The Hijinks War

52. Extraction

Fatigue clad men ran through the woods at us―too far out for us to hear what they were shouting. As the first man reached us, he yelled into a walkie clipped to the front of his flak jacket, "We found them! They're in the trees!" His eyes washed over me in my sling and he added a request for medics and shouted what sounded like coordinates after checking his watch.

As more soldiers ran into our camp, he yelled again, this time addressing all of us. "I am Sergeant Egers with the United States Army, please stay calm and come on out. We've come to get you all out of here."

Kellen's hand squeezing mine brought me out of my stupor long enough to answer the question Sergeant Egers' had directed at us. I pointed to the tents where the injured were; real medics scurried into our camp, carrying proper medic bags and lunging into the tents.

I snapped at the one who tried to look at my arm, "Mark really needs you in there, I'm fine."

It was happening, we were getting out of here! I swallowed hard and shoved down the swell of emotions rising in my chest. Students began to emerge from their blinds, finally convinced by the number of helicopters passing that this was not a dream.

Sergeant Egers looked up in awe as the rope ladders were dropped and bodies started practically sliding down them. He looked impressed at the scope of just how many faces he was looking up at.

"Who's in charge here?" he asked one of the junior girls who had hurtled at him and latched herself around him in a hug. When she couldn't answer him for all her crying, he asked some nearby boys. He set the girl down, and approached Kellen and I.

"I'm told you are in charge here?" He wore a small smile as he said, "This is impressive. You kids did amazing."

"This isn't all of us. There is another camp with about 100 kids."

"We are aware. Ms. Kida and Ms. Tripp notified us."

Jess and Emma!

"Thank God!" I heard Robert say nearby―I hadn't even realized he'd joined us, as had much of the rest of our leaders.

"They're okay?" I felt relief when Sergeant Egers nodded.

He seemed to want to say more, but I turned to the people who'd gathered around me. "Jacks, Brian, Rob, assemble all the squads one at a time, make sure they have all their things. Hads, the evacuee lists please."

Sergeant Egers' eyebrows raised as they ran off, shouting orders at the students like tiny versions of himself. "80 students here, 100 at the other, that's a lot to undertake. How you managed all this, is amazing."

There was that word again, but I shrugged it off. It was what we'd needed to do.

"Organization." I said watching as Jackson caught bag after bag that was being thrown down from the blinds. Brian was already assembling students in lines according to squads, with Katy's help.

As a medic ran past me out of Mark's tent, I caught his arm, "Mark? How is he? Is he going to be okay?"

"He'll live."

My stomach turned at his callous response, and I bit my tongue to stop myself from saying that didn't mean he'd be okay. They were helping, I just had to let them do their jobs. I dropped it and turned back to Sergeant Egers as Kellen said, "There are students that couldn't make the trip with us, they're still at the school."

"Yes. We've already been there, those students are being dealt with."

My heart leapt. "Were they all ok? Please tell me they were all ok."

His answer wasn't really an answer but a funny nod, and it made my stomach drop. "Have your injuries been taken care of, Ms. Kemper?" He knew very well they hadn't been. Smooth subject change Sergeant.

"I don't have any injuries. I want to know―"

"That's an awful lot of blood for someone who isn't injured." He stopped me from asking again, his eyes darting to all the other students gathering in rows with their squads.

He wanted to avoid hysteria; whatever had happened at the school had to have been bad. I closed my eyes to steady my breathing, deciding I couldn't crumple again, like I had when Mark got hurt. I needed to hold it together, if not for myself, then for all the others who were struggling with what we'd been through.

"It's not my blood."

"No? What happened to your arm?" he asked, waving a medic over.

"It's just sore from firing a shotgun."

He stared at me in shock, as if he were measuring me against some expectation he'd had in his head. "Should I ask?"

Thinking about it made me shake and Kellen's hand found mine again; it seemed to be enough of an answer for the Sergeant. He turned to a nearby soldier. "Prepare for extraction. I'll need you in the first group Ms. Kemper."

"No. Nuh uh. No way." I crossed my good arm over the one in the sling. "I stay until everyone else is gone."

He looked torn, but eventually walked away, muttering something that sounded like, "They said you'd do that..."

He glanced at me as he spoke into his walkie, then came back. "Fine. You'll probably be more useful here anyway."

I wondered what reason he'd have had for wanting me to go back in the first group, but put it out of my mind quickly as I set myself to making sure everyone was ready. I handed Kellen some of the evacuee lists and we separated to check the assembled squads.

"Sergeant Egers," I yelled. "They're ready to go!"

I stopped and watched as bright red and white helicopters neared us; medevac. Mark, Eric and two others who were in bad condition, were brought out on stretchers. Between checking the lists of students, I watched as they were lifted one by one to the two waiting choppers.

"Jacks, take over!" I slapped my lists into his hand and ran to Mark's side.

Becca was already there, promising his sleeping face that she would be at his side when he came to. I was used to an exuberant Mark, solid with muscle and always wearing the slightest hint of a tan, not the insignificantly small and pale boy on the stretcher. He wasn't shaking anymore, finally tranquil with the help of the medications they'd given him. I pushed back the blonde hair that was plastered to his fever-hot forehead and kissed it, whispering, "I'm sorry, lil bro." 

"He'll be fine." The paramedic gently separated Becca and I from Mark, and began hooking the stretcher up to be lifted. "We'll be taking him to the nearest hospital. You can call there to check on him."

We watched his stretcher ascend; it swayed a little in the wind until it was caught by someone in the chopper and pulled out of our sight.

"Becca?"

We turned to see one of the soldiers behind us. "Which one of you is Becca? You're going back with the first group."

I wondered whose decision that was, but hugged her firmly before sending her off to join Robert who was also going back with the first group. He waved some papers at me―the second copy of the evacuee lists, perhaps―before brushing the back of his arm over his face and leaving.

Blinking my eyes repeatedly, I refused to cry. At least not yet, though I knew it was coming. It was highly likely I wouldn't see either of them when I got back to the Academy―maybe ever again.

Why do you think they wanted Nicole to go back first?