Echoes of Dark and Light by Chris Shanley-Dillman

Author:Chris Shanley-Dillman
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
ISBN: 9781620072585
Publisher: Curiosity Quills Press
Published: 2013-06-04T07:00:00+00:00

Toby plowed past me, the lifeless form of his brother slumped over his shoulder. Not knowing what else to do, I followed a dozen paces behind. I understood Toby’s anger, accepted it, even welcomed it in a strange way. But that didn’t stop the fist of pain crushing my heart or the tears running unchecked down my filthy cheeks.

We slowly made our way back to camp, Toby’s shadowy form carefully picking out a path through the thick forest, me trying to follow silently and invisibly. I heard his breath, ragged and winded under the strain of carrying a burden equal to his own body weight plus some. But he never complained. In fact, he never said a word, as if he struggled through the deserted battleground alone. I didn’t know which hurt worse, my dislocated shoulder or his new hatred of me.

Luckily we avoided stumbling across any other stray Rebels. The bustle of camp and lights from glowing lanterns and beckoning campfires lured us the last quarter mile. Most of the troops had bedded down right in the battlegrounds, leaving the hospital tent as the main bustle of human activity. Orderlies hurried past bearing loaded stretchers of wounded and dying soldiers. Doctors shouted orders and hollered for more supplies over the moaning and screaming of their patients. A jumbled pile of severed limbs grew minute by minute outside one of the tent flaps. Toby stepped around it and ducked inside the tent. I hesitated, and then followed.

Despite the open tent flaps, the air inside felt too stifling and polluted with the smell of unwashed bodies, blood, infection and death. I fought to keep my empty stomach from heaving, and focused instead on staying near Toby. He wove through the confusion and chaos until he found an empty bed, where he carefully, gently lay down Randy’s body.

“Hey! What’s a Reb doing here? Get him out of the way!”

Toby grabbed the orderly’s collar, dragging him in close to avoid any misunderstandings. “He’s my brother, and he stays. Understand?”

The orderly’s eyes grew wide at Toby’s fierceness, paling a bit around his dropped mouth. But he managed to get out a shaky nod.

“Good,” Toby said, releasing the collar. “I’m going to arrange transportation to ship his body home. You make sure no one touches him.”

He turned and walked away without a word or even a glance in my direction. I followed him with my eyes, too dejected to trail after him farther. Why hadn’t he asked me to watch over Randy?

“Hey, I’m talking to you!” The orderly rudely poked me in the ribs.

“Huh?”

“I said, do you need medical attention?”

Yes, I do. I needed someone to pop my shoulder back into place. But a doctor would probably insist on me removing my shirt to get a better look at the damage. Obviously, that couldn’t be an option. “I need to see Nurse Davis.”

“Well, sorry Private, but that’s just not possible right now. Can’t you see we’re in the middle of a major mess? Nurse Davis is busy assisting her father.

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