"Here, you two will be needing these. I want these latrines sparkling clean, so darn clean that I can see my reflection of every square inch of that place." Sergeant Kahi carelessly dropped two gallon buckets filled with this soapy grey water mixture. Two rags and tooth brushes were floating amongst one of the buckets.

"You understand ?" She crossed her arms, as she watched the two nod and grab ahold of one pail each.

---

The grassy fields were stained with dark red liquid of fallen soldiers. Jiyeon sprinted across the field, her other comrades surrounding her with their bayonets at the ready. The light drizzle from the gray clouds left her face smeared with dew, sweat, and maroon blood. Her heart was squeezing through her ribcage and pounding against the weak bones.

The rebels were quick and seemed to know what they were doing. Bullets whizzed past her head and limbs littered her. Looking back, she tried searching for her missing squad members. Panic quickly arising, as war cries of the rebels were heard.

"GAH !" She felt her left shin burst in pain. The skin felt like it was torn with white hot knives and was being stabbed over and over again. Jiyeon tripped, face planting onto the grass and damp soil. Her gun flung forward and was out of her reach. Saliva dripped out of , as her shin bone felt like it split in two. Her weak arms tried struggling up, only to hear. .

"GREEEENADEEEEEEEEEE ! GET DOWN ! ! " A booming explosion rung at the ears of many. Shrapnel imploded in all directions.

Shards of searing metal lodged into and shoulder. She could feel a piece of it go right through her esophagus. Blood engulfed her and she fell back down. Her eyes were looking up at the sky, flinching at the rain drops. Blood spread rapidly around her like a pool, the same color as her eyes.

"AHH ! NO ! " Jiyeon threw herself up. She looked left and right, up and down. . only to realize that it was merely just a nightmare.

"Sh-. . I'm still alive. . " She felt relief spread over her, as she saw the sleeping faces of her bunkmates.

Jiyeon's bunk was nearest to the single window of the woman's barracks. The room was just a long skinny room with each side having bunk beds facing each other.

Dead trees and burned grass was the closest thing mother nature would give this place. Jiyeon sighed deeply, her legs ached from all those morning jogs and her arms felt broken from carrying various machine guns and lugging heavy rocket launchers back and forth. She turned her head and faced the window. The moonlight showed her reflection. which revealed sad crimson red eyes.

"You're still awake ?"

The voice startled Jiyeon and it came from above her bunk. She turned her head to see Hyomin dangling her head upside down the side of the upper bunk bed.

"Sorry, am I bothering you ?" Jiyeon whispered, hoping that the answer was a solid no. "No, you weren't. I can't sleep too. I couldn't for the past few days already." Hyomin replied, a small chuckle was followed along with her sorrowful words.

"What's so funny ?" Jiyeon asked.

"Well, it's just that you're crying and you don't even know it." Hyomin softly replied. "W-what ?" Jiyeon patted her cheek with one hand and no doubt, tears were streaming down her face.

"It's alright, happens to me too sometimes. . " Hyomin sweetly smiled at her.

"AHEM. . !"

The sound of an annoyed comrade clearing was heard just nearby. Obviously indicating for Jiyeon and Hyomin to shut the hell up and let some people here get some rest.

Jiyeon and Hyomin looked at each other for 2 seconds, before any of the two could open their mouth again.

"Well, get some rest. Good night." Hyomin nodded and pulled her head back up her own bunk.

"Night. . " Jiyeon whispered back. She laid down on her pillow and shivers shook her body. The scene of her body getting mutilated replayed itself, over and over.

She really didn't want to go back to sleep.

---

"This is all your fault, you know that ? Like seriously, I don't even deserve to be here. . especially with someone like YOU." Eunjung angrily scrubbed the grime ridden floor with vigorous anger. "Geez, if only you shut that rude mouth in the first place, we both wouldn't even need to be here doing this bull." She added kindle to the fire.

It's about 3 a.m. and they've been in the bacteria infested bathroom since 11:30 p.m. Since then, Qri has been hearing Eunjung toss around words carelessly. She was at the end of her patience.

"Gah, this is pointless. What is this even supposed to do for us ? This won't help us save ourselves during wa-"

"Close your mouth already and just clean." Qri growled at her, she was seriously fed up with that girl's act. Eunjung looked at her amazed, more than offended. "So. . NOW you're talking ? After like 3 or 4 hours ?"

The girl just remained silent and used a rag to clean up the soapy remainders of the wet floor tiles. "Hey. . how come you don't talk much ?" Eunjung tilted her head, only to see Qri pause her scrubbing. "Hey. . I asked you a question." Eunjung gruffed.

"It's not that I don't. I just haven't really wanted to talk as much, since I've got to this hellhole." Qri sighed, squeezing the rag in the bucket to let excess water wring out. Eunjung watched the girl's light grey eyes become darker and look at the floor while biting her lips. Eunjung settled her back against the cracked walls of the ruined bathroom and questioned "What do you mean ?"

"I just have so much going on, right now. . " Qri's words were short and sorrowful.

*Flashback*

"ALL WOMEN AND MEN OF AGES BETWEEN THE AGES OF 18-50 MUST BE DRAFTED. ANY SIGNS OF MISCONDUCT OR REFUSAL SHALL BE SHOT."

