Heroes Never Bleed

by Adam J. Whitlatch

It’s a thankless job being a hero, and before you tell me that I’m wrong, let me tell you something: I’ve watched friends and family die at the hands of my enemies – no one should ever have to bury their friends so young. The shrapnel imbedded in my knee makes me cry out in agony whenever I climb a flight of stairs and I limp when it rains, but I never blamed anyone for it; just the price for being a hero. I’ve been dead four times; my heart restarted twice by chemicals, once by defibrillation, and once by hand. My body is a roadmap of scars left by knives, swords, bullets, arrows, and weapons that – if the government has anything to say about it – you’ll never know about. My dreams are haunted every night by the faces of the men I killed in the line of duty; bloody visions of viscera and gore and the walking dead that leave me gasping and clutching at the sweat-drenched bed sheets while my wife sleeps on, completely oblivious to my pain. But the thing that hurts the most – more than the shrapnel, the scars, the sleepless nights, or the broken bones... the thing that cuts the deepest is the fact that no one ever once said “Thank you.”

6S

Adam J. Whitlatch is a horror and science fiction writer living in southern Iowa. His newest novel, E.R.A. – Earth Realm Army, is dedicated to heroes, both acknowledged and unsung. The author asks simply that after reading this piece you go find a hero, be they a soldier, a firefighter, a policeman, or a doctor – and just say “Thank You.” (Adam's complete works on 6S can be found here.)