Page 75 of Just Like This
“Let’s deal with this scouting mission first, okay? And then we’ll deal with sorting out your marriage.” I clapped a hand across his back and squeezed his shoulder. “Congratulations, by the way. I’m sorry I didn’t get you a gift.”
“Shut up, man, or I’m going to tell everyone on base about that Skype chat you had a few weeks ago.”
“How in the hell do you know about that?”
“Thin walls, buddy. Thin fucking walls.”
I shoved him playfully as we all assembled in front of the row of Humvees and Bradley tanks. Our leader gave us a few quick orders before dismissing us to our assigned vehicle. As soon as the rest of the troops were loaded, the convoy headed out. It would be a long few weeks scouting rebels, but it was necessary. The roadside bombs weren’t just hurting us; they were damaging all of the coalition forces and our increasing efforts to stabilize the region.
These trips took forever because the convoys were slow, rolling through the rocky terrain. If one of the vehicles broke down, then every vehicle stopped until it was repaired. I had my eye on the terrain through the scope of my weapon as we moved along. From the corner of my eye, I caught movement, and silently, I signaled to those in the vehicle. I heard the driver call the others and watched as the entire line came to a halt.
I remained steadfast, watching with a trained eye, waiting for something, anything. There was a flash of light and then BANG! The first truck in the convoy blew and the sinking feeling that I had carried with me all day intensified. This was an ambush. I stayed put, waiting for orders from the commanding officers. Other than the first explosion, there was no other action. But I was prepared if anything or anyone dared to move in our direction.
That first explosion must have acted as a signal because, after a few minutes, there was another explosion. Everyone in the vehicle hurried out to take up defensive positions and create a perimeter.
“Son of a bitch,” I hissed. Today was not the day. This was not the mission. I was not going to die. “I cannot believe this is happening.”
“Fucking assholes,” Jackson muttered. We were close together, pressed against the side of our Humvee. Inch by inch, we moved until both of us lay flat on our bellies with our weapons ready. My eye was glued to my scope, and my finger poised right over my trigger, ready to strike.
My gear felt ten times heavier as I waited. My armor weighed me down until my breathing became labored. This was not happening; I was not panicking. My heart rate increased, and my vision became spotty. I pulled back from my scope and blinked rapidly, trying to clear my sight, but nothing was working.
“Fuck, Jackson,” I groaned. “I think I’m going to have a heart attack.”
“Hang tight, man. This will all be over before you know it,” he said in a surprisingly calm voice.
The sharppop-pop-popof bullets piercing the air put me back on alert. Sweat dripped down the side of my face as I continued to watch and wait.
“How you doing?” Jackson whispered when things were silent again.
“I don’t know what the fuck is wrong with me,” I confessed. “I’ve never felt this kind of panic before.”
“We’ll get through this, and then you can go back to Gig Harbor to Cami, okay? Just think about that.”
Thinking about Cami calmed me, but it was a bad idea because it distracted me. Her smile and blue eyes appeared in front of me as if she was really there in the flesh. The vision was so real and lifelike that I started to reach out until Jackson grabbed me and pulled me back as our Humvee exploded.
Debris flew everywhere, and something smacked into me, knocking me back into Jackson. We scrambled to get to safety, but my legs were like lead. I couldn’t move. I shoved Jackson out of the way just as my head began to spin and then everything around me started to go black. Just before I lost consciousness, I saw several pairs of feet running toward us. There were voices speaking quickly and in hushed tones, but my ears were ringing from the explosion, and I couldn’t tell what they were saying. Hands grabbed at me, dragging me from the burning wreckage until I was lifted and put into the back of another vehicle. And then I gave in and let the blackness take over completely.
