An Empty Grave

Chapter 2 - Assembling The Squad

The car engine was rumbling louder then ever, the metal parts clanking and clicking while the tires screach down the road. The radio was turned off because as the driver put it, "theres no available raido stations" which was strange to say the least but he just shrugged it off and didnt give it much thought. The driver had rolled down the windows due to the burning sensetion caused by the sun heating up the car as well as the lack of air conditioning. To say the minimum, the car was just a big, metal tin can with wheels.

"So what brings you to america sir?"

"I have a name you know."

Ok, maybe that was a bit rude but he does hate being called sir, theres only so many times you can call someone "sir" before their head starts to hurt and their temples begin to pulse from the very mention of the word. The driver in the meantime, gives him a quick glance of confusion and potentaly offence through the rearview mirror and then immediately returns his gaze back to the road ensure that the car stays steady. Ok, so his seemly rude comment was register as in fact rude, great.

"I meant just call me Vince, no need for formalitys."

The drive just gives him a short nod in rearview mirror, which was then followed by an awkward, uneasy silence between vince and the driver. The sun continued to beat down as the car progressed, the drivers brows creasing as he focused on following the road with each turn. So Vince took to the window looking into the horizen, the port Vince had arrived at not even a hour ago seemed to fade into the distance as it got covered by a layer of fog and mist. Only the smoke seemed to follow them, colouring a part of the sky, a dusty gray.

Vince shook his head with a sigh escapeing his chaked lips, his blond hair moving along with it. If he thought about it in more detail then the sky reflected this feeling and thoughts a little to directly.

"So Vince, you never said why your in america?"

The driver repeated his first question again, with the small change of Vince's actual name instead of addressing him as sir, which he appreciate a lot. This had also snapped Vince out of his thought bubble, almost as if the drivers voice had chasing the bad memorys the scenery appeared to invoke.

"Military reasons, can't share much due to legal reasons."

"I see."

Again Strange. Any normal person would have pressured him for infomation anyway, claiming that he could trust them and therefore should share the information with them. But then again, maybe this driver was just more understanding of personal space and the law he guessed, much to his relief.

"You seem unhappy Vince, military treating you like shit then?"

Now that, that was true.
The photo of what was now his squad layed in his hand. It was definitly an old one, now that Vince looked at it. It had been taken in black and white and contain four people. There are three dudes and one women who had strikingly bright hair among them. One of the men, the one he asumed was the captain, was incredibly tall with black hair and some stuble on his chin. He looked like a harsh and controlling leader as he stood in the middle, his mouth in a straight line. Vince just hoped he wasnt the type to take advantage of his power. The date on the back of the photo did conclude his original thought correct, as the photo had been taken a couple years back which meant the people in the photo could look complete different. But hey, it was better to be put with people with the same amount of experience as yourself then new recuites that had no idea of the danger involved in the job. Right?

Not that vince was happy about the change but after the death of this old squad the change was ... well inevitable. However what he didn't expect was that his old captain, the dramatic person he was, would decide that he needed, as he put it "a change in environment" and shipped him off to america as if that was going to help him at all.
The driver didnt seem to mind that he hadn't answered the question out loud and just continued to drive the car down the road, humming some tune that wasn't familiar to vince. In the meanwhile Vince decides to double check his gear, giving the straps on his vest and holsters a strong tug making sure there tight enough. He also checked his ammo supply, although his new squad and captain would supply him with ammo when he gets to their base, he does prefers to have some ammo on him at all time. He then checks his rifle, making sure the scope is securly attach, that it was properly cleaned, that the magazine doesnt fall out when shaken, etc. It all helpped vince feel calm, like he was prepared for anything the world threw at him, like he was in control of the situation.