Moon Dust | Generation Kill

Chapter 25: Hunters and the Hunted

"Without the right lubricant, it's the same thing again and again. Sucker just jams." Walt huffed as he took a break from trying to fix the ever-fucked M9. 

"We just have to accept that the only dependable weapon you have up there is your saw." Brad was too focused on whatever he was doing to even look up.

Adjusting her position in the back seat of the humvee, Katie pulled her helmet down over her eyes and tried to ignore the pounding headache in her temples. She was going on two days straight without a wink of sleep and was paying the price dearly.

"Hey, hey, hey," Ray singsonged as he sauntered over. "You guys, I just did a really dirty thing. You know that picture of Rolling Stone's girlfriend?"

"I think it's safe to say we all know her intimately at this point," Brad replied.

"Well, I got it back from Bravo Three and I swear I was gonna give it back to him. But I ran into Wasik on the way over here." Ray paused for dramatic effect. "I traded that bitch for some pec-2 batteries!"

Brad stared down at the helmet full of batteries in Ray's hands. "Ray, you pimped her out."

Ray smirked. "She is a dirty little hoochie, isn't she?"

Katie pushed her helmet up a little just in time to watch the sly grin spread across Brad's face. "You got any for the thermals?" he asked as he grabbed for the batteries.

"Jesus, dude. It's a picture of a reporter's girlfriend, not of J. Lo's cum-dripping twat."

"Yeah, you're right." Brad inspected the loot before directing his attention to the team. "Walt, hop in the back with Katie and get some sleep. Don't wake her up though."

Walt scoffed. "Wake her up? Katie's been awake this whole time." 

With a sour expression on his face, Brad turned around in his seat and made direct eye contact with a very guilty-looking Katie. "I'm trying," she told him before pulling her helmet back down and closing her eyes.

Walt chuckled as he stared at the M9 in front of him, still trying to find a way to fix the damn thing. "I'm gonna give this another try, Brad. You get some sleep."

"Thanks, Walt." Brad hopped out of the humvee and began digging a human-sized hole to curl up in. 

As the sun began to set and the sweltering heat became a touch less sweltering, Katie felt herself drift in and out of consciousness over and over again. She wasn't sure if she had ever actually managed to succumb to sleep completely, but based on the ever-present headache and exhaustion in her bones, she guessed not. 

When Katie opened her eyes again, it was completely pitch black outside, bombing after bombing could be heard in the distance, and Ray was shouting for Brad to wake up.

"56 minutes," Brad groaned as he stirred awake. "I've been asleep for 56 minutes."

Ray sighed, knowing full-well that no one ever got enough sleep. "Team leader meeting," he said. 

"56 minutes and just one dream."

"At least you got to dream."

Brad shook his head as he grabbed for his weapon. "I dreamt I was in Iraq."

"Were you naked?"

Brad didn't even dignify that question with an answer. Instead, he glanced over at the back of the humvee. "Did Katie sleep?"

Ray shrugged. "Probably. She's been quiet."

Leaning in through the back window, Brad paused as soon as he could see the whites of Katie's eyes as she stared back at him in the dark. A defeated smile played at the corners of his mouth. "Team leader meeting," he told her in a whisper. "You should be there."