Veteran

Simply Neurotic

The Veteran laughed in the darkness. Afraid of the dark, no way. Afraid of monsters under the bed? The man with his hand on trigger of a gun laughed nervously. He wasn't scared of anything, he had told himself. Sure, he was a past war-time hero, but he was so used to ambushes and life-threatening situations that it made the man simply neurotic. His trigger finger twitched at simple shadows; his heartbeat quickened with every little sound. Yes, he was this scared of death. How could he not, seeing so many people die in horrible ways? All he knew from being kidnapped and miraculously escaping his enemies was that there was no mercy. His thoughts suddenly stopped at the sound of a door creaking open. Sweat began to show on his face as the steps started to become louder as it headed his way. Heart pounding like crazy, he lifted the gun up to the door. Suddenly the door opened, and he pulled the trigger. The stranger dropped, and so did his sense of worry. It was done, it was over. The Veteran, drenched in sweat, realized that the figure in front of him was not an enemy but a lost soul seeking refuge. Guilt washed over him like a tidal wave. He had let fear cloud his judgment, and now an innocent life had paid the price. The Veteran knelt beside the fallen stranger, his hands trembling with remorse. As the adrenaline faded, he saw the face of a young man, not so different from the soldiers he had fought alongside in the war. The weight of his actions bore down on him, heavy and unforgiving. The darkness no longer held any amusement for him; it was now a shroud of his own making, a reminder of the darkness within himself. From that day on, The Veteran vowed to conquer his inner demons, to face his fears head-on, and to never let his past haunt his present again.