The Shots

Damon Hess

6^th

12/4/13

The shots

            “Wahh! Wahh!” Gabriel cried.

John woke up to the sound of his 3 year old son’s cries. John was a small man for his age. At 22 years old, he was only 5 feet and 4 inches tall. However, he weighed a lot considering his height. Most of the weight was muscle. He was a very built man with large, bulky, biceps and massive, intimidating quadriceps. John had long, flowing, silky blond hair that came down to about a centimeter above his eyes. His eyes were glowing and blue.

Gabriel had the same blue eyes. Although he had the same eyes as his father, he did not have the same hair. Gabriel had his mother’s curly blond hair.

John rolled over in bed and looked at his ticking pocket watch. It read 11:49. John then stood up and walked across the room to Gabriel’s crib. He bent down to pick the small child, put him against his chest, and walked out of the room where he slept.

They, John, Gabriel, and his wife Rebecca, all lived within the small, one story house. They had one room with a bed, a small table and a crib. This is obviously where they slept. The other rooms were a kitchen and a small room used for leisure.

            John sat down in a rocking chair in the corner of the leisure room. He rocked back and forth with his baby for no more than ten minutes before they had both dozed off.  

            All of the sudden, a loud galloping noise sounded throughout the streets. It awoke John but not Gabe. John wondered to himself what could possibly be going on outside.

            Rebecca then awoke in bed. Hmm what is going on out there, she thought. “What is going on out there John?!”  Rebecca asked while in an outrage. She stomped out into the leisure room. She was outraged but remained quiet to not awaken Gabe.

            “There is some maniac riding throughout the roads. I have no idea who it is or why he is doing it! It has been getting closer!” John Growled.

            “Maybe it is a messenger with good news for us finally! This could be great!”

            “Yeah… Yeah it could be but probably not. Probably just a maniac who forgot to take his medicine.”

            “I’ll try to go back to…”

            Knock knock knock Rebecca was interrupted by a loud knock upon the door

            John opened the oak wood door to see a man standing right in his face. “I am here to warn you the Regulars are coming. The Regulars are on their way!” The man then rode off again.

            “Rebecca, what should I do? I don’t know who to work for. I am not sure if I can keep working for both sides. I guess I will work with the Loyalists this time,” John stated.

“Please be careful, John!”  Rebecca replied.

            “I will be as careful as I can. Now, I must go,” John promised. John walked over to the sleeping room where his Regulars uniform hung. It hung side by side with his Patriots uniform. John worked for both sides. For this, he was going to be working for the Loyalists. John slipped on his Loyalists uniform and went outside. His horse was tied up in back of the house. John hopped on the horse and rode off.

            After about 25 minutes of hard riding, John arrived at a small tavern in Concord. This was where most of the Loyalist troops met.

            “The Regulars are coming and we must go out and help them fight. We should back them up. I will show you where,” John reported.

            “We shall get ready at once,” The Loyalist group leader said intensely.

            It took all together about two hours before everyone was ready. People had to get dressed, load weapons, stock up, pack, and ride there. It was about a 30 minute ride to the road where they were meeting. Everyone then settled in for another 15 minutes.

            “Alright everyone, get in positions!” John commanded. The Redcoats marched in an orderly fashion but soon all hell broke loose.

            “Fire!” John heard someone shout. He looked over to realize that it was his Patriot’s general.

            “BOOM! BANG!” Guns and cannons sounded off.

            John looked off to his left to see his good friend Jimmy drop dead. John began to sob a little bit. He dropped down behind a rock to think for a few minutes.

            John remembered some of the great times he had with Jimmy.  He though back. It was a dark and gloomy night. John, Jimmy, and Jake were playing poker. John had the deck rigged so he always won. This night, Jimmy figured out what John was doing. He was outraged but did not do anything. Jimmy just teased John calling him a cheater and a money stealer. John gave them back all the money he had cheated them out of and they all laughed it off. They never let John bring the deck again.

            “Soldier John, GET UP! FIGHT!” A fellow soldier of John shouted across the field.

            John looked over and saw and heard his other good friend Jake shouting.

            While Jake wasn’t paying attention, he got shot.

            “NO!” John cried out. “This cannot be happening to me. So many friends are dying around me.”

