There Are No Words

Chapter 11B

Walker

When I joined the Marines, one of my goals was to learn to control my temper better. Having a cocked gun forced against my temple is doing nothing to help me reach that goal. Right now, I want to take the guy behind me and ram his head into the nearest wall. Lead poisoning not being the way I want to go, I do my best to control myself until Candace can reach my six.

A few minutes ago when Candace was walking towards our truck, and right before this guy grabbed me, I saw her. Based on his behavior, the guy behind me hadn't noticed her. Thankfully, Candace stepped back behind one of the truck's fenders right before the cold metal of his weapon tapped my forehead.

Candace carries her rifle with her at all times. I know she'll move around us to take the guy out from behind, but she'll need a few minutes to get into position. In the meanwhile, I have to do my best to stand still and keep this guy from making any sudden movements. Not that I don't have the motivation to do so. A loaded gun against your head will do that.

"You fucking Americans. Come into our country. Take over," the guy behind me sneers in his heavy-accented speech. The acrid smell of his perspiration reaches out to me, choking me like fingers made of noxious gas. The stench is overwhelming.

"What'd you want?" I ask the man. My heart's hammering in my chest, but I speak in deadly calm to make sure he doesn't get too excited too fast.

"What do I want?" he asks, spitting as he speaks. "WHAT DO I WANT? I want all you fucking Americans dead! I want you out of my country. Out of my homeland. I want to rape your women. I want to kill your children, like you have killed so many of ours," he screams.

"Like we have killed yours?" I respond. "Your people blew up the Twin Towers. Your people tried to destroy our country. To break down our resolve. To collapse our economy. You forgot one thing, though, didn't you?" I ask, noticing the reflection on the truck to my left. Its mirror flashes with a signal. Candace is ready. I take a deep breath.

"I didn't forget anything, you piece of shit American," the man whispers in my ear. "You forget. You forget to watch your back. Who has you now, though, pig?" He asks, full of cocky animation. "Me! That's who!"

"But you did forget something," I tell him. "You forget that a Marine never leaves another Marine behind."

"Yeah, I see your Marine friends here," he says, taking the hand with the loaded gun away from my temple to swing it around and include the guys before us.

It's the last thing he ever does.

As soon as the guy moves his gun from my head, a shot rings out behind us. The man's brains and blood shoot from his forehead and a look a surprise slips into place.

"Shit!" I shout. "Mother-Fu...son of a bitch, Candace," I swear looking behind me. "That was close."

Candace walks towards us, a frown on her face. She claps her hand over my shoulder and looks down at the man on the ground. A silent pool of blood is seeping out from under his head.

I hold my face in my hands and rub my eyes, and then look up at her.

"Thank you," I say somberly.

"Yeah, sure, Walker, sure," she responds listlessly. "Damn."

Candace starts to walk away and I let her go. We're trained to kill without hesitation. We're in life and death situations every hour of everyday that we fight this war. The constant deaths and killings take their toll, however. They never get easier; each kill making another cut into our psyche. "Do me a favor, Walker, don't let that happen again," I hear her say under her breathe. "I might not be here next time."

I shake my head as she continues back towards the supply truck, climbing into the front seat alone. Candace is an excellent shooter. She's saved our ass more than once, but this is the first time she's done so for me personally. I look down at the guy on the ground and shutter. That could've been me. The desert sun beats on me as dust blows across the dead man's back. Mother Earth is already trying to reclaim him.

I move away before she has a chance to reach out and grab me as well.

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