Chapter 2
James was thrown back into a wall. He groaned. The roof was crumbling around them. They had to get out. Oh shit.
“Sirius!”
He coughed. Clouds of dust spread through the air.
James struggled up.
“Sirius?”
A muffled yell came from beneath the rubble.
“Sirius!” James shouted, desperately.
He began rummaging through the rubble trying to get to Sirius. Sirius couldn’t die. He couldn’t! James wouldn’t know what to do without him.
“No! No! Sirius! Wake up! Wake up you bastard!”
Sirius coughed, his breath coming out in harsh gasps.
“Up! Up! Stand up! This place is coming down around us! We have to get out.”
He dragged Sirius along, running through the tunnel.
“I can’t see! I can’t see!” Sirius yelled.
“You have to trust me! Don’t let go, don’t let go, Sirius.”
They stumbled along, wood and stones raining down from above them.
“There’s light! Come on, Sirius!”
The stumbles out and Sirius collapsed on the ground. “Wait, wait, just let me sit, let me sit!”
“Dirty bastards!” James cried out, kicking a rock. “Careful, they may have left another trap. “
“Dust, so much dust in my eyes..” Sirius mumbled. He took out his flask, pouring the water onto his face and rubbing his eyes.
“Here, have some of mine.” James offered. Sirius gulped down the water, quickly and handed it back.
“Wish I’d shot that rat, now” James said, grinning. To Sirius it looked more like a grimace but at least James was trying to lift morale.
“I never thought this would happen.” James sighed, taking the flair gun from his pocket and pointing it at the sky.
“So do you want to go back?”
Sirius glared at him. “Just fire the fucking flare.”
“Up, yours, Major, we made it.” He said firing.
They both watched its ascent, before James helped Sirius up.
“Do you know where we are?” Sirius asked, picking up his helmet and replacing it on his head.
“Uh.. Ecoust is directly south east. If we keep that bearing, we should make it.” He sighed.
“Come on then.”
They jogged along the barren land. Sirius felt absolutely miserable. He just wanted this to be over and done with.
“Look at that,” James said, shocked. “They destroyed their own guns.”
“They destroyed their own trenches too.” Sirius added.
“What do you mean?”
“I think they wanted us to go that way. They wanted to bury us.”
“Bastard rats had to go and blow us up.”
“Hey.” James said a few moments later, trying to brighten the mood. “Did you hear that story about Moody? How he lost his ear?”
“I’m not in the mood, James.” Sirius grumbled. “Keep your eyes on the trees. Top of the ridge.”
“I bet he told you it was shrapnel…” James tried.
Sirius groaned. “What was it then?”
“You know his wife’s, a hairdresser, right?”
Sirius nodded.
“And he was moaning about the lack of bathing facilities, when he wrote to her. She sends him over this hair oil.”
They were under the trees now, walking up the hill.
“It smells sweet, like golden syrup.”
James grinned at him. “Moody loved the smell. So he lathered it all over his head and went to sleep. He wakes up in the middle of the night, and a rat is licking it all off.”
Sirius fake gagged. “That is disgusting”
“Moody panics and tries to get it off, and the rat bites his ear clean off and runs away. The funny thing is, he had put so much on, he couldn’t get it out for days. He was like a walking rat magnet.”
Sirius chuckled, feeling a little lighter. “Poor bastard.”
They could see a few planes in the distance, two or three, flying towards the left. “They’re heading back home. Wonder what they saw.”
“Watch the ridge lines, “ Sirius reminded him. “Not the sky. “
They carried on, across an empty field. “Well, that’s your medal sorted then. “
“What do you mean?” James asked, frowning.
“Corporal Potter, has shown extraordinary valour rescuing his comrade from certain death.” Sirius said sarcastically. “Blah, blah, blah.”
“You reckon?”
“I do.”
“Well, that’d be nice.” James said brightly. “Since you lost yours.”
“I didn’t lose mine.”
“What happened to it then?”
“Why do you care?”
“Why do you not?”
“I swapped it with a French captain. “
“Swapped it?” James said, Surprised.
“Mm-hmm”
“For what?”
“Bottle of wine. “
James gaped at him. “Why did you do that for?”
“I was thirsty.”
“What a waste.” James muttered. “You should’ve taken it home with you. You should’ve given it to your family. Men have died for those medals. If I’d got a medal, I would’ve taken it home. Why didn’t you take it home?”
“Look!” Sirius through his hands up in exasperation. “It’s just a bit of bloody tin. It doesn’t make anyone special. Doesn’t make any difference to anyone. “
“Yes. It does! And it’s not any bit of tin. It’s got a ribbon on it.”
He laughed, but Sirius didn’t, instead he stopped and turned to James, looking serious. (heh)
“ I hated going home. I hated it. When I knew I couldn’t stay. When I knew I had to leave and that I may never make it ba-“ His voice broke and he turned and carried on walking.
James stared after him for a few moments, concerned and confused. He swallowed and carried on, as they approached the ruins of a courtyard. Inside, were the remnants of cherry trees, scattered, wilting along the grass, their blossoms floating through the air like snow.
“Cherries.” James said. “They chopped them all down. “
He bent down and picked up a petal.
“You can’t tell what type they are without the fruit. “
“What’s the difference?” Sirius asked.
