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Soldiers Despair Nicholas Tan Xuan +6590177240 otakugfx@hotmail.com

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 2011. NICHOLAS TAN XUAN.

2 EXT. DESERT LANDSCAPE DAY A pair of jet-black, fully armored helicopters are moving forward together in flight . Above them is a clear blue sky with no clouds in sight. The sun is glaring and unforgiving, the intense heat generating heat waves. Below them is a sandy, mountainous terrain stretching all the way in to the horizon. Only telephone lines and small mountains are in sight. And as the helicopters fly, a small village appears in the horizon, blurred by heat waves. INT. HELICOPTER DAY A middle-aged American male with blue eyes and a shaved head walks into the cockpit of a helicopter. He is wearing military uniform, a Kevlar vest and pistol latched to his belt. The colors of his uniform are dull and in tints of brown.He places his hand on the shoulder of the pilot a female who appears to be in her late twenties wearing a blonde ponytail.

SOLDIER Hows the view?

HELICOPTER PILOT Great. There isnt a single thing in sight, just sand stretching out for miles.

SOLDIER What about that thing?

He points his finger towards the village that is becoming clearer as the helicopter approaches it.

HELICOPTER PILOT That, soldier, is your stop. Now get back to your seat, were going into landing soon.

3 The soldier stares at the village for a moment before turning on his heel and walking back in to the back area of the helicopter where other s oldiers dressed in similar uniform are sitting on 2 benches lining either side of the helicopter. All of them show signs of being high-strung. The groups of soldiers that are chatting are fiddling with their fingers or have nervous expressions on their faces. Some of them have their gazes fixed on the ground, hands clasped. Sitting next to one of the more relaxed soldiers is Jason Steele, a 25-year-old American male with a brown crew cut and hazel eyes. His brows are furrowed and the corner of his mouth is nervously pointing downwards. Jasons eyes slowly close as he begins to remember the major events leading up to where he sits now.

FLASHBACK BEGINS

EXT. HOUSE - DAY Jason, just 4 years younger, is seen leaving a generic two-storey housewith beige walls, a neatly trimmed yard and a roof colored a few shades darker than the walls. There are two men dressed in military uniform adorned with many badges his father and older brother - as well as a woman seeing him off. A military truck waits just down the driveway. While waving to his family, he walks up to the truck. Just before he boards the truck, there is a m oment of hesitation. He turns back to look at his family, his father and brother wearing proud smiles on their faces. He turns back and boards the truck. EXT. MILITARY OBSTACLE COURSE - DAY Jason is now dressed in military uniform without a single badge to show. Along with him are other military recruits going through an obstacle course in an area where the ground is dirt and there is a wired fence surrounding the perimeter of the course. When it comes to his turn, Jason begins the course, jumping through tires, crawling under a wire net and climbing an upright wall. A raspy voice shouts at him as he goes through the obstacle course.

4 COMMANDING War is the survival of ever forget that rule regret OFFICER the fi ttest. Dont or youll come to it.

INT. MILITARY BRIEFING ROOM DAY A dark room with the exception of a glaring light shining off a projector screen. Seated in rows before the screen is a squad of soldiers and sitting amongst them is Jason. Pacing along the front of the room is an older man who appears wrinkled with experience. His eyes are hardened and his gaze is intimidating. His military uniform is adorned with many badges and medals. He stops pacing in the center of the room and surveys the seated soldiers.

SENIOR OFFICER No one out there, with the exception of your squad, is your ally. The number one priority is to survive and humans will do anything to continue living. You would do well to remember that.

MALE VOICE Snap out of it, Jason. Were almost there. Are you prepared?

FLASHBACK ENDS

INT. HELICOPTER DAY Jasons eyes open. He takes in a deep breath and lets it go before leaning back. He turns to face the soldier sitting next to him another man who looks to be roughly 3 years older than Jason. A little brown fringe pokes out from under his helmet.

JASON Its not like I have a choice, its be prepared or die.

