Fuck not again. Cameron shook his head. They were too distracted by Rogan's death that they were unprepared. No, he was their leader; this was on him. If another one of his soldiers dies, that responsibility lies with him.

"Hide for cover! In the trench!" He shouted out to the group. He couldn't believe it; his group was ambushed three times in one day.

As they were hidden in the trench they had dug up the day prior, he did a headcount to see if anyone had been injured. Fortunately, none were hurt, but still, this shouldn't have happened.

"How many are out there Liam?" Cameron asked their shooter.

"There are two that I spotted before, but there definitely could be more." Liam replied back, looking focused and determined.

"I can see one!" He exclaimed.

"Take the shot", Cameron ordered while he too was preparing his rifle for some action.

"Yes sir!" Liam said, glad that he could take one of the bastards responsible for taking their friend's life. It was a perfect clean headshot. The man fell in one swoop.

Cameron and the other soldiers had finally prepared their riffle; they positioned themselves to shoot too.

The shooting was like a back and forth game. But no one seemed to be winning. It must have transpired for at least a few minutes with no clear victor. It was starting to get very frustrating for both sides, so Cameron decided that his team needed to finish this. Amidst all the continuous firing of bullets, he started to crawl towards the left side of the trench, where it led to a large boulder and fallen trees.

Cameron also signalled out to Henry to follow his lead; the soldier did a quick nod of the head to show that he had understood. He waved to Jake and Andre, positioned on his right, to start moving towards the edge of the trench on their side.

"Wait for my signal", he mouth to them.

They acknowledged him with a nod before they started to crawl. The rest were instructed to stay and keep their positions.

Both Henry and Cameron got to the edge of the trench, and they got on all fours to drag themselves around the large rock separating the entrance to the forest; they did so while keeping their rifles clutched close to their bodies. They have been taught to keep their rifles in pristine condition while training, which has become a habit.

They finally got around the slab of the rock; Cameron turned his head to face a tensed up, Henry. Cameron placed his hand on the younger man's shoulder before saying, "I'm going to go after their left shooter from behind, I need you to cover me while I do so, understood?"

"Yes Sir," was the simple response that Henry gave.

After that, they made their way into the forest, going deeper in a semi-circle before coming right back to the front where the shooters were visible. Both of them were cautious, just in case the enemies had also spread out like they have.

Fortunately for Cameron, his team far outnumbered the other group. But this was still their habitat. They knew the forest like the back of their hands. His team can't afford to muck up and let the enemy win.

"Henry are you ready?" Cameron asked without looking back at Henry, lifting his rifle up, ready to shoot.

"Yes Sir, all set Sir," he replied in a low tone full of conviction. He was as determined as his leader. He, too, wanted to end this arduous fight.

Cameron saw an opening; although it wasn't as clean or as open as he wanted it to be, he took his chance and shot at the man.

Jake and Andre, who were also in position, saw a man from the enemy's side fall on his knees out in the open, screaming out in agony. He was gripping at his bloody shoulder. Jake took this as a signal and shot at the man, aiming for his head. His body made an insignificant thud as it befell on the ground.

Cameron had only managed to graze the man's shoulder, but thankfully the opponent made it easier for him and his team by leaving himself an open target. Cameron saw that the bullet had come from the right side of the forest; although he couldn't see them, he knew it must have been Jake or Andre.

He saw two of the opposition shift in their positions. One faced the front where his men were while the other to the righthand side of the forest, where Jake and Andre were. Cameron guessed that they had not realised that he was the one that had taken the first shot and ignored his side. Perfect, Cameron thought.

He would often catch a glimpse of the two surviving opponents. But his position made it very difficult to find a precise aim. He required his position to remain unknown to add an element of surprise and support his squad if needed.

Both sides had finally stopped the continuous firing, only firing occasionally. The enemies were running out of bullets, and although the soldiers still had plenty, they were trying to conserve them and be smart with their movements now. Cameron and Henry proceeded to make their way closer to the assailants for a better position.

When both Cameron and Henry got closer, only a few meters away, he checked to see his visibility and access to the target; he found it slightly better than before. Nevertheless, it was still a tricky shot. The attackers knew they were surrounded, so they kept themselves hidden quite well.

It felt like an eternity had passed when one of the rugged-looking men finally came to view. It wasn't a perfect shot from his angle, so he shifted towards Henry shaking his head to indicate the poor angle, who was perched on a tree trunk opposite him and mouthed, "How is your view point?"

Henry signed with his index finger and thumb to form an okay sign before reconfirming by mouthing back "Good."

Cameron nodded at Henry to take a shot and signalled to him that he would support him from the side. Henry dipped his head in a nod before taking a deep breath and focusing on the target. He closed one of his eyes, and using the rear sight to aim, he took a few seconds to soothe and compose himself before firing.

Thud, the body, slumped forward from the bushes. The squadron didn't hesitate one moment before each of them took turns shooting at the body laid out in the open. The unfortunate man's body recoiled several times as each bullet pierced through his body. They must have shot at least ten bullets through the man before he fell, his eyes opened and mouth slack. Only Cameron didn't take the shot; there was no point. The man was already dead when Henry put a bullet through his chest.

There was only one man left, and from Cameron's location, he could see the apparent panic in the man's frenzied movements. He was all alone now. He looks to be Thomas's age, but he was definitely a lot skinnier; it was as if the man had been starved for a few weeks. His face was sporting a deep tan with redness along with his nose and cheeks, indicating a constant sunburn. Instead of pointing out his gun, he was now holding it close to his body as if it was armour that would protect him.

