by Ava D. Dohn
* * *
“Colonel Treston…Colonel Treston...” Gefen gently tapped Treston on the shoulder. “I’m terribly sorry, but it’s time.”
Treston rubbed his sleepy eyes, nodding his understanding. He rolled over and swung his legs off the bed, resting his feet on the floor. When his eyes were able to focus, he noticed that his uniform was folded neatly over a chair, the tear in the pants carefully mended.
Azriela politely busied herself at a tiny counter beside the stove while Treston dressed, recognizing the colonel’s bashfulness at being seen naked. “They say we’re pushing them. They say the enemy advance has stalled all across the line and that the worst is over.”
Gefen piped in, “Yes, yes indeed. And we gave ‘em a good thrashing upstairs, too.” pointing toward the sky. “The fleet’s still in control of Eden’s Gate and this star system.” He laughed. “Legion’s not driving us off this planet! No sir, he’s not driving us from here!”
Azriela waited until Treston was done buckling his trousers before setting a hot cup of tea on the table for him. “I’m sorry we have nothing stronger, Colonel, but all the hard liquor was sent north.”
Gefen interrupted, shaking his head. “Not quite! Not quite! Here you go, Colonel.” With that, the major pulled a tiny metal flask from his pocket. He opened it and poured a small amount into the cup, rubbing his finger around the neck of the flask and licking it. “Mustn’t waste it, you know. Way too precious...”
Treston thanked him for the special drink, took a sip and smacked his lips. Gefen reached over and stuffed the flask into Treston’s coat pocket. Waving his hand to ward off the colonel’s refusal, he reassured him, “Take it my friend, please. In a day or two we’ll be back aboard the Sophia. There’s lots of that stuff there. You don’t know when you’ll be home. Gotta keep your strength up for that girl of yours.”
Azriela picked up a large over-the-shoulder bag and a metal vacuum flask. “Take these with you, Colonel Treston from the Realms Below. There’s hot drink and plenty of grub to keep you going. I also put in some writing paper and leads so you can keep in touch.”
There was a screeching of brakes outside the Quonset door. The major jumped up. “That’s your ride, Colonel. Mustn’t keep those lorry drivers waiting, you know. They’ll off and leave you in a snap!” He snapped his fingers. “In a snap!”
Gefen embraced the colonel and Azriela kissed him on the cheek. They stood in the door as he hurried for the waiting lorry, shouting their goodbyes through the falling snow. Treston waved back and crawled into the cab of the truck, sitting beside another passenger. The driver offered her salutations, jammed the machine into gear and started away.
They had just turned a corner and traveled a few hundred feet when the air raid sirens sounded. The driver yelled, “Out! Get out of the truck!”
Treston and the others crawled under the lorry only seconds before missiles came crashing down. Dozens of explosions shook the compound, sending mushroom clouds of fire and sparks into the sky, close enough at times to bounce the wheels of the lorry off the ground. When the rain of destruction stopped, much of the area was a burning shambles.
Treston crawled out from under the truck’s carriage. He was unhurt as well as the driver and her other passenger. Looking back down the street from where they had come, he saw the entire skyline ablaze. He cried aloud and hurried away through the confusion to check on his friends.
Slipping several times in the freezing mud, Treston struggled his way back down the street. The entire area was a raging inferno. Shouting out Gefen’s and Azriela’s names, he started heading toward the blazing Quonset hut. A burly firefighter reached out, grabbing his coat. “Can’t go there, Sir! It’s hellfire! Won’t stop burning for hours...”
In a panic, Treston asked about his friends. The firefighter shook his head. “Nobody made it, Sir.”
Treston turned and stared blankly at the flames, remembering the sweet kindness displayed to him only minutes before. A numb emptiness swept over the man along with an ache as bad as the one he had felt for Alynnou when he thought she was dying. Reaching into his pocket, he felt something hard. It was the flask. ‘Mustn’t waste it, you know. Way too precious...’
The colonel was given no more time to grieve. The driver finally caught up with him. She glanced at the fire, knowing full well what it meant. Then turning to him, eyes wide in excitement, she shouted frantically, “Colonel! We gotta go! We gotta go now!” She waved her hand in the direction of the lorry. “My truck’s full of ordnance. If it goes up, it’ll take half this compound! We gotta git now!”
Treston stared at the driver, then back at the fire. He heard the haunting voice of the medical officer speaking ever so faintly in his head. “Your destiny lies on the other side of those hills. We need you there…”
There was nothing to be done here. Why, when the fire burned out, there would only be hopeless memories remaining. His fingers tightened around the flask. He forced a smile. “Thank you, old chap. I’ll not waste it.”
He turned and hurried off, following the driver up the street.
