The North (#wattys2016)

Chapter 27

Journal Entry: 18 NOVEMBER 17:58 HRS ZULU

We’ve just completed rehearsals for the patrol and everyone has been briefed. We made the best representation of the bridge and river that we could, back in the tent - I just hope it’ll live up to the real thing.

I can’t afford a single mistake. Sid is bringing the receiver group for the GPMG.  Mel and Doug will make up fire team one, carrying the 60 mm mortar along with a case of rounds. Cruze is taking the second mortar and I’ll be hauling what’s left of the bombs from Ark One – a dozen rounds. I’ll also haul the tripod for the machine gun. I’ve had Kenny scanning frequencies on the radio to see if we might be able to pick up something, but no luck - I imagine they’ve got their radio communications scrambled. As for us, we’ll bring along one radio set.

We’re going to hit them from three locations. From the northeast, Doug and Mel will take out the sentry on the bridge, along with the pair of Cougars. They’ve only got one M72 each, so they’ll engage their armor only if their crews mount up. I’ll be helping Sid set up a base of fire on the bridge and the modular tent. Cruze and I will cross the bridge and do the same thing on the opposite bank while we wait for Doug and Mel to haul ass over to their secondary position. From there, the plan is to use fire and movement up to the compound - at which time we’ll shoot the creeps and free the people inside. I’ll fire off a red pen flare to signal that the area is secure and the civilians are free, then we’ll take one of Sunray’s vehicles and double back to get our two APC’s. We’ll re-org down in the coulee and decide where to go from there.

             I can’t imagine how we’re going to get through this without taking some casualties. I think we’re all trying to push that out of our minds. I have to trust that if I end up getting killed the survivors will take care of Jo. I was going to have a sit-down with her and explain I might not come back, but she’s not stupid. She knows the risks – we all do. She’s always told me she loves me and believes in me. I’d like to believe in me, too, but I’m scared to death.

And I think if we survive what is to come, we have to accept that we’re fighting a war with two fronts now: the creeps, and Sunray, or those like him.

            I’ll close off this journal for now. I don’t know if I’ll be around for another entry. I don’t know if any of us will be.

***

We left the hide on a northeast bearing, keeping a good 10 paces between each person. Once again, we were relying on Mel to get us there in one piece, and Doug provided rear security as we trudged through ankle-deep snow. The temperature plummeted once darkness set in - according to Mel’s wristwatch thermometer it was below minus 20.

After about 40 minutes of walking, we made it to the snowdrift-covered highway. We crept into the ditch on the western edge, and everyone dropped down onto one knee to have a listen. I doubled up to Mel and peered out over the empty expanse with my night vision scope.

“How far?” I whispered, focusing on the tree line that bordered the edge of the coulee.

“Another 1500m or so,” she said. “It’d be faster if we just high tailed it up the road.”

“When has anything been easy since we left the armory? Wait a minute.”

“What is it?”

I adjusted the focus on the night scope and panned from my left to my right. I could see a glimmer of white light amid the soft green glow of the landscape. White light meant a concentrated source of light, from either a fire or a man-made source. It disappeared into the tree line.