While the dust ploughed toward them, Blake, Vincent and three members of the Ground Unit crouched down on one knee, aiming their rifles at the corner of the mud wall. Iggy turned to watch the rear of the patrol, and knelt down, aiming his rifle to shoot anyone who dared approach them from behind. Gray and Zabba had already positioned themselves low, and were looking in every direction visible to them, Gray aiming her M249 SAW rifle toward the forming dust cloud in case an insurgent fighter happened to run in their direction.
Everyone’s voices sounded strange and strained in the confusion as they communicated with each other—the screams of the injured Marines still coming from around the corner.
“Oh my God, we gotta get them out of there,” Gray yelled out between rasping snorts. She squeezed her eyes shut as the dust reached her, and held her breath for as long as she could.
Zabba was on edge, he held his tail between his hind legs, and whined in a high-pitch tone.
“Okay, Zabba, okay,” she said to him, changing her voice to a soothing tone to calm him down.
Iggy radioed the base for assistance in airlifting the injured Marines out of there, not even sure if both of them were alive. “Fuck, fuck,” he muttered to himself, his nostrils flaring as he rapidly looked around with wide eyes.
The three members from the Ground Combat Unit gave the all clear for the patrol to move forward. Instantly the team moved as one, each Marine looking left and right and behind, and checking the stony ground for any more buried IEDs, adrenaline coursing through the veins of each of them.
Cautiously, they made their way to the edge of the mud wall, the front man looking around the corner. “Clear,” he announced, then the three of them quickly charged over to the injured Marines.
Both men were lying flat on their backs, one with a deep gouge in his leg and wounds to his hands and face. The other had more serious injuries. His foot had been blown off, and he was missing a few fingers. Both cried out to their colleagues as they dropped to their knees to help aid their injured team members.
“You’re going to be okay, Kev,” Casey said to the Marine with the lesser injuries, while he saw to the needs of his other colleague. “Mike, listen to me. We’ve radioed the base to get you airlifted out of here. They’ll be here any moment, just hang in there, buddy, okay.”
Mike grabbed hold of Casey’s arm and raised his head from the ground. Grinding[AW1] his teeth, and wincing from the pain, he stuttered, “H-how b-bad is it, Casey? Tell me th-the truth. I got Marie and the kids t-to think about.”
Casey slowly blinked his eyes, wet with emotion, then stared up at the sky until the dust-filled air forced him to blink again. He gradually looked down, and cast his gaze along the length of Mike’s leg. He couldn’t mask his feelings, not in this situation, and, sighing heavily, licked his lips, and then looked back at Mike’s agonized face.
“You stepped on an IED. I’m sorry, Mike, but it blew your foot off.” He looked away and tucked his chin into his armpit, trying to hold his emotions in check. “I’m really sorry, Mike,” he whispered.
Mike let go of Casey’s arm and closed his eyes. “Fuck!”
“Where the fuck is that helicopter?” Casey yelled back at Iggy.
“It’s here, I can hear it,” Iggy yelled back.
Dust swirled low on the ground, then turned into a mass of rising particles when Medevac arrived in an Osprey helicopter. It hovered close to the Marines, then landed at the edge of the compound. Two medics were escorted by Vince and Blake, who had made their way over to them. It was an operation on its own, as, without hesitation, the two injured Marines were strapped into stretchers and then carried back to the armed helicopter. The pilot had kept the rotor blades going, and as soon as the Marines were boarded and secured, they were airlifted out of the area.
Even though two of their unit had been hurt, the unit still had a job to do, and had to remain focused, or their lives would be at risk. They all put their personal thoughts aside and continued with the mission in hand.
Casey led the patrol, with Blake and Vince following close behind, and Iggy, Gray and Todd paced carefully behind. Zabba, still unnerved from the explosion, panted at Gray’s heel.
“Good boy, Zabba, you got this,” she encouraged him again.
Still shaken, the patrol trod with caution, listening and looking in all directions, while the sun glared down on them.
