Page 2 of Absolution

"You little boys watch and learn," Riggs smirks at us as he readies at the hatch.

I'm still the last in the pecking order. The thing is, I'm the youngest here, and no one will ever let me forget. Everyone else has a wife and children waiting on them, well almost, Connor's will soon be here.

I would love to have a go at this prick, but we have no time to tell the old fucker what he can do; we're prepped and ready to fly. This is one of the things I love most about being here, the free-falling until you have to maneuver yourself to hit your targeted landing.

When the hull light glows green, we haul ass out and set sail in an entirely different way. Although exhilarating, the flight is short, and we all hit our intended mark on the ground.

Now, the real work gets started. We're a mile and a half from the site, so we'll literally hit the ground running. This is supposed to be a simple mission, in and out, SR or Special Reconnaissance operation.

Floyd gives the hand commands, and we split into two teams. The intel focuses on two individuals being held hostage. No one has been in direct contact, but there’s a report of three missing.

The four minutes it takes to get to our target helps get the blood pumping, but the second Floyd's voice breaks through the silence, my racing heart is ready to roll.

"Second-floor window on the right." My eyes dart to the material, moving ever so slightly in the soft breeze. "Locked in."

The signal to move ahead. I turn my head from side to side, releasing my pent-up tension. According to the sign, they're here, and nothing is harder than finding your own but needing to wait to bring them out.

"Building three." Floyd's commands are specific and precise.

Simultaneously, we advance toward our objective’s last known vicinity. The cover of the night helps us to move quickly and virtually unseen. We observe radio silence as we make headway and are poised at the building next to our target.

We enter the structure, searching every nook and cranny. Connor glances at me just as the hair on the nape of my neck stands. I move my head from side to side, minutely.

I know he's thinking the same thing, we've been in tune like this from the first day of training. We need to get the hell out of here, and with every passing minute, the tension refuses to wane.

A heaviness settles in the pit of my belly, everything in me is screaming this isn't right. I continue to scan the area, my senses heightened. My training taught me to fight because there is no flight.

Floyd turns to us, three fingers up, and then points straight ahead. A nod of understanding and we advance on our goal. At some point, Floyd has to call this, we're in more profound than we ever should've been.

Two fingers up... one.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

My ears ring as Riggins and Floyd take the brunt of three blasts aimed to take us all out. The hall fills with debris as we fall victim to an ambush. A quick gaze over my shoulder, apparent to us, we're blocked off from the rest.

With our backs to the wall, I'm jolted into action as the crackle in my ear from Connor shouts through the headpiece. "Move!"

The sound of rapid-fire echoes around us, we fire back, giving as good as we get. We need a visual of our surroundings, but it's near impossible as dirt and dust fly around the hallway as thick as gunfire.

Connor and I stand back to back, moving simultaneously, trying to get the fuck out of this death trap. A rapid-fire of pops rains down, pinning us to the wall. Finally, he targets an opening. Connor signals, and then he rolls out.

He enters the room, blind, and I follow. This is the way we've always run our mission, and until today, it worked damn well. I'm pelted with cement and debris from the walls as I hurry through the opening. Soon, I'm met with darkness.

I trip, falling to the floor with a thud. For a split-second, I'm paralyzed with fear until my instincts kick in. I hit the floor, crawling my way through the hail of bullets to search for Connor.

A sharp pain rips through my thigh, followed by one to my ribs. I wince, forcing myself forward before I'm hit again. I roll to my back, pressing my shoulder injury into the floor.

My surroundings become blurry, a garbled mess of words and movement. I scramble to my knees and ready for my defense. A dense, vast sound at my back stuns me briefly and then a thud.

"Connor?" My best friend's name is the last words I utter as I fall face-first into the concrete floor. My head throbs with every pulse of my heart, there's a sharp sting in my leg and shoulder. I blink, and it fills my sight with darkness. Pain shoots through me, and I squeeze them shut. Again, I force my eyes open. The smallest amount of light is blinding. As both sound and light fade into the distance, the will to fight for consciousness follows.

"Look what I caught!" I scream, excited to show everyone my prize catch. I turn to the people behind me, holding up my fish but something’s off. I stumble back, trying to focus on their faces.

They have none. Nothing but a void of where their nose and mouth should be, nothing. Just a blurry palette of colors. I squeeze my eyes closed, shaking the image from my head.

"I-I'm looking for someone else. Where are they?" I thrash against something, hitting my shoulder hard and putting my body in agony.

"AHH! Fuck!" Bile rises in the back of my throat, making me aware I'm finally awake, as the pain from my arm sickens me. I roll to my side, and pain shoots through me like a sharp knife. My body contorts, throwing me into the wall behind me, as the hand of darkness drags me back to the hell of being shackled to my subconsciousness.