forum The Cadence of War (Closed 3/3) (Gore, violence, traumatic incidences, etc. 15+)

Started July 13, 2020 by @Oakiin

tune

(Okay, I got sick and then this got deleted overnight and I had to re-write it, yayyyy.)

It had been two weeks since the squadron had been deployed into the forest. It was an uncomfortable experience for many reasons, least of which were the obnoxiously bossy officers. Just because they pulled a rank or two, they seemed to think they could push the soldiers below them around as much as they pleased.
But again. The lesser of many issues. Everyone's nerves were wired, and sleep was a rare commodity for those who understood the constant peril they lived in. Being closer to the enemy than your own back-up is never a happy place to find yourself in, yet this is where they were. The rest of the army was beyond their reach by several miles, thanks to a series of misconstrued instructions, wrong turns, and a barrage of rain that had ruined their radio equipment before they could get it to shelter.

So with their tents hidden as well as they could be, their friends far out of reach, and the foe breathing down their necks, they had settled into a small dell to set up camp. The shallow sides of the dip in the ground provided some shelter and camouflage, but it didn't feel like enough. it would never feel like enough. A heavy cloud cover and thick foliage blocked out any light that might have wanted to illuminate the night and give them some edge on their surroundings, and they were left largely blind.
Nothing to be done about that. The commanding officer set up a watch, and ordered everyone else to get some sleep. A task easier said than done. But at least it was the know-it-all officers that got watch duty.

Now the soldiers do their best to get a few precious moments of sleep, entirely unaware that the vague feeling of being watched that had been following them for the past week was more than paranoia.

Sleep? How long has it been? As a Sniper, you were trained to stay awake for 72 hours (true fact btw), only it's been a week. Every second, every minute felt like hours, days. Sleep? That was a rare commodity, she had only managed to sneak in a few naps now in then. Tokyo thought that it was ironic that there were even forests where they were, she thought that it would only be deserts and barren wastelands.
"Get some sleep," they said. Tokyo couldn't sleep, she just had this feeling. Eyes always watching, seeing, hearing, always following. She decided to set herself up on a tree, it gave her a vantage point.

(they all know each other right? Also, I apologize for how short this is.)

(All good! :D)

Sasha stared blankly at the ceiling of his tent. He should sleep. He knew that. His eyes felt heavy and burned from how long they'd been open, but his mind wasn't ready to quiet down. It was too stressful. The darkness made it seem as though his eyes were closed anyway, so he continued to stare blankly, straining his ears.
His heart leaps into his throat as he heard light footsteps slip by his tent, and he jerked up, only to realize it was just Tokyo, heading for a nearby tree.
Heart still pounding, he lay beck down, staring yet again into the darkness. God, I wish I could see.

Oliver had been sleeping but he had too much in his mind to actually sleep soundly. He woke up about 3 hours after he first lay down and wasn't able to rest again. Groaning, he got up and crawled out of his tent, taking a water bottle and a flashlight with him as he went to jog a bit before the sun came up again.

It wasn’t that York didn’t trust the higher-ups, it was more that he trusted himself more.
York leaned up against a tree, his M4 rifle tucked tightly in his hands. He kept his face stoic, looking around for anything.
Of course, he kept himself low, not bending over— more of a crouch and slumped posture. He took a deep breath in, breathing as silently as he could and keeping his eyes moving among the terrain. Through his night vision goggles, no heat signatures were relatively prevalent, the infrared showing nothing but his group in the darkness. A figure in a tree above, he could tell it was Tokyo, was the only thing out of the moderate ordinary.
With another sigh, York went back to locking his eyes on the brush, head on a swivel.
Suddenly, another signature caught his eye. A man— coming from a tent. Oliver, was it?
York put his rifle by his side, flicking up his goggles and moving forward swiftly to lay a hand gently on Oliver’s shoulder.
“What do you think you’re doing?” he whispered harshly, almost inaudible. “Especially with a flashlight? We’re close to enemy territory— closer to them than our own troops. Don’t just go runnin’ off, alright? Stay safer, kid.”

(Ok, I'm going to respond right now because York is directly addressing Ollie)(also, apologies if I do.anyyhing wrong, I have very limited knowledge of army)

"Was going for a run but changed my mind and just going to look around a little. Just around our campground. The flashlight is an incase of emergency thing. I'm not an idiot York." Oliver pushed his hand off and crossed his arms. "Sorry if I'm doing something wrong, I'm restless."

_{(I think we all have pretty limited knowledge lol. Also gonna res cuz ~conversation~)}

“I never called you an idiot,” York mumbled under his breath. “And I’m not reprimanding you. I simply just want you to be safe.”
He stepped back, pressing his back up against the tree once more
“I get that we’re all restless. Just be careful out there. I don’t want to lose anyone. You got it?”
York couldn’t tell if he sounded blunt, he just was simply speaking his mind. He had lost many people before, and did not want anyone else drifting out of mind.

"You want to join me? It'll be safer with another watching my back." Oliver ran a hand through his hair and stretched.

York gave another look around after flipping his goggles down again. Nothing caught his eye, so he turned back to Oliver.
“Sure, yeah, border patrol sounds good,” he mumbled quietly. “Wouldn’t be a bad idea… maybe.”
He nudged Oliver’s elbow with his own gently as he passed, looking back to see if the man was following and falling into step. He tried his best to keep his feet noiseless against the ground.

( When you say turn order, do you mean the order that people reply?)

Comfort? That was a luxury she couldn't afford to pay. Her brain so hardwired from being paranoid, her mind so foggy from the lack of sleep, her stomach aching for food at home, no, comfort was something that had to be earned.
She suddenly jolted up from her state of mind, immediately grabbing her rifle. Her sniper barrel wasn't on, but at least a few shots should do to warn everyone. Scanning the area, her eyes settled on Oliver and York.
Goddamn it, Tokyo was very annoyed, but she was also relieved at the fact they weren't enemies. York had to be one of the most annoying person she had ever met, yet at the same time she found him to be very attractive, though she would never admit that to him. To be fair, she always thought that he was…well to put it in delicate terms, a piece of shit. God, she could even hear his voice rattling around her head. Perhaps to has to due with the fact that at this point she was becoming delusional, but she couldn't stop thinking about him
She liked the way he looked
She liked the smell of his cologne
She liked the way he made her laugh
She liked the way that his eyes shined when he talked
She liked the way his arms felt around her when he hugged her
She liked the way his clothes felt on her that one time she stole them in order to annoy him.
She would never admit any of it to him.
Never