I Am No More by Kostiantyn Khotsianivskyi

 Alex did not celebrate his twenty-sixth birthday.

On this day, he locked himself in the apartment, turned off the phone and did not want to accept congratulations from anyone. He wanted to be alone, because there was no one with whom he really wanted to be that day.

Alex celebrated alone. He was sitting in his chair opposite the fireplace, finishing his second bottle of Hennessy. Music came from the radio from another room, and the man was mesmerized by the fire. After a while, the tune changed. Alex began to hear the words of the song "I'm no more" by the group "Tartak". The man, not leaving the fire, said:

- "Serge's favorite song."

Alex didn't seem to have changed on the outside, but inside he was overflowing with emotions. From the joy evoked by good memories, to regret and guilt. Tears rolled down the man's cheeks.  The lines of the song broke through psychological blocks and reached the very heart of Alex. Alex hadn't told anyone this story, which have happened five years ago, but now that he was alone, he was lost in the memories. Although the man tried to forget everything related to the war, that day was vividly etched in his memory forever. 

May evening. Alex and ten of his comrades had just destroyed a column of enemy heavy equipment and were in a cheerful mood returning to the camp. In front, next to Alex, two of his friends were walking: Michael and Serge. They have been friends since school years. Alex has always been the soul of the company and a prankster, unlike his friends. Michael had already received a scholarship at Harvard a few months before and was supposed to go study abroad. And Serge was an IT-specialist. They could hardly have imagined that they would be forced to fight together. But fate ordered it just like that. On the first day after the Russian attack, Alex went to the Military Commissariat and got a weapon. His friends did the same in a few days. They went to the front together. They spent the next few months together. It was the best period in Alex's life. He seemed to feel that he was at home. Still, he was suited better for war than Michael and Serge. Michael was constantly planning what he would do after the victory, and Serge did not believe that there would be any life after the war. He, as if realizing that he would not get out of this adventure, often sang the legendary lines from the song: "I'm no more, I'm already killed." Actually, this time everything was the same. Michael and Alex, returning to the camp, talked about the beautiful future, and Serge softly sang. But these were the last moments of life for each of them. Within a minute, there was already a whistle and burst of shells. Everyone from the squad fell down. But only one was destined to rise. Alex saw his friends die. He heard Michael scream and saw Serge lying lifeless. But he could do nothing to help them. Although Alex was not injured, he also died that day, he just didn't realize it yet.

Some popular tune started playing on the radio again, and Alex's memories were interrupted. The man who once was the soul of the company and dreamed of a great future was sitting on the chair. Now this is a person from whom the soul was taken. Alex saw no more sense in living. He put the glass of whiskey on the table, got up and walked over to the table. He took a gun from the top drawer and leaned it against his chin. His lips said "I'm no more" and his finger pressed the trigger.