“Gray, you okay?” Iggy asked, edging up alongside her and turning his head away to maintain eye contact with the compound around them. Gray’s stomach was flipping over, as if a dozen horses had charged inside her.
“Yes, just shaken up. You?”
“Yeah, the same. Blake, Vince, you guys good?”
Both raised their hands to confirm.
Gray turned her attention to the Marine next to her. “I’m sorry about—”
“Don’t be. If we think about it now, we’ll lose focus. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a heartless bastard, we’re all equally important, but I just want to find our target. I’m Todd, that’s all you need to know about me right now. No emotional ties make it easier to deal with.”
“Yeah, I get it.” Saliva thickened in Gray’s mouth, leaving a rancid taste. She looked back at Iggy and gave a single nod to let him know she was fine, and ready to continue with the mission.
They searched house to house, kicking the doors open with aggressive force, then sent Zabba inside to seek out the enemy. It wasn’t until they reached the forth house when Zabba showed a change in his behavior. His body tensed, and his ears pricked forward, and when he entered the next room, he threw a final response at a closed door, sitting in front of it with his mouth closed and his eyes intense.
Gray alerted her team, informing them there was someone behind the door, and immediately Casey, Todd and Blake moved cautiously toward it, aiming their rifles directly at the makeshift planks of wood.
“Come out, we know you’re in there,” Casey said firmly.
The door didn’t open.
Casey stepped closer to the door and yanked the latch across, then stepped back. The door swung open, creaking eerily on its hinges until it came to a slow stop. Inside, the small, dark room was filled with stagnant air, and a thin, older man with a long, graying beard, stood with his head bowed and his hands clasped in front of him.
“Get the fuck out of there,” Casey ordered.
The man stepped out of the room, still keeping his head bowed.
Casey eyeballed Todd, then Blake, ensuring they maintained their rifles pointed at the target. “Show me your papers.”
The man remained still, his eyes downcast, as if he had something to hide.
Casey searched him carefully, and found his papers hidden inside a secret pocket in his shirt. After checking them, he was able to make a positive identification. Muhammed Abdo. The man was dangerous, and on their wanted list. “Get him out of here.”
He was then led away and taken into custody.
“Zabba, come,” Gray said with a commanding tone, motioning to him to come to her by tapping her thigh. He sided at her legs and looked up at her. “Good boy, Zabba. You did good today.” She patted his neck, then stroked his back while she gave him praise.
Zabba jumped up on his hind legs and playfully nudged her in her armpit.
Chapter Two
The clear, dark sky was illuminated by thousands of twinkling stars, and the crescent moon, looking like an opal brooch, gave the ground nothing but darkness and elongated shadows, creating ghostly outlines disbursing into nothingness. The temperature had dropped significantly, and compared to the daytime climate, felt almost as if it was freezing.
But Gray needed to breathe in the air, and took her laptop outside. Sitting on an upturned bucket in front of a fire pit, she Skyped her friend, who lived in Seattle.
“Hey, Michelle, what’s happenin’ girl?”
“Hey, long time no hear,” Michelle jokingly complained as she leaned in close to her computer screen.
“I
know. It’s been kind of crazy for me lately.”
“Yeah, I bet. You shot anyone yet?”
“Fuck, it’s not like that, Michelle.”
“How’s Zabba doing? I bet the heat’s getting to him.”
“He’s doing great. His training has really paid off. I’ve left him sleeping in my room.”
“Aww. You still actin’ all tough with those guys?”
“Yeah, I have to, but we got each others’ backs. As soon as a bird lands with new troops, there seems to be a sense of morality induced into the camp. It reminds us we’re here to protect the lives of our fellow Americans, and to protect our brothers…So, how’s Nikki doing?”
“And I thank you from the bottom of my heart for keeping us all safe. I wondered how long it was goanna take for you to ask about Nikki. Man, she’s bad news, you know that. Best thing you ever did was dump her fucking ass. Last I heard, she was shacked up with a heroin addict. She’s lost her looks, and she’s aged, and I mean really aged. I know you tried to keep her off it, but it was just a matter of time before she fell back in with drug addicts. You did good, girl, that’s all I’m sayin’.”