“People think there’s only one type. But there’s lots of them. Cuthberts, Queens Annes, Monmorencys, sweet ones, sour ones. “
“Why on earth would you know this?”
“Mums got an orchard back home.” James replied wistfully. “Only a few trees. This time of year, there’s blossom everywhere. And then in May, we have to pick them. Me and Dad. Takes the whole day.”
“So these ones are all gonners?” Sirius gestures to the cut down trees.
“Oh, no. There’ll grow again, eventually. You’ll end up with more trees than before.”
At the back of the ruined courtyard, were a house and a barn.
“Looks abandoned.” James whispered from where they were crouched behind a wall, surveying the buildings.
“Let’s hope so. “ Sirius muttered. “We have to make sure. “
They made their way over to the houses, drawing their guns.
“I’ll take front, you take back.” Said Sirius.
He walked round the side of the house, looking around, before entering the front doorway.
It was completely deserted.
“Anything?” James called.
“Nothing.”
The floorboards creaked as he walked, broken glass littering the floor, doors and walls smashed inwards around him.
James walked into the room, shouldering the strap of his gun once more. “Did you find any food?”
“None… I don’t like this place though. “
Sirius made his way over to the barn, nervously looking around. He stood in the doorway, gazing at the field around him, cows grazing calmly, unconcerned about the rest of the world. He stood there for a few moments, then turned and walked towards a bucket standing at the edge.
Sirius kicked the lid off, but stopped staring at the milk inside. He kneeled down and reached inside, cupping his hand, scooping some of it inside and tasting it. He hadn’t had fresh milk in months. It tasted heavenly.
He grabbed his empty flask and emptied the contents of the bucket inside of it.
James approached from behind. “Map says it’s over that ridge, then it’s a straight shot to Ecoust.”
“Good.” Sirius smiled. They were almost there. They were so close.
Three planes flew ahead, and the two of them watched them go past.
“Is that our friends again?”
“Looks like it. German plane too.”
“Who’s winning?” James asked.
“Us,” Sirius said, squinting upwards.
“I think. Two on one.”
Suddenly, one of the planes wings exploded, and it started falling to the ground.
“They got it!” Said James, grinning
The plane was still flying, and it seemed to be getting closer to them as well as the ground.
“Shit!” Sirius yelled, running backwards. It was going to crash directly into them.
The plane crashed into the side of the barn, flames spreading everywhere.
James could hear screaming from inside, and horrified, he realised that somebody was burning alive inside.
He gestured for Sirius to help them, and the two of them grabbed the German man and dragged him from the plane, laying him on the floor.
“We should put him out of his misery“ Sirius said looking down at the man writhing in pain.
“No!” James replied. “Get him some water.”
Sirius nodded hesitantly and ran to the water pump by the side, taking off his helmet and pumping water into it as James muttered reassurances to the man.
Suddenly, James cried out. “Stop! Stop!”
Sirius looked back. “No!” He dropped the helmet and ran towards them grabbing James’ gun and shooting the man before he could do anymore damage.
James stood up, his face white with pain. His knees buckled and he collapsed to the floor.
Blood was seeping through his clothes, everywhere. The man had stabbed him.
“No! God no!”
Sirius brought his hands to the wound and applied pressure. “We have to stop the bleeding. “
James screamed in pain, struggling to get away. “No, stop it! Stop it!”
“We have to get to an aid post!”
“I can’t, I can’t. “ James mumbled, breathing heavily. The blood was still spreading, even with the added pressure. Shit. Shit. Shit.
“We have to keep moving!” Sirius said, panicking.
“Let’s just sit.” Mumbled James, his head lolling to the side.
“No! No! James! You bastard, stay awake! Come on! Come on.. We have to find Regulus, remember James. You’re going to see him again. James!”
James opened his eyes blearily. “Tell him I loved him, will you?”
“No..” Sirius said, tears falling down his cheeks. “James. You can’t leave me James. “
“Oh. No. No.” James said his breathing getting shallower. “Siri- Sirius?”
“I’m here James, what is it?”
“In-in my f-front pocket, there’s the letter, from General King- kingsley.” James took a deep breath, his face no longer screwed up in pain. “Write to my m-mo-mother, will you? Tell her I wasn’t alone. Tell her I wasn’t scared.”
“I will, i will.” Sirius said, sobbing.
“P-promise me you know the way. That-that you’ll get there in time.”
“I know the way. I’m going to head South-east till Ecoust. I’ll pass through the town, all the way to the East, to Crosilles Wood.”
“It’ll be dark by then.”
“That won’t bother me, “ Sirius promised. “I’ll find them. I’ll give them the message. Then I’ll find Regulus. I’ll tell him you loved him, that-“
James didn’t take in another breath, his eyes going vacant as he watched the sky.
Sirius sat there, holding his dead best friend in his arms, thinking about the unfairness of it all.
James didn’t deserve to die. He had so much to live for. It should’ve been Sirius, who had nothing and no one left, he should’ve been the one killed.
Not James, the one who could cheer you up in the darkest of times. Not James, who was the kindest man to live. Not James, who was so brave, he would walk six miles in the midst of a battlefield to save the person he loved.
He had saved Sirius’ life. But Sirius hadn’t saved his.