SACRIFICE

The last of his comrades made it to the end of the bridge. They didn’t look back.

He turned and saw the first of Franco’s troops cresting the hill and charging down the slope towards him.

He winced at the pain from his shredded legs. The blood pumped from the bullet holes. He tried pulling himself forward on the wooden planks of the bridge. There was no way he would make it to the other side in time.

He took the grenade from his pocket. He put the pin in his mouth and pulled it out. He held the grenade to his chest and lay down on the bridge. He saw the blue sky.


Written as part of the Friday Fictioneers challenge hosted by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields (more details here). The idea is to write a short story of 100 words based on the photo prompt (below).

For more stories, visit the INLINKZ GROUP

adamickes-boardwalk
© Adam Ickes

52 responses to “SACRIFICE”

  1. Dear Iain,

    Graphic and powerful. Well done.

    Shalom,

    Rochelle

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks Rochelle, glad you appreciated it. Iain

      Like

  2. I liked the (usually impermissible) machine gun repeat of the start of the last four sentences

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Rules are made to be broken! Thanks for reading.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Yup. The trick is knowing when you can get away with it

        Liked by 2 people

  3. Gripping action. The sentences are getting shorter and shorter, the desperation and urgency rises. And the last line is the perfect stop. Great story.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Thanks for the kind comment, glad you liked it, and got the sense and emotion I was trying to convey. Best, Iain

      Liked by 1 person

  4. Very evocative and I love the short sharp sentences. Big fan.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks for reading and pleased you liked the style. Best, Iain.

      Like

  5. michael1148humphris Avatar
    michael1148humphris

    Noble and poignant.

    Liked by 1 person

  6. Tragic tale and well told. The short sentences do add to the poor, and the repetition too. A life cut short – let’s hope the sacrifice made a difference. Nice write, Iain

    Like

    1. Thanks Lynn, glad you liked and yes, let’s hope his act made a difference in some way!

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Let’s hope so. Great tale Iain

        Like

  7. Adding my vote to the power of the short sentences. Such a tragic and yet hopeful look at this last desperate decision, that he can make one last effort to do his duty and help his friends.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks for reading and commenting Joy, really pleased people are appreciating the style of the piece.

      Liked by 1 person

  8. There’s something noble about choosing your own time, and your own way. Good one.

    Liked by 1 person

  9. brutal and tragic, but a great read all the same 🙂

    Like

  10. Clever piece of writing.
    Well done.

    Liked by 2 people

  11. The blue sky at the end was a nice touch.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks, a last minute addition as I felt it needed a beat at the end. Glad you appreciated and thanks for reading.

      Like

  12. Oh wow. There’s a WWII vibe in this piece. Well penned, Iain. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks, that’s the vibe and era I was looking at. Thanks for reading.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. You certainly hit the bull’s eye with this one then. 😀

        Liked by 1 person

  13. You built the tension well. Hopefully, his sacrifice bought more time for his comrades to escape.

    Liked by 1 person

  14. I guessed the end (he was pretty much screwed), but great piece! Hopefully his sacrifice will gain time for his comrades to escape.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Yes, it was only going to end one way! Thanks for reading.

      Liked by 1 person

  15. Oh, but this one was a blast… great write. So much happens in war that no one ever knows. I highly suspect this type of thing happens all too often. otherwise, why would we have the saying: “falling on a grenade for—-…” Love the write.

    Liked by 1 person

  16. Hopefully his sacrifice saved his companions. I liked how the last line was seeing the blue sky

    Liked by 1 person

  17. the details so vivid. this is cringe-inducing!!! and so well-written! great, Ian! Glad to be able to read you now!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you, and so glad you can visit my site now! 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  18. Graphic and tragic. Well done.

    Liked by 1 person

  19. Ashley Danielle Avatar
    Ashley Danielle

    Beautifully written and what a powerful image in the midst of a war. Thank you for sharing this story.
    Ashley~

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks for reading and the kind words, Ashley, glad you liked it. Iain

      Like

  20. Whoa! That’s a keeper! Nice job, Iain. The ultimate sacrifice.

    Liked by 1 person

  21. How tragic, but brave. I too loved the style. I am often fascinated how differently we all develop our stories from the prompt.

    Like

  22. War are won by such bravery. Nicely written

    Liked by 1 person

  23. I would guess he was accomplishing two things, blowing up the bridge, and blowing up part of the troops along with himself. Great tension and action, Iain. Good writing. 🙂 — Suzanne

    Liked by 1 person

  24. So graphic! A portrayal of true heroism which is in dearth today! WEll done!

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Thanks for reading and kind comment.

      Liked by 1 person

  25. Very intense and well written. Thanks for sharing.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks for reading and nice comment.

      Like

  26. Well done. Intense story.

    Liked by 1 person

  27. Wow! That grabbed my heart and gave a gigantic squeeze!! Heroes like that are hard to find in the media today. WE have them, just the mainstream media doesn’t want to talk about them.
    You’ve done an excellent job.
    Thanks so much for the follow!

    Liked by 1 person

  28. Very short but gripping. Short sentences conveyed a lot. Tragic but that’s the Act of valor. Liked it. 😊😊

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Many thanks, very kind comment.

      Liked by 1 person

  29. The last act of a hero.

    Liked by 1 person

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