            John finally decided to stand up. He stood up and ran across the open field. As he ran, a bullet hit his hand. He looked down and saw the blood gushing out as he winced out in pain. John kept on running though. He did not stop until a second musket ball struck him in the thigh.

            John fell over and grabbed at his thigh. He looked over right before he blacked out to see his 2 good friends, Leon and Ezreal, running towards him.

            John then blacked out. Leon and Ezreal stood and watched as another musket ball flew their way.  It was shot low and flew into John’s already bloodied and torn body. This musket ball struck him in the chest right where his heart was. Ezreal screamed out as the musket ball struck John and shattered upon contact. It left a bleeding hole right where his heart was.

            “Leon, help me get him onto a horse. We need to get him medical help,” Ezreal yelled over all the commotion

            Leon and Ezreal lifted John upon a horse and Leon hopped on behind him. Leon rode off to Lexington while Ezreal rode off to alert John’s wife and child.

            Ezreal soon arrived at John’s household. He knocked upon the door 3 loud times.

            Rebecca opened the door viciously. “What do you want? Oh wait…Aren’t you Ezreal? The soldier that works with john?” She asked with wonder.

            “Yes I am. I come with some bad news. Do you mind if I come in?” He warned with a stern tone.

            “No… Come in,” Rebecca led Ezreal in to the leisure room where she sat down in the rocking chair. “What has happened to John?”

            “I am sorry to say this, but your husband has been shot in battle. He got shot in the hand, thigh, and chest. He is in Lexington getting medical treatment. He lost his middle finger of his right hand and I think the chest shot broke his ribs. Last thing I knew he was blacked out. Would you like to see him?” Ezreal replied in a mourning voice.

            “Yes, please take me to him now” She replied worriedly.

Ezreal escorted her out of the house and to the horse. They then began to ride of to Lexington. Rebecca sat behind Ezreal all the way there.

They rode up on a small building that had a sign in front of it. The sign read “Welcome to Lexington Medical Ward” Ezreal and Rebecca walked up to the front desk and asked to see John.

            “Right this way please,” said the secrecy Rebecca and Ezreal followed them down a long hallway until the secretary stopped by a small room, the room was filled with injured war soldiers. She sat in a small located by John’s bed.

            “Oh no! Are you okay, John?” Rebecca questioned

“He can’t hear you. He’s currently in a coma. It isn’t anything serious, he will probably recover” A doctor said from behind her.

            About three days passed and Rebecca was still by his side crying.

            John finally awoke, he was scared and confused. “Rebecca, what is going on, where am I?” He asked franticly

            “You were shot in war and it sent you into a coma. They said you will be alright. You have been in the coma for 3 days,” Rebecca replied.

            “Did the Loyalists save me?” John wondered.

            “Yes, they did. They brought you here and alerted me,” Rebecca informed John.

            “I must repay them somehow. I will stop doubling for both sides. I will work only for the Loyalists. The Redcoats will have my full loyalty,” John whispered.

            “Everyone get down! On the ground!” A large man walked through the door demanded. He was holding a shotgun. “I will shoot!”

            “Now now… No need to do this. What could you possibly want to do that for?” A doctor questioned.

            The large man fired. He then quickly shoved another bullet in followed by gunpowder.

            John, being the egotistical man he was, stood up. He could barely bear weight on the leg in which he had been shot.  Rebecca stood behind him cowardly.

            The man again fired. The bullet went straight through John’s stomach and into Rebecca’s chest. They both dropped down. John rolled over off top of Rebecca. They held each other’s hands.

            “John… I love…” Rebecca attempted to say I love you but then died.

            “No… No,” John coughed up blood. “I…. I can’t...” John tried to move but when he did he felt excruciating pain. There was a large pool of blood that was about 1 inch deep in the corner where John and Rebecca lie dying. John then died. They laid upon the ground shaped like a heart with hands locked above their heads.

            The large man did not stop there though. He unleashed 3 more bullets that lead to 4 more deaths of already injured men.

            It turned out this man was a Patriot and wanted to prove they would not back down. He had known this place a refuge of types for Loyalists. The man was later executed after being charged with the murder of 7 men and women.

            Gabriel was given to live with John’s father. Gabriel grew up to not even remember his father but he was always told that he had died a courageous death.