*Completed* The Darkhorse

Part 93- Deaths Morrow

He searches for the Lieutenant in the early hours asking where he is one Pararescue man finally pointing to the bodies. He sees Welder shot six times in the chest laying there as if he was sleeping. The others gather around the 14 remaining men staring at him 3 Pararescue men 5 Rangers 4 SEALs and 2 Raiders all thats left the Ranger who gave him attitude wounded with a shot to the arm. The one SEAL steps forward "Whatre your orders Gunny" he looks at them "Get the Staff and Patients ready to move I have a plan" he points to the Ranger "You come with me I have an important task for you" the others head out and the Ranger walks with him "What is it Gunny?" he grabs the map and their orders and hands them to the Ranger "Theres a hole in the enemy line a few miles north west of here I need you to guide the Staff and Patients back through it youll find the 2nd Armored division through there they can get these people the help they need" the Ranger looks at him "I can fight Gunny" he looks at the Ranger and smiles "I know you can kid youve fought like hell but I need you to do this take the maps and orders with you and should something happen burn them" he takes his dog tags off "Please take these as well should we not return collect everyones dog tags" the Ranger nods "Aye Aye" he smiles and the Ranger steps away to complete his task. He pulls on his mask the skeletal grimace of the Darkhorse covering his face. He smiles and looks at the picture of Ana missing her praying he gets to see her again looking up and watching Doctors Nurses and wounded men gathering for the march through the desert. He assembles them and sends them off the Ranger waving to the 14 men left behind. He looks at them "What were doing here is not a requirment any man who walks away with them will not be seen as a coward" nobody moves and he nods "Tonight we slip into the desert and take ambush positions we maintain silence and when their close enough we shred their units and disappear" he looks over them "Tonight we are the spectres in the night we are the silent blade the assassins. We fight not just for them but for every American back home. We are the thin red line and we will not go quietly into the night we will not be pushed away and defeated for we are warriors we are the Spartans at Thermopylae we are the men of the 9th Legion in the northern part of England we are the 29th on Omaha and the 5th on Iwo. We're Americans and Americans are rough and tumble fighting machines now lets show these bastards what a few pissed off special forces can do when pushed to the limit" the men whoop and holler fanning out surrounding the camp. He finds a dune and digs in burying himself the sand coating him keeping him warm as night falls. He can hear footsteps and whispering in German he lets their unit pass and grabs the last man dragging his body back over the hill the German yelling just before he slits his throat. He rises from the sand the yellow grains falling off of him the moon behind him silhouetting him the Germans staring in fear at this figure wielding a sword the Germans looking around as all around they rise from the sand like spectres disturbed from their sleep. He smirks and charges slashing one across the throat his head rolling stabbing the next and slashing a third. He sidesteps one trying to rifle butt him and grabs him slowly slitting his neck spinning the sword in his hands walking up to the last one lopping off his head the others have engaged the Germans and Russians all around and he moves to the next squad sidestepping a bayonet and jamming the sword into the mans throat blood spewing out. He feels a little less human with each enemy he kills his humanity washing away with their blood. He slashes another and the men regroup all standing in the bodies of the fallen enemy soldiers. He looks at them the men all having a mask of sand on their faces their expressions ghostly nothing more than eyes. He hears more coming and they lay down camouflaging themselves waiting as the unit marches into the bodies of the fallen looking around seeing no shots fired no shell casings they get tense. He rises from the sand and hacks the head off the officer stabbing a Sergeant and the others all rise tearing into them the bodies stacking up. He slashes them and stabs them as they come the scared Russians looking as if they have looked into the eyes of the devil. They stack the bodies high and disappear into the dunes another platoon approaching. They hide in a rocky out cropping and wait for them to close in rushing out like rabid animals tearing into the Russians who can barely react the sun starting to come up on the horizon. They tear them to shreds the men engaged in brutal hand to hand combat. He stands there backed by the moon looking over their ghostly faces only one Russian left alive a SEAL holding him there the others surrounding him. He motions for them to let him go the Russian looking into his face the ghostly mask covering his face. The Russian bolts running off into the distance and he stands there with these men of honor the group heads back to the hospital and stands stoically as friendly forces approach seeing them like shadows in the distance.