“We should all be that lucky,” Choi muttered as they came inside proper, Ayers closing the door behind them.
“On top of that, we still have seven missing,” Dixon added.
The trio blinked at him in shock.
“Christ!” Choi blurted. “We’re already down twelve men, and we haven’t even gotten started yet?”
Herrera furrowed his brow. “Honest opinion,” he began, “do you think any of them made it and just haven’t found their way here, yet?”
Dixon immediately shook his head. “That forest was the stuff of nightmares, man,” he declared. “If you were lucky enough to get to the ground in one piece, you had movement everywhere. That moon didn’t do a damn bit of good either, lighting up just enough to scare you shitless. Frankly, I’m amazed that any of us survived it.”
“Well I’m glad you did, because you’re going to lead the docks team,” Herrera said.
Both Dixon and Gilbert spat, “What?!” at the same time.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa, Corporal,” Dixon blathered, putting up his hands, “I am not the man for that job.”
“Corporal, I know we have our differences,” Gilbert cut in, “but you know I can lead that assault.”
Dixon motioned to the ex-Sergeant. “I tend to agree with him.”
“Enough!” Herrera snapped. “Dixon, you’re going to lead the dock mission.” He put up a hand to stop Gilbert from speaking. “Take Choi and go help the injured to a secure room here. We can’t take them with us, and we can’t leave somebody to guard them. Make sure they have provisions, because it could be days before anybody gets back to them.”
Gilbert wrinkled his nose, looking like he wanted to scream, but bit his tongue. “Yes sir,” he mumbled, and headed off with Choi in tow.
Dixon’s face was pale, his terror showing in droves on his face, staring wide-eyed at the Corporal.
Herrera stepped forward, putting his hands on the Private’s shoulders to steady him. “Listen to me,” he said firmly, “you can do this.”
“I respectfully disagree, Corporal,” Dixon replied shakily.
“When we were back at the airport,” Herrera began, “Captain Kersey and I watched you interact with the men. The Captain marveled at how much trust the team had in you.”
Dixon blinked at him. “Captain Kersey said that?”
“Yeah, and we were both impressed, because it’s not an easy thing to get,” the Corporal added.
The Private took a deep breath. “Corporal, I gotta level with you,” he said, shaking his head, “I’ve never so much as led a boy scout troop, let alone a mission like this.”
“Well, I just led my first mission less than a week ago,” Herrera pointed out,” and here I am being sent off in the first wave of this assault. If I can do it, you can. Just rely on your men and they’ll pull you through.”
Dixon nodded, his eyes slowly firming up as he bolstered his confidence. “So… so what do you need me to do?” he asked.
“Who do you trust the most in this group?” Herrera asked.
“Private Ayers,” came the immediate reply. “We’ve been together since basic.”
“Ayers, over here!” Herrera called, waving for him to come over.
The Private broke away from guard duty and approached them. “Yes, sir?” he asked.
“Private Dixon here is going to be leading the dock mission,” Herrera said. “I need you to support him however he needs it.”
Ayers smirked. “Look at you, getting promoted,” he teased. “We’re gonna wreck some shit.” He held out his fist, and Dixon bumped it. “Frankly, it’s about time they gave you more responsibility.”
Herrera inclined his head. “See, you got the men behind you.”
“Okay,” Dixon said firmly, finally seeming to have accepted his fate. “So, we gotta clear the school, then the docks, right?”
The Corporal shook his head. “The school is a lost cause,” he admitted, “especially with the numbers we have. You’re going to have to find a new rally point a few blocks to the west of the school. And worse, you’re going to have to be quiet about it.”
“The school that bad?” Ayers asked.
Herrera nodded. “We lost three men, including the Sarge, just landing there.”
“We’ll figure something out,” Dixon replied.
“Good,” the Corporal said. “Now, with the men we have left, who knows how to drive a big rig?”
Dixon pursed his lips in thought. “Pretty sure Choi can handle one,” he mused, “not sure who else.”
“What about Eason?” Ayers asked.
Dixon turned to the other men. “Hey, Eason?” he called. “You know how to drive a big rig?”
A short kid that looked no older than nineteen stood up from the splinting. “In the eyes of the government?” he asked. “Nope.” He held up a hand. “In reality? Hell yeah!”
Herrera gaped at him. “Is he even old enough to drive?”
“He’s a country boy, so he probably came out of the womb on a four wheeler,” Ayers replied offhandedly.
Dixon shook his head. “There’s a mental image I didn’t need,” he muttered.
“I’ll take him,” the Corporal said. “Is there anybody else you can think of?”
Both Privates shook their heads.
“There were a couple more,” Dixon said quietly, “but… they haven’t shown up yet.”
Herrera nodded. “Okay,” he continued, “we’re going to split up into groups of nine. Pick the seven other you need and send the rest over to me.” He pointed to the table in the far corner. “Gotta do some planning.”
“They’ll be right over,” Dixon replied, and headed off.
Herrera headed over to the table and pulled out a map of the island, spreading it out to study it. His original mission had been to take the docks, but now he’d have to adjust course and do the truck mission on the fly.
“Can I have a word?” Gilbert asked from behind him.
The Corporal didn’t even look