The voice of a male officer was heard throughout the district. He held a microphone and screeched the same repeated words at the civilians. Qri merely listened to the words and continued to calm her little brother down.

"It's okay, don't worry. Nothing is going to happen. . " She reassured him and patted his head. He clinged onto his older sister's shirt, his ash grey eyes welled with tears and soaked up the side of Qri's palms. "Don't cry, everything will be alright. Stay here." She knelt down and held onto his small hands. Smoothing her hands through his hair, she smiled "It'll be okay. Now be a good boy and listen to mom."

She left a tiny kiss on his forehead, leaving him to wait in his bedroom.

*SIDE NOTE: Jihyun is Qri's real name. "Qri" is her nickname*

"J-Jihyun ! Don't tell me that you're actually going. . " Her elderly mother grasped onto her daughter''s frail hands. Tears quickly fell from her face and dripped from her chin. Just beyond the front door, they can hear civilians screaming and shots ringing out. "DO NOT ATTEMPT TO RUN. YOU WILL BE SHOT." The same man's voice boomed through their door and shook their window panes.

"Jihyun ! PLEASE ! Think this over !" Her mother held her eldest daughter's hand firmly around her own, desperately trying to convince her to stay.

"OPEN THE DOOR, WE'RE HAVING A THOROUGH SEARCH TO FIND CIVILIANS TO BE DRAFTED." Powerful knocks boomed through their door. "DO NOT ATTEMPT ANYTHING, OPEN THE DOOR OR WE'LL HAVE TO USE FORCE TO BE LET IN." The man sounded furious, obviously distraught from having to scour the whole district for youngsters.

"Mom, I have to. I have no choice, please. We'll both be killed, if we don't open that door." Her mother looked at her with wide eyes, gaping in horror and drowning in worries. She held onto her mother's hand in her own. "Please, take good care of yourself and Ryuhyun." Qri softly spoke to her mother, her hands delicately.

*Ryuhyun is Qri's little brother*

Before turning the copper knob of the front door, she turned around to tell her one last thing.

"I'll be back, I promise."

Holding her breath, she opened the mahogany wood door. A trio of men clad in heavy military attire and machine guns with the ammo wrapped around their necks were impatiently staring at the 5'2 girl.

"Lee Jihyun ? Born December 12th ?" The man in the center asked her in a rough voice.

"Yes, that's me." She quietly replied, a blank expression on her face. The man cleared his throat gripping onto his weapon more tightly "You're going to be evacuated from this area and drafted along with many others of this district. Understood ?"

"Understood." She bluntly said.

"Now, step away from th-

"NOONA ! JIHYUN NOONA ! PLEASE. PLEASE, DON'T GO !" A tiny voice squeaked from behind Qri.

She turned around quickly to see him burst from his room, his face was painted in pain and damp tears.

The men angrily gruffed, as Ryuhyun wrapped his arms around Qri's waist. "Ryuhyun, no ! Go back inside !" She desperately tried to remove the grip he had around her. Her mother could only sob at the scene. "Ms. Lee, you have 10 seconds to get him out of our sight and to come along with us.Or. . we can do this the hard way." The man to the left held a pistol and revealed that it was fully loaded.

"10." The man counted down.

"Ryuhyun, let go ! Go inside !" Qri insisted.

"9."

"NO, NO !" DON'T LEAVE ! STAY ! I DON'T CARE WHAT THESE STUPID GUYS HAVE TO SAY." He childishly cried out.

"8."

"Seriously, you're going to get yourself and mom into deep trouble !" Qri panicked even more now.

"7."

"Ryuhyun-ah ! Please, come here ! Your sister must go !" Her mother pleaded at the little boy.

"6."

"Listen to your mom, kid." The man on the right unemotionally spoke.

"5."

The man with the pistol was now edging his way to the kid, waving the pistol towards him.

"4."

"RYUHYUN, GO !" Qri tried her best to drag him away from her. Only to fail and him scampering his way to grasp at her shirt.

"3."

The man was now pointing it at the child's head. No pity or mercy was in his eyes.

"2."

"RYUHYUN, GO ! GO ! WAIT ! WAIT, PLEASE !"

"1."

The sound of a bullet making it's way through a young cranium could be heard echoing through the military infested streets.

She could hear her mother's deafening scream ring in her ears. Qri's eyes grew wide open, she could feel her brother's lifeless hands release the tight grip it had on her. Blood dribbled from her eyes to her chin, making dark maroon droplets on the concrete pavement.

"Ryu. . Ryuhyun. . " She mouthed out, looking down to see her brother's face splattered with blood and brain.

"He asked for his death, now. . Ms. Lee, would you please fol-"

The man in the center felt a heavy punch to his jaw, making him stumble backwards and trip amongst the street. "YOU BASTARD ! HOW CAN YOU DO THAT ?!" Qri held the man by the collar, clocking his face with her right hand without a second of rest.

"I'LL KILL YOU ! I'LL KILL YOU ALL !" She roared at him.

Just as she raised her hand again for one last punch, she felt the of a gun knock her head with full power.

Tears came out the corner of her eyes, as the world suddenly turned black.