Code Red
659 Words
Episode three
Narrator's pov
Code red! We have a code red!”
The warning blared through the intercom as explosions shook the ground outside. Gunfire cracked through the night. Screams and chaos filled the air.
“You’ll be assisted soon. Stay calm. Backup is almost there.”
Beep. Beep. Beep.
The transmission cut off.
“Where the hell is the backup?!” someone shouted.
“General! General!”
Soldiers snapped to attention as a tall, powerfully built man stormed into the tent. His arm was bleeding heavily. His uniform was torn. Mud, sweat, and blood streaked across his face — though even beneath the grime, his commanding presence was undeniable.
This was General Mike — Michael — a seasoned commander in his early fifties.
He waved off the salutes with irritation. “Report. Where is the backup?”
“Sir,” Lilian answered quickly, “ETA ten minutes.”
“Ten minutes?” Mike barked. “We’ll be surrounded before then. Call them again. Tell them to move.”
“Yes, sir.”
At that moment, a man in his early forties rushed inside. He saluted sharply.
“Report,” Mike ordered.
“We found a cave,” the man said. “It cuts through the mountain and leads out of the forest. Hidden entry. We can evacuate the injured and refugees through it.”
Mike nodded once. “Good. Then we hold this line until backup arrives.”
Christian stepped forward.
“Sir, with all due respect — you should take the injured and the refugees through that cave.”
Mike’s eyes narrowed. “Excuse me?”
“My unit will hold the enemy,” Christian continued firmly. “You escort them out.”
“No,” Mike answered immediately. “I’m the commanding officer. I don’t abandon my men.”
Christian’s jaw tightened. “And you think I’ll let you die here?”
“That’s not your decision.”
Christian dropped his voice slightly. “Mike… you have a family.”
“And so do you,” Mike shot back.
Christian shook his head. “My sister is waiting for you. She’s carrying your child.”
The words hung heavy in the air.
Mike’s expression darkened. “And what would I tell your sister, Christian?” he fired back. “That I left her brother behind in enemy territory to be slaughtered?”
Christian’s fists clenched.
“You’ve served long enough,” he said. “You’ve given decades to this uniform. Let me handle this one.”
“You are not sacrificing yourself,” Mike snapped.
“I’m not sacrificing myself,” Christian replied. “I’m doing my job. I’m faster. I can move through that ridge and take out their command before they reposition.”
“I already told you,” Mike growled, “we are not risking everything over that chemical weapon. We evacuate. We regroup.”
Christian’s eyes burned.
“No, sir. Those bandits have killed enough innocent people. If we walk away now, they’ll do it again.”
“You know there are more beyond that ridge.”
“Yes. I know.”
“Then come home with me.”
Before either could say more, Lilian’s voice cut in urgently:
“Sir! Backup team has arrived!”
Christian gave a short, breathless laugh. “See? Reinforcements are here.”
He picked up his rifle.
“You take the injured and the refugees through the cave. That’s an order I’m giving you as family — not as a subordinate.”
“Christian—” Mike warned.
But Christian was already backing toward the exit.
“I’ll be in and out before you know it.”
He rushed out into the chaos.
“Get back here, you stubborn i***t!” Mike shouted after him. “I’m talking to you!”
Gunfire erupted again.
Christian’s voice echoed faintly from outside.
“Save me a seat at dinner, General!”
And then he vanished into the battlefield.
- Writer
