"Incoming-!"
Someone screamed but the distinct howl of inbound mortars already had everyone run to find cover wherever they could inside that dry, rocky and barren dessert.
No one dared go for a humvee knowing they would be the first targets but the lack of proper cover in Iraq was always a nuisance.
He found a fair sized rock and slid in behind it, the forty degree Celsius surrounding along with the dust screams and adrenaline made one truly realise that training and the real deal were worlds apart, no amount of cussing and shouting from a drill sergeant readies one for when the first shot fires, and at that moment of heat everything you learn gets blown out the back door, instinct is what saves you.
The shatter of sand and rocks blasting over the area knocks the wind out of you first, then the cloud covers the sun, enters your eyes and along with the whistles in your ears you can't hear yourself cough which causes a sense of claustrophobia to kick in.
Heart pounds your chest along with the many pounds striking mother earth, a humvee gets tossed through the air like its nothing, ending up as nothing but scrap, then in the corner of his eye from out his cover he saw the spray of red, limbs, intestines, and along with a horrid scene, the half blown away man still screamed as he flew like a doll.
"Tyson!" He screamed as the upper half one armed body hit the dirt and got covered by dust, no one dared move awaiting another bombardment, but none came, only the whistles like cicadas in their ears.
"Man down!" He screamed flying out from cover at the same time someone else screamed 'Medic!'
He slid to his knees and drew Tyson to his back, a gut-wrenching feeling came over him when the man tried to speak but words were replaced by blood, every time he coughed to speak more blood gushed out the hole where his hips used to be.
"Hang in there Tyson! We're gonna get you out of here!" Tom screamed trying whatever he felt necessary to stop the bleeding, but his common sense told him it was futile attempts.
"Dad!" He heard Tyson say finally and he looked a way from the trail of intrails and blood to the wide eyes of his destroyed comrade.
"What!?" Tom yelled bewildered.
"Dad!" Tyson said again "Wake up dad!"
-Tom flew up in his bed gasping and sweating bullets, he panted heavily wiping at his forehead then turned to Mia knelt next to his stretcher with a worried stare on her face.
"Oh- Mia" he said and sighed as he fell back on his pillow again.
"Are you okay daddy? Was it the war again?"
"Yes sweetheart, the same old story"
Mia was on her knees in the tent with him, just behind her was Alice, her best friend, this was the first time Alice saw Tom have a nightmare and was rather spooked.
Mia fell on Tom's chest and gave him as tight a hug she could "Don't worry dad, those days are over now"
He smiled an held his ten year old tightly "Thank you for reminding me my little angel, I feel so much better now"
She sat back onto her knees again "And remember daddy, whenever you feel like you need a hug, just tell me okay?"
Tom sat up and smiled at her "You're not going to start charging me for those one day right?"
She gasped "No~! Hugs are for free!"
"Oh, I'm glad then, because if you knew how many hugs I want from you? You could turn it into a business, you'd be rich!"
She stubbornly folded her arms "Dad! I don't need to be rich yet!"
"Oh? Why?"
"Because, well because daddy already gives me everything I want" she said softly.
Tom couldn't hold himself and drew her against his chest again "Thank you my girl, you warm your old man's heart"
They parted and she smiled "Me and Alice will go stack the fire for coffee so long"
"You two do that" he said as the two girls left hunched out of the tent.
Tom would probably have committed suicide by now if it wasn't for Mia. After his wife died in a tragic train crash five years ago he thought his reason for living practically ended with her in that wreck, but by some miracle Mia was saved, a last gift from his beloved wife.
After his five year service in Iraq Tom became a police officer, and after Mia became priority he changed up to detective, better pay, better hours.
On weekends he'd take his too tomboy girl camping, and along with her came Alice as always. Tom did it as a favour, poor miss Jane is a nurse and works two jobs since her husband passed away from cancer, the least Tom could do was give the 26 year old single mother some time to relax, and treat Alice to camping every second weekend.
He quickly slipped on his khakis when the girls were heard away from the tent busy with sticks and climbed out himself.