5 CHRIS You got it. Were out on the war front, we dont know whats out there. Its nothing like practice.

HELICOPTER PILOT ETA 30 seconds at the LZ. Its completely cold so they might be planning something. Get ready, boys.

The soldiers sitting in the back begin to shift in their seats, tensing up so much that it is visible . Some of them wrap their hands tightly around their rifles while others put their hands together, bow their heads and begin to pray. Jason takes in another deep breath while Chris places his hand on his pistol. The helicopters ramp begins to lower with a mechanical humming and sunlight shines through the cracks. EXT. HELICOPTER AND DESERT LANDSCAPE - DAY As the helicopters lower to the ground, sand is thrown in to the air creating a dust cloud pulsing outwards from the helicopters landing zone . When the ramp finally touches the ground, soldiers emerge from both helicopters with rifles raised and ready. The ones that have gotten off survey their surroundings but find nothing . The only thing in sight is a seemingly desolate village less than a kilometer before them. Jason is the last to exit the helicopter after which the ramp closes up and the pair slowly lifts off the ground and fly off, the force of the wind throwing some of the soldiers off balance. One of the soldiers makes a hand motion sig naling for the rest of the squad to follow him towards the village with him as the point man. They cautiously approach the village with rifles raised and knees bent. The eerie silence aside from the sound of the wind an atmosphere that almost seems suspenseful. Jason is seen hiding at the back of the squad clenching his rifle with an extremely tight grip while looking around frantically. His eyes dart from left to right while he cowers behind his squad mates. Small, worn-outbuildings of one or two floor li ne the wide streets made of sand and dirt. The concrete walls of the buildings are cracked and some even have gaping holes revealing the interior of the building.

6 As the squad takes their first steps into the village , the soldiers scan the rooftops with their rifles, lining their sights with doors and alleys as they pass by them. The soldier leading the squad turns around to face the rest after they have walked a good distance into the village.

SOLDIER Split. Check the houses for anything explosives, guns, supplies. If you find civilians, try to get them to leave the area. If they refuse then bring them here. Get back here within 5 minutes.

The soldiers split in to small er groups of 2s and 3s, entering each building with bodies crouched and rifles raised. Jason pairs up with Mike, a soldier that towers over Jason with slick black hair showing just a little under his helmet. They approach a run -down building made of mud bricks with a low roof and only one storey. Jason stands at a side while M ike kicks the door down and enters.Jason follows Mike in to the building. INT. MUD BRICK BUILDING - DAY The interior of the building is small and messy. There is a wooden cupboard and drawer sitting i n one corner of the main room, table and chairs in th e center. Insects buzz around the room as Jason rummages through the compartments of the drawer. Mike walks through the doorway on the opposite side of the room, the door creaking as it opens.

JASON There isnt anything in the drawers.

MIKE Cmere, look what I found.

Jason peeked in to the other room to find his partner pointing his rifle at the head of an enemy soldier who sat in the corner with his arms raised. Next to the enemy soldier lies a photograph frame, the glass cracked.

JASON what are we supposed to do with him?

7 MIKE Dunno. Guess well drag im back to the rest, see if he can help us with anything.

Mike approaches the enemy soldier, looking down at the picture frame with his rifle still pointed at him.

MIKE Hm, a picture of his family, Im guessin.

His attention is drawn back to the enemy soldier who is rambling in his own language. Mike presses the nozzle of his gun into forehead of the enemy soldier while moving his left hand forward to lift the soldier by the collar of his uniform.

MIKE Im goin tuh drag him out. Cover me.

Jason takes a second to take in the order, and then reluctantly nods. He walks out of the building slowly with Mike following behind, pushing the enemy soldier in front of him like a shield. Jason steps through the door of the building and looks left and right.

JASON Its clear right now the rest are waiting.

MIKE Im comin.

Mike pushes the enemy soldier through the door. The pair slowly makes their way towards a group of allied soldiers where Chris is standing, their backs facing their squad mates and their guns at the ready. All of a sudden, the sound of bullets being fired and impacting against the dirt ground is heard. Dust flies in to the air as the bullets kick dust and sand in to th e air. Mike drops to a crouch and the enemy soldier wriggles himself free of Mikes grasp, running towards a group of enemy soldiers that begin firing at Jason and Mike from the rooftops.

