Page 114 of Mariposa
“So…what’s the call, Master Sergeant?” I manage to force out of my dry lips, still with my eyes closed.
“I thought I told you not to talk. Save your energy, soldier,” he growls.
Booker clears his throat.
“What do you want to do, O’Connell?”
“We’re hiking back to the closest FOB. It’s our only option. I’m sure they’re already looking for us. They might find us on the way.”
Everything grows quiet as my two superiors stare at each other menacingly like beasts ready to fight to the death. They’renot holding that energy towards one another, but rather for each other. The way Booker relaxes, his tears dissipating into thin air, tells me Kade knows his best friend like the back of his hand. Kade is just like that—always knowing what to say and when to say it to keep the morale and mission on track.
A buzzing, fatal bee zips right past my ear and burns the flesh on my cheekbone with its grazing shell. My first instinct is to scream, but I’m silenced by Kade pulling me into his chest, shielding me. His hardened muscles coil me tighter until it hurts.
I’ve been shot in the face.
“We’re taking fire; we’ve got to move!” Kade booms.
44
VIOLET
Turns out the shot to my face was a graze.
Just when they had finished retrieving every single body from the crash and placed them away from the fire, is when we took fire. Everything else was getting burned to ashes. We still have most of the gear we strapped ourselves with, but many things are missing, like my knife, pistol, and grenades.
We escaped enemy fire with the help of smoke grenades.
It’s been around two hours since we were last attacked at the crash site. We’ve been hiking in silence, and I’ve been holding my ground with slow breaths. I’ll allow myself to feel the shock of this aftermath later, but my team needs me right now in my best-trained version. All of my instructors have taught me to be strong and unwavering. We are people willing to lay down our lives for the mission and each other. We’ve been tested time and time again for moments like this. We don’t quit. We find a reason to keep fighting until our last breath.
Thunder vibrates the ground, and lightning cracks above the tall trees. The sky grows darker as another heavy cloud falls over us. The smell of wet dirt becomes thicker, and a second later,heavy rainfall patters down upon us. The sounds of nature helps quiet our movements.
“We were so fucking close to finding the target, fuck!” Booker hisses.
The Surgeon is still out there.
“It makes sense. When the whole world is looking for one guy, everything becomes trickier. We’re going to get him, Chaos.”
“I can’t believe you two lovebirds are by my side.” Booker breaks the tension first. Always the most unserious. “Or should I say two devils? Yeah, I saw that desk.”
“Fucking hell, Chaos,” Kade scoffs while I muster all the strength to withhold the roar of laughter in my chest. My stomach, head, and feet are still killing me.
I blink at Kade slowly, waiting for him to say something.
Fine.
“What’s your favorite movie? We’ve known each other for over a year, and I still don’t know what it is…or your favorite color.” He never answered my question when I asked him the first time in his office.
“Isla, what the fuck. You’re supposed to be getting rest,” Booker snaps as he hops over a log. He raises his rifle to his eye again, peeking through the scope. He’s got our six while Kade leads the way.
“I’m not asking you. I’m asking Master Sergeant,” I bite back.
Kade snickers and licks his teeth. Dipping his head back, he shuts his eyes tight.
“I thought I told you that if it’s unrelated to work, you don’t speak to me.”
He reminds me of my place in his world, and I don’t like it. I deflate into his chest, and my chin drops into his collarbones. We really are over.
“Lord of the Rings, but the books are better…and yellow.”
