Warning: This video contains scenes of graphic violence including death which may be unsuitable for some viewers. Viewer discretion is strongly advised.

One of the most visceral pieces of combat footage ever released by the Islamic State captures the moment one of their fighters is killed while retreating towards another fighter packing magazines.

If you want real and intense combat, this is about as real as it can possibly get. This video's a bit older, and it was sitting on my hard drive, but it's not currently up on the webpage anywhere and I was just reminded of it by a Reddit post I saw a bit earlier in the day. What you're looking at is two ISIS fighters attempting to bound back away from the enemy after a failed assault. One of the fighters, specifically the one wearing the GoPro, is laying in the prone position as rounds crack overhead frantically trying to pack magazines. The one who is about to die makes a mad dash to attempt to get into some form of defilade, and ends up shot through the lungs or heart in the process.

The fighter that is shot most likely dies inside of twenty seconds. If he had been shot in this fashion while sitting directly on an operating table with a medical team prepped for surgery, there would still be almost no hope for him to have survived the injury. The second fighter seems to understand this, as he simply scoots himself over behind the dead fighter and continues to pack his magazine so that he can continue his retreat. He offers absolutely no aid whatsoever to the wounded man, as he likely knows that even attempting to help him would result in his own death.

In film and literature alike, war is romanticized, as is the warrior. What they fail to capture in almost every single rendition of theater or fiction is the reality of modern combat looks like on the ground. War is brutal, terrifying, and there is often absolutely nothing you can do about it. This video personifies that entirely.

The only solace we can take away from this video is that we're watching two members of the Islamic State have this reality happen to them. In this moment, you can bet neither man was thinking about martyrdom. Neither man was wondering if Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was going to come and save them. Neither man was concerned about anything but hopefully escaping with his own life. They probably should have thought through this scenario before they ended up on the martyr reel of a propaganda video showing the executions of dozens of people who were killed simply for not agreeing with their rendition of the Quran.