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“They’re not just after him, Brown. We’re on top of the list too,” I reminded him and put my hand on his shoulder to try to calm his nerves. “The kid’s got no one but us. He’s someone’s child, Brown. Even more than that, he seems very important to the Taliban. If we leave him, you know what they’ll do to him. Shit, they’ll most likely tape it and share it with the world.”
“What’s one less kid?” he snapped, and I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Brown never gave up on anyone, let alone a child. “Seriously, maybe we can strike a deal.” He blinked a few times. “I mean, we’re leaving this shit country anyway. We’re not their problem anymore. Let’s give them the kid and get a safe ride back to the chopper.”
“What the fuck.” I shook his shoulders. “You’re fucking losing your mind, brother. Listen to what you just said.”
“I just want to go home.” He pushed my hands away.
“We are.”
“With all my friggin’ limbs,” he spat. “Give ’em the kid.”
I hooked his arm and swung him to the ground then tossed his rucksack at his chest.
“Sit the fuck down and get some rest. You’ll never,” I hissed in his face, “repeat what you just said. Ever.”
I looked back at the kid, who quickly looked away. Shit, I could only imagine what was going through his head right now.
I swung my weapon around to the front of my chest and held it in place while I took the first watch. I dropped to the ground and leaned my back against a boulder. I let my head fall back, closed my eyes a moment, and took a deep breath. I hated to admit it, but Brown had a point. The boy was a beacon for these guys. I wondered just what value he had for them. Now that they knew it was just me and one other guy with the kid, they felt we were easy targets and wouldn’t give up.
A shadow blocked the sun from my face, and my eyes snapped open.
“You shouldn’t be out here,” I grunted at the kid in English, but he looked over his shoulder at Brown and then sat next to me. He pulled a small pouch from his bag and rested it on the ground, then untied it and removed a long strap of thin leather. He plucked out a tiny hammer and chisel and what looked to be some metal washers and started to pound something into the side of a washer. Once he was finished with the washer, he threaded it onto the strap and went to work on another.
“What are you making?” I asked in Dari. As usual, he didn’t answer. “You want to tell me your name?” Nothing. I went back to my silence and scanned the horizon. His work barely made any noise and seemed to keep him occupied, so I let him be.
I let my mind wander and found myself mulling over my return to the States. I tried to picture what I would do when I got home. In another reality, I’d probably look for the quickest way back here, but I knew that wasn’t an option anymore.
I was looking forward to seeing my family, and I knew I wanted to get to know my niece. That wasn’t even a question. I wondered what my old hook-up Demi was up to and if she’d be up to our agreement when I got back. I was married to the Army and didn’t want any reason not to be a part of it, so I didn’t date. But I sure missed the feel of a woman under me. That was one of the only downfalls of being here.
An hour later, the boy tucked away his kit. I guessed he’d tired of his project for now. He sat and watched with me. I kind of liked the kid, and he seemed to enjoy the quiet as much as I did.
A twig snapped, and I moved my weapon ready to shoot, but when its eyes found mine, I lowered it with a soft chuckle. The boy wasn’t so relaxed about it, and he scooted his feet up to his chest and burrowed in close to my side.
“The very first night I arrived here,” I said quietly in English, “Moore, Brown, and me were sitting on the outskirts of our camp. We couldn’t sleep. We were just too amped up from the journey here and the unknown of what was to come.” I kept my gaze locked in front of me as I talked. “We grew up together in the northeast, and we joined up together.” I thought about how young we’d all been before our tour, so full of hopes and dreams of saving the world. “Yeah, that’s life, kid. You just don’t know where it’s going to take you.” It had put us in this shithole together, and I couldn’t imagine being here without them.
The kid didn’t move; he just sat and listened to my voice. I hoped it would give him some comfort and maybe he’d fall asleep.
“The stars were bright that night, and the moon gave us enough light so we could see a good distance in front of us.” I kept my voice low and even. “We were thinking of things we could do within our platoon when there was trouble. Like our own way of communicating without anyone understanding it.” The gray wolf stood motionless in front of us as if he listened to my story, too. “And just like now, this wolf appeared out of nowhere. He was a beautiful thing, tall and strong. Well, that ol’ wolf’s eyes locked onto mine, and we had a connection. I could feel it. Then he put his head way back and let out a powerful howl to alert his pack we were there. It echoed through the hills and made the hair on your neck stand right up. Then from somewhere way off in the distance, another wolf answered, just like an echo.”
I’d never forget that wolf, how he looked back at me that first time. It was almost like he understood why we were there. After that howl, he was gone as quick as he’d appeared into the tall grass. I’d spotted him a few times since. I wasn’t sure why, but every time, I swore he made sure I saw him. I smiled to myself and glanced down at the sleepy boy and went on with my story.
“That’s when I decided we needed a call, an echo of our own to use when we were in the mountains. Sure, we didn’t have the range a wolf does, but we perfected it, and we’ve used it countless times since. It worked for us. Other platoons caught on to it, and now we all use it. It’s how we got you.” I rolled my head over to see his sleepy eyes blink up at me. His young face reminded me that we were his only hope of freedom. I wasn’t going to drop him off in the village before we got on that chopper. No way. He was going to the base with me. It was the least I could do for him. I’d made up my mind.
“Sleep.” I spoke in Dari this time, and I felt his body relax and his head lean heavily against my arm.
The next day brought more trouble, and with that, more hostility from Brown. He was losing sight of reality, and I worried about his mental stability. He kept an eye on the kid and would mutter things that were just off and full of confusion. A few times, I had to carry the kid on my back when his legs would give out from all the walking. Mind over matter, I repeated, and it got me through the last leg of our journey.
“Baggage is what gets us killed,” Brown muttered. “You taught me that.”
“Emotional baggage,” I corrected him as I shifted the kid’s weight so it was even with the rucksack slung on my front.
“Have you ever considered he might be chipped? Maybe that’s why they keep finding us.”
I rolled my eyes and wondered what the hell ran through his head when he wasn’t speaking out loud.
“There’s three of us and about a million Taliban. I’d say we’ve been outnumbered since the start of our mission. Give it up, Brown. The kid stays.” The boy’s arms tightened around my neck. I knew Brown made him nervous. I squeezed his hands to let him know he was all right.
When Brown fell asleep that night, I decided to strip him of all but his M16. It was a hard call to make, but I feared for his and the boy’s safety. The kid watched me as he pounded more shapes into his washers. I wondered about his lack of need to sleep. I figured he had to be as exhausted as I was.
