12 Seconds (#1 in Military series)

Chapter 18

Chapter 18

The sun was blinding as it rose above them, limiting their view of the mountain side.

“Stay down!” Marc’s voice shouted over the cascade of bullets that shattered the rocks behind their heads.

She was tempted to shout something back at him but when she looked in his direction, concerned for his safety, she saw that he was talking into a radio.

Looking over their small group, Julia saw that they were isolated.

Steve “Twitch” was occupying the boulder beside her. Kazeem was knelt next to the rock he had previously been sitting on but it was only big enough to cover his knees, his entire upper body was exposed.

Marcus and Carlos were stretched out on their stomach, keeping low as they shot into the distance and Ray was beside her, keeping his head tucked into his knees.

“Ray-” Julia ducked when something popped on the boulder they were crouched behind. She guessed whoever was shooting was getting better at aiming.

“What’s happening!?” Ray shouted, placing his fingers inside of his ears.

“We’re getting shot at!” Julia shouted back at him as she forced herself back up.

Fear was coursing through her body until it felt like she couldn’t move, her mind swarming with thoughts of her accident.

She had survived an explosion. What were the chances of her surviving a gunshot wound this far away from the compound?

Julia didn’t like to think about the chances on that.

“Ray, stay here! I’ll be back in a minute!” Julia tapped Ray on his shoulder, letting him know that she was leaving.

Crawling forward on her stomach, Julia knocked her helmet back when it shifted on her head, covering her eyes, and approached Kazeem.

“Kazeem!” Julia shouted towards the Afghan, “Get down!”

But Kazeem ignored her, continuing to shoot into the distance.

Raising her weapon, Julia kept her finger off the trigger, fully aware that shots were being fired around her, and looked in the direction that Kazeem was shooting.

Scouring the mountainside and cliff tops, Julia couldn’t see anyone. Kazeem was shooting at nothing.

“KAZEEM!” Julia screamed at loud as she could, startling the man to look at her over his shoulder.

“Get down!” Julia reached out and gripped his shirt, pulling him down to the ground, “Stay low!” She tried to explain before she turned and returned to Ray.

Spinning around, loose rocks and sharp edges digging into her skin, Julia began to crawl back to Ray when she managed to glimpse over the rock edge and down into the ravine below.

A small creek ran through the mountains but as Julia looked up, a sudden burst of light blinded her.

Instantly recoiling from the bright light, Julia opened her eyes again to see something from her nightmares.

Looking to her side she saw Marc and Carlos, stretched out on their fronts with no protection.

Without thinking, Julia charged to her feet, the gun hanging by her side and her lips opened in a guttural cry of warning.

“RPG!” Julia screamed as loud as she could over the sudden whizzing sound that filled her ears.

Unable to process anything else but the pounding of her heart and the stinking heat, Julia collapsed on top of Carlos and Marc, shielding their bodies as a gigantic boom sounded above their heads.