of the street. Leif was behind him by half a dozen steps.
A small movement two buildings up caught Spence’s attention. He motioned for Nick and Leif to slow down while he waited to see it again. Yes! There. Someone was hiding behind a broken down car that had been stripped of every useful bit of metal. Even the wheels were gone, leaving the wreck sitting directly on the ground and blocking any chance of seeing who had taken refuge behind it.
That was the trouble of fighting in an urban area. It was just as likely to be some stupid kid late returning home from a day spent begging outside of the camp gates. Women were more likely to keep close to home, making the probability the lurker was female less likely.
Should he give a shout out? Telling whoever it was to raise their hands and walk out slowly? Anyone in this hellish place knew the score. If they got caught in the crossfire, it was their own damn fault. But if he were to shoot a kid . . . well, yeah, he’d hate it. But he’d long ago decided that the lives of his friends took precedence when faced with a split-second decision.
Before he took another step, their quarry broke cover and came up firing. Spence and Nick returned fire, sending the enemy twisting and turning backwards until he collapsed on the ground.
One down.
They kept moving, knowing the shots might bring more just like him out of hiding. Nick was on the radio, updating the rest of the patrol on what was happening. It wasn’t over, though. Yeah, occasionally they ran into a single idiot determined to sacrifice himself on the altar of violence.
But one man didn’t attack a convoy. That kind of predator hunted in packs. The rest were somewhere nearby. Nick signaled to the others that the patrol was coming this way since they’d reached the end of the block without flushing out anyone.
Spence knelt down, changing his angle of sight. Sure enough, there was another shooter on the roof four doors down, which meant it was likely there was another on the other side. If the enemy had stayed down, they would have caught the patrol in a withering crossfire from above.
Despite the grief his friends had given him that day on the basketball court, they all know Spence had a real talent for shooting. He’d even considered applying for sniper school when he reenlisted. If he reenlisted. Moments like this made it seem likely he would. Returning home to stay might hold some appeal, but right now his country needed men with his particular skill set.
Sighting carefully, he waited for the man to move again. It didn’t take long. This time the bastard came up firing, but Spence was better, faster. When his target tumbled over the edge of the roof to hit the ground, the other man on the roof lost his cool and returned fire.
Leif put an end to that. Time to keep moving. The rest of the patrol came sidling out of the alley behind Spence, and the dance started up again.
• • •
They’d cleared out the street and then some. Everyone was tired and more than ready to head back to the relative safety of camp. Being on the constant lookout for trouble burned energy like a bonfire did dry wood. Adrenaline would keep Spence moving for a while longer, but eventually even that wouldn’t keep his senses running hot.
When a man got tired, he got careless and that could mean disaster. Out of sheer stubbornness, Spence kept his boots moving, counting the minutes until that second convoy drove through town. When it was safely on its way into camp, they could follow suit. Right now, they were only a few blocks out. As he walked, he made a mental list of everything he would do as soon as he reached his quarters.
A shower to wash away the dust and sweat and fear. Then coffee, a hot meal, and then eight to ten hours of uninterrupted sleep. Yeah, that sounded good.
Then a thought crossed his mind. “Nick, what day is it?”
His friend looked at him as if he’d just sprouted a second head. “Keep your mind
A small movement two buildings up caught Spence’s attention. He motioned for Nick and Leif to slow down while he waited to see it again. Yes! There. Someone was hiding behind a broken down car that had been stripped of every useful bit of metal. Even the wheels were gone, leaving the wreck sitting directly on the ground and blocking any chance of seeing who had taken refuge behind it.
That was the trouble of fighting in an urban area. It was just as likely to be some stupid kid late returning home from a day spent begging outside of the camp gates. Women were more likely to keep close to home, making the probability the lurker was female less likely.
Should he give a shout out? Telling whoever it was to raise their hands and walk out slowly? Anyone in this hellish place knew the score. If they got caught in the crossfire, it was their own damn fault. But if he were to shoot a kid . . . well, yeah, he’d hate it. But he’d long ago decided that the lives of his friends took precedence when faced with a split-second decision.
Before he took another step, their quarry broke cover and came up firing. Spence and Nick returned fire, sending the enemy twisting and turning backwards until he collapsed on the ground.
One down.
They kept moving, knowing the shots might bring more just like him out of hiding. Nick was on the radio, updating the rest of the patrol on what was happening. It wasn’t over, though. Yeah, occasionally they ran into a single idiot determined to sacrifice himself on the altar of violence.
But one man didn’t attack a convoy. That kind of predator hunted in packs. The rest were somewhere nearby. Nick signaled to the others that the patrol was coming this way since they’d reached the end of the block without flushing out anyone.
Spence knelt down, changing his angle of sight. Sure enough, there was another shooter on the roof four doors down, which meant it was likely there was another on the other side. If the enemy had stayed down, they would have caught the patrol in a withering crossfire from above.
Despite the grief his friends had given him that day on the basketball court, they all know Spence had a real talent for shooting. He’d even considered applying for sniper school when he reenlisted. If he reenlisted. Moments like this made it seem likely he would. Returning home to stay might hold some appeal, but right now his country needed men with his particular skill set.
Sighting carefully, he waited for the man to move again. It didn’t take long. This time the bastard came up firing, but Spence was better, faster. When his target tumbled over the edge of the roof to hit the ground, the other man on the roof lost his cool and returned fire.
Leif put an end to that. Time to keep moving. The rest of the patrol came sidling out of the alley behind Spence, and the dance started up again.
• • •
They’d cleared out the street and then some. Everyone was tired and more than ready to head back to the relative safety of camp. Being on the constant lookout for trouble burned energy like a bonfire did dry wood. Adrenaline would keep Spence moving for a while longer, but eventually even that wouldn’t keep his senses running hot.
When a man got tired, he got careless and that could mean disaster. Out of sheer stubbornness, Spence kept his boots moving, counting the minutes until that second convoy drove through town. When it was safely on its way into camp, they could follow suit. Right now, they were only a few blocks out. As he walked, he made a mental list of everything he would do as soon as he reached his quarters.
A shower to wash away the dust and sweat and fear. Then coffee, a hot meal, and then eight to ten hours of uninterrupted sleep. Yeah, that sounded good.
Then a thought crossed his mind. “Nick, what day is it?”
His friend looked at him as if he’d just sprouted a second head. “Keep your mind
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