I was right.

  Kimi wasn't moving this morning. Ammon the Egyptian woke everyone in the unit up, starting with us. Even more surprising, he shook me awake first. I asked him what was the matter.

  Ammon looked so frantic as he murmured, "Me and Kimi... we planned last night to wake early to gather the materials to set off early this morning and hunt. I tried to wake him... he isn't moving... he's still and—and cold!"

  I knew this would come. All of this yelling and such woke Daniel up. Daniel is a light sleeper, unlike the most of us. His eyes widened at Ammon being in the tent and he jumped up. He shook Yuri out of his sleep and threw his canister of water at Lawrence. Lawrence went to his feet almost instantly. All of this stirred Angelo awake and he sat up. I pulled him to his feet.

  Lawrence put his newsboy cap on Angelo almost immediately and Lawrence said, "There you go, kid."

  Angelo looked very confused. I didn't blame him at the moment. I was too. We dragged him outside as all five of us followed Ammon. He opened the tent to Kimi on the ground, like usual. However, you could tell something was wrong with his look.

  "Angelo—" Daniel started. I shushed him and ushered them all in. The other people in the tent—William the American, Albert, and Simon— watched me in grief and slight fascination. I knelt down towards Kimi and felt his neck until I found where the pulse was supposed to be. His neck was cold. There was nothing. I ushered Angelo beside me and I had him feel the same exact spot I did. I asked what he felt.

  Angelo had pressed his lips together and said, "Um... nothing, except... he's cold. Is he... supposed to be like that or did I just mess up?"

  Lawrence shook his head, "No, Angelo. Kimi has no pulse, he's cold, and no one can wake him. He's dead alright. That's what ol' Felix here was trying to show you. Ain't that horrible."

  Angelo frowned and put his head down. He kept his hand in the same spot. I stood up and pulled him up with me. Albert, Simon, William the American, and Yuri carried him out of the tent. By then, the whole unit knew that we were one day down.

  Everyone went outside the tent and talked quietly. Nobody could believe it. No one still can. I will spare myself most of the details of this morning. I will not relive them. However, I will write that I eventually looked towards Angelo and pulled Lawrence's cap, where I couldn't see his eyes.

  "What was that for?" he asked, whispering. I told him that I just wanted to get his attention. I told him that he could write in my diary a little and I'd help him with his English and spelling. He gladly accepted, much to no one's surprise. I told him that I wouldn't even read it.

  Soon, after they figured what to do with Kimi's body, we got a piece of firewood and lit it on fire. They grabbed Kimi's body and put the firewood up to him. We all stood in silence, looking as the last thing of Kimi's went up in flames. Then, Angelo did the unexpected, he spoke up.

  "Kimi... often said he didn't have a family. He had no one to come home to. He said the only thing that he thought was worth fighting for was his nation. But, after only a week with this unit, in this mission, he said that he had something else worth fighting for. More than anything else. This unit—his family; he said he never wanted to leave. And he never will," Angelo said into the fire.

  The fire grew larger and brighter, heating us up in the dim morning. Yuri started out by saluting our fallen brother. It was the least we could do for a man like Kimi. He'd never leave.

  November 12th, 1918 (At noon)

  We left Kimi's ashes there, to be carried by the wind. We gathered everything and left. We blew out the fires and erased our presence from the place. There could be no one who knew that we were ever there. We journey eastward, trying to trek to the closest base. Even if it was the closest, it is still a month's or more journey away. The cold is miserable. Every step is joined with about a pound of snow and ice. Every man has five pounds of gear on him or more. All any of us can do is pray for the night to come soon so we can start a fire. Then, we will all be filled with warmth again.

  This far into the journey, Angelo seemed very reserved. The only person he will talk to is me. The conversations that we have had were very interesting to say the least.

  "What did he die of?" Angelo asked me as we struggled through the snow. I shrugged. I didn't really know what he had, just that he was really sick. I seen quite a few people die from things like that when I was in the French army. I told him that. What I didn't tell him is I was one of the few people that they made stay back to care for the wounded when the majority of my old unit moved to the trenches. It was probably the only reason that I'm still alive and was able to be moved to the special forces.

  "Why did you give him medicine if you didn't know what he had?" he later asked. I told him that I thought that he just had a small cold or something of the sorts. The medicine is for the common cold. He probably did have it and the medicine saved his life for a day. It is easy for people to die in this climate.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  "How long was he dead before Ammon found out he was dead?" he inquired. I responded that it was probably only a few hours with the miserable cold out here. He probably died just right after midnight. He just nodded and continued trekking through the Russian snow. It was clear that Angelo had known Kimi better than most of the rest of us. That was why he had done that speech so very heartfelt.

  Now thinking about it, Angelo knows everything about everyone. It is quite creepy that he can talk to everyone in the unit, know everyone's habits, know all the groups, everyone's name, and know what everyone prefers at the same time. He had even convinced me to let him read my diary. Of course, I did put a sheet of old paper over the things that I do not want him to see, but he still probably read it anyway. I don't exactly mind, but it still is creepy that he can do all that just by looking down and asking. Despite all of this, I like the kid. He reminds me of if I had a little sibling.

