BLUE SUN ROOM FAN FICTION - GENERAL

YOURCOATISKINDABROWNISH

The Funeral of Private Bendez
Sunday, January 22, 2006

My first attempt at fanfic. And I totally thought I could do better, but sod it, I'd be thrilled if anyone read it anyway.


CATEGORY: FICTION    TIMES READ: 949    RATING: 0    SERIES: FIREFLY

It was the only time in the whole war that the sound of gunfire actually bothered Zoe. And it was so distant, a constant buzz of muffled cracks from the lower end of Serenity Valley. It was just her and Mal now. The remainder of the platoon, if there was a remainder, would be scattered throughout the valley. They were on a hillock, Zoe sat amongst some scattered sandbags that had been a snipers nest. Mal was sitting on an empty ammo crate, holding his gold crucifix in his hand, looking toward the dwindling skirmish in the distance, the remainder of the battle. The black of night was slowly giving way to the blue light of the early morning sun. Mal was totally silent. Unmoving. This scared Zoe. This was not her sergeant. He always kept going, always stayed focused. Always kept *her* focused. She needed him to be alright. She hadn’t spoken in hours, and her throat was dry in the desert air. When she spoke, it was only a pathetic whisper. ‘Sir’. No response. ‘Sir we better clear out. Alliance’ll make their way up the valley soon.’ Still no response. The orders had come in, clear enough. ‘Lay down arms.’ But she knew her sergeant would sooner die fighting than surrender. So would she. But he still wouldn’t talk, wouldn’t move. A few more minutes passed. Slowly, Mal got to his feet. He wasn’t wounded, but it looked like he was bearing the pain of a gorram hundred bullet wounds. He stood quietly for a moment, then swayed just a little. ‘I’m gonna bury Private Bendez’ he said, his voice even more of a whisper than Zoe’s was. ‘Sir?’ Zoe followed him as he walked back to what was left of their sandbag bunker. ‘Sir!’ He was just ignoring her. ‘We need to keep moving!’ He just kept walking. ‘Mal!’ ‘What!’ He span round and faced Zoe. His eyes seemed darker, he looked like he’d aged ten years in as many hours. He was loosing it. Zoe spoke slowly, but forcefully. As difficult as it was, she knew she’d have to get him to pull himself together. ‘I think we should get out of the valley, sir.’ ‘Is that an order, Zoe? Last time I checked I was in charge.’ His voice was low, threatening. Zoe couldn’t answer. Any fear she had felt through the war, through the endless fighting, the ammo shortages, the hunger, the defeats, victories, deaths, and near misses, it was nothing now compared to the fear that her sergeant, her man of action and faith, might have given up all hope. Could she make it without her friend? They stared each other down. His face full of rage. Hers remaining stoic and brave, despite her dread. Mal turned away, and walked down into the bunker. He emerged moments later, dragging the body of the young Private Bendez. ‘What’s it going to do sir?’ Shouted Zoe, still trying to talk some sense into him. ‘There are a thousand bodies in this valley. You’re not gonna bury them all are you?’ Mal went back into the bunker, returning a second later with two entrenching trowels. He walked back up towards Zoe. ‘I promised him that he wouldn’t die. I looked right into his eyes and I promised him. He was barely 18, Zoe, fresh out of boot camp. Hell I never even saw him fire his gun in anger. To be honest, I don’t think he had it in him. And I hardly noticed when he got shot down right next to me.’ Mal’s voice faltered, and he paused for a moment. Right then Zoe realised that she had no idea what Private Bendez’ first name was. Mal continued. ‘And I will be damned if I let some hwoon dahn Alliance grunt chuck his body into a mass grave with ten strangers. I just wanna put him to rest. Just him.’ ‘It won’t make a difference, sir.’ Replied Zoe. ‘It will make a little difference. Right now that’s all I can do. That’s all I got left in me, Zoe. Now are you gonna help?’ Mal held out one of the mud-encrusted entrenching trowels. Zoe looked at Mal for a moment, then took it. ‘If it makes you happy sir.’ ‘If it makes me happy?’ A twisted smile registered on Mal’s face for just a moment, then he turned round and went to drag Private Bendez’ body to some clear ground. For some reason, it was at that moment that it struck Zoe, that this was the end of the war. Command might slug it out for a few more months, sure. But they had lost. And she realised Mal knew it too. It took until the sun rose up over the hills and started to glare down over the battlefield to finish the grave. Mal had meant to right a wrong, to bring some kind of humanity to the abandoned, scarred land. But that single shallow grave in amongst all the destruction just looked like a sick joke. But Mal was gonna finish it. Zoe watched as he drove a wooden stake into the ground, and placed the Private’s helmet on the top. He took out his combat knife, and carved ‘Bendez’ into the front. Zoe wondered if he knew Bendez’ first name either. He stood up and took a step back, both of them totally silent. ‘We need to keep moving.’ He said. ‘The Alliance’ll make their way up the valley lookin’ to mop up any resistance.’ ‘Resistance?’ said Zoe. ‘I think we’re the only resistance, sir.’ ‘I know.’ Mal took his crucifix from around his neck, and let it fall into the dirt. ‘There’s a checkpoint over that hill. Or there was, anyway. Think that’d be a good place to be headed, don’t you?’ He looked at Zoe, and there was a little of the old Mal in his voice again. But he still seemed older. Still looked like he was nursing a hundred bullet wounds. ‘Yes, sir.’ Said Zoe. They walked up and out of the valley, leaving Private Bendez to rest in peace.

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