Post by Deleted on May 19, 2016 22:24:46 GMT -5
"Sir, we're ready for you." It was SGT Chase, Team Leader of 'Reaper 1-2'. SGT Chase led one of the three teams Cole would take out on these 'Search and Secure' missions as they were coined.
Cole sat in his truck on the TC side with the door ajar. He had been lost in thought for the better part of the afternoon. He thought about SGT Yoshida and how she winged him and he wasn't so much angry at that particular fact, he was far less enthused that they couldn't follow it up. She had a lot of fuel in that trailer. Who knows what she had in the trunk. Not that any of that had mattered. It didn't. They pulled a haul themselves, but taking that extra truck with the supplies already stowed would have saved time. And if she had accepted, another soldier to join their ranks.
The shot that grazed his arm was nothing more than a scratch. The one that hit his shoulder passed cleanly through, had been treated and bandaged. It wasn't comfortable but he would certainly live. He was glad for the IOTV's kevlar armor and the steel plates lining it. That first shot could have killed him. The thought hadn't scared him though as that had not been the first time he had been shot at or wounded. Even after the end of the world happened.
"Sir?" came the SGT's voice again and Cole looked to him and nodded.
"How many?" he asked as he slid out of the truck himself. The sun was beginning to set and he wanted to be on the road soon.
"Sergeant Buckler said that four people wanted to accept the offer. Two refused. Even after they were told about the 'Ask, Tell, Make', sir. Matter of fact, that's when they struck Sergeant Buckler."
Cole sighed. They really needed to get moving and daylight was burning. "Get the others separated and in the VIC's." Cole watched the NCO walk away from him and start calling out to his team. He took stock of the scene before them. Two civilian vehicles were on the side of the road. One was an older Ford F-150 with an extended cab and the other was a small Toyota four door passenger car. The car had seen better days as it had a string of bullet holes in the hood of the car, the windshield on the passenger side was shot through and had blood splatters that coated the interior of the car. The door had been opened by one of Cole's men and a civilian man had been dragged out and laid face down on the pavement.
He was dead. Several shots had torn through his upper torso and at least two rounds must have connected with his head as there wasn't much of it left. The top portion of his skull was gone. Next to him was the body of an eight year old girl who had caught some rounds herself, one also catching her in the head. She had been sitting in the back seat of the the man that was now face down in the road.
In front of the car was a man and a woman on their knees with their hands bound behind their backs and one of Myers' troops watching over them. The woman was hysterical, screaming at them for 'murdering' their girl. Myers moved towards the pair and sighed. The truth was, the man that was laying on the ground had leaned out of the car and shot at the lead trucks gunner. The gunner in turn brought the crew serve 240B to bear and engaged with 7.62 caliber rounds. It would have been what Myers ordered. It was an unprovoked attack.
Myers at this point drew his side arm and knelt in front of the pair with a sullen look to him. "You shoot at us, we returned fire and we're the bad guys? I don't think so miss. But your girl, I assure you that was not the intention. The intention was to neutralize the threat. Maybe if you had control of the people in your group..." It was than that she spit on Myers and the guard moved as if about to strike the woman but Myers held his hand up, pistol and all. The soldier nodded and stepped down.
He looked to the alleged father of the girl who was just simply shell shocked. "Sir?" The man looked to Myers and the hatred that burned in his eyes was something Cole had seen before. This man couldn't come with them. Nor could this woman. Both were a liability now. But he wanted to give them one last chance despite his better judgment. "What you both decide right now, here on this road, will affect you for the rest of your lives. I'm sorry about your girl. I truly am. It was an accident. But we need you, we need every single person to fight and take back this cou-"
"Rot in hell, piece of shit. I'll fuckin' kill you. Each and everyone one of you. You best fuckin' shoot me now you coward! Like you shoot children! I'll tear your fuckin' heart out!"
The father's anger boiled over and the woman spit on Myers for the second time. Despite him having the pistol in his hand. Cole holstered the pistol and shook his head. "Tie them together, face to face," Myers said as he stood up. The soldier standing guard hit the man in the back of the head sending him to the pavement dazed and did the same to the woman. Another soldier joined the guard and the pair worked to tie the couple together, face to face as ordered.
The man began to comfort his now sobbing wife. Telling her how they were going to be 'fine'. Cole heard all of this before and he was beyond the false sentiment. It wasn't going to be alright and the 'comforting' lie just angered him. These people brought this on themselves. The man began to say how much he 'loved' her and how they would be with their 'little girl soon' and Cole had enough. He drew his KA-BAR knife from his kit and walked up to the woman, grabbed her by the hair and slit her throat. It was deep and decisive. The man screamed out in rage after what had transpired literally right before him really sunk in. Not to mention the fact he was covered in his dying wife's blood.
"Get them off the road and let's go. We're losing light." He wiped the blood off on the womans shirt before he placed the knife back in the sheathe. The two soldiers that tied man and woman together did as instructed and pulled them off the road and let the pair tumble into a small ditch on the side of the road. "I wish you had reconsidered your options, sir. But I'll let you think about them for a while longer. You got about fifteen minutes I'd reckon to pray to God if you believe in that sort of thing to make your piece. Mount up! We're leaving."
