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Eternal Slumber

"Aaahh! Get off me! GET THE HELL OFF ME!" Carmine cried shrilly as he felt the parasites pierce his armor and dig into his flesh, his cries sounding inhuman as he felt them tear through his intestines and stomach cavity.

Carmine screamed as he felt them dig further into his stomach, his back suddenly arching as his screams became muffled with a fountain of blood that passed his lips, filling his helmet as the liquid poured down his chin and onto his exposed neck. He could feel the ground getting slick with his own blood as he tried in vain to move, his grip digging into the bloodied muscle tissue of the giant worm, praying for the torturous pain to end.

Carmine's screams reached a higher octave as he felt the monster's teeth scrape against his spinal cord, vaguely hearing a snapping noise amongst the sounds of his own flesh tearing and his bloodied screams.

Carmine gasped, his lungs failing to give him oxygen as he was roughly dragged further into the rift worm's stomach by the parasites, barely registering the fact that the parasites left him through the pain in his body.

The young man's vision blurred as he saw a figure approach and kneel down beside him.

"S-Sarge?" Carmine choked out, blood filling his throat as he struggled to breathe, his helmet filled with blood and condensation from his labored breathing, now slow and shallow with each struggled breath.

"Carmine?" Marcus spook softly, looking at the gravity of the young man's body. He hoped Carmine couldn't see the damage done to him.

The young soldier's body was completely ruined. The parasites tore through his protective armor with what looked like green acid, the young man's ribcage exposed, his intestines torn out and partially eaten to the extent that some of his spinal cord was showing, his spine seemingly broken. Marcus was amazed the rook was even still alive as blood pooled from the young soldier.

"I…..I hurt….Sarge…." Carmine whimpered. He felt like crying but his body was in too much shock and pain to even make the tears. He knew he wouldn't have much time left. Part of him, a small part of him hoped that his Sargent would make the pain go away and he would be fine. He wouldn't be lying in a pool of his own blood fighting for every breath, fearing the moment his heart would stop beating, fearing the moment the blood in his throat would clog his lungs and he would drown in his own blood.

"Tell….Tell my br-brothers…..m-my ma….." Carmine choked out, his thoughts moving to his family. He couldn't remember the last time he had been with his family. It seemed so long ago. He missed his brothers. He missed his ma. He missed Anthony. But now he was going to see Anthony again while being forced to leave his family behind. He didn't want to die. He wanted to go home and have his brothers there, even Anthony home so they could play and for once gain the childhood and innocence they lost from the war. He wanted to hug his ma and comfort her in the fact that her baby came home safe. That all of her babies came home safe. But it was just a dream, a fantasy. One that would never come true. He would never see his family again. Never be able to tell them how much he loved them for himself again.

"T-Tell 'em…..I love e-em' and…..and…ah…" Carmine's voice faulted as he struggled to push the words out with his lungs, feeling himself drift away as the world seemed to stand still for a brief moment, quiet, peaceful. It was in that moment his heart gave one last weak beat, casting away the desires of his mind as his body gave up the fight.