now after successfully warning my camp about the suspected Mexican ambush. Turns out, there weren’t any Mexicans at all, just backstabbing Americans. I glanced at Caiden’s head resting on my shoulder. His own brother had betrayed him. He was in this predicament because of me, and I was going to get him out of it.

         I risked stopping in a dense thicket to tend to Caiden’s side wound. I lifted his shirt, which was technically my shirt he was borrowing, and bandaged the burned, bleeding gash. I winced at the sight of it. All I could do was keep him from losing any more blood, but he needed real medical attention and more blood as soon as possible. 

         After attending to his injury as best I could, I dumped all the electronic gear that the soldiers could track into the bush except for my blaster. I risked removing the tracker from that since I’d need it if the soldiers caught up to me. Next, I stripped Caiden of all his gear as well, stashing it with my own. I took a quick swig of water from my canteen to clear my head. Cross the border. Keep north to Canada. 

         I pulled out the old compass my father had given me, more thankful than ever that I brought it with me. It was more than sentimental now; it might just save my life and Caiden’s. I glanced outside the thicket for any signs of soldiers as I placed Caiden over my back. When I determined that the coast was clear, I took up my previous pace again with Caiden on my shoulder. Hopefully, the trackers in the gear I’d left behind would throw the soldiers off my trail for a while.

         Sometime in the late afternoon, I found a cave to rest in for a few hours. The break would give me the push I needed to begin traveling at night. As much as I wanted to, I couldn’t keep going with Caiden on my back all day and all night. I gently set him beside me, slightly startled when he began to cough.

         “Axel?” he moaned weakly once the coughing had passed. His stomach grumbled. “Is everything ok? Where’s my gear?” “Everything is going to be fine. Save your strength.” I pushed him back against the wall. “I had to ditch your gear. The soldiers will use it to track us and it makes you heavier which would slow me down. I’ve only been able to keep some of mine.

         “Y-you should have left me behind…” Caiden gasped as he slowly adjusted into a better position. “But thank you. I can never repay you.”

         “You already have.” I smiled at him. His smile in return was strained but firm. Please stay with me, Caiden. Your wife needs you. 

         I pulled the rations I had left over from our scouting trip out of my belt. There was only enough for three days at most, and I’d be the one doing most of the walking, but I still gave Caiden the majority of the food I had to spare. He needed his strength if he was going to last the trip. 

         Caiden told me that our best bet was to head northeast to Rogers City and attempt to cross Lake Huron. Thus, I adjusted my course to be more eastward when nightfall finally descended over the woods. Caiden insisted on walking for as long as he could manage, declaring that he was feeling much better. I seriously doubted it from the sluggish jog he took up and the constant gasping for air despite the slow pace he chose. Suddenly, he broke into a coughing fit so strong that we had to completely stop.

         He rested against a tree, gasping for air. He placed his hand on his side for a moment, which came up red when he pulled his hand away. He’d reopened the wound. I forced him to sit down, desperately fighting the flow of blood with bandages but nothing halted the red river.

         “Hang in there. I can’t lose you.”

         He grimaced as I lifted him onto my back, setting off at a much quicker run than I had the night before to make up for lost time. I wanted to be across the wetlands and in Rogers City before morning. Caiden needed help now. A grim determination cultivated in my heart as I darted through the forest. I needed to start heading more east than north if I wanted to hit Rogers City properly. I couldn’t lose time backtracking. Soldiers would be waiting for me. 

         The ground began to get softer and wetter the further I went along, soon turning to a soft sludge. I trekked through the mud until it became a quiet splash through little pools of water forming everywhere. The thickness of the mud increased, which forced me to slow down and wade through the low waters that rose up to my calves. 

         I’d hit the marsh.

         I stayed along the edge of the water until I found a spot shallow enough to cross. The water rose up to my knees, thoroughly soaking my pants. Caiden’s boots graze the deeper bits of the water, his head popping up to reorient himself while I plodded along, grimacing as I struggled to pull my boots out of the muck. One step at a time.

