Page 112 of Brighter Shades of Light
“Even with sand powers, you still wouldn’t be cooler than Captain America,” I said.
“We at that again, sir?”
“Sure are, Lance Corporal.”
“I’m not sure if you have a Captain America obsession…or a Chris Evans one.”
“Both. The answer is always both.”
“Well, I hate to break it to you, fellas,” Juliet chimed in, “but Captain Marvel is the most powerful superhero and by far the most awesome.”
Anthony and I exchanged a look before grinning.
The lighthearted mood continued through the night. After we showered, we met for a game of cards. I won the first hand, and Juliet dominated the second. The temperature was still cooler than in the summer, but the sun from earlier had taken a lot out of me. By the third game, I called it quits and told them goodnight before going to my bunk.
My shift was changing tomorrow, and my sleep would be completely fucked up as a result. Might as well sleep while I could.
Before getting some shut eye, though, I messaged Sebastian.
Me:I’m turning in for the night. I love you.
His response was almost immediate.
Sebastian:I love you, too.
Our communication as of late was compiled of countlessI love yous. Sometimes that’s all I had time to say. And sometimes, that was the only thingtosay.
I couldn’t tell him what was really on my mind. I couldn’t say how there were times when I was afraid I was becoming too sucked into all of this, that I didn’t even flinch anymore when ordered to do something the old me would’ve questioned.
While you’re training for the Corps, they pump you up by saying the whole, “We’re Marines. Honor, courage, and commitment. We fight and win.” thing. It made me feel like I belonged to something great. And I still felt that way.
What they didn’t mention, though, was the dangerous mindset you could fall into. Kind of like how something could appear great from the outside, but once you sunk into it, you found all the dark shit they didn’t want you knowing about. You discovered the glamour was only a mirage.
It was a lot to process.
But I couldn’t say any of it to Sebastian. I didn’t want him to worry. I also didn’t want to admit it aloud. With more time, I was sure the feeling would pass. Or maybe I would become used to it.
Sirens sounded, pulling me from a dead sleep.
I jumped out of bed and was ready in a minute flat before rushing out of the room. Explosions echoed from outside, as did machine guns coming from the western wall. Camp Shorabak was under attack again, but this time sounded much worse. When the next explosion hit, it rattled the building. I unslung my rifle and ran toward the commotion, my breath seizing in my chest.
Smoke wafted in the air, circling around me. And the smell…fuck, the smell was awful.
“Kill the fucking bastards,” another lieutenant said. “Kill them all.”
Outside, I joined other Marines as we helped the Afghan forces defend their camp. The Afghan soldiers in the guard tower fired on the attackers, who were moving through the base. How many, I didn’t know. Mortars fired, and men ducked for cover before firing their weapons into the darkness.
My heart pounded harder, but I remained calm. I was trained for this.
Trained to kill, just as the other lieutenant had said.
The attack drew on, seeming as though it lasted for hours, when it was probably only a handful of minutes. Maybe a little longer. I fired my rifle, not hesitating whatsoever before pulling the trigger. Another explosion. That made three. Once the smoke finally cleared and the pops from guns stopped, the base was patrolled as we cleared the area and made sure there were no more enemies hiding in wait.
Taliban fighters had snuck onto the base and attacked from the west. The number of casualties was unknown, but I saw at least three Afghan soldiers dead so far. That number climbed higher as we entered the dining hall and saw some of them had been stabbed to death, while others had been in the range of a suicide bomber.
Nine Taliban insurgents were dead that I could see, but I knew there had to be more than that. Three of them had been suicide bombers.
It was complete chaos for the next several hours. The body count was up to twenty or so. No U.S. casualties, although a few men had minor wounds. News of the attack spread, and by noon Sebastian’s time, reports were spreading online coming in from other news sources.
