the perfect ambush.

we knew they were coming.

we didn't know how
we didn't know from where
we didn't know when
we didn't know why.

but we knew they were coming.
standing in a small, circular clearing in, what seemed to be the middle of the forest. we all stood in a loose circle with our weapons ready to fire.

there was nothing but silence.
a silence so silent, we knew something was wrong.
no squirrels. no rustling leaves.
even the wind held its breath.

suddenly, shots were fired and the ground threw dirt where the bullets had landed.
a man fell and more shots came.
it wasn't until our eighth solider fell that we realized that the shots were coming from underground.

"how'd the fuck they do that?"
"who cares?! shoot back!"

we shot. and only hit the ground.

more bullets hit the ground
but these we heard whizzing downward past our heads.
so we shot the skies.
and only hit clouds.

rustles came from the left
so we shot to the left
but got shot at from the right.

rustles came from the right
so we shot right
and got shot at from the left.

our confusion cost us many lives.
until only four of us stood.
we all shot in opposite directions
up, down, left, right.

a few of our enemies wailed in pain.
some fell
but we remained outnumbered .
another fell.

the enemy began to close in.
a bullet hit my shoulder
but i kept shooting. reloading. shooting.
reloadin- another hit my stomach.
i crouched, to reduce the pain and to keep my firing arm steady.

another ally fell.
the last tried firing in every direction in a Rambo type of manner.

"i picked good men."
she fell to a knee. then, fell over again, holding herself up with one arm.

"thank you," i said to her amidst my own gunfire.
"shut up and keep living."
i kept firing.

"La Resistance lives on, sir. Our message was heard. We live."
with her last words came another bullet. i'm not sure where it hit me but it forced me to the ground. i watched my last warrior close her eyes. she held no tears.

again, silence.
then, leaves crunching under a thousand footsteps.
they approached me.
one stooped to look me in the eye.

"how?"
he chuckled, "it won't do you any good in the afterlife."
"then why?"
"an interesting question. because we wanted to."
"just because?"
"just because."
"there is no 'just because' evil. there is no person pure of evil. you must have motives that align with evil.."
he laughed, "i am evil."

i was engulfed by nothingness.