         I was glad for the warm summer night that surrounded me as I exited the deeper waters. It wasn’t refreshing but at least my legs weren’t numb. My pants clung to my skin and the tips of Caiden’s boots were slowly spreading their water to my shirt. I forced myself to ignore the inconvenience since the moon was steadily setting. We needed another place to hide for the night, and my back was killing me from the extra effort of plowing through the marsh. 

         Thankfully, I found a cave just as the sun broke over the horizon and burst through the trees. I pulled my boots off so the mud wouldn’t lead anyone straight to us. The marsh itself might throw them off our trail for long enough to reach Rogers City, but I couldn’t take any chances. The two of us rested as well as if we’d found a hotel instead of a cave. Caiden woke up first, shaking me gently. The warm sunlight hit my face directly from the cave’s mouth. We were too exposed to stay here. We needed to move now or we could get cornered in the cave. 

         I took a deep breath. I’d have to make it all the way to Rogers City now before we were caught. I could make it. The trees were thinning and I could faintly hear the distant sounds of cars.

         “Swap clothes with me.” I handed him my discarded boots.

         He stared at me so I began to take off his uniform which I’d been wearing for the past two days.

          “I trusted you. It’s your turn.” I watched him expectantly.

         He nodded silently and complied, biting his tongue throughout the whole arduous process. I needed our story to make sense, so nothing would hinder us from crossing the border. I kept my compass and blaster, tucking them into my belt as I checked to make sure my papers were in order. We were going to cross today. I couldn’t waste any more time, so I did what I had to. 

         I ran.

         I ignored the sun beating down on me, provoking much more sweat than I’d endured during the night. I found myself reaching for my water much more often than I would have liked, but I kept going. Either we made it to Canada today or we lost everything. Losing everything was not an option.

         As soon as I broke out of the cover of the trees with Rogers City in my sight, a round of plasma blew past my left side, narrowly missing Caiden’s foot. 

         “Reid!” I heard Lieutenant Kirk screech followed by several more rounds of plasma fire. “Stand still and face your death like a man.”

         Caiden grabbed my blaster before I could take it for a final stand. He leaned towards my ear, speaking softly, “Don’t stop running.”

         I nodded, the sound of his return fire flooding my ears, drowning out my pounding heart. The heat of the plasma smothered me more than the sun. The air burned like an oven and my lungs ached as I forced shallow breaths of air into them. My legs throbbed and I began to slow just when the city seemed close enough to touch. I steeled myself. Keep going. 

         Despite my aching legs, I quickly reached the edges of the city, hurrying to get lost somewhere in the frenzy of people terrified by the gunfire. Perfect, Kirk couldn’t risk hitting an American bystander; he’d provoke unfathomable outrage. Caiden placed my blaster back on my belt, slowly sliding off my back. I glanced at his side.

         “I’ll be fine.” He inhaled sharply. “We need to get to the lake as quickly as possible and with the least amount of suspicion as possible. This is no time to wear yourself out.” Caiden stared into my eyes, his mouth set in a line. 

         I frowned. He was right, but his barely sealed wound worried me. I allowed him to walk regardless. After about an hour, the city began to thin into a suburb with plenty of docks onto the lake for its residents. We kept walking until we came to a park with access to Lake Huron. There was a shop renting kayaks, so I paid for a two-seater kayak for an hour although I wasn’t quite sure how I’d bring it back. It definitely was not happening within an hour, that was for sure.

         “How far is it from here to Ontario?” I asked as I took the kayak under my shoulder.

         The clerk laughed, “Let’s just say you’re not going to make it there in an hour. I hope you weren’t planning on rowing all the way to Canada. You’ll never make it that far if you’re an amateur rower. That’s about an all-day trip and it’s a bit late for that.”

         I laughed, but that didn’t dissuade me from my plan. I had to get across. Any other route meant passing through the US border, which would be logged immediately. Then we wouldn’t ever be safe, even in Canada. Caiden grabbed a map of the lake, and we left.

