[ WP ] The protagonist finds out that they 've been the villain all along .

Our convoy came to a halt at a crossroads. The desert stretched for what seemed like an eternity. Hell, it felt like I've been here for an eternity. 
 `` What now?'' 
 `` Ca n't tell...'' Mikey jumped down from the back of the truck and walked around, `` looks like a box in the middle of the road.'' 
 `` God dammit.'' We'd been coming across a lot of these lately. Decoys. All just to slow us down. The rebels did n't have enough resources to actually make one a bomb, but we could n't take our chances, `` could n't we just blast it and move on?'' 
 `` Could be a dirty bomb,'' Mikey yelled back. 
 We'd been scared of a dirty bomb for quite a while actually. When this all started HQ decided to try out one of our dirty bombs right in the middle of the rebel's base. Figured we could just wipe out the top guys and get it all over with. They'd been rampaging the locals for a few years now, reports of their `` campaigning'' for resources and people flowed in every day. So we set the bomb in there with an inside man. Little did we know the top guys had just left. The dirty bomb wiped out everyone and that slowed them down. That's what we wanted. That when we decided to start taking ground. It was time to finish this. 
 
 The drone took about half an hour to check everything out. Just a box. Of course. 
 `` Told you we should've just shot it Mike.'' 
 `` Well when you start to feel hot and burn from the inside, you'll wish you were as cautious as me-'' 
 `` CONVOY HALT, POSITIONS,'' the command came booming. We jumped down and circled around into positions, protecting the main body of the convoy. Four armored trucks came towards us. Two from the road on the right, one on the left, one from behind us. 
 `` Who the God damn hell was in charge of aerial support?'' Commander Prevost hopped out of the center of the convoy. 
 `` We do n't know sir, have n't heard anything for a while.'' Mikey was a bit of a kiss ass. 
 `` Well hold your fire, let's see what they want.'' 
 The four trucks stopped almost simultaneously. The truck behind the convoy, the one I was staring at, only had one driver and a small boy with him. Possibly 12 years old. 
 `` 3 passengers from one truck,'' was called from the left. 
 `` 7 passengers from two,'' was called from the right. 
 The driver from the truck in front of me got out. `` Do n't shoot! We've come to talk.'' 
 `` We do n't talk to rebels! Get back in your trucks, turn around and leave,'' Prevost ordered. 
 `` Commander, you have it wrong. We need to talk now. Things wo n't work any other way,'' the man slowly walked forward, his hands raised. 
 `` Who even sent you?'' 
 The man put his hands together in front of his chin, `` God did Commander, he sent me to tell you our country should n't be split like this, we need to talk.'' 
 `` Get back in your truck or we will fire upon you. This is not a request, this is a command.'' 
 `` Prevost, you should listen to me, I beg of you.'' The man was still inching closer and closer. 
 `` He said to stay back you son of a bitch!'' Mikey stepped in front of the commander. 
 The man stopped for what seemed like a lifetime. I noticed this often. Little moments felt like lifetimes. There was an odd silence. Long, eerie, out of place. 
 The man reached into his jacket and took a step forward, `` Please-'' 
 His head split in two. He collapsed backwards, crumpled into what used to be a man. Gunfire went off around me as the soldiers took out the rest of the men. The boy in the truck screamed and hopped out. 
 `` He's got a gun!'' Mikey yelled. 
 `` Do n't shoot the child,'' I told him. 
 `` PUT IT DOWN!'' Mikey shouted. 
 The boy put it up and fired once, twice, nowhere near us. The third time the gun seemed to jam. 
 `` Little bastard!'' 
 `` Mikey, NO!'' I knocked his gun down as he went to fire. The kid began running. 
 `` What the fuck?'' 
 `` Do n't shoot a fucking child!'' 
 Mikey stared at me flabbergasted, `` He fucking shot at us.'' 
 `` I know, just... God dammit. Commander, I'm going after him.'' 
 `` If you get him alive, bring him back. We can use him for collateral.'' 
 `` Yes sir...'' I ran off after the child, the last words of the Commander echoing in my head.'Collateral. Collateral.' What the fuck did we need collateral for? We were keeping our country together. 
 The kid was n't too far off. He was n't the fastest, but many of the rebels were underfed. `` Kid, quit running, get down!'' 
 He seemed to get a little faster. 
 `` I said get down or... or I'll shoot.'' 
 He stumbled, fell to one knee and stayed there. 
 `` Put your hands up.'' He did. `` Do n't move, I swear to God I'll shoot if I have to.'' 
 `` I do n't care.'' 
 I circled around him to his face. I could still see the convoy off in the distance. Tears streamed down his scarred half of his face. 
 `` Get up.'' 
 He stared into me with all the hate in his body. `` Shoot me.'' 
 `` What?'' 
 `` Shoot me. I'd rather go to Hell or be with God than to deal with you people.'' 
 `` Us people, what are you talking about kid? We're trying to save this country. We're trying to put it together.'' 
 `` That's not what my dad said. My dad said we needed to be free from people like you. People who only `` keep the peace'' for their own gain.'' 
 `` Look kid, I'm sorry about your dad back there, that was n't me, but that's not-'' 
 `` That was n't my dad.'' 
 `` That man was n't your dad?'' 
 `` No. That was my grandfather.'' 
 `` Either way I'm sorry. We're not trying to hurt anyone. We just want to stop the bad guys from ripping this country apart.'' 
 `` MY DAD WAS N'T A BAD GUY!'' 
 `` I'm sure he was n't, he probably just got caught up at the wrong time. Get up, let's go.'' 
 `` I said shoot me.'' 
 `` I do n't want to do that.'' 
 His eyes welled up with more tears, `` I just want to be with my dad.'' 
 `` After all this we'll take you to him.'' 
 `` HE'S DEAD.'' 
 Another lifetime of silence passed. `` I'm sorry.'' 
 `` No you're not.'' 
 `` I am. You should n't have to deal with this.'' The kid cried into his hands, wiping the dirt and tears from his scarred face. `` What happened to your dad?'' 
 The kid pointed at his face. 
 `` I do n't get it.'' 
 `` The dirty bomb.'' 
 `` I'm sorry your dad was at the rebel base when it went off.'' 
 `` What rebel base?! He was n't at a rebel base.'' 
 `` That... that's where they put it.'' 
 `` No. We were at home. It went off in town. No one knew.'' 
 `` That's impossible,'' I could n't believe it. 
 `` MY DAD WAS NEVER A REBEL YOU STUPID ASS! Nobody in town was...'' He fell forward into the sand crying. 
 `` Then why-'' my voice got caught in my throat, `` why would they put it in your town?'' 
 `` How were we supposed to know?'' The kid looked up at me, `` We're not the bad guys.''
