Veteran

I know this place,
I know this blood,
I know these wastes,
I remember the red flood.
This is where I killed them,
My demons of an age gone,
If it’s reached the end,
Then am I back in the beyond?
This barren wasteland,
Painful and hot,
With nothing but red-stained sand,
I try to leave, but cannot.
Look, so far away,
A beauty like I’ve never seen before,
She’s running away,
Wait… She’s in the same war.
I run towards her, panicked and screaming,
Begging her to come to me,
She sees me, with tears streaming,
She’s the utmost beauty to see.
I run toward her with all my heart,
But one of them grabs her leg.
I run faster, but we’re so far apart.
She screams as it claws at her leg.
I see it… The demon… The same that tried to kill me long ago…
It looks at me, with blackened eyes,
And cracks a small, evil smile, as its sharp white teeth glow,
It bites into her leg once again. The rest aren’t far behind.  
I’m not sure how long life will last her,
As the others arrive closer and closer,
I run faster and faster,
But they’re drawing too close to her…
The others scratch and maim,
I see the tears fall,
As she cries through the pain,
As they all take a piece, one and all.

I finally reach her, and see her,
Defeated and crying,
Bleeding and lying,
Face down in the dirt. I will save her.
I attack one, and it claws back at me,
It sinks its claws into my chest,
Oh what a familiar feeling, being attacked by the rest,
I feel their claws and begin to bleed.

And yet... I muster what little strength I can to see her…
They’re all off of her…
She stands up slowly,
And I look up at her lowly,
As they rip out my flesh,
The feeling in my mind is fresh,
I see her walking away,
She looks back to me, hoping for a way,
To save me once again,
But it’s too late, I’m locked within,
The grasps of their sharpened claws and teeth.

She cries for me,
As I use what little life is left in me,
To tell her to go on without me…
They let her get away, and continue destroying me.

It is there he lies once again…
Being feasted on by demons from within…
But, for her, I'll take it,
Because, when she's okay, it's all worth it...