short stories

The Intruder

"The squad was positioned at the ready, sir," I explained, "But they took them by surprise. Snuck up behind them." I stood with my hands clasped behind my back, my back to the door. I felt the urgent need to change my position to anything, except right-and-rigid, my current stance.

"It's alright, officer. People more experienced than you have been caught by the Intruder." I nodded sagely, the bobbing motion a welcome break to my cramping neck muscles. "I'll just have you better prepared next time, eh? They didn't breach the complex, and there were no casualties?" I nodded again, relishing the relief it brought to my stiff upper back.

"At ease. You're off the hook. You can go, but be back here tomorrow at eight AM sharp. Got it?" I nodded for the third time and turned to leave the room.

By the time I reached the corridor, my back had fully relaxed; the muscles had been worked and bent enough that they were no longer sore. I straightened my uniform and stood waiting in front of the thick door that led to the dormitories.

"Enter," I heard from inside. I opened the door to see two officers, slumped over the checkers' table. Passed out drunk, I assumed. A third was seated on a chair on the opposite side of the room. He gave me a friendly wave, which I returned. I turned down a few more corridors before I came to my dormitory.

"JD, are you in here?" I said, sticking my head in the doorway. I saw JD asleep on the bottom bunk. I shook my head and hung my uniform hat on the hook by the door. Then, I unbuttoned my uniform shirt and hung it on another hook by the door.

"Hmm...oh, hey Marcus," slurred JD, from the bed. He no doubt woke when he sensed another person nearby whom he could possibly berate. I gave him a good-natured nod. JD was not his full name - Jonathan Digby was - but he refused to be called such a 'long and ridiculous name', so everyone called him JD. My full name was Marcus Digby, but everyone called me Marcus.

JD and I had joined the military when we were eighteen. Our oldest brother, Christopher, had joined when he was sixteen, but Momma wouldn't let all of her sons be swept away by the Army at once.

"Marcus, you hungry?" asked JD, sitting up. I nodded and began to re-button my uniform, but JD came over and shook his head, saying, "I got food in here, we don't have to leave the dormitory."

"Ah, thanks," I said. I didn't talk much, but that was fine since JD talked enough for the both of us. Another funny thing about JD is he's always hungry. I could wake him at one AM and he'd be happy for a sandwich and a Coke. No one could tell you why this is. It just is.

After settling with Diet Cokes and Swiss Rolls, I told him about how my squad had been ambushed by the Intruder. He nodded along, gasping at appropriate times.

"Sounds like you've been through a spell," said JD. I nodded. None of my squad had been killed, thank goodness, but they were all injured in various degrees of urgency. They were all in the infirmary, and they had all been excused from their duties for a week.

"Well, I'd say it was probably worse for them," I said to JD. He nodded sagely and took a sip of his Coke.

"You know, JD, I still don't know how it happened. I mean, in the complex my squad had been guarding, there was...there was nothing, like, important! Nothing worth going to all the trouble to steal, anyway. All the trouble of injuring a whole squad of soldiers."

"I'd agree, oh brother of mine, but I know what was in that complex." JD took another swig of Coke and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

"That complex was full of TNT, brother of mine. Whoever the Intruder was, they somehow knew and wanted to get the TNT."

I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. The news showed more and more instances of violence, spurred on by explosives and mass hate. They had taken so many civilian lives, as well as military members and even the people who started the riots in the first place.

"But, not even I knew what it was...how did they - the Intruder - know that there was TNT? They would-"

"They would have to be someone super high up the chain of command." finished JD. I took another sip of my drink as I contemplated this.

"Someone like the Commander," I mused. "Or the Captain." JD nodded absentmindedly.

"We may never know, of course, but still," I said thoughtfully. "Maybe I'll look into this tomorrow."