Edge of War

A girl?

* * *

Mara ran next to Josh and M?, the center of the circle as the SEALs hustled toward the landing spot. This was the sort of thing the shooters practiced time and again, and the team ran as one, swarming across the scrub and leaping over the ditch like a well-trained dance company moving across the stage.

As they reached the asphalt apron around the runway, they dropped their pace. The three SEALs at the back of the group turned to make sure no one was sneaking behind them.

Squeaky suddenly shouted. “Man, man — I got a man!”

Then he started to fire.

* * *

Jing Yo saw the muzzle flash. Instinctively, he raised his weapon and fired.

The grenade hit the man shooting at him square in the chest and exploded.

* * *

Josh felt himself launched into the air. He didn’t know what had happened. He couldn’t hear — it was as if someone had clapped his hands on Josh’s ears.

He landed in the dirt.

A sneeze welled up from deep in his chest.

Someone grabbed him, pulling him.

Mara.

“What?”

If she said anything, he couldn’t hear what it was.

M??

The girl had been behind him. He twisted around, thinking she was under him.

She wasn’t.

Oh God, after this, after all she had been through — was she going to die? It couldn’t work that way.

But of course it could.

He saw M? lying in the field, a few feet away.

God! God! Why!

He ran to her, tears welling in his eyes.

“Josh?” she muttered, starting to rise.

He grabbed her. The helicopter was turning toward them, turning toward the cement pad. He began to run for it.

* * *

Jing Yo dropped his grenade launcher and grabbed his submachine gun. But even as he pressed the trigger, the ditch erupted with a hail of bullets. He threw himself down, waiting for a break in the storm.

* * *

Mara pushed Josh and M? toward the chopper, then turned back to see where the others were. Stevens, Eric, and Silvestri were firing from their knees, covering the ditch. Little Joe, Kerfer, and Squeaky were down.

Squeaky was more than down. The grenade, had ripped through his chest and severed his head, which lay on the ground a few yards away.

Mara jerked her head back toward the ditch.

“Get that motherfucker/” yelled Stevens.

Something moved. Mara fired. Her bullets sped through the gun; within seconds she had no more.

The others must be almost out as well.

“Get to the helicopter!” she shouted at them.

She ran to Kerfer, who was lying faceup. There was blood all over his chest.

“Hey,” he said.

“Come on.” Mara reached down and tried to pull him up, but Kerfer didn’t budge.

“Go. Get the hell out of here.”

Mara grabbed his submachine gun.

“Come on,” she told Kerfer. “On my back.”

“Ain’t worth it, spook lady. Go!”

Mara reached down and scooped him up as one of the SEALs started firing again. She ran a few yards toward Little Joe, intending to help him up as well, but as she got close, she realized he wasn’t getting up — the exploding grenade had blown his leg off, leaving his body in a pool of blood. His eyes were closed, as if in sleep, but it was clear he was already dead.

“To the helicopter!” she yelled. “Go! Go!”

* * *

Jing Yo raised his head, then quickly ducked back as the Americans began firing again.

There were more grenades in the case. He needed them.

The gunfire stopped. He grabbed the box, opened it, then reached for his launcher. But when he tried putting the grenade in, he saw that the barrel had been hit by bullets. It wouldn’t accept the grenade.

He’d have to take them with the submachine gun.

He punched out the old magazine, even though it was half full. Slamming a new box in, he grabbed two more, then jumped up and began running toward the helicopter.

* * *

Josh turned a few feet from the chopper, looking back for the others. He saw Mara, dragging Kerfer on her back. Eric ran to her and helped.

Where was Squeaky? Where was he?

One of the chopper crewmen jumped to the ground.

“Take the girl,” Josh yelled, pushing M? toward him. “Go!”

Josh let go of M?, then spun and started to run for the others.

* * *

Eric took hold of Kerfer as Mara stumbled toward him. Silvestri took the other side. Mara twisted out from under them and spun back.

The bastard who’d been following them was jumping out of the ditch.

She squeezed the trigger on Kerfer’s gun.

He was out of bullets, too.

* * *

Josh saw the man in the ditch lowering his gun to fire. He pressed the trigger, but without good aim, his bullets went low, striking the dirt in front of the man.

But it was enough. He went down.

“Into the helicopter!” Josh screamed, turning back for the helo. “Into the helicopter!”

* * *

Jing Yo collapsed as the ground erupted in front of him. He couldn’t lose now.

He raised his weapon to fire. But there was someone behind the scientist, a sailor from the helicopter, shooting with an M-4. The fire was so intense he had to stay down. He dug his chin into the dirt, waiting for the fusillade to lift.

* * *

Just as he reached the nose of the helicopter, Josh saw something from the corner of his eye. He stopped and turned. There was a small figure with a gun, two guns — a grenade launcher, he thought.

He raised his weapon. This time his aim was true, striking the figure in the midsection.

“Into the chopper!” screamed Mara, grabbing his back. “Go! Go! Go!”

They dove headfirst into the body of the Seahawk. Before Josh could get to his feet, they were off the