Outside of Fear

Chapter Twenty-Five

"Fuck! We gotta move!" Someone yells, jerking me out of my light doze.

"What the hell?" I groan, sitting up from my bunk to look around. I take a few steps to peek out of the tent and am instantly greeted with heavy wind and sand grains in my face. I don't need to hear anything else to know what's going on.

I make a mad dash back to my bunk, dressing in record time and running out of my tent towards the center of camp.

"Colonel, a sandstorm is moving in at record speed." A young-looking soldier tells me, clearly afraid. 

"Obviously," I grumble, I'm always short-tempered when I'm so aggressively awoken, which is pretty often. "Okay, let's move people! All stable patients need to be transferred to the bunkers, and we took stock yesterday so we should have enough supplies for two days."

I take command instantly, everyone at the base looking towards me for instruction. I order my team of surgeons to be in charge of keeping all our patients alive as the rest of the regular soldiers do their parts in helping out.

"Make sure all the tents are cleared out, and you, get our radio equipment and secure it." Another strong voice joins mine, and I turn to find gray eyes staring into mine. Kellin gives me a nod in greeting, as he's overseeing the entire base. I'm second in command, in charge of the medical side of things.

Sandstorms aren't uncommon in Afghanistan, and as one of the largest main bases for the USMC, we've prepared for everything.

This base has an entire medical section, though it's small compared to the rest of the base, dedicated to injured soldiers between missions. After damage control is done at smaller camps, they're sent here for finishing surgeries and recovery before they're either sent home or back out.

The wind picks up even more and I shield my eyes with my arm, pulling the collar of my shirt up to cover my nose, trying to filter some of the sand out of my breathing.

I move through the medical sector, making sure everything's running smoothly, and take it upon myself to make sure we get everyone out.

Sandstorms are dangerous, if we're not underground by the time the worst of it hits, we're dead.

"Grey, all patients are secured in the bunker. Critical ones are being seen by our surgeons now." Teddy's voice reaches my ears, and I smile at my friend.

"Well done, Major. Let's get down there and lock up."

She nods and I follow her towards the entrance to the bunker, trusting that Kellin will take care of everyone else. My top responsibility is the medical center, which is no easy feat.

We stumble slightly, the wind so strong that it nearly carries us off our feet. The visibility is getting lower by the second, so we pick up speed as we get close to the light shining through an open metal door that leads to the bunker.

I get in after Teddy, but I need her help to close the door behind me, against the wind. I look around to the open space. The walls are bland but sturdy, shelves of equipment on the walls and crates of supplies in the corners. Beds of soldiers line the main area, extremely cramped. There's a smaller room off to the right side which should be an office, but we're using it as an OR, just in case. There is room for my unit of surgeons to sleep on the left, which is also where the food and water are stored. Enough to last us two days. Most sandstorms are over by then.

A radio is handed to me by one of my subordinates and before I have a chance to do anything, it whirrs to life and Kellin's choppy voice comes through.