The troops did as instructed. Cole walked back feeling nothing but the throb in his shoulder. The pair had been given a chance. He didn't feel badly about this. He didn't have that luxury. He had a duty to fulfill and that was bring back order. Those that resisted were an enemy to that order.
Cole sat in his truck on the TC side with the door ajar. He had been lost in thought for the better part of the afternoon. He thought about SGT Yoshida and how she winged him and he wasn't so much angry at that particular fact, he was far less enthused that they couldn't follow it up. She had a lot of fuel in that trailer. Who knows what she had in the trunk. Not that any of that had mattered. It didn't. They pulled a haul themselves, but taking that extra truck with the supplies already stowed would have saved time. And if she had accepted, another soldier to join their ranks.
The shot that grazed his arm was nothing more than a scratch. The one that hit his shoulder passed cleanly through, had been treated and bandaged. It wasn't comfortable but he would certainly live. He was glad for the IOTV's kevlar armor and the steel plates lining it. That first shot could have killed him. The thought hadn't scared him though as that had not been the first time he had been shot at or wounded. Even after the end of the world happened.
"Sir?" came the SGT's voice again and Cole looked to him and nodded.
"How many?" he asked as he slid out of the truck himself. The sun was beginning to set and he wanted to be on the road soon.
"Sergeant Buckler said that four people wanted to accept the offer. Two refused. Even after they were told about the 'Ask, Tell, Make', sir. Matter of fact, that's when they struck Sergeant Buckler."
Cole sighed. They really needed to get moving and daylight was burning. "Get the others separated and in the VIC's." Cole watched the NCO walk away from him and start calling out to his team. He took stock of the scene before them. Two civilian vehicles were on the side of the road. One was an older Ford F-150 with an extended cab and the other was a small Toyota four door passenger car. The car had seen better days as it had a string of bullet holes in the hood of the car, the windshield on the passenger side was shot through and had blood splatters that coated the interior of the car. The door had been opened by one of Cole's men and a civilian man had been dragged out and laid face down on the pavement.
He was dead. Several shots had torn through his upper torso and at least two rounds must have connected with his head as there wasn't much of it left. The top portion of his skull was gone. Next to him was the body of an eight year old girl who had caught some rounds herself, one also catching her in the head. She had been sitting in the back seat of the the man that was now face down in the road.
In front of the car was a man and a woman on their knees with their hands bound behind their backs and one of Myers' troops watching over them. The woman was hysterical, screaming at them for 'murdering' their girl. Myers moved towards the pair and sighed. The truth was, the man that was laying on the ground had leaned out of the car and shot at the lead trucks gunner. The gunner in turn brought the crew serve 240B to bear and engaged with 7.62 caliber rounds. It would have been what Myers ordered. It was an unprovoked attack.
Myers at this point drew his side arm and knelt in front of the pair with a sullen look to him. "You shoot at us, we returned fire and we're the bad guys? I don't think so miss. But your girl, I assure you that was not the intention. The intention was to neutralize the threat. Maybe if you had control of the people in your group..." It was than that she spit on Myers and the guard moved as if about to strike the woman but Myers held his hand up, pistol and all. The soldier nodded and stepped down.
He looked to the alleged father of the girl who was just simply shell shocked. "Sir?" The man looked to Myers and the hatred that burned in his eyes was something Cole had seen before. This man couldn't come with them. Nor could this woman. Both were a liability now. But he wanted to give them one last chance despite his better judgment. "What you both decide right now, here on this road, will affect you for the rest of your lives. I'm sorry about your girl. I truly am. It was an accident. But we need you, we need every single person to fight and take back this cou-"
"Rot in hell, piece of shit. I'll fuckin' kill you. Each and everyone one of you. You best fuckin' shoot me now you coward! Like you shoot children! I'll tear your fuckin' heart out!"
The father's anger boiled over and the woman spit on Myers for the second time. Despite him having the pistol in his hand. Cole holstered the pistol and shook his head. "Tie them together, face to face," Myers said as he stood up. The soldier standing guard hit the man in the back of the head sending him to the pavement dazed and did the same to the woman. Another soldier joined the guard and the pair worked to tie the couple together, face to face as ordered.
The man began to comfort his now sobbing wife. Telling her how they were going to be 'fine'. Cole heard all of this before and he was beyond the false sentiment. It wasn't going to be alright and the 'comforting' lie just angered him. These people brought this on themselves. The man began to say how much he 'loved' her and how they would be with their 'little girl soon' and Cole had enough. He drew his KA-BAR knife from his kit and walked up to the woman, grabbed her by the hair and slit her throat. It was deep and decisive. The man screamed out in rage after what had transpired literally right before him really sunk in. Not to mention the fact he was covered in his dying wife's blood.
"Get them off the road and let's go. We're losing light." He wiped the blood off on the womans shirt before he placed the knife back in the sheathe. The two soldiers that tied man and woman together did as instructed and pulled them off the road and let the pair tumble into a small ditch on the side of the road. "I wish you had reconsidered your options, sir. But I'll let you think about them for a while longer. You got about fifteen minutes I'd reckon to pray to God if you believe in that sort of thing to make your piece. Mount up! We're leaving."
The troops did as instructed. Cole walked back feeling nothing but the throb in his shoulder. The pair had been given a chance. He didn't feel badly about this. He didn't have that luxury. He had a duty to fulfill and that was bring back order. Those that resisted were an enemy to that order.