Animosity

Chapter 14 - Peter Barlon

        Photo: A battalion of US soldiers sit forlornly on top of a hill, watching the smoke rise from bombings below.

—

        "Where's Devy?" Lt. Hiro asked mildly, stepping out of his tent to address our little group. Doc had joined us just minutes before, lowering himself carefully on his bad leg, Private Raleigh following quickly after. Lt. Thompson had stayed with Hiro for most of the morning, the two laughing and talking together like old friends, smiles big and dazzling on their faces. It felt good to see our commander happy, a welcomed difference to the tension that had gripped camp recently before.

        "Devy... Devy went for a walk," Hank offered, much too casually, and I turned my head slightly in the direction of the nearby jungle. The dark-haired man had stormed off into the forest, but not before cursing profusely in an angry rant that had developed, the letter from Ma the source of his fury. 'They don't know what we go through,' he had fumed. 'How could they even imagine being in our fuckin' position? Bunch of pussies! Come to Vietnam and see for yourself..!'

        Nodding, Lt. Hiro ran a hand through his hair, lacing his fingers behind his head as he leaned against a nearby tree, the trunk a dark brown dotted with white flecks of sap. It was fully morning now, the sun high in the sky, and it beat down on us like an angry wave of heat, warming my dark green clothes as they say draped over my back. I could already tell he had had a job in mind for Devy, but now that he wasn't here, Hiro's eyes raked over the clump of us sitting down in a crooked semicircle. At last, he cleared his throat, seemingly not noticing our curious eyes trained on him.

        "I need a pair of scouts to travel up to the battle site and tell me how everything's going." He stated tiredly, and no sooner had the words come out his mouth before he was interrupted by a quick, insistent voice.

"Me and Tom'll do it."

Raising an eyebrow in surprise, I looked over with wide eyes at Hank, who had let the words tumble out of his mouth, his own expression shocked at the aggressive suggestion. My eyebrows furrowed in irritation, who was he to decide what I'd do or not do? Hiro let a small grin dance its way onto his lips and he blew out a breath of air, cracking his neck as he lowered himself to sit down on a nearby patch of drying grass.

"Thanks for making it easy on me," he murmured, and for the first time that day, I could tell how truly exhausted he was. Despite his upbeat nature shining through earlier, he had huge dark bags under his bloodshot eyes, and I assumed he hadn't slept much the night before. "You two don't have to go now, you can wait for a couple minutes if you want to."

"Let's just go," I muttered, annoyed again, cursing the brunette behind me for making my one day of relaxation turn into an evening of traipsing through knee-high foliage and trying to stay hidden. Sighing, I angrily shoved my arms through the straps of my pack as I neared the edge of the small clearing. As much as I hated to admit it, I was a pushover. I wanted to tell him no, but Lt. Hiro's relief of not having to assign anyone was obvious, and I'd feel guilty if I refused now.

"Wait up, Tom," Hank called from somewhere behind me, and I rolled my eyes, waving to Buddy over my shoulder. Advancing farther into the jungle, I started off on the path that me and Doc had taken to the river, a little strip of dirt snaking through the abundance of trees. Vines brushed my palms sneakily as I pushed them away, ignoring the irritated shout from behind. "Tom, I said wait!"

Despite my good morals, a wicked grin spread over my face as I neared the riverbed, hurried steps sounding behind me. Karma, I thought, satisfaction clouding my mind. Karma's a bitch, isn't it?