Soldier's Death

Here's a poem I wrote a while back that I think turned out okay.

    Soldier’s Death

A crack, then a slam as

another body hit the cold

wet earth. The screams and

shouts, pleas for mercy and

yells of rage, filled my ringing

ears. The bodies, silent, unmoving

and terribly mutilated, covered in

blood haunted my waking

dreams. I could hardly

move, it seemed as though I had

lost the little strength I had to

go on. The battle raged around

 me, even as I stumbled helplessly

dripping with sweat, blood and

tears. A loud scream shattered my

reverie and I loaded my rifle though

I doubt I could've used it, had I the

chance. Not moments after, I was

thrown to the ground, a sharp

pain shooting through my body and

my vision darkening. I was hit and

dying, with no one to stop and help

me. I would perish in a foreign land and be

left to rot. I closed my eyes and succumbed.

 

Update

       Well, it's been a while since I've posted anything but I've made a little progress. My book is coming along well, but I've hit a bit of a wall with where I'm going to take it, so I've started on another idea I had for a novel. Finding time to write, though, has been really hard these last few months; I've been really busy. Sometimes I wonder if writing is really a good career choice for me but since I haven't thought of anything else I'm good enough at for a career I'll keep working at it until (hopefully) I can get a book, or anthology in the least, published. So, there's my update. Probably not very interesting but I thought I'd post something about how things were going. So until next time!

Light of Day: The Conclusion

Well, here's the rest of my short story that I posted earlier. Hope you've enjoyed it!

 

        We rode for an hour before reaching the gated entrance of Hesper Milton’s large house.

The man told me to wait in the carriage for a moment while he went to talk with Hesper. I

agreed, not really wanting to face Hesper again. He left the carriage briefly and went up to the

front door, knocked hard and stepped back to wait. Almost immediately, the door sprung open

and my mother stood in the doorway. I almost leaped out of the carriage before remembering that

Hesper wouldn’t be far behind. I was right, for not two seconds later, Hesper’s tall and lanky

form appeared at the door. I shrunk back into the cushioned seat, not wanting to be seen.

         The man began to talk to Hesper in low whispers and that was my mother’s cue to leave.

She disappeared from the door and I leaned forward just a bit to try and make out what the men

were saying.

        The conversation ended and the man strode back to the carriage and opened the door.

 “It’s safe to come now,” he told me and I exited. He led me up the stone steps to the front

door and Hesper glared at me. I shrank back a little but the man pushed me forward.

     “Go on,” he urged and finally I stepped in through the door. I turned back to look at the man

and just managed to see that Hesper and him shook hands before I was shoved out of the way by

Hesper. My heart sank. The man had given me back to Hesper and now I would never get my

revenge.

          Hesper grabbed my arm tightly and I cried out from the pain. His eyes bored holes into me

and I tried to disappear. He dragged me along the hall and down another corridor. I knew where I

was going and I dug my heels in, protesting. Hesper, being larger and stronger, pulled me along

easily, even with the added resistance. My arm stung and I noticed that he had dug in so hard that

I was bleeding. I cried out hoping someone would come to my aid but all I got was a slap across

the face, so I stopped.

           Finally, he dragged me around the corner and down three sets of stairs before stopping in

front of a large oak door. He brought out a set of keys and unlocked the door. The door opened

with a groan and Hesper threw me in ahead of him. I hit the stone floor hard and the breath left

my body, leaving me gasping. He strode over to me, a cruel smile on his face.

     “Now I’ll make sure you never leave this place,” he told me. He grabbed the manacles that

hung on the wall and placed them securely on my wrists, tightening them until they pinched the

skin on my wrists, making them bleed. I cried out in pain and he laughed. With one last

triumphant look, he slammed the door and locked it firmly from the outside. I heard his footsteps

recede and then I sank down against the wall and placed my head in my hands. I began to sob  

once more, gut wrenching sobs. I had been rescued, then betrayed by my rescuer. The chains

shook as I sobbed and finally I gave up and lay down on the cold floor, knowing that I would

never again see the light of day.

Light of Day Continued

Here's some more of the short story I posted earlier!

My tears continued to fall and the water level continued to rise, now coming up past my

knees. Eventually, the tears stopped flowing and I assumed that I had none left to shed. The

moon grew brighter in the sky and I almost laughed in the relief that I could finally see. Around

me, the dirt walls began to sag from the rain and soon they would collapse, maybe to bury me

alive and suffocate me before I drowned.

        The water was chest height now and I soon began to give up any hope that I had of someone

finding me.  Then the strangest thing happened.  The sky flashed white one more time then faded

off into black. Even the moon was gone. Then suddenly, it lit up brightly, the sky was blue and

the sun was out. The rain had stopped falling which meant I wouldn’t drown after all. I smiled

and laughed in delight.

        A shadow crossed over the drain and my heart almost stopped. It was a person! They looked

down with a look of surprise and concern, then lifted the grate off and pulled me out. I fell on my

knees and began to sob in relief, laughing the whole time I did. The man just stared down at me,

a look of sympathy on his face.  Finally I stopped and rose to my feet unsteadily. He helped me

get my balance then stood back with a questioning look on his face.

       I explained to him how I had been a servant in the home of Hesper Milton and only done

what I was told. Then a couple days ago, he came home drunk and began to beat me and my

mother. I had stood up against him, to protect my mother, and he had grabbed me by my shirt

collar and dragged me into a carriage. We had traveled for hours before the carriage driver

brought us to a halt. Then he had pulled me along and behind a patch of bushes so the driver

wouldn’t see us. Hesper then stuck me into the drain and sealed the grate shut so I couldn’t get

out.

     I sobbed the whole time I told the awful story and the man placed an arm around my

shoulders as I cried. I tried to stop but I just couldn’t and he stood there patiently as I cried into

his shirt. When I finally calmed down, I pulled away from him and wiped the final tears from my

face. He took my hands in his and looked me in the eyes.

       “I will help you take revenge,” he told me, “Even if it means death,” My shoulders sagged in

relief and I thanked him thoroughly. He smiled down at me and placed his arm around my

shoulders, leading me away from the drain and to a carriage that was on the road. We got inside

and he instructed the driver to take us to the Milton house. The driver nodded and urged the

horses to go.