Thud thud went the bullets.

In one loud woosh all of the air in Soap's lungs came rushing out. His ears were ringing with the sound of gunfire as he clawed at the dirt, violently gasping for any breath he could manage. Head spinning and his vision crossed, his lungs stung as he sucked in breath after cold shaky breath.

Thud thud went the bullets next to him.

Soap never saw him coming. Imagine that. Years of acting on instinct, feeling before knowing, reflexes jarring you into the realization that your moving before your brain can even comprehend it and you didn't see him coming. The irony wouldn't be lost on him if he could get a grip on a reality that didn't involve his vision fading in and out.

Thud thud went the bullets next to him as they sunk in.

The sound was a sickening realization of war… one he heard far too many times. It was enough to make his heart stop mid-beat and his senses freeze while he waited for the pain to sink in.

It was as if the world moved in slow motion. The movement just to the left of his field of vision, two quick muzzle flashes and then the hit…

Thud thud went the bullets next to him as they sunk in to the wall of the house instead of his chest.

Soap never saw Ghost coming. Never saw the blur of black and khaki that ran at him full tilt pushing him out of the way of an almost certain death- knocking him off his perch on the house's back porch and onto the ground below.

Lying on the ground with the wind knocked out of him and his head pounding like a drum the only thing he could see was Ghost crouched protectively over him- gun drawn toward the street. The only thing he could feel was the burning in his chest. And the only thing he could hear was the steady thud thud of his heart.