[ WP ] Our cause is righteous and just . We will not falter

The two soldiers stopped running for a moment, glad for the chance to catch their breath and complain about the rain pouring down over their leather overcoats. The taller of the two men pulled off his gas mask, reached into his pocket and pulled out a lighter and two cigarettes. He lit one for himself and offered the other to his partner, depositing it back into his pocket when his friend declined the smoke. He took a long drag, held the smoke in for a few moments, then slowly pushed it out into the night air, looking up at the grey sky as drops of rain pelted his face. 
 
 `` Think we'll be pulling out of here soon?'' he asked, flicking the cigarette to the ground, extinguishing it with a stomp from his heavy black boot. His partner, still wearing his gas mask, grunted in response. `` You do n't talk much, do you?'' No response beyond a grunt. The tall man laughed and grasped the other soldier's shoulder and pointed at the boarded up building across the street. 
 
 `` Think we might find someone in there, mate?'' he asked, hoping the short man would disagree. He was tired of this: going from building to building, looking for any survivors of the gas bombing. How there were any in the first place, he had no idea. 
 
 `` Maybe.'' the short man's voice was raspy, the voice of a man who smoked much more than the tall man. Maybe that was why he had refused the cigarette, had probably grown tired of the things. The tall man knew that he was growing sick of the aftertaste of the ones he'd looted from the buildings. `` You sure? That building does n't look like it would have protected anyone from the bombings.'' 
 `` Maybe. Maybe not.'' the short man picked up his gun and began moving towards the building, turning after a few steps to face his unmasked companion. `` Let's go.'' His voice had dropped to a sort of whisper-yell, and the tall man sighed as he pulled his gas mask back on. The two of them proceeded into the building, guns drawn, prepared to shoot anything that moved. 
 
 *Our cause is righteous and just. We will not falter. * 
 
 -- - 
 
 `` I am telling you, man, there is nobody in this building!'' The tall man was growing frustrated with his partner. They'd cleared plenty of building together without incident, and he knew that whenever the short man suspected someone was in a building, he was n't wrong. But for some reason, something was telling him that they should not be in this building, that they would not find what they were looking for, that they should just go meet up with the other soldiers in their company. `` Come on man, I did n't hear whatever it was that you heard, let's just get out of here and go home!'' he called out. 
 
 The short man stopped by a door and turned back to him. He pulled off his gas mask for the first time, revealing the face of a man who had seen his fair share of war. His right eye was glazed over, likely blinded by a stray bullet, his nose was bent to the side, his face covered in scars that refused to hide beneath his beard. `` In there.'' His voice had shifted from that raspy tone that amused the tall man to a guttural growl, the kind you hear from a dog preparing to fight. The tall man could feel a smile forming beneath his mask; he knew it was time to push all doubts out of his mind. 
 
 *Our cause is righteous and just. We will not falter. * 
 
 -- - 
 
 The door flew open so fast that the children huddled around the fire could n't get away from the door. The boy stood up, pushing the girls behind him, his small frame failing to grant him the imposing presence he so desired. Two men entered the room, their faces hidden behind their gas masks, their eyes hidden behind the red lenses of their masks, their bodies clad in all black, their overcoats swaying in the breeze. In their hands were massive guns, guns that would easily punch a hole through even the largest man that had lived in the city. The boy knew he had to defend his sisters, despite how afraid he was. 
 
 For a moment, all was silent in the room as the two men looked the room over. The taller man also seemed to be watching his partner, who was constantly shifting his weight from one foot to the other. The shorter man was clearly anxious to do something, but the taller man almost seemed to be having second thoughts. The boy took a deep breath. *Show them no fear, my son. You must not let your sisters ever doubt you. * He could still hear the final words of his dead father, that pile of flesh sitting over in the corner, ringing clear in his mind. 
 
 `` Please.'' was all he could say. 
 
 -- - 
 
 The taller man cocked his head to the side, perhaps in curiosity, or perhaps to merely humor the boy. He was n't entirely sure why he had even given the boy a slight indication of interest. This boy thought he was protecting his fellow survivors of the bombing, and the two men had strict orders to kill all who had survived. Their cause was righteous and just, after all. They knew what would happen to them if they faltered. 
 
 The tall man prepared his gun, pointing it directly at the small torso of the boy in front of him, the boy pretending to be a man. The shorter man began moving towards the girls, preparing to kill them all in one shot. That was what kind of damage their weapons could do, the kind of damage their weapons *would* do. The short man was getting awfully close to the girls. *He should know the danger of being that close to someone when using one of these things. * the tall man thought, trying to keep his gaze both on his partner and the boy. 
 
 *Our cause is righteous and just. We will not falter. * 
 
 A single, resounding boom of a gunshot echoed through the entire building. 
 
 Edit: Forgot to mention, this is my first post here, so any comments and criticism will be greatly appreciated!
