The USEC squad moved slowly through the woods, scanning for hostile enemies, animals, and hazards, using the moonlight to guide them. It was completely silent, not even their footsteps made noise. Corporal Hodge took the lead with an M4A1 Carbine, the standard USEC rifle. Specialist Dawn or Specialist as he was called by others, stayed close behind with an MP5, the standard USEC submachine gun. The others were all armed with the same weapons with the exception of Private Dawson who used a Remington 870 with a breacher setup, Corporal Williams who used an SR-25 Marksman rifle, and Captain Chambers who carried a modified M4A1 with a short barrel, different handguard, stock, foregrip, and a silencer. Carrying the rear was Private Jason Mitchell, a new USEC recruit who was on his first combat assignment since Afghanistan. He was slightly nervous, constantly looking over his back and checking to make sure there was a round in the chamber of his rifle. Private First Class Hughes turned around and whispered to Jason, "How you doing back there Jason, holding up?" he asked. "Y-yeah, I'm fine, what about you?" he asked. "Fine, you got any idea how this mission is gonna go yet?" he asked. "Not a clue, I just hope we get it over soon," he said. "Yeah same, the wife was horrified when I told her I'd be going, said I shouldn't, but I gotta-" said Hughes before the Captain reared his head back and hissed at them to "shut it." Eventually, the squad came to a stop in a wooded area surrounded by trees, next to a decent sized ravine. "Alright men, we need to set up a mobile base of operations and establish a secure comms network pronto, Mitchell, Dawson, Hughes, you got watch," whispered Captain Chambers. "Aye sir," whispered Jason, Dawson, and Hughes, who posted up by the nearby trees. "Williams, find some high ground and set up a sniper position, we need eagle eyes," said Chambers. Williams nodded silently and moved to a nearby rock crevice which gave him a decent outlook over the ravine below. "The rest of you help set up the tents," hissed Chambers. The other men whispered back in some form or another and got to work.
The third hour of watch was drawing near and Jason could feel his eyelids getting heavy. He checked his watch only to be disappointed, daylight wouldn't arrive for another 2 hours. Just as he resumed his watch, he heard a twig snap nearby. His senses hightened at this noise. He raised his rifle in the direction of the twig snap, scanning the shadows for any odd movements or sounds. His breathing had quickened as did his heartrate as flashbacks of the Taliban's ferocious night raids replayed in his head. After a few minutes of silence, he brushed it off and continued his watch. Unbeknownst to Jason, what made the noise wasn't nothing, and the thing that did make that noise, actually was watching him at this moment, as were many other pairs of eyes.