Nobody

Alone

I shook my head. "I'll be honest, Bubba, it got ugly."

The scrawny one sneered. "Like what?" He asked.

Bubba opened his mouth and I shook my head. "I'll answer," I stared at that scrawny one. "Ever kill a man?"

He shook his head.

"Ever had anyone actually try to kill you? Not just a fight, not just angry at you, but ou to kill you dead?" I asked.

Again, he shook his head.

My mind went back to Panama. "Back during Just Cause, it got ugly. We were going toe to toe with men that we'd trained, hard core little bastards. We had to dig them out, close range, up close and personal," I could almost hear the crackling of the buildings burning around me.

"Got a Bronze Star for Valor that war," I said softly. My hands came up, involuntarily holding an M-60that existed only in my memories. "I was up in the ring mount, our normal 60 gunner had gotten wounded in her arm and shoulder, someone had to stay on the gun. The buildings on either side of us were burning, and it was the second night, we'd fought our way through four battles that day and two the night before, but the city was burning around us

the thud of artillery, outgoing and incoming, the constant rattle of fully automatic fire close and far, the crackle of the flames, screaming sometimes close sometimes far, corpses in the streets, my mouth dry but my bladder full even though I'd pissed less than an hour before aine's voice ringing out AMBUSH HIGH UP BOTH SIDES and the 60 swung around to come into line with PDF up on the right hand roof kneeling behind a low crest of the wall the sixty shudderingagainstme asIfiredandfiredandfired into the crest provingthatconcealmentisnotcover and raking the bulletsbloodscreamingbodiesfalling brassfallingthehammeringagainstmy shoulderandthe screamsofthedeadandthesilenceofthedead

"Sammy," Bubba's voice cut through the memory and I realized with a start I was staring the scrawny guy, who'd drawn back in his chair, my teeth pulled back in something that might be called a smile if it held anything human at all in it. My hands were still holding an invisible M-60 like I was raking a rooftop.

I looked at Bubba, shuddering slightly. "I'm here," I said. "Thanks, man."

He shook his head, "You all right, you kind of trailed off on us."

"Memories," I said. I took a drink off of my iced-tea and looked at the cigarette in the ashtray.

It was half-burnt away.

I took a deep drag and looked back at the scrawny one. "You really wanna know how I got those medals, buddy?"

He shook his head.

Bubba chuckled. "Thought not," the big heavy brawler said. He looked at me. "My grand-pappy, he'd get that same look on his face, he'd hold a gun only he could see, and he'd trail off and go silent," he looked at everyone else. "Sam here's the real deal."

That made me smile. "Wish I wasn't, Mister Coldwren."

"Buy you a beer?" The big brawler asked me.

I shook my head. "It sounds great, Bubba, it really does, but I drink that one, I won't stop. Not tonight, not tomorrow, and I'll be back to being a drunk again," I told him.

Him and the stocky one nodded at that.

"'Nother can of iced-tea then?" The brawler asked me. I nodded at that and he signaled the waitress.

"You planning on working, Sammy?" Bubba asked me.

I shook my head. "I got pretty busted up," I admitted. "Then I worked in the mill, but I'm starting to feel all those injuries catch up on me."