"You girls okay there!?" He called seeing them a little too far into the forest for comfort.
"Almost done dad!" Mia called and picked up one last stick.
He felt himself an over protective father sometimes but he loved his girl, she meant the world to him, he subconsciously felt his Baretta in the back of his belt then smiled as the girls came close again and started stacking the fire.
"So, you girls wanna go fishing or butterfly catching first?" He asked... Butterfly catching, it was the thing of being a father with a girl not a boy, Tom even took it upon himself sometimes to research what girls their age would like to do.
Alice called for the butterflies but Mia was all for fishing, Tom wanted to laugh but couldn't help be held back a little longer by his smarter-than-she-should be little girl.
"Hey Alice! Come on we can go catch butterflies later, we can't eat butterflies ya know?"
Alice gave a small gag "Eww Mia I know we can't eat butterflies?"
"Then let's go fishing first, we can at least eat fish"
Alice sighed "Okay, you're right"
Tom snorted but turned around to hide his desperate attempts not to break with laughter, it was official, Mia is a mastermind.
"Dad?" Mia asked and he cleared his throat turning back.
"So fishing then?"
"Yes!" They both said smiling.
Tom made sure the two had their coffee and rusks before they headed off to the river, he learned a valuable lesson about how grumpy kids can be when their stomach is empty on a day similar to this.
He had to chuckle at them as both their patients were not sufficient to wait for a bite, he told them how to manage the hook, how to set the bait, the toss and click, but that was all the excitement they dared to accept, it was barely a minute when Alice groaned.
"This is boring"
"I'll agree" Mia said with a sigh.
"Well, why don't you two go catch some butterflies whilst I catch the fish right?"
Both smiled at the offer and nodded.
"You know where the nets are, come check in every half hour girls ye hear! And don't stray too far!" He called as they ran back to the camp.
"Yes daddy!"
"Yes mister Thomas!"
He took a sigh, checked his spools, luckily he at least got three lines in now instead of one, he took out a beer and sat back, this was the best, it allowed him to think of his wife calmly and without tears, the area, the wind, the soothing sound of running water reminded him of her, and that was the main reason he came to camp out here.
Not long he decided to close his eyes for a rest, the lines of the fishing rods will surely wake him when the fish bites, and with not a worry in the world further he fell asleep...
It was never the lines that woke him, it was the piercing screams of Mia and Alice, he shook looking around, Tom didn't have to check his watch to realise it was way past the time they should have returned to camp.
"Mia!? Alice!?" He yelled getting up, he didn't even bring a torch, didn't even plan to stay out so late, squinting into the dark the only thing that guided him was another shriek scream which made him run, he has never heard Mia scream that loudly.
"Mia!" He screamed back attempting his best to see through the dark, the only light available was feint moonlight filtering through the treetops, her bone chilling screams of terror made him sad, made him run faster and grab his service pistol out of his belt.
Then suddenly the screams went silent and he stopped, the hum of silence vibrating his eardrums, the last shriek still repeating in his mind, he kept wading brought the thick forest, keeping direction of where he last heard her.
When he broke through the brush the first thing he saw was Mia on the ground in her white blouse with jeans, dark patches around her in the little light he has to see, but so dark was it he didn't see the animal in the hard offset of the shadow, only the eyes came up to him glinting green, it was then that he heard the rumble from its threatening growl.
His wife... Now his girl... Gone, ripped from him by the jaws of death, the crushing steel of fate, he lost it and screamed firing at the animal with his pistol, it harfed and turned tail to run but Tom kept firing until his entire fifteen round magazine emptied out.
'Click, click, click...' He kept squeezing the trigger over and over, the barrel still aimed at the last position he saw death disappear, then he looked over to his left dead daughter, a weakness came over him and he collapsed to his knees, to his elbows, and cried.
Author's note:
The first chapter launched and we both hope it tickled the emotion.
Thanks for the read peeps and remember to ask Happy_itgirl anything you want, she's with me in this.