I Wonder

A dark humor flash fiction about war

The whole place went chaotic. There are many people who are shouting in anger, fighting for their lives and mourning for their fellows.

As I ran through the center, I encountered an old man who aimed his gun at me and so did I. Neither of us pulled the trigger, so I got the chance to stare at him.

His hands that were holding his gun were shaking. I can sense that he wants to pull the trigger, but there's a lot of hesitation. As I looked into his eyes, they were sharp, but there was a hint of defeat.

I thought he would do it, but then he suddenly knelt and burst out.

He wants to live, he wants to stop this war.

But I shut my eyes off and then opened them. I firmly hold my gun and aim it at his head. This is war, but I can't trust anybody. I need to survive too.

He once looked at me again, but this time with tears of hopelessness. It looks like he wants to say something before anything else.

I was about to pull the trigger when, in one motion, he put his gun on his head and I heard a loud gunshot. For a moment, I became stunned at what he did.

I asked myself, "I wonder what the last thing that went through his mind?"

I wasn't hoping for an answer, but my fellow soldier started to laugh while saying his response.

"Probably that bullet."