The Fighting 5634th
© 1991 Lorne Laliberte
Day 26: The captain let us have three sips of water today. Jones still can't feel his toes, but none of us wants to be the one to cut them off for him.
Day 27: The shelling stopped for half an hour today. It felt like forever. One of the boys started yelling that the bugs had found our shelter, and that they'd come rushing in any minute. Big Jiff had to hold onto the lad so he couldn't get at the ammo store and blow us all to our Judgments.
Day 28: It might be raining up above, or maybe a c-bomb split open a water line somewhere, but we're all in water up to our privvies. The cap made us each take turns keeping the guns dry, as if they'd do us any good if we got out of here.
Day 30: Jones bought it today. Sad thing is, none of us are so religious that we'd trade our lives to go topside and bury the poor sucker, so he just floats over there in the corner. If we had anything that we didn't need, we'd weigh him to the floor.
Day 34: The shelling stopped today, and this time it stayed quiet. The cap says that we wait three days before any of us risks showing any body heat topside.
Day 35: The water's finally left. One of the half-rates found Jones
under the rations cabinet.
Nobody ate today.
Day 36: Last day in. Tonight we'll all say our prayers, if we still have any left after a month in this hole. Tomorrow, we're either free topside or we're all sucking c-bombs.
Day 37: Vitters picked the short straw, so he was first one out. The rest of us stay put until he comes back. Sitting ducks.
Day 39: Still no word from Vitters, this time McNully got short-strawed.
Day 40: This is it. McNully never peeped, and our rations are clean out. Tomorrow we all risk it big time.
Day 42: Got separated from the boys. Heard gunfire earlier today, as soon as its warm enough to hide my IR I'll plant the distress beacon.
Day 43: Distress beacon humming. No answer.
Day 44: Still no answer.
Day 45: Mother picked us up; turns out the bugs left ten days ago. Five more guys bought it. Big Jiff was one of them, and this time we buried them proper. We dug an extra grave for Jones.
Day 46: Cap just told us we're shipping out for the bugs' home planet. None of the boys said anything, but we didn't have to. We said our goodbyes the day the shelling started.
Day 49: This is my last entry. One of the tech rats says that even if our whole ship is c-bombed, this data pack won't be scratched. If you're reading this, and you're human, then I guess our side won. But for me and the boys, it means the war is over, big time.
It's what we've all been waiting for, ain't it.
sgn, Izak Bowes, Fighting 5634th