  We eventually made it to a spot that Yuri said we should quit at so no one gets hurt. We gathered the firewood and built a small fire to keep us warm. Almost all of us were completely frozen due to the extreme cold and the extreme journey. Angelo, however, seemed like the cold didn't affect him in the slightest before we set up the fire. We grabbed a few of our bags and sat them beside the warm, life-giving fire. As we warmed our hands, I talked to Ammon. He seemed very affected by the events that transpired today. Oddly enough, Ammon was actually older than all the leaders in the unit, including me. Every sentence or so that he muttered had something to do with music. He loves it very dearly. Once we warmed up, we set our supplies out and put up the tents that we had the day before. We didn't set anything else out. We are expecting to move tomorrow.

  November 12th, 1918 (At night by Angelo)

  Felix offered that I could write in his diary. Of course, that offer is much too good to deny. English certainly isn't my first language, but it isn't Felix's language either, so I will overcome. It sometimes makes me feel absolutely terrible that everyone speaks it better than I, but they say that it is because they are so much older. But I know that this isn't true. Some of them are not but two or three years older than me. Kimi was twenty himself, but still too young to go. He had a whole life ahead of him. I know a good amount of the things I know because everyone talks too much. If they don't want me to know it, they should be quiet. Everyone talks except Igor, Krishna, and, of course, Felix Desmarais. The only information that I've managed to pry out of him is that his last name is Desmarais and he's French.

  The reason that he gave me his diary is that he knows that I'm devastated by Kimi's death and doesn't know how to comfort me. I really am devastated, and Felix really doesn't know how to comfort anybody. I fought in the Italian Army. We were not organized like this unit. I'm used to the way I used to be. The only problem I have with fighting with this unit is that I decided to fight for Italia, not to be trapped in North Russia in November, dying from the cold. I'm stuck with 19, now 18, people from 13 different countries. The only thing keeping us all from dying is the grace of God, Felix Desmarais, and the English language.

  Of course, Felix said he wouldn't read this, but I know he will at some point. Everyone in the unit says I'm the youngest, so I should not really do anything, but Yuri and Felix always think different. They can tell I'll try to end up doing some of it in the end and I'm just as capable as all of the other guys.

  I'm starting to realize all of the things I have been told. They aren't real. I was told to honor my nation of Italia and I would be honored just as grandly. Of course, they didn't direct it to me specifically, but still. Now all of the men are joining for all the wrong purposes, I fear. I know that they will be the first people to die in this war. That is just the way things work.

  I also believe that the way we are headed is probably the worst way to go. I cannot fathom that they decided to go north in a Russian winter. Why would anyone ever pick that option? We could go south like they say and get the same results. But, they told us to go north into the depths of the awful winter. I am afraid that more will be hurt and more will die on our travels.

  I can tell that Felix is about to ask for his diary back. He has his eyes closed in the thoughtful way he does and he hands clasped in each other. He gets anxious more and more every second. I do not know why he wants to document our travels, but I find it an interesting idea to do so. Perhaps it will preserve what happened to us for all of eternity. Maybe no one will ever see this. He is such a weird man.

  November 12, 1918 (Later that night)

  Angelo was completely right. I did read it and thought that he had some interesting viewpoints. Perhaps I should bring up with him a few of the points he made, avoiding the idea that I read his entree. I find it interesting that he fully admitted to prying information out of me in my own diary. Oddly enough, it makes me like the kid even more. He is going to make a great commander when he becomes a man. His idea of honor in war is probably one of the best ideas of it that I have ever laid eyes upon.

  All of this makes me want to get in his head they same way he is trying to get into mine. I should let him write in my diary every time something small happens. However, he is way too smart of a kid to not realize what I would be doing. Besides, this is my diary. I can save the mind games for off the pages. I suppose I will just record what I can do in here, if I even manage to do anything.

  Once we sat up our tents, I gave Angelo my diary and went over to Lawrence. It was almost the fifth month that our unit has been together, but Lawrence and I have known each other much longer. I have always had a connection to him. I brought over my blanket and a small lantern. I asked about his family and if he missed them.

  Lawrence shrugged a little, smiling, "Not really. Like, I love them, but... you know. I like all of you guys so much better. You would fight for me until the day I died. My family... not so much. You know?"

  I nodded. Of course I understand; the same thing is happening to me. It would be nice if we could just stay like this forever, but out of the Russian snow, of course. I know that it would never happen because things just don't pan out the way you intend them to. That's how it always is; that's how it always will be.

  We eventually cut off the lantern and I write this in the dark. I knew that it was not a good idea, but I went outside in the freezing cold to get some fresh air. I write here. Almost every other word I am forced to heat up my pen, because the ink freezes. I am thinking about starting a small fire, but I don't want to alert the rest of them. It is miserable out here.