Gray lowered her head and sighed with a gentle touch of sadness—the orange glow from the fire pit enhancing her features, while the darkness outlined her silhouette with precision. Her relationship with Nikki had been bitter-sweet for over two years – constantly arguing over where Nikki would disappear to for days on end, and then making love and forgetting anything had happened. She knew at the time there were issues with Nikki being a drug addict in the past, but she thought she’d combatted it, and cleaned herself up when they were together. Denial played a huge role in their relationship, and it almost brought her down to Nikki’s level. Letting her go was the hardest thing she’d done, but if she hadn’t, she’d be right there with her, or dead. She raised her face and gave Michelle a half-hearted, broken smile. “I tried to save her. I gave her money for her to get counselling, and she did start to go, at least, I think she did. Maybe I didn’t try hard enough, I could have done more; I just needed time. I should have been there for her—”
“You listen to me. It’s not your fault she’s where she is now. There’s absolutely nothing more you could have done for her. She’s bad news, scum, Gray, and you got out at the right time. I would have lost my best friend, if you get what I’m sayin’. You’re doing something good now, so get that crap out of your head and do what you’re doin’, savin’ lives, eh?”
Gray stared hard at Michelle, and smacked her fists on her thighs to alleviate her frustration. “There was a time when I felt worthless after I let her go. She got to my fucking heart, man.” She raised her face and let out a groan a theatre audience would have applauded.
“I know, babe. I know it’s hard, but you’re tougher than that. Just look at you, GI Jane, eat your heart out. You’re looking pretty darn hot in that get up. And you have the stars behind you. I’m goanna take a pic of that, and show my buddies; you expect some friend requests in the next day or two, he he he.”
“Idiot. Yeah, it’s late here. Must be mid-morning your end, eh?”
“Yeah, I’m going to buy myself a new dress today. Got myself a hot date tonight, so I gotta look good, know what I’m sayin’?”
Gray relaxed her posture, and reigned in her emotions. “Oh yeah, and who’s the lucky lady?”
“I’ll show you; I have a pic of her on my phone.” She picked up her phone and showed Gray a pic of a girl in her early-twenties. She had her arms around Michelle’s shoulders, and the two of them were laughing as they looked at the camera.
“You look really happy together. How long’s this been going on?”
“Two weeks and three wonderful days. She’s hot, and she’s also got a nice personality, so I’m in a win-win situation. Oh, yeah, I almost forgot, there’s a letter here for you. Looks like it’s from your mom.”
“Mom? How do you know?”
“Well, it’s handwritten on the envelope, and it’s addressed to Francesca Grayson. I don’t know too many people outside your family who call you that, being as you changed it years ago.”
“Hell, no one does. I hate it. Open it up and tell me what it says.”
Michelle held the envelope up for Gray to see the handwriting, her freshly painted nails sparkling with white polish and yellow daisies artistically added. “You sure? I can always mail it to you.”
“Just read it to me. It must be something important, ‘cos she wouldn’t write to me if it wasn’t.”
Michelle ran her thumbnail along the edge of the envelope and opened it, then guided the letter out and unfolded it. “‘Francesca,’” Michelle looked at Gray with a sideways glance, “She didn’t even add, ‘My dearest’, or ‘darling.’” She coughed under her breath to disapprove of the lack of consideration from a mother to her daughter. “‘I am writing to inform you that your father passed away last week. I’m not even sure if you’re going to get this letter on time, so I made arrangements for his funeral, and it will be held on the 18th of this month, which is five days from now. I’m not sure what else to write, other than he went peacefully in his sleep. He’d been diagnosed with cancer a few months ago, and refused to have treatment. You know how stubborn he can get when he wants to be. Well, I suppose if you get this letter on time, I’ll see you at the funeral, if you should decide to come. I hope you are well. My regards, Your Mother.’” When Michelle looked up from reading the letter, she was met with a screen filled with night sky and stars. “Gray?”
