to be feeling.
“I just have a tough crowd,” Eyes replied. He then nodded to Sleep and Morph. Nothing else needed to be said. Sleep would follow his command.
He turned and ran directly up the trail — straight toward the fire coming at them. He barely missed a shot straight at his head before he dropped behind a downed tree then fired a couple of shots.
Sleep watched Eyes leave, hoping it wasn’t the last time he’d see the man he considered his brother-in-arms and, more importantly, his best friend. He was glad they’d managed to give each other a smile. Neither fear nor defeat was the last thing they’d see on each other’s faces.
He wasn’t able to turn away until seeing the green outline of Eyes popping back up from the fallen tree, dropping two insurgents, then sprinting again to another tree. He stopped for only seconds to fire rounds before moving again. Soon he was swallowed up by the dense woods.
“Let’s go,” Sleep said, sliding Morph over the edge. “It looks like there’s enough of a grade we should be able to support ourselves. I’ll get your leg wrapped and we’ll get these sons of bitches put down.”
“I don’t think this is getting wrapped,” Morph said. “I’m cold, and getting lightheaded. I’m losing too much blood. I can feel it pooled in my boot.” His voice was fading.
“Get your ass over this ledge and we’ll bandage you up. It’s just a spot of blood,” Sleep’s voice hammered down.
Morph gave it all he could, leaning heavily on Sleep as they moved to the ledge. They were just about over when a heavy, thick, metal pinging sound bounced toward them.
They turned in unison, adrenaline coursing through their bodies, as they decided they needed to change directions fast. They both knew what that sound meant and knew how little time they had.
“Get out of here alive and tell my family my last breath was filled with love for them,” Morph said.
“No!” Sleep screamed, but it was too late. With the last strength Morph had, he wrapped his thick hands over Sleep’s shoulders and twisted their bodies just as the grenade exploded.
The explosion instantly killed Morph, miniature pieces of shrapnel piercing his entire body. Morph’s shock-waved momentum sent Sleep flying over the edge of the cliff, screaming Morph’s name as pain ripped through him.
Sleep couldn’t control his movements as he rolled down the jagged mountain, his limbs and torso repeatedly slamming against objects. His head cracked against a tree, then his ribs felt as if something had pierced straight into them. He was hit and twisted in so many ways, he wasn’t sure how he was still conscious.
After what seemed like an endless amount of time, he finally stopped, lying on the ground. He wasn’t sure if he passed out or not, wasn’t sure how much time passed, wasn’t even sure if it was day or night anymore as he tried shaking cobwebs from his head and gain his breath.
As consciousness came to him, he had no doubt that he had at least one rib completely broken, making it nearly impossible to breathe. He also was very aware that Morph was dead, and he had no idea where his remaining team member was. Sleep couldn’t breathe fully, couldn’t see, and could barely move. It was either down to him alone, or him and Eyes.
As much as Sleep wanted to close his eyes and rest he knew if he did, they mostly likely wouldn’t open again. He willed his body to do what he commanded of it and sat up, instantly coughing blood. He understood things weren’t looking good. But he wasn’t a quitter and he sure as hell wasn’t going to die sitting around doing nothing about it.
Fumbling in his pack with shaking fingers, he found his med kit, opened it, and took out what he needed. The pain was excruciating, but he pushed it down. He ripped open his jacket, felt his rib cage, then took the needle from the kit and pushed it in with enough force to puncture his lung.
Instant relief washed through him as oxygen flowed inside his damaged body. As he took slow breaths and secured the needle so it wouldn’t fall out, he formulated a plan. He wouldn’t lie there and die. He wouldn’t dishonor his friends, his team, or himself by giving up.
Sleep quickly spread out everything he had on him, and then gathered the most critical items, knowing it wasn’t possible to haul all of his