THE DESOLATE SOUTHLAND

CHAPTER 4: SHEBERGHAN, AFGHANISTAN

It had been five years since Riko had returned to stateside. They, Stubs, LT, JB, Marshall, and Riko made up a Marine Corps fire team. They did all of the grunt work clearing buildings. Riko, trained as a sniper, perfected his trade in jungles around the world before the war. He covered the others from a nest while the others went door to door. They had been in the from for several weeks, when the commanding officer finally decided to give them a break and send another team on the maneuvers. Riko and the guys gladly accepted the chance for some R&R. They fell back behind enemy lines to a village called, Sheberghan, the smallest of the villages in Afghanistan. With a population of 144,000 plus or minus a few rag heads, the guys was ready to rest and enjoy their time off. They had been in Kabul for nearly six weeks on point with no relief. The U.S. troop advancement and constant military presence made this place somewhere you could kick back and relax. This was much desired by Riko who was now a two digit midget on his second tour. As he laid down and covered his eyes, Riko thought about home. The plantation was one of the prettiest places on earth to him. Just thirteen days and he would be stateside, officially a civilian. As peaceful as it was as he drifted off to sleep, nothing lasts long in sand hell.

"Riko, Stubs yelled, "come on brother, the team is going for some sand turd booze,"

"I'll pass, got to get some things done before I head stateside in a couple of weeks."

"Lucky bastard."

Riko just smiled.

As his second family trailed down a side alley, he watched from the balcony window of their makeshift quarters that the Marines had seized. Like any other time off duty, the guys were headed to the nearest bar, usually set up by military personnel, to drink themselves into a state of forgetting the horrors they have seen. Normally, Riko would be with them.

It was just a speck in the sky at first, like one of those annoying gnats that won't leave you alone. It got larger with each swat of the hand and Riko realized it was a prop plane flying their way. It circled the village while Riko watched intensely and accessed the danger. He knew something was wrong, the hair on the back of his neck stood up. Riko quickly grabbed his sniper rifle and glassed the plane. No gun mounts, no bombs or missiles. "What the he'll is it doing?" He murmured to himself. Thoughts raced through his head. "Is this Habudabi trying to gather Intel?" "Bunch of scum bags, just plain dumb asses if they are. U.S. troops make it a point blend in, to not appear as a foreigner and become targets. Especially seen as one from a plane. You will have to land that bird,get on our level you stupid SOB, and that is your ass when we catch you."

The plane circled and came in low for one more pass. All of a sudden it started dusting the village.

"Shit! Chemical warfare! Riko shouted as he jumped into action closing all the windows and doors before it got to him. He could hear the screams of pain and terror down below. People were running in every direction. Men, women and children all ran. No one was safe. Quickly, Riko looked for his team with his sniper rifle. "You sorry goat fuckers, come around for another peak and I will blow you out of the God damn sky!" He shouted. As he watched and waited for the plane to make another pass he caught a glimpse of JB making his way up the other steps. He scanned the area for the rest of the team. Around the area, over and over he scanned, but no sign of them. JB burst into the room, immediately fell to his knees as a quiet rasp crossed his parched lips, "Riko."

Riko quickly shut the door behind JB. When he turned to check on his brother in arms, all he could do was stare in horror as his heart raced to jump out of his chest. JB'S skin was all pale white covered with sores and blisters. Rink wondered, "What on God's green earth did those bastards drop on us? Surely it wasn't agent oranges!" He helped JB while asking him the location of the others.

"Where is LT, Stubs and Marshall?

"DEAD!" Is all JB said as he pulled on his collar and slightly opened his eyes.

"BULL MOTHERFUCKING SHIT!" Riko screamed.

"SERIOUSLY gunny. I seen them with my own eyes. They are dead."

Riko stood by the window, lock and loaded, ready to open fire on any rag head he seen. He knew his guys never called him by rank unless it was very serious, dead serious.

Yelling back over his shoulder, "where JB?"

"About 60 yards out to your 2 o'clock gunny."

Riko began scanning the area. There they we're, not in the best of condition, but they we're up and moving.

A sigh of relief come across him as he said, JB, you have Shit or brains, they are not dead."

"What? Bull fuckin' Shit, gunny, I checked them. There is no fuckin' way. You know I wouldn't have left them if they were alive. No pulse equals dead in this damn place." And he hobbled to the window to see for himself.

JB stood there with his jaw dropped in amazement. Gunny was right, there they were, all three of them up walking around. Yes walking, but with no purpose or no sense of direction. The whole damn village was like this -- just walking around with no emotions whatsoever.

Then they started dropping like flies. Both Riko and JB stood there in silence.

"What the fuck is going on, gunny?"

"I don't know, I really don't know."

Turning his attention to JB, Riko looked at him with great concern. Then JB dropped to the floor dead.

Riko woke up sweating.