Meet Me Under the Full Moon

“This is bullshit. It’s a fucking abandoned car.” The tone of the Major’s voice is agitated and impatient. I turn to my right to see him lunge carelessly toward the burned out shell. White light flashes as the car explodes. The force of the detonation knocks me back several feet. The ringing in my ears hums and buzzes with indifference. I struggle to hear the sounds around me. Metal and glass is imbedded in my flesh. Hot searing pain stabs at my body.

Unable to stand, I fall to the ground. Pain shoots through my leg as if someone has dipped me in hot tar. In the distance, I hear the muted shouts of my comrades. “One KIA, one wounded, we need a chopper now.” I think to myself, am I the wounded or the dead?

The heat of the day leaves me, as my body begins to shiver. It’s 120 degrees out, and I’m freezing. I call out for my crew to give me a head count; their safety is my number one concern.

Hands crush against me as I hear the whispers of my men call out to me. Hold on, Taylor is the last thing I hear before I sink into a peaceful black oblivion.