Write an original short story that begins with the words: He never thought…

He never thought that he would be forced to fight his friend and his living ideal. Nitin was a patriotic soldier. He was proud of his country because it was the country which other countries envied. The country had progressed not only in terms of economy but social welfare also.

One day, a foreign army regiment came to his country for joint warfare practice. The general of the foreign regiment, Chris was a famous army person who had gained ranks on account of his merit and courage. He had set examples by not only fighting for his country but also shown moral strength by rescuing a wounded soldier of the enemy. Nitin was in awe of Chris. While practicing, he was greatly inspired by the techniques and moral boosting shown by Chris. Both of them became good friends. After a two-month long practice, there came a time when Chris and his regiment left for their home country. Nitin and Chris remained in touch and used to catch up on a video call almost every evening. Over a period of time, Nitin was also promoted and became in charge of a battalion. However, due to some political uprisings, there arose some tensions between the two countries. A war was looking inevitable. Nitin’s battalion was posted on the border. The firing started from across the border. Nitin and his battalion were prepared for any such development. They responded with equal strength. The enemy battalion was three times the size of Nitin’s battalion. But he did not lose courage. He motivated his soldiers and revived the spirit of patriotism in them. His battalion was outnumbered and had already lost some of the soldiers. The enemy battalion had made advancement and was at threatening distance from their Nitin’s post. He had requested headquarters to send backup team but it was still 4 to 5 hours for the backup to reach there. He noticed that the enemy battalion had an officer who was looking like a kingpin of the battalion. Under the cover of the firing by his battalion, he managed to enter the enemy battalion and reached that officer. He was still unnoticed by the enemy. However, he recognized the kingpin officer. He was Chris, his friend. He felt emotionally weak for a moment before taking any step further. But, his patriotism took over that moment of weakness. Without fear of losing a friend, he fired on Chris. The enemy soldiers also shot at Nitin in unison. The loss of Chris created some confusion for the enemy battalion and they retreated a bit. In the meantime, the backup of Nitin’s battalion came. He shot his friend and sacrificed his life for the country. The country honoured him with the highest gallantry award of the country.