Make My Stand

“Listen up,” Sarge was crouching with his back against the wall, the team were in a semi-circle around him. It was a back street in a desert town overseas. “Air recon tell me this building is of vital strategic significance. It’s on the corner and overlooks the entry point to the town from the hills. If we want to control this block, we need to control the building. Once we are on top floor and everything is secure, we install the heavy machine gun and lay fire on sniper positions across the street. Then sergeant Matthews’ team moves in and we got the street in a pincer.”

Jason looked down the narrow alley, the building was higher than the rest, two levels in total.

”Private, you’re on point. Move out,” commanded Sarge.

Jason was on point, Preacher left and Ramirez right. Then Sarge and Booze. Kowalsky was carrying the heavy machine gun and Bones was covering him. Biggs and Wedge were in the rear.

They entered the ground floor. Jason used hand gestures to show them pathways and they were able to clear the floor in 32 seconds, by the book. Then they moved upstairs, except Jason was having a bad feeling about all this. It was too quiet.

It was his second recon mission, and he was already on point. The were a young team, except Sarge and Preacher, so somebody had to be.

The top floor started with a big room, like a classroom, except no tables. Maybe they sat on the floor.

A curtain moved. Jason turned towards it.

Something lunged forward. He fired a short burst.

The thing fell to the ground.

It was a little girl dressed in black from head to toe.

”Fuck!” he shouted just as voices rose from the next room.

A bearded man ran in with a fire arm. He was dressed in civilian clothes. But he had a goddamn AK-47.

Some shots were fired. Something moved behind Jason. He turned around and that’s when he realized he cannot move so great.

”Medic,” shouted Sarge as the team scrambled about, firing on people coming out of other rooms.

Jason was already on the floor, looking at the dirty ceiling. Preacher was next to him with a med pack.

”Hang in there, boy. You’re gonna be OK, it’s just a flesh wound."

"I don’t feel nothing, Preacher. Are you sure I’m hit?” Jason reached for his side, it was warm. He raised his fingers to his face, they were red.

The shots around stopped. While Preacher was frantically tearing bandage packs open and applying them to Jason’s side, shouts could be heard from the other rooms coming one by one: “Clear! Clear! Clear!”

Jason looked to the side, where the little girl i black lay. She was in a puddle of blood now. Her tiny face was really pale, her lips parted slightly, her eyes calm.

”Get down on the ground! On the ground! Now!” he could hear Booze shouting in the other room.

Preachers stuck a morphine pen in Jason’s side.

”You’re gonna feel better now, kid. Just hang in there, you’re gonna be alright."

"I can’t feel nothing, Preacher. Preacher, I can’t feel nothing,” Jason heard himself say.

The heavy machine gun fire started in the other room. While it was on in long bursts, Ramirez walked in and leaned over to look at Jason. “Coño,” he swore under his breath.

”Hang in there, private. You’re gonna be fine,” Preacher was saying, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”

Sarge was over too. “How’s he doing."

"He’s lost a lot of blood. We gotta get air lift.”

Sarge walked away a few steps, talking to his helmet headset. Jason was looking at the little girl. Her face was like an angel’s.

”Am I gonna die, Preacher? Am I gonna be with Jesus?"

"The Lord works in mysterious ways."

"Please, I don’t wanna die,” Jason was crying, he could not control it. “I’m cold. I don’t wanna die. I’ve been a sinner. Preacher, can you take my confession?"

"You’re not gonna die,” Preacher turned to Sarge, “How’s that air lift?”

Sarge shook his head. Preacher shook his head back.

Sarge was suddenly kneeling by Jason. “Don’t you die on me soldier, you hear? Don’t you dare die on me. Fuck!”

Jason was looking at the little girl he had killed while everything around became white. She was looking back at him with her still eyes, welcoming him to the world of objects.

Then his heart stopped pumping, electricity stopped running through his nervous system, and all of his thoughts, memories, dreams, and fears became inert. Just like a light bulb on his grandfather’s farm when the genny runs out of juice, Jason’s consciousness faded out.

Posted by: Paweł Kowaluk