After hearing her father had passed away, Gray didn’t need to hear any more of the letter. She had hidden herself in the shadows of the base wall, and pressed her forehead firmly against the plaster, tears pouring from her eyes. She had hardened up over the years, and letting anyone see her commit a weak act such as crying made her feel shame for herself. Her chest tightened, and an ache developed in her heart as if it was breaking. “I didn’t even know he was sick,” she whispered—her breath lacing over her fingers as she dug her nails into the plaster.
“Gray, are you there? I’m s-sorry, I should have read it first and prepared you for the sad news.”
“I’m here, Michelle. I just needed a moment.” She sat back on the bucket, wiping her eyes before Michelle could see her tears.
“I know it’s been a few years since you and your parents last spoke, but I am really sorry.”
“I know you are. So am I. Look, it’s late, I have to go now. Have a nice time on your date, and give her one for me.”
“Normally I’d give you shit for saying that, but I’ll let you off today. I’m really sorry, Gray. I wish I was there with you.”
“That’s okay, I know I shouldn’t have joked, it was in poor judgement. I’ll speak soon, okay.”
“Okay, and stay safe.”
Gray closed the laptop and studied the sky for a while. Each cluster of stars seemed to shine brighter than the cluster next to them. “I never got to say sorry, dad. I’m sorry for the hateful things I said to you.” She picked up her laptop and headed back inside, where she closed the door to her room, kicked off her boots, pulled back the bedsheet and climbed into her bunk. She laid on her back, her hands behind her head and her eyes wide open, and thought about the last time she’d seen her parents. They’d argued over her coming out to them, and she’d given them the option to choose to have her in their lives as she was, or not to have her in their lives and she’d live how she wanted to anyway. Too many hateful words had passed between them, words that couldn’t be taken back. When she had left with just a few personal items and a duffle bag of her clothes, she had ended up living with Michelle and her parents for a year until her application into the Marines had been approved. She wasn’t even sure if her parents knew she was a Marine; she’d never written to them to let them know, and by her mother mailing her a letter to Michelle’s address, she had to consider that they didn’t.
Chapter Three
It was as though Zabba had understood Gray’s sadne
ss. He sat at the side of her bunk and placed his muzzle in her open hand while she slept. A low-tone whimper informed her it was time to wake.
Gray gradually opened her eyes, and met with an adorable face with bright glossy eyes she couldn’t help but smile at. Speaking in a soft voice, she said, “You just get me, don’t you?”
•••
Stifling heat radiated in the air, making the morning patrol harder on the Marines and Zabba.
“Fuck, I’m sweating like an onion frying in a pan,” Iggy complained as they trekked over the stony path.
Gray grinned at his wit. “Why would you compare yourself to onions frying?”
“Dunno. Just fancied a nice plate of home cooking, food my mom would make. You know, the real deal. No one cooks like a mom cooks.”
“You’d have a different opinion if you’d have grown up in my house. My mother couldn’t cook, not properly anyway. She fed me take away food during most of my upbringing. Still, it didn’t do me any harm…I got news my dad died.”
“Shit. I’m sorry. I had no idea you even had a dad.”
“We hadn’t spoken in years. I don’t even feel sad about his death. Well, maybe I did for a few minutes, but he died in my heart a long time ago. I think now it would be like re-burying him. God, parents can be so fucked up.”
“That sucks.”
While they swept for IEDs and any suspicious spots around trees, bushes and ditches, where weapon stashes could be hidden, a suspicious person was spotted in a field just to the side of them. Iggy immediately pointed him out to the troop.
“He’s watching us, that’s not a good sign, I think he’s a scout, this area’s dangerous.”
The man crouched down, and as soon as the squad of Marines understood him to be a threat, a shot was fired in their direction. The squad crouched and took cover, then fired a hail of bullets in his direction. He fired several shots back at them, most of them zipping past the Marines, but one bullet almost hit Gray. She just managed to move in time, and the bullet hit a tree she and Zabba had crouched next to.
Marine Page 2