Third Person - Complete

Gifts

Stepan wiped his brow on his sleeve, sitting out behind the cinderblock building that had been his home for the last two weeks. The Major had stated that nobody was to be out front of the building and that everyone in the thirty-man Vympel team either stayed in the building or only moved around behind the building.

Frankly, Stepan found the Vympel team's concern over the Americans to be disturbing.

Sergeant Egorkin spit tobacco juice into the grass, cradling his light machinegun in his arms as he stared off to the east. Major Vasilek stood over by the BTR-40 armored truck, smoking a cigarette and humming a song that was unfamiliar to Stepan.

"Major?" Stepan asked.

The big Major looked over, raising his left eyebrow as he exhaled smoke. "What is it, comrade Sergeant?"

"Why do you have Senior Sergeant Antolovich shoot in the direction of the Americans and then mock them with laughter?" Stepan asked.

"To remind them we are here," The Major said, shrugging. "We are careful not to violate the rules, and Yuri has been doing it for several years without Chernobog killing him."

"I still disagree with that action, Comrade Major," Egorkin spit, "I think it hardens Chernobog's demons. Removes the fear of being shot at from them."

The Major shrugged. "Be that as it may, we have explicit orders to continue to harass the American troops in order to damage their morale," The big Major exhaled smoke. "The people who determine our actions only know about Chernobog from reports they get."

"After the reports have been sanitized for others to read," Egorkin spit.

"Now now, Sergeant, you know men aren't reliable, only Communism and the State is reliable," The Major grunted.

The sound of weapons being fired, a lot of them, along with the heavy hammering of machineguns suddenly rolled over the trio standing out in the August sunlight.

"We are under..." Stepan started, turning toward the door that led back into the cinderblock building.

"Be still, Sergeant," The Major snapped.

"But..." Stepan started.

"Chernobog's men training with their weaponry," Egorkin said, spitting at a bee and missing.

Stepan's eyebrows lifted as he listened to the sheer volume of fire. He could hear at least four machineguns, and what sounded like over a dozen rifles being fired in steady paced shots.

Egorkin just spit in the grass again while the Major put out his cigarette against the heel of his boot. The three men stood outside until the weapon's fire stopped. Stepan breathed a sigh of relief. For his entire two years in Afghanistan that much gunfire would have meant that someone was getting torn up and probably Spetsnaz would have to go in to help them out.

"At least that is over," Stepan said.

Egorkin glanced at him then shook his head. "They will fire until Cernobog is satisfied with their marksmanship."

Stepan frowned. "Surely you jest, Comrade Sergeant, bullets are expensive and the idea of his leaders allowing him to..."

Stepan's certainty trailed away as Egorkin started to laugh.

"Now now, Sergeant, the good Junior Sergeant hasn't quite grasped what exactly Anthill is," The Major said, shaking his head and lighting another cigarette.

"What do you mean?" Stepan asked.

"As I told you the day you got here, Anthill is built of underground bunkers and tunnels. Those bunkers contain ammunition," The Major said patiently. "They are huge bunkers. Perhaps the next time they open one of the ones facing us I'll let you look through the telescope so you can see inside of them."