Nick’s visor kept steaming up. He was breathing too hard and too fast. The only way he could clear his sight was to lift the visor open and wipe it with his gloved fingers, but now that they were outside the sealed command base that wasn’t an option. No-one knew for sure what the atmosphere consisted of. There were differing reports of what chemical weapons had  been used in this area over the past years.
He lugged his weapon up as the platoon started moving forward again. The scouts had deemed the area over the ridge of rubble as clear of enemy activity. The ground shook as the ranks mobilised. Through his fogged vision he could see the masses of rubble that surrounded them. The remains of the once great city destroyed by years of religious terrorism and war.
As they moved along Nick thought about how his life had changed when his orders for compulsary service had come through. The quiet, simple life on Lake Michigan that he had yearned to leave behind he now wished more than ever to return to. This was not the way he had wanted to travel the world. It wasn’t the way he had wanted to see the sights of London – or what was left of them.
Written as part of Sunday Photo Fiction. Write a story of around 200 words based on the photo prompt given (above). For more details visit HERE.
For more stories based on this week’s prompt visit HERE.
IAIN KELLY 
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