Kilo-29 (Damned of the 2/19th, Book 15)

Part 55

Site Kilo-29
Winter-1993
Exterior
Day Seven - Dawn

Kincaid pulled Donaldson and me both down into the snow, all three of us sprawling in the hot snow. I was staring Kincaid directly in the face. He looked like he had a sunburn, blisters on his forehead where the shield had been compromised. I could see his eyes moving under the lids, flicking rapidly back and forth. One of his legs was kicking spasmodically, and I heard the igniter pop repeatedly as his finger kept clamping down on the trigger. The ejector assembly kept jerking back and forth, and I could see the muscles in his jaw tense and relax. The crossbow bolt the had penetrated the side of his hood had hit the ground beneath the snow, and it had scraped along his head, digging a bloody furrow up his scalp, the small crossbow bolt at an angle above his head. Blood bubbled from his nose, and I could see that the top of the bridge of his nose was bruised, the same with his eyes. Something had hit him in the face hard enough to break the thick face shield and his nose.

"Holy shit, he's alive." Donaldson said from the other side of him. "Oh my God, he's alive."

"Flamethrower, baby, fuck yeah." I said, starting to laugh at the end of it.

Donaldson joined me, and we both kept laughing as the fat snowflakes spiraled out of the sky and slowly covered us. I heard a generator start up, the coughing roar distinctive.

Kincaid's eyelids fluttered and he groaned.

"Keep going, almost there, almost there." Kincaid groaned. His legs kicked again, kicking me in the shin, but I didn't care, I started laughing harder.

"He fucking beat him. He fucking beat him, Sergeant!" Donaldson cried out with almost religious ecstasy. "I thought we were both so fucking dead."

"He was going to pull our fucking hearts out." I laughed. It had a hysterical tinge to it. I knew it, but didn't care.

Kincaid's eyes opened. "Sergeant? Dee?"

"We're here, man. We've got you." I yelled, wrapping my arms around him the best I could and hugging him tight.

"Here, Kay, we're right here." Donaldson's arms looped around, and his hand hit me in the face, but I didn't care.

"I got him, Sergeant. I figured it out." Kincaid said. His finger was still yanking on the trigger.

"Kincaid let go of the ejector." I said, reaching down with my left hand to grab the ejector where it was between us. I tugged on it twice before he let go and I pushed it away.

"I thought I was fucking trapped when the door started to shut." Kincaid said. His left pupil was fully dilated and he seemed like he was having trouble tracking. He was still breathing heavy, blood bubbling from his nose.

"You made it, man." I told him. "What the hell did you do?"

He closed his eyes, and for a moment I thought he'd gone under again, but he opened his eyes when I opened my mouth to call his name.

"I remembered how he got here." Kincaid said. His leg kicked again. "I realized, he didn't belong here. He was getting stronger with every kill, and I figured it out."

"What?" Donaldson asked.

"The picture. He came through the picture." Kincaid said. "I figured it out on the elevator ride up. I tried to explain it to those meatheads, but they didn't get it."

He shivered. "I'm sweating my ass off, but I'm cold as shit."

"It's snowing." Donaldson said.

Martin hugged my wrist when I switched him from my numb and nerveless right hand to my left. I pulled Martin up and kissed the top of his head.

"Hi, Martin." Kincaid said. "You made it, little guy." Martin reached out, grabbing the front of the faceshield with his arms. "I love you too, little guy."

"He told me it was you, we couldn't tell with the way you were backlit." I told him.

"I almost fucking shot you, but Martin warned Sergeant Ant." Donaldson admitted.

"Thanks, Martin." Kincaid said. "That would have sucked, making it out only get my ass shot at the last second."

"What did you do?" Donaldson asked. "How did you beat him?"

"I burned the picture. I used pretty much the last of my baby's fuel, but I burned it down to fucking ashes, then I ran like hell They were all over me, Sergeant, it was like they just went crazy. Then I came out and Donaldson started shooting at me." Kincaid said. He leaned his head forward and pecked a kiss at where Martin had his face pressed against the glass. "Thanks, little guy. I thought I was dead."

"Sorry, man." Donaldson said. "We couldn't tell it was you."

"So'kay." Kincaid said, blinking slowly.

"I'm not cold any more." Donaldson said.

"I don't hurt any more." Kincaid said.

It was wrong, I knew it was, but I couldn't remember why. I was hot, burning up from the heat, but I was sleepy too.

"We'll just wait for evac right here, boys." I said. "Choppers are only 15 minutes out."

I was lying, but it didn't matter.

It wouldn't matter at all after awhile.

The lie didn't hurt anyone, did it?

The snow kept drifting down. Kincaid was covered with almost a half inch of snow.

"I love you, Martin." I said.

"Love... Martin..." Kincaid smiled. His eyes were closed.

"Martin rules." Donaldson's voice was sleepy.

"There was something coming out of the tunnel." Someone yelled. "I heard gunshots, but nothing since."

"Donaldson! Ant! Sound off!" The Major yelled.

Donaldson lifted up his rifle and fired three spaced shots into the air. The rifle fell from his hand as he dropped his arm, vanishing into the snow.

The Major and three others came out of the snow, the Major leaning over us. "Is that Kincaid?"

"We're done, sir." I said, looking up. It took what strength I had left. "Martin will be OK, though, sir. We saved him."

The Major reached down toward me, and it all went black.