motioning, even though he knew Tong couldn’t understand him, trying to get him to lay his wife down and leave. Willie, opposite, tried as well. In the end, Gene forcibly held Tong while Willie pulled his wife’s body from his arms and lay it on the ground. Gene waved two KCSs over to take Tong away.
As they left, he bent to straighten the body and again noticed the clenched fists. Something was in her right hand. He pulled the colonel’s shoulder epaulet out of her bloody fist. She must have fought like hell. Tore her fingernails off on that shoulder insignia. But she got it, and now he had it.
The world went purple. He leapt to his feet, triggering the 60, firing into the jungle until all the rounds in the belt were gone, but still pulling the trigger on the now silent gun and screaming at the top of his lungs. “I’m going to kill you, you fucking asshole. You’re a dead man. I’ll not rest until I find you, you son of a bitch!”
Willie yelling. “Gene! Come on! Let’s get out of here! Gene! Gene!”
“Aaaggghhhh!”
he howled, words no longer sufficient.
Willie screamed in his face. “Gene!”
And he heard. Blinked.
“Let’s go. We have to get out of here.”
Gene stared. “Sure.”
The blades were turning, the engines revving. “Willie,” Gene yelled, “give me two minutes. I’ll be right there.”
Without waiting for a reply, he headed back out to where the two little girls’ bodies were. Half-blinded by tears, he lifted them—so small, so light—and lay their battered bodies together. He put the 60 aside, pulled the Bible from the pocket of his jeans, took off his shirt. Kneeling, he carefully covered their tiny bodies with his cami, then placed his Bible on top.
Picking up the 60, he ran to the waiting chopper, boarded, and, once again, sat in the open door. This time with eyes closed. God help him, he’d get that colonel, that fucking asshole, somehow, someway. God, bless those little girls. God. Why God?
Behind him, Tong cried and cried and cried.
CHAPTER SEVEN
G ENE WAS FIRST OFF the chopper when the two Sea Wolves landed on Seafloat. While the Kit Carson Scouts, accompanied by Sean, boarded boats to cross the river between Seafloat and their camp on the Son Ku Lon’s bank, he stood silently, staring down into the river’s brown water.
“Friend,” Willie said, resting his hand on Gene’s shoulder, “don’t let the pain go too deep. Plain and simple, the colonel lied about when he’d be back. There wasn’t a way we could check the intel and get there to take Tong’s family out before his return. He knew that.”
Gene nodded, looked out over the jungle, trying to block out the image of the little girls lying there. He clenched his teeth, afraid he’d cry if he answered Willie. Wouldn’t be able to stop it.
“It’s so hard,” Willie said. “I know it’s hard. Nothing can change the evil that’s been done. All we can do is try and stop that butcher from slaughtering. Mourn those poor souls, yes, but don’t let it keep you from remembering what we’re here for. The colonel is not alone out there.”
“No,” Gene said, thinking tactics already, forcing emotions back inside their cold, hard shell, “but we have to take him out. He’s the worst.”
“So far as we know now.”
“I’d better report to Jim.”
Willie nodded, red hair shining in the sunlight. “And we’d both best report to Johnny over at NILO. Gene, you all right?”
“Sure. And Willie, thanks.”
But he’d never be all right again in a world where men could do such unthinkable things to tiny children. Could order them done and have other men willing to abandon every shred of their humanity to obey.
In the center of the hootch, Jim was sitting on an ammo crate pulled up to the table in the intersection, having a beer while he did paperwork. He looked up.
“Well, how’d it…What happened?”
He looked like a teenager doing homework. Gene stared down at him in the dimness. The
As they left, he bent to straighten the body and again noticed the clenched fists. Something was in her right hand. He pulled the colonel’s shoulder epaulet out of her bloody fist. She must have fought like hell. Tore her fingernails off on that shoulder insignia. But she got it, and now he had it.
The world went purple. He leapt to his feet, triggering the 60, firing into the jungle until all the rounds in the belt were gone, but still pulling the trigger on the now silent gun and screaming at the top of his lungs. “I’m going to kill you, you fucking asshole. You’re a dead man. I’ll not rest until I find you, you son of a bitch!”
Willie yelling. “Gene! Come on! Let’s get out of here! Gene! Gene!”
“Aaaggghhhh!”
he howled, words no longer sufficient.
Willie screamed in his face. “Gene!”
And he heard. Blinked.
“Let’s go. We have to get out of here.”
Gene stared. “Sure.”
The blades were turning, the engines revving. “Willie,” Gene yelled, “give me two minutes. I’ll be right there.”
Without waiting for a reply, he headed back out to where the two little girls’ bodies were. Half-blinded by tears, he lifted them—so small, so light—and lay their battered bodies together. He put the 60 aside, pulled the Bible from the pocket of his jeans, took off his shirt. Kneeling, he carefully covered their tiny bodies with his cami, then placed his Bible on top.
Picking up the 60, he ran to the waiting chopper, boarded, and, once again, sat in the open door. This time with eyes closed. God help him, he’d get that colonel, that fucking asshole, somehow, someway. God, bless those little girls. God. Why God?
Behind him, Tong cried and cried and cried.
CHAPTER SEVEN
G ENE WAS FIRST OFF the chopper when the two Sea Wolves landed on Seafloat. While the Kit Carson Scouts, accompanied by Sean, boarded boats to cross the river between Seafloat and their camp on the Son Ku Lon’s bank, he stood silently, staring down into the river’s brown water.
“Friend,” Willie said, resting his hand on Gene’s shoulder, “don’t let the pain go too deep. Plain and simple, the colonel lied about when he’d be back. There wasn’t a way we could check the intel and get there to take Tong’s family out before his return. He knew that.”
Gene nodded, looked out over the jungle, trying to block out the image of the little girls lying there. He clenched his teeth, afraid he’d cry if he answered Willie. Wouldn’t be able to stop it.
“It’s so hard,” Willie said. “I know it’s hard. Nothing can change the evil that’s been done. All we can do is try and stop that butcher from slaughtering. Mourn those poor souls, yes, but don’t let it keep you from remembering what we’re here for. The colonel is not alone out there.”
“No,” Gene said, thinking tactics already, forcing emotions back inside their cold, hard shell, “but we have to take him out. He’s the worst.”
“So far as we know now.”
“I’d better report to Jim.”
Willie nodded, red hair shining in the sunlight. “And we’d both best report to Johnny over at NILO. Gene, you all right?”
“Sure. And Willie, thanks.”
But he’d never be all right again in a world where men could do such unthinkable things to tiny children. Could order them done and have other men willing to abandon every shred of their humanity to obey.
In the center of the hootch, Jim was sitting on an ammo crate pulled up to the table in the intersection, having a beer while he did paperwork. He looked up.
“Well, how’d it…What happened?”
He looked like a teenager doing homework. Gene stared down at him in the dimness. The
Similar Books
