Chapter Five
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Chris walked across the campsite to his commanding officer's quarters, kicking up dust as he went. He knew whatever he was being called for must be very important, so along the way he prepared himself for the worst. He walked into the tiny office, sweat dripping slowly down the sides of his face from the extreme heat.
"You wanted to speak with me, Sir?"
"Yes. We have received word of an Iraqi camp just west of us. I think it would be a good idea if we sent you and a few of your best men over to scope them out, to see what we're up against. You must be prepared for anything, you may very well be attacked when you get close.
Now, I want you to go and pick your best men. Take the rest of today to get ready, and then get some sleep. You'll be heading out very early in the morning."
"Yes Sir," Chris waited until he was excused, and then started back to tell the others the news.
When Chris reached the others he hesitated. They all looked quite content, their spirits higher than they had been for some time. He hated to have to tell them his news, but he knew he had no choice. With a deep sigh he cleared his throat, and everyone looked up.
"Hey Chris, what is it?" Jc asked.
"Justin, I need to talk to you."
Justin frowned at Chris's tone, it did not sound like the normal cheery Chris that had stood next to him not even a half hour before. He stood and walked over to him, careful not to step on Joey, who was sitting on the ground to the left of him.
"Is everything okay, Chris?"
"Afraid not, J. They want me to lead a group of my best soldiers west, to scope out an Iraqi camp."
"Oh..."
"Justin I hate to ask this, knowing what you have back home, and the danger this will put you in. But you're the best out of these men, and... I need you to come with me."
Without a word Justin nodded. He knew there was no way he was going to let Chris down now. They'd all come to far for him to refuse his aid where it was needed. Chris nodded back, and went to collect the rest of his team, which included the rest of he and Justin's circle of friends, and two others.
As they prepared to leave, their commanding officers all came around to wish them luck, which did not help their nerves at all. Friends that were staying behind looked at them as though they were already gone, some did not even look at them at all, but merely walked past. Justin and Chris both gave encouraging smiles to their friends, both seeming to be the only ones prepared to face whatever lay ahead of them.
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"I don't know how much longer I can live off of this crap they call food..." Joey said, looking down at what he had to eat with a frown.
"I know Joe, but it's all we got. Be a man, just swallow it whole or something," Jc said, forcing down his own ration as fast as his body would allow.
The company were all seated around a small area in the forest. They stayed close together to share the light of the four lanterns they dared to lit in the growing darkness. They had hiked through the woods all day, without so much as a hint of their intended target. They shouldn't hit that for a few days, unless it moved.
The other men in the company stood watch close by, keeping an eye on all directions, while the five remaining friends sat and ate. Chris and Justin seemed determined to get their friends minds off of their impending task, and decided to talk more about their families and what it was like where each of them lived.
"When we get back home, I'm gonna invite all you guys to my wedding. It's gonna be a big outdoors one, with lots of food and music, and the whole town's gonna be there," Justin said, already pushing aside his half-eaten meal.
"The whole town? That wouldn't happen up in New York," Joey said.
"No? Well, I know everyone in town, only because it's not to big. And once me and my dad finish working on his boat, we'll take you guys fishing on the lake."
"Sounds like fun, J," Chris smiled.
"My mom's the best cook out of all the surrounding counties, I'll get her to make us all a nice dinner when we get home, and I'll invite Austin over."
"Bet you can't wait for her to have that baby, huh. I've never even thought about having kids," Lance said.
"Neither have I, really. I mean, sure it would be nice. I used to baby-sit all the time for people around town, I loved playing with the kids, but I don't know... This will be different, it'll be mine," Justin said, a little uncertainty in his voice.
"It's no sweat, J. You'll do fine, and you've got a lot of people around you who will help," Chris said.
"Yeah, and if you can make it through this, you can make it through anything," Joey added.
Justin went quiet after Joey's statement, letting his friends switch topics once again. His mind wandered back to while they were still at camp. He hadn't had much time before they left, but he hurried up and packed so he would have time for one last thing. He sat down on his cot and pulled out his pad of paper and a pen, and wrote a letter to Austin.
Austin,
Hi honey, I hope you are doing okay. How is everyone? I really miss all of you, and I can't wait to come home so we can be together again. Maybe I'll even be back in time to see our baby be born... though that's looking a little more distant.
I, along with my friends, have to leave early in the morning, we are on a fairly dangerous mission, but I can't tell you what it is. I just want you to know that I love you, and I will write to you as soon as I get back to camp. Maybe after this last mission is over we can come home.
Well, I have to leave now, I'll need my rest for the mission. I will write to you as soon as I can, please don't worry about me, I will be fine. I love you.
Love,
Justin
He had sent given it to the guard in charge of mail back at the camp before they left, asking him to send it out as soon as he could. The man was usually fairly good at getting things out in a hurry, but Justin just wanted to make sure, he didn't want Austin to worry to much about him, it could hurt the baby if she got to stressed.
Justin found himself slipping away from the dull glow of the lanterns, and into a world of sleepless dreams, and he knew that if he didn't pull himself out of it soon, he would probably have fallen asleep right where he sat. Only one thing pulled him out of his reverie. A movement, barely noticeable in the shadows of the forest, but it caught his eye at just the right moment.
He stood up and immediately reached for his gun, aiming and shooting the shadow before it got out of his sight. His sudden actions startled everyone around him, but Justin ignored their questions as he walked forward into the woods, until he reached the now motionless shadow. He slowly bent down, and dragged the now lifeless Iraqi back into the camp, hearing the surprised gasps of his friends.
"They've sent out scouts... I have no doubt there were more, and they are probably far ahead of us by now. We will have to be extra careful now, if they are on to us," Chris said, his eyes scanning the woods around them for any other signs of movement. He was hoping that this would be a smooth trip, but now he knew that they were in for much more than they were prepared for.
| Chapter One | Chapter Two | Chapter Three | Chapter Four | Chapter Five | Chapter Six |
