From man to propane
The propane burner’s flame, small but fierce, lit Rotney‘s and Elijah‘s tired faces. They stared at the pot hung above the flame, waiting for the water inside to bubble up. Rotney glanced at Elijah, a frankly unnecessary act, as he’d already burned Elijah’s features — his strong-cut jaw, thick lips, and slim eyebrows — deep into his mind.
They could hear the rain trickling above them hitting the military tent’s tarpaulin. They had once occupied it with seven other men; that time had passed.
“How is the water taking this long?” Elijah grunted, restraining himself from kicking the contraption to the ground. The flames seemed teasing to him, the flame intensely flaring against the pot, doing little to the water inside.
“ ’lijah it’s a big-ass pot and a tiny flame it’s gonna take a bit” Rotney’s words were paired with a tender smile, which together gave him a soothing presence that swept over Elijah, who begrudgingly sat back down on the tarp.
He looked at Rotney, his smile on going, still lifting up his weighted soul
“Y’know, you’re the one thing that makes this whole war even half livable Bobby” Rotney continued to stare into the dancing flames, taking note, however, of every one of Elijah’s words “No joke, I probably would have killed myself by now without you”
“Don’t worry. I would have done it myself if you even so much as tried” Rotney retorted, met by a sighing and appreciative laughter from Elijah.
Suddenly, sound broke through the tent’s tarp, quick footsteps attempting to disguise themselves among the chatter of surrounding tents. The word ambush had only to enter Elijah’s mind for him to eyes his rifle. But before Elijah could get them, someone stormed inside a gun pointed between the two
“Everybody’s hands up” Rotney’s arms sprung on command, his arms quivering with the sudden movement. Elijah his back down to his pants. He was trying to assure himself of a handle that should be sticking out from his backpocket. His pocket Knife.
“I said hands up!” Rotney glanced at Elijah, every one of the ambusher’s words came with terrifying clarity and confidence.
Elijah raised his arms slowly stepping toward the soldier.
“Don’t shoot us, okay?” He grew closer to the soldier. “We can’t be of any use to you then” The soldier seemed intrigued and loosened his grip around his rifle. “Both of us have far too much intel and too little allegiance for our deaths to be of any worth to you, ’kay?”
Rotney stared in confusion. Elijah stood right before the soldier, who awaited Elijah’s next words, but he’d already gripped at his backpocket. He flung the knife to the soldier’s stomach, paralyzing him.
Rotney watched as the gruel burst out of him, spilling down the metal and pooling on the floor into a dark puddle.
Elijah came for the neck immediately after, the blood spritzed out like a lively geyser, painting his uniform a bright red. He fell by Elijah’s feet, life already fading from his eyes and staring up past the tarpaulin
„Serene“, Elijah thought, „like a marbled doll“
Rotney wanted to cover his eyes but his arms stayed frozen, as he watched Elijah swing the cold metal blade back into the already liveless body. It fell on the stomach again, ripped it open, the worm of an intestine squirming out. Then came the face, his eye now replaced by a deep blood-filled pool like one of tar.
Elijah felt the cool breeze coming from the still-open tent door as he went for the groin and freed the passed soldier of his manly obligations. Elijah came for his chest thereafter. He saw murals in the bloody scares he was ripping into the man’s flesh.
He felt a hand grab him from behind.
Rotney tried to pull Elijah away from the body as he continued to disfigure the soldier in every way he knew. Elijah resisted the pull grunting at Rotney.
He felt as though he was being forcefully woken from a dream, Rotney the one trying to pull him out of his phantasia.
“Elijah!” Rotney screamed, clinging tightly to his chest. The call pulled Elijah out, made him see what was truly before him. The ragged blood-stained corpse held in his arms seemed alien, the work done to it coming from someone else.
He stayed still, in shock, the only thing that kept him from losing his sanity being Rotney’s arms wrapped around him.
“Rotney,” he exclaimed, as the excitement, terror, fear finally caught up to him. They all went from his mind to his eyes, pooling there, until they dripped down from his face onto Rotney‘s arms.
“Rotney, what did I—” Rotney cut off his word, sensing the unending cycle of regret and despair Elijah was heading toward.
“Shh, it’s gonna be okay, you’re alright now, you’re alright”
