“I thought I could make it. I really thought I could make it.” The words echoed in Leon’s head when the enemy’s bullet pierced his skin. At the moment Leon fell, he felt burning pain in his chest, and the strength in his body faded away rapidly. The battlefield where he lay was filled with smoke and segments of bodies, the whistling wind mixing with the roar of guns and explosions. Amidst the disastrous scene, his vision blurred gradually. His consciousness began to drift, as he recalled comfortable memories with his family, his friends, his siblings, and most importantly, his pregnant fiancé.

In a trance, Leon seemed to see his fiancé standing in the high trench dimly with an indeterminate figure. She just stayed there with no movement but anger and sadness. Leon was surprised and felt guilty. He still remembered the last day that he left home. His fiancé abnormally persuaded him not to go. She said that it was her sixth sense that told her that Leon would be in danger this time in the battle. However, Leon didn’t believe that kind of sense. For him, obeying order from the army was his duty. Despite her pleading not to go to the battle, Leon still went out and promised that he would come up as usual. Nevertheless, he broke his promise. Lying down on the ground with blood and ashes, Leon saw his fiancé turning back as if she never knew him anymore. He saw her mouth open and close, but he couldn’t hear any voice from her. The indifferent appearance on her face implied that she had forgotten any happiness but was full of disappointment. “Do not leave me, I will come back for you!” No matter how Leon murmured, the vision of his fiancé faded away. A real person came to Leon’s eyesight and ran towards him with anxiety.

“Thomas…” Leon used up his last strength to call out to his former comrades-in-arms. They had fought side by side countless times, and the tacit understanding between them did not require verbal communication. They used to tackle many fatal deadlocks. Even during times when they were surrounded by 100 enemies outside the trench, they still survived and won medals for their bravery and tolerance. Leon had been shot countless times, each one of them leaving his body scarred, but he knew this time was his very last.. He didn’t know if Thomas was still safe at the moment, but he knew that he had to end his life before him.

Suddenly, his mind was pulled back to reality. He could hear hurried footsteps and anxious calls in his ears. In the blurred version, he saw Thomas’ familiar face. “Leon! Hang on! We will take you back!” Thomas knelt beside him. His eyes filled with anxiety and reluctance. He seemed to be unable to embrace the fact that Leon was dying. “Hang on! Leon! Your family is still waiting for your return! You have promised that you will rejoice with them after the war, especially your fiancé and your unborn child.”
Leon tried to smile, but the extreme pain came again from his chest and his eyes were wet. He grasped Thomas’s sleeve weakly and said: “I thought I could make it. I really thought I could make it. Take care of…her…and tell her that I…am …sorry.” As soon as he finished talking, Leon’s eyes slowly closed, as if he had fallen into eternal sleep.

Thomas held Leon’s cold hand tightly. His anger and grief in his chest poured out like a flood. He suppressed the pain in his heart and loudly ordered the soldiers around him with tears and choked voices: “You four! Take Leon back with me! Rest of you keep your position! He will always be in our hearts,” His eyes remained full of determination. “Fight for Leon, fight for all the brothers who sacrificed”.

Under the cover of the comrades, Thomas finally carried Leon’s body through the flames of war and went back to his hometown. When his fiancé came out and saw him, tears silently fell. She gently stroked Leon’s face and murmured: “You said you would come back. Where are you now?”