Jason, standing in the middle of the street , freezes. His eyes are filled with panic but he finds himself unable to move as bullets shower the area. Their allies dive to either side of the street, hiding behind cover like barrels and walls while returning fire. Mike turns to see Jason standing in the incoming hail of bull ets.

MIKE Jason, get down!

Mike leaps from his crouched, covered position and throws Jason in to an alley. Just as he begins to stagger after to get behind cover, a bullet penetrates his left leg and he screams in pain. The enemy soldiers perched on the rooftops continue their shooting. The rest of Jasons squad appear in the windows and balconies of the other buildings and assist in figh ting back. Mike manages to crawl the short distance in to th e same alley Jason is in, but he is unable to fight. Mike sits with his back resting on the wall, his injured leg outstretched and his head thrown back, beads of sweat cover his entire body. Jason simply sits there, still frozen in fright and just staring at Mikes bullet wound. The constant fire from the American soldiers eventually pushes the enemy soldiers back. Th ey scurry along the rooftops in afull-out retreat, leaving the American soldiers cautiously walking on to the main street, guns still raised in anticipation of another sneak attack.

SOLDIER 1 Seems theyre done for the day.

SOLDIER 2 Good job, did anyone get hurt?

SOLDIER 1 Mike got shot in the left leg.

SOLDIER 3 Damn it, its all thanks to Jason.

CHRIS Dont start that now. We need to set up camp before its too late.

The soldiers group up. Two of them pick Mike up and carry him on their shoulders. Jason manages to stand, his hands trembling. The other soldiers look back at him as Mike is carried to the front of the group. With disgusted expressions, they make passing remarks as they walk away from him.

SOLDIER 1 What the hell was that, Jason.

SOLDIER 3 You almost got Mike killed.

Chris walks up to Jason once the rest have walked off.

CHRIS Clearly you werent prepared. What happened?

JASON My body just froze its like I couldnt do anything. The idea of fighting and dying is just petrifying.

CHRIS You have to remember that what you do affects the lives of the soldiers around you. Mike couldve been killed, man.

Chris pats Jason on the back and there is a pause before Chris walks on ahead to catch up with the rest of the squad. Jason looks down at the ground, a splash of blood from where Mike got shot. He clenches his fist and follows after Chris.

10 EXT. CAMPSITE NIGHT Several tents surround a fire generated by an artificial oil burner. The village is quite a distance away, but is still visible in the horizon. There are soldiers keeping watch on the perimeter of the camp, and also soldiers sitting around the campfire and discussing the days events.

SOLDIER 1 Can you believe Jason? If I were Mike Id be so pissed right now.

SOLDIER 2 I kind of expected it, he was never g ood with the guns.

SOLDIER 3 Hes out on the frontlines now, he has to harden up. Otherwise, he might get us all killed.

INT. TENT NIGHT Jason is lying on his sleeping bag, back facing downwards. His brow is wrinkled with worry but his eyes are closed. An older man, aged in his 40s, enters the tent. His shoulder is decorated with three stars, his hands are behind his back and he maintains an intimidating stance. Jason opens his eyes, jumping to his feet and saluting him.

OFFICER At ease. Jason.

JASON What is it, sir?

OFFICER I hope you know what you did today. You couldve easily gotten a squad mate killed with your actions.

11 JASON I couldnt control myself, sir. Fear took over.

OFFICER Tell that to Mikes family if he dies because of you.

JASON

OFFICER Look, its too late to back out now. I just want you to get your act together. Im sure you know why.

JASON Yes sir.

The officer lingers for just a moment and then walks out of the tent. Jason heaves a deep and heavy sigh and drops back on to his sleeping bag. EXT. VILLAGE ENTRANCE - DAY The squad is once again entering the village albeit from a different location. It is much closer to the village square a circular area in the middle of the village. Carts are sitting along the edge of the square, some infested with insects of all kinds. The squad has less people, most noticeably Mike is missing. Jason and Chris have taken up guarding the left flank.

