Army Beasts Resurrection by Dahlia Rose

Army Beasts Resurrection : Stavros Returns
    Copyright © April 2012 Dahlia Rose
    Cover Art by Mina Carter
    ISBN 978-1-936668-79-3
     
    All rights are reserved. No part of this may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
     
     
    Chapter One
     
    Casey sighed. “Zane , take command of the unit . Nia… Tell her I love her so damn much and I will watch over her…”
    “I got this man . I t ’ s good , you can step back, ” Stavros said. It was a lie , but of course he couldn’t tell Casey that. His best friend needed to go home to Nia , and Stavros was going to make sure that she wouldn’t grieve for her man.
    Casey moved , letting out a long sigh of relief , but then horror filled his voice. “Well thank god for that…fuck , Stavros . W hat did you do?”
    Zane ran into the building at that time and stopped short. “What did you do ? S hit , Stav . W hy do you always have to be the brave one?”
    “Because you idiots have women who love you to go home to . ” Stavros sighed and ran his hands over his face tiredly. “I never expected to live as long as I have, I always knew I would die on the job. You guys are my family, I would do anything to protect you.”
    “What the fuck did he do?” Camden’s voic e broke in on all their headsets.
    “I wish people would stop asking that,” Stavros said with a shaky laugh.
    “He has the wire secured by holding the l ynch pin in place,” Zander replied. “You crazy son a bitch, we’d have figured something out.”
    “ I love you to o, Zander , but y ou know we don’t have the time,” Stavros said with some humor. “ Take Casey and get the hell out of here . T his t hing is slipping , I can feel it.” He grimaced. “You guys are the best and , Nia , when you transcribe this, I lo ve you too. Take care of Casey.”
    “I’m not leaving you, man . N ot like this…” He heard the grief in Casey’s voice. His best friend began to fight. “Let me go you bastards . I’m not leaving him in there! God , I can’t leave him in there!”
    Of course he wouldn’t, Casey would have held the wire with him if he could. They had been so close for so long . A long with Zane they were like brothers. What better way to go that protecting your brothers ?
    “Bye , my friends ,” Stavros said.
    He watched them pull Casey from the room even though he fought like a madman. His friend’s shift to his beast rippled across the muscles of his face. Stavros ripped off his headset and closed his eyes and let the string slip from his h an d. Nothing happened , and he opened his eyes in wonder.
    Taking no chances , he stepped away and gave a little laugh. “Thank G od for shitty insurgent bomb makers.”
    He spoke to o soon , because he heard the tick of a secondary bomb , and then another , and the sound sped up rapi dly. He knew that sound all to well it was a Bouncing Betty, a landmine that was filed with shrapnel for maximum damage. St avros began to run , but a hidden door in the floor popped open and he felt a hand grab his leg. Kicking wildly , he got whoever it was in the face and flipped easily. He came face to face with an insurgent. The man’s bloody face was clean-s haven and he wore an American uniform. Jesus , they were going to use him to get on base , Stavros thought. The instinct to survive kicked in , and just as he pulled the man from his hiding place , the bomb exploded. The first wave of heat him as he rolled into the small crawlspace and pulled the trap door down.
    He heard the screams of the insurgent as the shra pnel hit him. Pieces of metal tore through the floor and hit Stavros, searing into his flesh. The second wave destroyed the Afghani citizen . St avros knew nothing could stand up to that kind of explosion. H eat bit at him as he tried to curl into a small ball to protect himself. It didn’t stop the pain as hot metal rained into his