Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Write on Edge Prompt - Conflict

This week we’d like you to stir up some conflict, using the following quote as inspiration.
It is better to be violent, if there is violence in our hearts, than to put on the cloak of nonviolence to cover impotence.
Mahatma Gandhi (1869 – 1948)
The word limit is 300.


Here's my take on this.  Enjoy.



“What’s wrong?”

She wiped the tears off of her face before answering, “Nothing.  I’m fine.”

“Bullshit.  What is it?”

She hesitated.  How could she admit the mission they just got back from rattled her.  It was tough enough to be a woman here.  But to have to admit the mission terrified her?  She’d never be taken seriously again.  He wasn’t going away, though.  She finally gave in and blurted it out.

“The last mission scared the shit out of me.”

“What bothered you?”

“Me.”

He leaned against the table and crossed his arms, “Care to elaborate?”

“Not really, but you’re not giving me a choice, are you,”

“Nope.”

“I’m a medic.  I was trained to heal, not harm, someone.  But, today, I was ready to kill a man.  I had him in my rifle sight, safety off, finger on the trigger.  I wouldn’t have hesitated.”

She stared at her boots for a bit.  He gave her the time she needed to find the rest of the words.

“If he would have moved at all, I’d have pulled the trigger and not thought twice about it.  What kind of person does that make me?”

“A damn good one,” he continued when he saw the confused look on her face, “Why were you ready to kill him?”

“He was a threat.  I wasn’t going to lose that kid.”

“See.  Just because you’re a medic doesn’t mean you’re passive.  You’re willing to go to extremes for your patients.  Just because you were ready to kill someone doesn’t take away from your skill as a medic.  Actually, it makes you a great medic.”

“I guess I didn’t think about it that way.  It still bugs me some but I can see your point.”

“Good.  Get some sleep.  We’re on again in 12.”

“Yes, sir.”

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