Chapter 16 What It Means To Be A Man (2/2)
”I wasn't going to make him suffer this alone. If he is going crazy, we are going together. As a brother, I owe him that much.”
Laz looked up. He never remembered his grandpa mentioning he had a brother. Bill reached over to a paper wrapped package on the ground next to him and unwrapped it, revealing a large slab of meat. He set it on the rack and pulling out some seasoning, he started making dinner.
”You grandfather and I met during the war, almost 50 years ago. We were both young and stupid and had no idea what were we getting into. They dragged all of us kids to go fight a war no one wanted in a country that had nothing to do with us. This was all about pride. As a country, we couldn't admit to a loss.”
Bill was obviously agitated as he spoke. You could tell he had a lot of hate in his heart.
”People died, a lot of people. Strangers, friends, enemies, allies, and brothers... most of us were just kids. They didn't want to kill me anymore than I wanted to kill them. But there we were, on the opposite sides in the war.”
”I've spent a lot of nights awake, thinking about it. We were the invaders, the outsiders. We were fighting a politicians war just so they could stroke their own egos. I'm not saying anyone was right. Wars may be started for the right reason, but the people dying couldn't care less about that.”
”Your grandfather saved my life. A member of our squad, Ziggy, stepped on a landmine while we were on patrol. We heard the click and almost everyone froze. I was between your grandpa and Ziggy on the line. I didn't even get out so much as a thought before I felt your grandpa bear hug me from behind and toss me down.” Bill stopped to take a breath at this point, constantly flipping the meat while adding on additional seasoning.
”Ziggy was nothing more then a pile of flesh and blood spatter and I had a piece of him end up in my throat since I didn't close it quick enough. That's also when I lost this. Shrapnel” Bill pointed at the eye patch, almost laughing at himself.
”19 years old and I got to see I guy I knew for a few months go splat like a popped balloon. That was the last thing this eye ever saw. Shit like that changes you Laz and not in a good way.” Bill stopped talking and just looked at the meat in a daze.
”What happened after that?” Laz couldn't help but ask.
”A hell of a lot more than I want to talk about. Your grandfather and I arn't good people Laz. We will burn in hell one day when the time comes. But he will always be my brother by something thicker than blood, they all will. We might have gone there as stupid kids, but we became men bathed in the blood of our enemies and friends.”
”All of this, because someone fucking told us to. I would have just as soon gone out drinking with those boys I was firing at than have to kill them. Or be killed by them. But because someone gave the order, we fired, or we died. Simple as that. I think something like that might happen again.”
”What?”
”You've noticed it, so don't lie to me. I'm not going to ask, but at least listen to what I have to say. People are going to change real soon and I've got no fucking clue why. What I do know is, it won't be good. And when different people start showing up, the ones in charge are going to get worried. Normal people will get worried. And when enough people start thinking dumb thoughts together, that's when the real monsters will come out to play.”
”Old man, what do you know exactly?” Laz couldn't help but ask, looking directly at him.
”This eye hasn't worked since 1971, when it was yanked out with the shrapnel. But over the last few days, even when I have it covered, I'm seeing things.”
”It's like, watching two tv's right next to each other. On this side,” Bill pointed to his normal eye, ”I can see whats happening around me normally. I can see you, I can see this food, I can see the fire.”
Bill then lifted the eye patch to show a mostly empty socket. This might have been the sickest thing Laz had ever seen, until he looked closer. He noticed there was a small, white, worm like thing inside of it, laying along the bottom of the socket. It had a shiny round head with a small black dot right in the middle and it seemed like the other end ran into Bill's head with no end in sight. Even his enhanced vision failed him at this point.
It almost looked like a tiny eye.
”And this one is playing a constant movie that might last almost 2 years. The two years we spent in hell. Even when I close both my eyes, one goes dark and the other just keeps on playing the movie.”