CHRIS Prepare yourself, dont let yesterday repeat itself.

JASON I got it.

A FWOP sound is heard, but it isnt the usual sound of gunfire. The squad turns around to see a grenade launcher shell soaring through the air straight towards them.

12 SOLDIER Spread!

The squad jumps outwards and the impact of the grenade launcher explosion sends them flying even further. Jason and Chris are thrown in to an alley with no one else nearby. They look back to the squarewhere their allies have engaged enemy soldiers. Chris pulls Jason to his feet as enemy soldiers find them.

CHRIS Get to cover!

The pair dash through the alley while the enemy soldier points at them, shouting at his allies to come and help. Jason and Chris find themselves hiding behind a small building with enemy soldiers encroach on their position.

JASON What the hell are we supposed to do now?

CHRIS Heres the plan. I have a smoke grenade with me, on the count of 3 Ill throw it just in front of us and we make a dash for the school building over there. Lob all your grenades at them to create a distraction and hopefully throw them off.

Jason nods and they both peek out from behind the building, only to be met with a spray of bullets.

CHRIS 1

Jason removes the safety pin from the two grenades he has latched on to his belt.

CHRIS 2

13 Jason holds the grenades in both his hands, prepared to throw them.

CHRIS 3.

Chris throws his smoke grenade, clouds of smoke whizzing out from inside the grenade and covering the area in white clouds. Jason also blindly tosses his grenades in to the smoke and he hears the loud explosions. He then follows Chris as they make a turn around the backside of the building to avoid the blind fire the enemy soldiers are throwing in their general direction and then they sprint towards the school building. INT. SCHOOL BUILDING DAY Jason fires a shot at the lock on the door. The pair breaks into the main hall of the school building. To their surprise, they find a woman and a group of children cowering in a corner of the room.

CHRIS A teacher and her students? I cant believe theyre still here.

Jason raises his rifle. The children and teacher huddle closer together. Chris raises his arm to block Jasons line of fire.

CHRIS What the hell are you doing?

JASON They could do anything to us.

CHRIS Theyre just civilians! Humans like us, caught in a war. Just put your gun down.

Jason lowers his rifle. Chris walks towards the teacher and her students.In the mean time, Jason walks over to a short but wide window with blinds and peeks through.

14 Using both hand motions as well as speaking, Chris attempts to communicate with the civilians.

CHRIS Do. Not. Worry. We. Wont. Hurt. You.

The teacher just pulls all her students eve n closer to her. Chris sighs in defeat, going over to Jason and looking through the window with him

CHRIS We need to regroup with the squad.

JASON The guys from before are gone, but I dont know if there are others.

CHRIS They know were in this general area. Theyre probably searching the other bui -

A gunshot echoes through the room. The sound of b lood splattering across a wall quickly follows . Eerie silence. Jason finds his vision blurred in red. He turns his head his cheeks stained red - to find Chris dropping to the ground with a thump. The clinking of metal prompts Jason to look at the teacher. In her trembling hands, a handgun. Her eyes are focused on to Chris body. Jasons fingers wrap tightly around the grip of his rifle and he slowly raises it unconsciously. The teacher notices this, her eyes darting over to Jason as she moves her handgun to point at him. Purely out of reflex, he pulls his rifle up and pushes down the trigger. The bullets rain on the woman and the children, and when the firing stops, they all drop to the ground piled on each other, drowni ng in a pool of their own blood. Jasons heavy breathing is the only sound left in the room. He slumps against a concrete wall next to the window. His eyes are wide open and hes sweating profusely as he looks at both the dead civilians and his fallen partner. He clutches his gun to his body tightly.

15 The door to the room is thrown open and 6 members of Jasons squad burst in to the room. Their rifles are raised but as soon as they see the scene before them, their guns drop and they cannot believe what the y see.

FADE OUT

FADE IN

INT. PRISON BRIEFING ROOM DAY

OFFICER Weve managed to take over the village with almost no fatalities. Well done. But the day isnt over yet, there might be more of them coming and we need to alert HQ. Youve all been assigned duties, get to them.

