Ashes in the Darkness

Dark Water

- Dark Water
I would encourage you to listen to "Daylight" by David Kushner on repeat while you read this chapter. It makes every moment a bit more magical.

In the matter of a few sentences Ghost and I had gone from grumpy enemies with an intoxicating physical attraction for one another to comrades, dare I even say parnters. We had gone to the smoking pit on base, he had sat down on the bench, rubbing his hands together and went over how he was going to kill Graves, detail by detail. He had been calm, with no nervousness or guilt. He took death and premeditaed murder seriously, it all had to be nothing short of perfect. Down to the number of steps we took to clothes we would be wearing.

I listened intently, no attitude, no sarcasm. But I saw the seriousness in Ghost's body and eyes as he spoke. He made it clear that this was more than just murdering someone, that this was treason if we were caught, that this was a life sentence or worse. My family would be the family of an American traitor, I would never see the light of day again. And as I listened, I thought of the threats that Graves had made. I felt nothing. No fear. No anger. No disgust. I was lustful for blood.

That was it. I was gone. Completely enthralled in his darkness with Ghost. There was no turning back now, and I had told him that. He had come close to me, admiring my face, looking deeply into my eyes. I wished he would have leaned down to kiss, thick as thieves. But he blinked slowly, sighing like he was already preparing for the fact he was going to commit cold blooded murder and would have to ask whatever higher power he believed in for forgiveness. Walking away, leaving me in the wake of his divinity. I breathed it in, deeply. Savoring the taste and smell of him he left behind.

But now, bumping along the waves on the bench of the rigid hull inflatable boats in the pouring rain, I watched him with such admiration and disbelief that he was even a real person. He was standing with one of his legs drawn up, Captain Morgan style. Wearing a black hoodie and a pair of denim jeans that couldn't have been comfortable in the pouring rain. He seemed so stoic against the gray clouds that surrounded his shape. While my heart was in my throat and my stomach in knots. Not only was the current making me nauseous and the pelting rain leaving an annoying sting on my face, but there was a possibility that I was going to die today lingering in the back of my mind. And if that didn't happen, then I was going to help a man get killed today. What had happened to the girl who had watched bunnies fuck for hours? Or the girl whose only issue in this world was getting a chainsaw to run properly?

She was dead. She had been left on a cliffside to watch the person I was now relishing the pitch-black flames of hell. Consuming me whole. But now I was no longer afraid because those flames no longer burned me, now felt like the skeleton gloved hands sliding down my silky skin. Whispering for me to join him.

I couldn't take my eyes off of him as I saw the oil rig come into view, and the small little bit of nature lover that was left inside me went into a rage. Offshore drilling was an issue that I didn't have the mental capacity to get into. I was glad it was inactive, albeit upsetting because it was being used to move weapons of mass destruction.

Ghost turned to me, and we shared a moment of fiery exchange, although that invisible link between was cool. Business was at hand and we both knew once this was over, the inevitable was bound to happen. He had taken the leap and told me what he was going to do, detail by detail; trust was no longer required between the two of us. His laser focus would be unbreakable until we were alone again, and I counted on that.

Jackie sat right across from me, checking the mechanics of her silenced M4, we had barely spoken as we met for the operation. Giving each other a nod of greeting at shore as we loaded up the boats. We sat next to each other as Ghost pulled out a map and went over the route of the boat that we would be on to the both of us. He was informative, almost like a teacher explaining how to do math homework as he went through the briefing with the two of us. We would have a few other shadows with us as we went along, but this was a strict stealth mission that we were commanded to stick to. Jackie eyed me and then eyed Ghost suspiciously, seeming to pick up on my stare at him.