Semper Fidelis is more than just a slogan. For Bryan Sanders, it is more of a way of life.

The former Marine was nearly 20 years retired from the marine corps. Yet, his ways
never changed since he left the service. It was all about excellence and loyalty. It's what
his character was based around. It wasn't a negotiable thing. Always Faithful. If he
learned anything in his missions in combat zones, it was to follow the code.
Bryan's life changed a lot after he left the Marines. He married his young beautiful
wife and bought a house in his hometown Carroll, Ohio. In the small town of 500 people,
he was a respected member of the community. He now enjoyed the simple life, he
enjoyed a job at the local People's store and spent most of his spare time going to
community events. He had all he ever wanted.
Today however was a bit different. Not only was it his birthday, July 4th. It was
also the birth of this great country. Normally he would be out celebrating with his wife
Shelley and his close friends, but he had to work. After all, the People's store was the only
store in his small town, and stayed open 365 days a year. CRACK! The store shook all
the way to its foundation. "Corporal! We are under heavy fire by an estimated 25 enemy
infantry units. Corporal Bryan! Bryan!"
"Bryan! Snap out of it! It was just the thunder. Are you alright?" All of a sudden
Bryan was in the People's Store again. His heart pounded and a bead of sweat had formed
on his brow. The young private who was yelling his name was now his boss Jaxon F.
Waxon. Jaxon's baby blue eyes peered into Bryan's soul it seemed. "Why don't you go
ahead and go home Bryan. This storm looks nasty. It's only going to get worse too. Why
don't you go home and celebrate independence day with your friends instead of sitting

here." Bryan peered out the window to see the vicious storm front moving savagely
across the sky. He hurried out to his 2008 Chevy Duramax 2500. Semper Fi. There it was
again. The decal on his back window reminded him of his lifestyle every day. He had no
time for idle thought though, the storm was advancing quickly. He had a strange feeling
creep all the way through his body. It engulfed his entire being. Brian shuddered.
Brian hopped in the truck and starts it up. BOOM!
Reload the cannon, Corporal!
Sir, yes sir! Brian reloads the cannon and shouts Cannon is armed! The tank
commander then blows a hole in the side of the enemys headquarters. Brick flies in
every direction, the enemy soldiers are blown apart. CRASH! His Chevy was totaled, he
wrapped it around a pole. When Brian finally came to he realized what he had really
done. Luckily, he was okay-he only suffered what seemed to be a mild concussion,
something he deduced by the oncoming headache. The storm was still advancing at a
staggering pace. He quickly jumped from his truck and headed towards his home, leaving
the destroyed Chevy around the pole.
It seemed like an eternity in the mile walk to his secluded home. The evergreens
that were around his house normally served as a wind block. As a protective barrier.
However, this time as he looked up at the menacing trees, it was him that felt
unwelcomed. It had to be all in his head though. Maybe his concussion was worse than he
had thought. He trudged down the winding driveway and finally made it to the front door
of his old farm house. Without haste Brian pulled open the door and stepped inside.

To his surprise the Brian walked into a completely pitch black house. Every light
was off, which is really strange since they always had the light on right by the front door,
so they could see what they were doing when they got home. He stumbled his way
through his dark house and made his way to his kitchen. He fumbled around feeling the
walls for the light switch. He didnt find them. All of a sudden the room was filled with
light. SURPRISE! Corporal! Its a surprise attack! They ambushed us! Shouted the
young private.
Ill hold em off! Brian bellowed back.
Brian took out all of the enemies in an uncontrollable rage, showing no mercy. He
didnt stop until their bodies heaped on the ground in bunches. He took them all out with
a single clip from an M9.
All of a sudden someone had a full grasp of his shoulder. He swung around, gun
ready, and takes the last fatal shot. The young private falls to the ground. It was friendly
fire. He had killed his own friend! He peered down at his fallen comrade and realized the
horrible truth.
The private was no longer in uniform. He was no longer surrounded by the bodies
of his enemies. He looked around his kitchen to see the corpses of all the people he loved
the most.
His once full of life beautiful Shelley was now laying lifeless in a puddle of
crimson blood. His friends that he had gone to school with when he was little were now
replacing the enemy soldiers on the ground.