         I set the kayak in the water, my determination growing as Caiden breathed heavily, his skin a ghostly shade of white. He began coughing as I situated myself in the boat. I was going to get us to Canada even if it took all night. I pushed off from the dock, handing my compass to Caiden. He’d have to navigate so I could row as fast as I planned. All the way to Canada. For Caiden. 

         I set my paddle in the water and took my first stroke, then another, and never stopped for what seemed like an eternity of endless pushing. Caiden prompted me to turn every so often and the repetitiveness became soothing, though my arms quickly numbed. I settled into the rhythm, watching the waves lap at the sides of my kayak. The sound of an engine didn’t bother me as there were plenty of other boaters around that had passed, but soon I realized it was getting closer and closer. I glanced back and my stomach dropped as I saw the commandeered speedboat racing after us with Kirk at the helm. Keep rowing, Axel, even if it seems hopeless. 

         I paddled harder. Maybe I’d make it to the Canadian side of the water before they caught me. Maybe I was already in Canadian waters. I couldn’t tell. All I could see was water in all directions. There was no land to help place exactly where we were. Sure, Caiden was doing his best to pinpoint where we were by how long we’d been rowing, but that wasn’t a perfect assessment by any means. 

         Plasma exploded from the speedboat, summoning tremendous waves in the water. I desperately pushed against them with my paddle to steady the kayak. About all I could do in the barrage was keep us from capsizing. We were at the mercy of the waves. I struggled for a few minutes as the boat sped nearer and nearer. 

         Caiden pulled out the extra paddle and tried his hand at getting us a bit further along. It didn’t do much, but it boosted my morale enough to inch us along while he focused on steadying us. He began wheezing from the exertion after a few minutes but refused to stop with the same determination that I’d seen when he sacrificed himself for me at camp. Honor his sacrifice. 

         I set to the oar with renewed vigor, not pulling away from the oncoming boat by any means, but maintaining a good distance. We crawled ahead amidst the tossing of the waves, drowning out the boat as best we could. Every inch counts. This isn’t over until we’ve been caught or killed. 

I looked up from my paddling at the sound of another motor, much deeper in pitch than the whining speed boat’s engine. They’ve cut us off now. This is it. I stared at the larger vessel directly ahead of me, joy flooding my face when I heard a thick Canadian accent over a loudspeaker.

         “Cease fire; you’re in Canadian territory.” The boat from the Canadian Coast Guard came to a stop, and I could clearly see plasma cannons trained on the speed boat. They were much better armed than Kirk. I hoped he would make the right decision and turn around. “We’re prepared to sink you if you attack the kayak. We have protocols to follow before we punish people, especially since one of those people happens to be a Canadian citizen.”

         I saluted the ship with a grin. Kirk’s boat halted; then, after a few minutes, turned around. Even when he left, Kirk’s fierce glare never departed from my mind. He had tried to murder his own brother. How could anyone sink to doing that? I pushed that thought aside as the Coast Guard invited Caiden and me aboard. The captain quickly came to meet me.

         “What’s going on here? The Canadian soldiers were meant to fly back home, not row their way across the lake.” The captain adjusted his hat. “Why were they chasing you?”

         “Please, help my friend. He needs blood badly… He saved my life…” Relief rushed over me in the form of tears. I just shook my head as I barely kept myself upright. The adrenaline was all but gone, exhaustion quickly taking its place. “Our soldiers aren’t coming home…”

         The captain stared at me silently for a moment. “I want the whole story as soon as you’re up to telling it.”

         I nodded as Caiden was ushered to below deck to give him whatever treatment they could. When I’d rested for a while, the captain and others pressed me into great detail about the betrayal unceasingly. Telling our story repeatedly proved to me that I’d much rather enjoy the results of my hardships with Caiden than dream of altering the past. I couldn’t be prouder of what I accomplished despite the struggle and loss.

         I wouldn’t change a thing.