Just a Bad Dream

Present Day

The next morning K-unit got up slightly earlier in the hopes to cover a little more ground. They ate and packed everything up quickly, and continued making their way through the muddy terrain. It rained heavily during the night, making the trip even harder. Alex was not pleased with this. He was already struggling enough as it was, and didn't need the extra challenge. He was in a bad mood after yesterday. They were all just so nosey. He even had to turn off all his alarms, which meant he got almost no sleep, because he was too scared of Snake finding out about his nightmares too. And to top it all off Eagle took to singing today rather than talking, which was making the teens headache so much worse. The man is so out of tune that he could be mistaken for a dying cat. After about twenty minutes of the screeching sound Alex couldn't take it anymore.
"Can you shut the fuck up Eagle!", Alex cried.
"Hey, that's bad language!", Eagle said back, in a playful tone.
"I agree with Cub on this one Eagle", Wolf growled.
"Same here", Snake agreed.
"Fine, party poopers", Eagle whined, but complied. He decided to take it upon himself to sulk for the rest of the trip.
The unit was about twenty kilometres in when it started pouring again. The rain was so heavy you could barely see in front of you. Alex could tell he was getting slower, and was struggling to keep up with the group. He contemplated telling them that, but before he could come up with a decision he stumbled to his right and fell into a ditch. He cried out, but no one heard him over the heavy rain. He felt sticks cut into him as he slid down the muddy ditch. The sudden movement of the fall made the boy feel lightheaded, and the urge to just let himself pass out was extremely welcoming.
Alex just lay in the mud, too sore to move. Was it always so cold? Maybe being in front of Snake was a good idea after all. Regret of not listening to his unit plagued his mind as he drifted into unconsciousness.

The rain stayed with them for another ten kilometres before it finally stopped, allowing the sun to peek through the leaves overhead. They were all soaked, and chilled to the bone, despite being challenged physically with every step they took through the thick mud.
"Fuck I hate the rain", Wolf grumbled from the front of the pack. Eagle and Snake agreed, before falling into silence again. The walked for about five minutes before Eagle opened his mouth.
"Guys-"
"Don't start now Eagle, I'm not in the mood", Wolf snapped.
"But it's important", Eagle whined, rather child-like.
"Spit it out then"
"Is it just me or have I not heard Cub's heavy panting for a while"
The entire unit turned around swiftly, realising Eagle was right, he was being awfully quiet.
"Shit", Wolf cursed. "Where the fuck did he go?"
"Cub!", Eagle called out. They stayed silent while they waited for a reply. One they didn't receive.
"He must have fallen back when the rain got heavy", Snake replied calmly, ignoring the sinking feeling in his stomach. "Try contacting him"
"He better be fucking taking a piss or something and just didn't hear us", Wolf grumbled, fear starting to seep into the pits of his gut. God, couldn't they have gotten a normal kid?