"Sir I have a clear shot of the man, I am awaiting your orders Sir" Henry interrupted his musings.

Just as he was about to say yes, the man did something unusual and threw his gun out from the bushes and loudly exclaimed, "I surrender!"

"Please don't shoot I surrender now," the twig of a man yelled out again before repeating, "don't shoot! Please don't shoot!"

Henry looked back at Cameron confusion was plastered on his face. He, too, sported a perplexed expression; he knew that this could be their chance to gather even more intel on the terrorist group they had been observing.

Cameron knew that the man could have all the information they needed to end their mission. He didn't want to admit this, but gathering this said intel might be the only way to salvage what was left of his job. Cameron felt ashamed and angry for what happened to Rogan but is also human, and Cameron, too, had selfish traits. After all, he had a young brother to raise.

So he decided there and then that they'd take the man hostage.

"Let's see what that man can offer for his life, I'll head down, you stay and be on guard and continue covering me," He told Henry as he started descending down the small hill they were on towards the surrendering man. He was still cautious though, all those men fought dirty, and he had no doubt that this one also fought the same.

Once Cameron was close enough, he shouted, "Come out from your hiding!" he carefully kicked the man's gun backwards towards the trench while keeping his eyes directed at the bushes.

There was no movement from the bushes; Jake had also come down with his gun ready to shoot.

"I'm not a patient man, come out now," Cameron said without adding, or we will shoot you dead.

"I'll come out but I want you to promise not to shoot!" The man shamelessly replied

"Come out," Cameron gritted out; his jaws were clenched from anger.

After a moment passed, the man finally emerged from the bushes with his hands up. His eyes shifted from left to right before finally settling on Cameron. His tanned skin made the whites of his large eyes appear so stark and prominent while his irises were pitch black. He appeared almost inanimate, it didn't disarm Cameron, but it did give him an uneasy feeling. He knew from just looking at this mna's eyes that he was untrustworthy and deceitful.

A smile crept on the man's mouth; he gave the whole group a Cheshire-cat smile. His teeth were stained yellow and black; it looked as if it smelled of rot. His gaze was glazed with a certain dubious gleam; this was enough for Cameron to back away from the man a step. The man was definitely on something, and he seemed unhinged enough for even Jake, who was usually confident and sometimes a little reckless to take extra caution.

"Okay, I okay right?" The man asked in broken English, his arms dropping slightly from the air.

"Hands!" Cameron ordered immediately.

The scrawny man did as Cameron asked and raised his hands to where he initially had them. His mouth formed an awkward circle while he aggressively showed mangled front teeth. He took another step towards the group, leading him closer to where he threw his gun.

"Don't move, or I will shoot you!" Cameron said sternly, in a clear tone making sure to enunciate each word to ensure that the man understood.

"Okay okay," was the only reply that Cameron was given before the man's creepy smile came back, and he lunged for his gun.

Cameron didn't hesitate and shot the gaunt man's back multiple times.

"Fuck! I should have known he would do that," Cameron let out with gritted teeth. The sentence came out hoarse and gravelly.

He turned his head slightly to check on his team, and he was glad to see that they were unharmed, but just as he did so, Marcus, who was beside Jake, suddenly appeared alarmed. His eyes bulged out his mouth opened to blurt out a warning, but it was too late.

From Cameron's comrade's reaction, he knew that the man was not dead. But he had been fighting all day; it was dark when the fighting had started, and the sun had already set when he thought it had ended. From all of this, his legs had become lethargic and fatigued. It was as if he could not move his body fast enough. All he knew was that a shot was fired, and his body was falling, his view moving slowly from vertical to parallel to the ground; that was not all Jake was holding him tightly, his face in front of Cameron expressing shock and distress. Jake had pushed him out of the way of the bullet.

Laughter rang out from the man Cameron had supposedly killed; it was hysteric and manic. Another bullet was shot out, and the laughter ended. He failed yet again. Jake was going to die, and it was because of him. He has failed his team time and time again during this mission.

The bullet had grazed an artery on Jake's neck; blood spurted out like a waterfall. Cameron had finally roused from his state and promptly held onto his best friend's neck, trying to stop the bleeding. It was no use; he could barely slow the bleeding, let alone stop it. The wound was simply too big. The squad was going to lose another member.

Cameron was in disbelief; he didn't like losing Rogan but losing Jake would be too unendurable. Jake had been his longest friend; he had known him since he was sixteen. They graduated together in high school and enlisted together too. Jake had helped him financially far too often when he needed it for his late grandmother or younger brother. He wasn't just a comrade or a friend; instead, he was family.

"Report to the captain let them know that we need helicopter assistance and to bring a medic!" He shouted to the stunned men surrounding them.

Just as Liam ran for the transmitter to do what Cameron commanded, a loud rumbling was heard. The sound was like a roar from the earth, making all surrender under its warning. Then all of a sudden, the ground shook and convulsed furiously.

Cameron was forced to let a bleeding Jake go as trees were getting uprooted and were succumbing to gravity's pull. He tried to get up to run after Jake who's body was sliding and shifting with the shockwaves, but it was too hard; his body felt like jelly.

"Jake! NOOOO!!" Cameron shouted as he saw a tree start to fall from where he last saw Jake's body.

Mother Nature didn't hear any pleas. It took and took. It seemed as if the whole world was rippling in waves of shock, separating all the lands into fragments.