time!”
Frays and Watkins gathered their weapons and gear then trotted over to their NCO. Amy looked startled for a moment. “Crap…Sergeant, I gotta grab my flash drive.” Frays grumbled as she searched through her pockets and pouches. The woman rolled her eyes and frowned clearly upset with herself. “I’ve gotta get my papers emailed off. Be right back.”
Frays turned on her heel and jogged back to the connex…there was a fffffffhhhhth noise that made her stop and look around. All of a sudden the world when white and all she could hear was a high pitched whine like a giant mosquito… Cold water snapped the world back to crystal clarity.
It felt like she was stuck inside a giant washing machine. The current was tearing at her splashing water into her nose and mouth. Frays took a deep breath intermingled with water and dove under the surface trying to catch up to the fading taillights of the Humvee as it sank to the bottom. Her lungs ached and the water was so cold…
A pallid face appeared out of the depths with groping hands catching her forearms. Frays released a scream in a cloud of bubbles into the frigid water as the creature pulled her towards its gaping maw. She screamed and sucked in a lungful of water, things going dark around the edges as the strength left her. I’m drowning… Frays realized, her thoughts becoming sluggish from lack of oxygen and thrashed almost half heartedly. Just as the creature was about to bury its jagged broken teeth into her throat she recognized the craggy features of her father’s face…
Amy sat up with a scream, pushing and kicking at the green woolen blanket she had over her. Frays shouted still kicking and screaming and c hoking. Somebody grabbed hold of her and Frays screamed louder, slapping punching kicking spitting… She tumbled off of her cot and fell against the wall of the cubicle and somebody cussed and shouted next door.
“…ays! Chill out!” Frannie said in as calm a voice as she could manage. Amy had smacked her around a good one while in the throes of her nightmare. Rodriguez held her friend tight until she calmed down. All of a sudden she understood why Carl would come visit her when his big sister was like this. “It’s okay…shh….it’s okay…” Finally Amy started to calm down a little bit. “Look…just wait here, okay? I’m going to go get Lacey.”
Frannie hustled as fast as her gimpy leg would let her out into the area of the Resettlement Center set aside for families. Lacey and his kids had to be around here somewhere… After the first couple of tries she almost gave up and went back to Frays’ room. She tiptoed into the little room and smiled down at the sleeping children. “Sorry guys.” Rodriguez whispered as she slipped past them and went to their father’s side. “Need to borrow your daddy for a minute, alright?”
Frannie patted Lacey’s shoulder and winced when he woke up. “Hey, Lacey…sorry about this. Sorry.” she said quietly as the man sat up and blinked wearily. “Frays needs you, man. She’s having a major freak out.”
The scrawny Marine wiped at his eyes and took a deep breath. “Okay.” He frowned sleepily and collected his M16 and plate carrier from under his cot. “Where’s she staying at again?”
“In the barracks.” Frannie said quietly and nodded towards the kids. “Third door from the latrines on the right. Don’t worry I’ll stay with them.” Almost as an afterthought she asked “When do the kids go to the daycare?”
“0700.” Lacey grumbled as he shrugged into his plate carrier and slung his rifle across his chest. He looked sheepishly at the floor and grumbled under his breath. “Make sure they get something to eat before they go if I’m not back.”
Lacey followed Rodriguez’s directions and found Frays curled up on her cot with her blanket wrapped around her shoulders. She looked up at him when he came in. “Hey Frays.” he said quietly as he ducked inside. It was a
Frays and Watkins gathered their weapons and gear then trotted over to their NCO. Amy looked startled for a moment. “Crap…Sergeant, I gotta grab my flash drive.” Frays grumbled as she searched through her pockets and pouches. The woman rolled her eyes and frowned clearly upset with herself. “I’ve gotta get my papers emailed off. Be right back.”
Frays turned on her heel and jogged back to the connex…there was a fffffffhhhhth noise that made her stop and look around. All of a sudden the world when white and all she could hear was a high pitched whine like a giant mosquito… Cold water snapped the world back to crystal clarity.
It felt like she was stuck inside a giant washing machine. The current was tearing at her splashing water into her nose and mouth. Frays took a deep breath intermingled with water and dove under the surface trying to catch up to the fading taillights of the Humvee as it sank to the bottom. Her lungs ached and the water was so cold…
A pallid face appeared out of the depths with groping hands catching her forearms. Frays released a scream in a cloud of bubbles into the frigid water as the creature pulled her towards its gaping maw. She screamed and sucked in a lungful of water, things going dark around the edges as the strength left her. I’m drowning… Frays realized, her thoughts becoming sluggish from lack of oxygen and thrashed almost half heartedly. Just as the creature was about to bury its jagged broken teeth into her throat she recognized the craggy features of her father’s face…
Amy sat up with a scream, pushing and kicking at the green woolen blanket she had over her. Frays shouted still kicking and screaming and c hoking. Somebody grabbed hold of her and Frays screamed louder, slapping punching kicking spitting… She tumbled off of her cot and fell against the wall of the cubicle and somebody cussed and shouted next door.
“…ays! Chill out!” Frannie said in as calm a voice as she could manage. Amy had smacked her around a good one while in the throes of her nightmare. Rodriguez held her friend tight until she calmed down. All of a sudden she understood why Carl would come visit her when his big sister was like this. “It’s okay…shh….it’s okay…” Finally Amy started to calm down a little bit. “Look…just wait here, okay? I’m going to go get Lacey.”
Frannie hustled as fast as her gimpy leg would let her out into the area of the Resettlement Center set aside for families. Lacey and his kids had to be around here somewhere… After the first couple of tries she almost gave up and went back to Frays’ room. She tiptoed into the little room and smiled down at the sleeping children. “Sorry guys.” Rodriguez whispered as she slipped past them and went to their father’s side. “Need to borrow your daddy for a minute, alright?”
Frannie patted Lacey’s shoulder and winced when he woke up. “Hey, Lacey…sorry about this. Sorry.” she said quietly as the man sat up and blinked wearily. “Frays needs you, man. She’s having a major freak out.”
The scrawny Marine wiped at his eyes and took a deep breath. “Okay.” He frowned sleepily and collected his M16 and plate carrier from under his cot. “Where’s she staying at again?”
“In the barracks.” Frannie said quietly and nodded towards the kids. “Third door from the latrines on the right. Don’t worry I’ll stay with them.” Almost as an afterthought she asked “When do the kids go to the daycare?”
“0700.” Lacey grumbled as he shrugged into his plate carrier and slung his rifle across his chest. He looked sheepishly at the floor and grumbled under his breath. “Make sure they get something to eat before they go if I’m not back.”
Lacey followed Rodriguez’s directions and found Frays curled up on her cot with her blanket wrapped around her shoulders. She looked up at him when he came in. “Hey Frays.” he said quietly as he ducked inside. It was a
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