english,
It was midday, the battered remnants of the first platoon trudged past me without uttering a word, staring lifelessly ahead. They have returned from their mission on the front.
None of them knew for sure if they were successful or not. All they knew was that they fought to the best of their abilities and their fate was in the hands of their Maker.
All I knew was that soon, it would be my turn to face the same foe they did. A foe who, at the mere mention, infamously radiated brutality and savagery. Their weapons a vile aberrant weaponization of mathematics and science, designed to crush your spirit. No matter your training, you would be pushed to your limits. Surrender was not an option.
A few tense minutes later, our officers ordered us into lines followed by a last-minute reminder to check our weaponry, and we were off.
It was quiet and cold when we arrived at our positions on the front. Some of us took time beforehand to get to know each other, most of us came from similar backgrounds, training all our lives for this battle. However, unlike in training, you could not rely on the pair of shaking knees beside you, it was all on you and you alone.
With our officers signal, Armageddon began and a relentless barrage fell upon us. It was now every person for themselves. I fired back with my Type 2 Mongolian Rifle, praying that any missed shots would not have been fatal. On one occasion I was almost overrun, and I shot blindly, looking back, a very risky gamble.
Five hours later, it was all over. The enemy took many losses, but did they take enough? Did I inflict enough casualties on the seemingly infinite enemy? I did not know. The officers congratulated us and sent us back, the next day, another platoon would relieve us.
I trudged back thinking of the future, the question "Did I do enough?" echoing over and over in my mind. Unaware of my surroundings, I looked towards nothing in particular and went my way.
I had just survived the University of the Philippines College Admissions Test.
Literary: The Last Battle?
It was midday, the battered remnants of the first platoon trudged past me without uttering a word, staring lifelessly ahead. They have returned from their mission on the front.
None of them knew for sure if they were successful or not. All they knew was that they fought to the best of their abilities and their fate was in the hands of their Maker.
All I knew was that soon, it would be my turn to face the same foe they did. A foe who, at the mere mention, infamously radiated brutality and savagery. Their weapons a vile aberrant weaponization of mathematics and science, designed to crush your spirit. No matter your training, you would be pushed to your limits. Surrender was not an option.
A few tense minutes later, our officers ordered us into lines followed by a last-minute reminder to check our weaponry, and we were off.
It was quiet and cold when we arrived at our positions on the front. Some of us took time beforehand to get to know each other, most of us came from similar backgrounds, training all our lives for this battle. However, unlike in training, you could not rely on the pair of shaking knees beside you, it was all on you and you alone.
With our officers signal, Armageddon began and a relentless barrage fell upon us. It was now every person for themselves. I fired back with my Type 2 Mongolian Rifle, praying that any missed shots would not have been fatal. On one occasion I was almost overrun, and I shot blindly, looking back, a very risky gamble.
Five hours later, it was all over. The enemy took many losses, but did they take enough? Did I inflict enough casualties on the seemingly infinite enemy? I did not know. The officers congratulated us and sent us back, the next day, another platoon would relieve us.
I trudged back thinking of the future, the question "Did I do enough?" echoing over and over in my mind. Unaware of my surroundings, I looked towards nothing in particular and went my way.
I had just survived the University of the Philippines College Admissions Test.
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