Everything rang in their ears all at once
Not having time to process anything, they acted on instinct
A finger on the trigger
Three more bodies crumpled on the soil
Like tissue paper

Before One could open his mouth to articulate his thoughts
Two had started screaming
And Three had his head cradled in his hands
Four met his stare fiercely
And One was glad to be reassured that his rifle was pointing downwards

One could never be sure around the troop
Acts of duty littering their minds and bodies
With bodies
He did not notice he was shivering
And neither did he notice the trail of blood running from his nose
Until Four had traced it with his eyes

One stuffed a hand into a heavy pocket
Rummaging through stashes of bullets and other metal objects
But picked out a nearly shredded ball of white
And pressed it to his face

What came away was something crimson
The ball had changed colour
And likewise, One became more pale
As he noticed the numbers' gaze all fall upon the tissue
He tried to scrunch it up and hide it in his palm
Only staining his hand further

Two had turned to snivelling
Snot, tears and knowledge mixing together at his feet
Three had withdrawn now
Leaving Four and One both still staring at the evidence of murder

One had suppressed It before
Knowing that reflecting on It would make him succumb to It as well
But now It formed a pit by his gut
And spilled black ink into his insides
It gathered and spread hastily through his bloodstream
Tying itself into a knot by his Adam's apple

Four had seen It too
One fell
One discovered It
It had discovered them
Both the numbers and the alphabet had known It
But now they stood
Or knelt
Or lay
Facing Its discovery.