The Soldier Next Door

Today my old squad led under Gibbs now, are making our way into the city. Routine run, nothing too serious to worry about. We do not foresee any resistance, only a lot of stranded civilians.

Now there is the majority of the boys that are finding this unnerving due to the amount of Marines that have been killed recently. My advice, keep your head in the game; when they get confronted, then we deal with it then. No need to foreseeing the worse if it is not going to happen.

So after we have geared up, we get into the Humvee and make our way away from the camp towards the city. It is ominous; the black smoke lay thick from the tires that have been burnt. The roan seems eerily quiet with not a lot of civilians around. This is going to be a quick run-through, and then we are out again

…Ana POV…

Ethan’s old squad is going out today, and, as with Ethan, he has gone out with them. Now I wish that he did not do it. At least he was honest in telling me that he would. Now to say that I am not a ball of nerves would be a lie. The man is making me stress beyond what my mind can take.

Another one just as nervous is his mom; she has not stopped baking shit. I guess that is her way of coping with stress, well, I do not mind, for she does make a mean batch of brownies. Something I completely used to heart for, I found it way too sweet. Now, I am eating them for breakfast.

As for John, the man is sitting peacefully reading his paper. I will forever be in his debt for saving me the way he did, and I can gladly say that Mark is finding himself in a military prison from which he will not see the daylight soon.

And as for the baby, she makes me awfully sick while I am trying to stay up and worry about her father. If I can honestly say, both of them are making me sick.

…Ethan POV…

We have just entered into town, and it is dead quiet; we have, thank god, been told which areas to avoid for mines. We are only looking for any resistance; if so, we have been instructed to take them out.

What makes this so difficult to do, is that you will find a gun in the hand of the least unexpected person. And that is when you are faced with a decision that can bring you great difficulty. Any Marine, and as with any Soldier, it is a decision that you will never have to face.

So the plan is, Lewis and Williams shall stay in the Humvee, while the rest of the squad shall make it out on foot scouring between the buildings.

As we make our way into an old building with walls that are crumbling down, there is only but mere trash scattered inside. Most probably from kids that play in these deserted buildings. Think nothing of it further; we move into a far more solid building; as the Galand and Mathews take a position on the side, the rest of the men filter into the building, checking every room.

Once satisfied, I firmly state, “Clear.”

Then…

…Ana POV…

How long do these damn missions take? I should know, but for the life of me, everything that I know about the Marines has left the knowledge of my mind.

He said he would phone me the minute he gets back. Why is he not calling back? I am going to go stark mad here.

Then Mary hands me a cup of warm cocoa, “He will be fine, Ana; come sit down before you pass out from worry.”

“Mary, this is so much different than Korea, he only went out twice to another camp, and they were the only militia. This is so far worse; they are in the city between those buildings; you never know where they can be hiding. You are a target waiting to happen. God forbid I…”

“Don’t even go there. Don’t think that way. Ethan is a good Marine, and he has a bunch of solid boys around him.”

“Oh, Mary, I know, but it still can’t help me worry. I just wish he would not go out.”

“You can’t stop Ethan; the boy is always trying to push himself to a limit. He will be fine.”

…Ethan POV…

We are moving across the road to a fairly new building that does not have been ravaged as badly by the bombings. There are no windows on the ground floor, so there is no way for us to see inside. This is blind. This is dangerous. Do we skip and push forward? No, we search every building on the stretch that we have been told to come clear.

So once again, as before, two men take a position on the sides of the door. I signal for two men to fall in, clear, then two more signaled to move even further past their side. And this is how we clear every room on the bottom floor. As we slowly scrunch down to ascend the stairs, Gibbs halts us to stop. For a few seconds, we stand motionless in fears

Then we enter a room on the first floor, in clear sight of the Humvee. It seems oddly strange; it seems that there have been kids playing among here too. There are bricks stacked to sit on around what could possibly have been a fire. Several wrappers of chocolate bars are strewn all over. But what strikes me odd is a clip lying near the window.

That is when it hits me.

“Fall back, fall back.”

…Isabell POV…

Mary is telling me that I am driving her crazy; yes, I am fully aware that I am. It is just; I have this horrible feeling which I knew I should not have. I am seeing the worse playing off in my mind. I can see Ethan being taken hostage by some awful man.Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

I should not think about it; I should not even have the thought enter my mind. But I can help to remember the look on his face when he told us all about Johnny that day when Maggie made such a spectacle about the interview they had.

That, and probably when he heard I was pregnant, must be the most fear I have seen in his face. Now, as with then, he has the life of a whole squad in his hands. I know he shall do anything to protect me.

As I take a very much needed seat next to John, he only but places one hand on top of mine, “The boy is okay. Even if he was not, he knows how to get himself out of it. Don’t you worry, I will kick his ass if he messed around down there?”

“John, he is too stubborn.”

“Yes, I would love to say that it comes from me, but that is all Mary’s fault.”

Just as the words escape from John’s mouth, Mary flies in with a slap against his head. I nearly topple over with laughter, “Now I see where the boys get their slapping thing from.”

We all laugh, and just for a moment, we forget about the danger that Ethan is in.

…Ethan POV…

We have fallen into a trap. I don’t know where, but I am sure we are about to find out, but they will soon come from their hiding place. They much have seen the Humvee from here as we started to clear the building, and of course, they knew we would enter theirs.

There is a horrified but now very determined will to not only be a Marine but also for survival. The problem is, it is easy to fall back, but to what do we fall back into. After we are sure, the room is cleared. I start scanning for a way out of here. There is no way but the door. We are going in blindly.

Gibbs taking the lead, followed by me, exit the room again; there is a set of stairs leading to the next floor. Do we go up? Or go down where we know, but not truly, it is clear. Are we going to run away like cowards or take them head-on? I look at Gibbs as he stares back at me. He only but nods his head, and I nod mine in return.

We signal for the boys to pair up and stay close together. We shall check the remainder of the rooms on this floor; there is no way that I am splitting anyone up. We are far weaker if we are only in groups of two.

No man is getting hurt today; no man will be put in a deliberate line of danger. We will find these assholes, and when we do, we will take them out.

Then we make our way upstairs.