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“Bet it was Sid,” Kevin said.
“Probably,” I agreed.Sid was the most accurate shot in our group.
I eased forward, following the rest of the vehicles in, and nodded to Sid at the gate.
“Home sweet home,” Katie said.“How long do you think we’ll stay?We didn’t even get three meals in at the FOB before this one before we had to move.”
“We’re not on vacation, Katie,” Kevin said as I parked.
“Ease up,” I said.“We know we’re not.”
“Yeah, well, we’re all tired, and whining about it won’t fix anything.”
He got out, and I glanced back at Katie.
“He’s right,” she said.“I was whining.And reminding him of the things he’s missing too doesn’t help his mood.”
“Nope.Sure doesn’t.”
She gave me a tired smile then hopped out to help Sid with the bodies.Cody and Ted were already dragging two inside.Leaving them to the clean-up, I joined Roni and Tom’s team.We worked together to sweep through the buildings, searching for any undead we might have missed.
We found Patrick with the radio while Roland and Sean watched the door.
“Everything’s clear,” Roni said.
“Move the vehicles inside.Prep the lights.Keep ‘em dark unless we need them.Eat and clean up while it’s still light out.You know the drill.”
The drill.We were going to treat this like a night in the field.And that didn’t bother me one bit.I felt safer knowing more of us would be guarding than sleeping.But there was still that part of me that missed the old world.It hadn’t been without its violence, but I’d been able to sleep through the night back then and wished I could travel back in time to better appreciate those solid, eight-hour nights.
Using my time wisely, I joined Roni in the shower then ate a cold MRE before bunking down inside the MRAP.The half-inch thick foam mat that we’d found along the way helped make the floor bearable.It was still uncomfortable as hell, especially when I knew there was a bunkhouse with actual beds and mattresses.But I slept better inside the armored vehicle.
When Roni woke me for my shift, I sat up with a groan and rubbed my shoulder.
“You’re upper deck.Send Cody down.And thanks for warming my spot, princess,” she said with a grin.
“Make sure you return the favor tomorrow night.”I got up and tossed her my blanket—also known as a woobie by Roni and the few other military-minded people in our squad.
Before this, I’d known nothing military-related.The number of terms I’d picked up over the last few weeks boggled my mind, but I understood that what I knew still barely scratched the surface.Thankfully, Patrick was less concerned about saluting and correct terminology and more interested in skills and survival.
As a mashup of mostly civilians, we’d been selected because we had all shown some kind of beneficial aptitude.My steady nerves and adept driving skills under pressure had won me a spot in the Platoon.And it was a win…even if it was also a guaranteed death sentence.
I stretched outside the MRAP and checked the time.Six fitful hours wasn’t bad these days, but it meant we still had a long time until dawn.Leaving the building, I found the ladder and climbed to the roof.Cody saw me, nodded, and carefully rose to a crouch.He handed off his walkie and binoculars when I reached his position.
“Been quiet,” he said softly.He moved to the ladder and disappeared over the edge.
The stars and moon lit the night enough that I could see my breath cloud as I settled onto my belly.A cold wind blew over the roof, and I knew it would be a long night.
I listened and watched, using the thermal binoculars only occasionally to save the batteries.
Slowly, the sky lightened and the stars disappeared.Predawn signaled the end of the night’s guard duty.I gathered everything up and went to the ladder.Katie and Roland were already headed toward the mobile lighting we’d set up in case one of those dogs had gotten close.They dismantled it quickly, and I hurried to the mess hall, hoping someone had made something hot.I found coffee and eggs.Mateo showed up as I was guzzling coffee in between wolfed-down bites of eggs.
“We leave in five,” he said.
“Any word from Irwin?”I asked.
He shook his head.“The message was relayed yesterday morning that this FOB hadn’t responded to the check-in.Patrick thinks we’d missed them by a day.”
Selfishly, I was glad.If we’d been with them, our fate probably would have been the same.