SOLDIERS Yes sir!

The soldiers walk out of the room, some of them injured or in bandages. Jason is hunched over on a seat in a corner of the room, his head hanging in the air as he stares at the ground. The officer that a ddressed the soldiers walks over.

OFFICER Jason.

JASON

OFFICER Jason.

JASON

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The officer sighs.

OFFICER I understand that watching Chris die and having to do that must have been tough. But were short on men, more than half of the squad is wounded. You just need to conduct one interrogation, can you do that?

JASON yes sir.

OFFICER Follow me, Ill bring you to the interrogation room.

Jason staggers to his feet and follows the officer out of the room. INT. PRISON CORRIDOR EVENING Jason drags his feet behind him as he walks through the prison facility, maintaining a distance of roughly a metre behind the officer . There are a few of his soldiers walking through the corridors, generally injured. As a pair of soldiers walk past him, he overhears some of their conversation.

SOLDIER Apparently, Chris wasnt the only death today. Ryan got killed attempting to save civilians while under enemy fire.

SOLDIER It sucks but he had it coming. Goodwill doesnt get appreciated out here.

Jasons ears perk up as he hears this. His expression shows a hint of irritation and anger.

OFFICER

17 Its in here. The officer pushes the door open and Jason enters. The door closes behind him. INT. PRISON INTERROGATION ROOM EVENING The room is empty with the exception of a long wooden table in the middle and 2 wooden chairs on either side of it. Jason trudges over and drops himself in to the chair closest to the door. In the opposite seat is an enemy soldier. His hands are tied behind the chair, his ankle s are tied to the legs of the chair. Jasons eyes are dulled, as if he were staring blankly in to space, just in the direction of the soldier. His voice is calm but icy.

JASON You will answer my questions.

ENEMY SOLDIER

JASON Are there reinforcements coming?

ENEMY SOLDIER

JASON Who gives you commands? Where is he based?

ENEMY SOLDIER

Jasons brows furrow. He grits his teeth.

JASON One last time who is your commander? Are there reinforcements coming?

18 ENEMY SOLDIER

The soldier glares at Jason, defiance evident on his expression. Jason slams the table, standing up and throwing his fist at the subject. His squad mates burst in to the room, restraining Jason and pulling him out of the room. The officer, waiting outside, confronts Jason.

OFFICER Maybe I was wrong. Jason, go cool off.

The officer turns to face the 2 soldiers keeping Jason in control.

OFFICER Put him in the locker room and leave him alone.

Jason is dragged away by his squad mates limply, offering no resistance whatsoever. INT. PRISON LOCKER ROOM EVENING Jason is thrown in to the room. He picks himself up and walks to the center of the room, sitting on a lone bench. The room itself is rather worn out, the walls are stained and the ground is littered with rubbish like cans and plastic containers. Lockers line both sides of the room, some dented and some just wide open. Jason pulls out his handgun and hunches forward, staring at his gun with his fingers caressing the cold, smooth metal.

CHRIS VOICE Theyre just civilians! Humans like us, caught in a war.

OFFICERS War is the survival of ever forget that rule regret

VOICE the fittest. Dont or youll come to it.

19 OFFICERS VOICE humans will do anything to continue living. You would do well to remember that.

JASON Humans, whats really the point?

Jasons fingers wrap around the grip of the handgun, playing with the safety.

JASON We act like were civilized, but we all know how savage we can be.

Jason points the nozzle of the gun towards his face.

JASON We kill each other in cold blood not a care for the other persons life or family.

Jason pulls his handgun up to his head.

JASON With a single pull of the trigger, we end it all for someone else. Just to ensure that they dont end our life first.

Jason presses the nozzle of th e gun firmly against his temple, his finger on the trigger.

JASON If, in the end, the only thing we can think of is kill them before they kill us, is there any point living amongst these people?

The sound of Jason cocking the gun echoes and the screen turns black. BLACK OUT

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THE END.