She directs Jack off the main street and onto a connecting road, turning onto her street shortly thereafter. Looking at the long, sand strewn street that ends near one of the fields surrounding Clovis brings back memories of her childhood days; some good and others bad. These streets hold a lot of stories, she thinks as they progress slowly along them. The houses and yards in front of them haven’t changed much. It still represents an area without much money; rife with gangs and drugs where some try to live out their existence as peacefully as the streets will allow.
She looks to one the neighbor houses noticing tape across a front window. She remembers the time when gunfire interrupted the night, as it did at times, and a stray round found its way through that window. The police and ambulances arrived a short time later, although it always seemed like they took longer responding to her neighborhood. She gets why now as they wouldn’t want to barrel into her neighborhood without plenty of backup, especially after an exchange of gunfire.
Exiting the Humvee, her old neighborhood presses in on her yet there is a feeling of elation as well. If it wasn’t for the life and death reason they are here, she might feel like the returning conqueror. Gonzalez turns to her parents’ house. The rundown condition is counter to her father’s determined effort to make the best home possible for her and her sister. She knows how much her brother running off with the gangs weighed on him and her mother.
“I understand, sir,” Gonzalez says with a sigh, feeling tension gather in her gut at the implication of Jack’s words.
She checks her gear with the others but her eyes never leave the house for long. Each moment outside without someone emerging lessens the odds of her parents and sister being here. She knows her dad would have come out when the Humvees arrived. With the rest of Red Team behind her, she climbs the all-too-familiar steps to the porch. The weather-beaten boards creak beneath her boots. The sound of the rotting wood, moaning with the weight, reminds her of her dad and his intention to replace the porch. Each time he would finally get around to it, other bills or something else would erode the money he saved. The memory adds to her sadness as she now feels this search may be for naught. They have some time to look around the city and she holds onto the small hope that they are safe somewhere nearby. First though, she knows she has to enter the home of her childhood.
Standing by the door, she puts the NVG’s on her head and checks her M-4. Checking for a round in the chamber, she moves the selector switch to ‘Auto’ and reaches for the door handle. She pulls up short as she feels Jack’s hand on her shoulder and turns to see what he wants.
“There’s at least one night runner inside,” he says.
Gonzalez is confused about how he would know that but sees sorrow in Jack’s eyes as he relays the news. She knows open doors may indeed signal night runners but his statement is one of assuredness. A memory flashes in her head of the time they were in Madigan. Jack commented that the night runners knew they were in there and were coming. She hadn’t heard them herself but he said it with the same assuredness.
“How do you know that, sir?” Gonzalez asks.
“You’re just going to have to take my word on it. I know we have to go inside but keep on your toes,” Jack answers.
“Okay, sir,” she says.
A light dawns in her head. Not the bright light of an “aha” moment but a click of understanding. Something happened to Jack when he was in that coma. She should have seen it before. Other memories surface of seeing him look oddly to the front door during their meals or at a building as if he perceived something the others couldn’t. Maybe he did. He can sense them, she thinks looking at him a moment longer. It’s almost too much to deal with right now. With an answer about her family, or potentially one, right in front of her and now to have this realization. The freight train continues speeding down the track and she is standing right in its path.
She turns back to the door. Jack has stepped back and McCafferty stands at her shoulder with her M-4 at the ready. Henderson and Denton are ready to the side. Through the turmoil of emotions, a sense of pride shines through. She is part of a great team. The anxiety, frustration and disbelief she felt at Jack’s words changes. Gonzalez realizes he said those things, not because he was being cold-hearted but just the opposite, he cares about them and only wants to see them safe. She knew this even as he spoke but her anxiety only allowed so much in.
She reaches again for the door handle and, with a nod to the others, pushes the door open and rushes in with her carbine up and ready covering the immediate front. She senses more than hears McCafferty right on her heels as she covers the right. Gonzalez pushes further into the room with her eye tracking the small red crosshair as it traverses the room in her parallax view. Milliseconds later, a swish of clothing announces the arrival of Henderson and Denton. The open living room is clear of any movement and the lack of anything inside gives rise to a small doubt of Jack’s “knowledge.” Doubt gives rise to hope although a limited one as no one came outside to meet them when they pulled up.
She stops and goes to one knee and looks around the familiar room. McCafferty parks herself just off her right shoulder. Henderson and Denton are covering the right with Jack just inside the front door covering the entire room. The curtains covering the front window are pulled down on one side angling across the window. The open door and partially open window provides a dim light to the interior. Against the far wall sits the couch that was part of her life for so long; the cushions indented in the middle from the many times they sat as a family in front of the old console TV. Her dad’s green chair sits in the corner; the fabric on the arms thinned to the point where they’ve lost all color and has stuffing showing through.
The dining room opening is in front of her with the kitchen opening to left of the rickety table and chairs. Several plates lie on the table and the dim light catches a sparkle of silverware on the floor. Ahead and to her left is the hallway leading to the bathroom and back bedrooms. The house feels empty with the exception of memories. Gonzalez motions to Henderson and Denton pointing to the dining room. They both slide their NVG’s down and creep forward covering each other and the opening.
Gonzalez covers the hallway entrance with McCafferty. The chill Gonzalez feels is more than from the cool interior of the house. This is what she wanted but now, being here, she is not so sure she really wants an answer. She pulls her own NVG’s down over her eyes and turns to see Jack take station on his knees in the middle of the living room covering all approaches. She notices he doesn’t have his NVG’s down but is covering the rooms as if he can see everything in detail. Another click of understanding settles in her already overwhelmed mind. She takes a deep breath and settles into the moment. This is only another mission, she thinks looking to McCafferty. With a nod, they both rise and approach the hallway.
Settling down on the near corner, with McCafferty across the opening, Gonzalez looks down the darkened hall. All of the doors leading to the bedrooms and bathroom are open. The green glow of her goggles picks out a little light showing in the bedrooms from sunlight filtering in through the windows. The bathroom, two doors down the hall to the right, remains dark. If there is a night runner or two in here as Jack said, they would be in the bathroom, she thinks taking her first step into the hall with McCafferty right behind her. The silence is complete within the house. The shuffling of Henderson and Denton stationing themselves by the back door has stopped. She can’t even hear her own breathing or the pounding of her heart in her chest. The house itself seems to be holding its breath. I hate this, Gonzalez thinks taking another step.
The narrow hall is only wide enough for one person at a time. A very slight rustle coming from the bathroom brings her up short. It was subtle but it sounded like something shifting inside. Her heart rate quickens further threatening to pound right out of her chest. Gonzalez pauses waiting for another noise. Nothing else emits from the bathroom. It could be the house making noise as it warms up, she thinks. She lifts her foot to take another step.
The eruption of noise and movement startles her. Her heart bounds as adrenals kick into their highest gear flooding her system. It’s an explosion of noise from the bathroom. A shriek fills the narrow hall. Where, only a moment ago, the house seemed to be holding its breath, there is now an unearthly howl that shakes the walls and her very soul. The scream is accompanied by a burst of movement. Fast as lightning, a shape emerges from the bathroom entrance. Gonzalez shifts her red dot to the doorway. A night runner runs into her field of vision. Entering the hallway just a few feet away, it becomes wholly visible and turns with astonishing speed toward her. The face of her dad glows bright in her goggles. The shock is truly too much. She freezes.
The sound next to her ear threatens to stop her heart; the muted coughing like someone slapped her softly open-handed in the ear. Strobe-like flashes bounce off the walls and light the hall. Time slows. She watches in horror as the first round strikes her dad just below the left eye causing a splash of blood to erupt and spatter the
