“Sir, a part of me will always miss it.” #zombie #book2 #Axiom

“Sir, a part of me will always miss it.” Jayce explains, but makes it clear that he is not thrilled about being one of the first to see what “undead really means”.

They look at all the commotion surrounding the plane. Jayce then questions why his unit had been picked for this mission.

“This may be the most important mission ever exercised. There is no better unit for the job.  Life, as we know it, hangs from a frayed thread.” Stan responds.

The pilots stroll up and salute Stan and Jayce, unaware of what the mission entails.  The two return the gesture and the pilots board the plane.

Stan extends his hand and Jayce grasps it, “Captain, you and your men stay safe.  We will be waiting for you.”

“Yes, Sir.”

Jayce turns and walks up the cargo ramp, signaling to the flight crew to close the plane. He takes his usual seat between Ben and Ty. One of the flight crew members walk through the plane and opens the door to the cockpit.  It appears as if he is telling the pilots something before he shuts the door and approaches Jayce.

“Captain, I let them know we are ready whenever they are. They are doing their pre-flight checks and it should be about twenty minutes.”

Jayce nods and sits back into his seat.

Ty removes his ear buds from his ears and loudly asks Jayce, “So are you going to let everyone else know what you have planned?”

“Son, are you going to miss this?” #zombie #book2 #axiom

“Captain, you ready?” Ty questions as he jogs up to Jayce and Stan.

Jayce assures him that he is with a smile and puts his arm around Ty’s shoulder. Trekking across the tarmac, Ben turns and smirks as he watches the flight crew back the Stryker into the plane, Ben’s favorite. As they approach the rear of the plane, the flight crew chains the Stryker down to the floor of the aircraft. Making his way up the cargo ramp, Ben opens the rear hatch on the vehicle and takes a deep breath through his nose.

“Yep, going to be a great mission!”

The other members of the unit begin to choose their seats on the enormous plane for the eighteen-hour flight, not to mention the stop in Germany to refuel. Ty nestles himself into his seat, slightly head banging with his eyes closed to the music coming from the ear buds in his ears. A tug pulls up to the bottom of the cargo ramp with a cart loaded with ammunition and supplies. Ben, Paul, and Adam begin loading the contents into the Stryker.

“Son, are you going to miss this?” Stan questions at the bottom of the ramp.

“Sir, we are ready.” #zombie #book2 #axiom

The others still groggy, merely shrug. Ty plugs his mp3 player into a speaker before informing the other men that a little Rob Zombie seems appropriate. Jayce and Stan enter the same doors Tracy had just left through. Jayce glances at Ty, who quickly glances around the room at the other men. He nods back to Jayce.

“Sir, we are ready.” Jayce advises the Colonel as Ty rushes over and turns down the music.

Jayce begins to finalize their assignments.

“Jensen, Sanchez, you have point with me. Cole, you and Jessop take up sniper positions.” Jayce orders Andre and Pat.

“Keys, you are on the Saw. Cooper, you have the M240.” He finishes with Paul and Adam’s assignments, “Once we secure a way in, we will enter together, with the other unit.”

The assignments are the same as every other mission the unit has been on, however, Jayce goes through the list as if it were the first time.

“Hey Boss, what’s our ride?” Ben asks.

“You’ll know soon enough.” Jayce responds as Tracy reenters the room to inform the unit that the plane is ready.

The soldiers salute the Colonel. He salutes them in return and orders them to the waiting C17. They retrieve their gear off the stainless, steel tables and exit the prep room. Ty runs back inside, remembering his mp3 player.

“He has to have his tunes.” Jayce comments to Stan.

“You’ll know soon enough.” #zombie #book2 #axiom

The others still groggy, merely shrug. Ty plugs his mp3 player into a speaker before informing the other men that a little Rob Zombie seems appropriate. Jayce and Stan enter the same doors Tracy had just left through. Jayce glances at Ty, who quickly glances around the room at the other men. He nods back to Jayce.

“Sir, we are ready.” Jayce advises the Colonel as Ty rushes over and turns down the music.

Jayce begins to finalize their assignments.

“Jensen, Sanchez, you have point with me. Cole, you and Jessop take up sniper positions.” Jayce orders Andre and Pat.

“Keys, you are on the Saw. Cooper, you have the M240.” He finishes with Paul and Adam’s assignments, “Once we secure a way in, we will enter together, with the other unit.”

The assignments are the same as every other mission the unit has been on, however, Jayce goes through the list as if it were the first time.

“Hey Boss, what’s our ride?” Ben asks.

“You’ll know soon enough.” Jayce responds as Tracy reenters the room to inform the unit that the plane is ready.

“Hey, anyone seen where Jayce went?” #zombie #book2 #axiom

After hours of relentlessly memorizing the steps of the enemy’s compound, the exhausted men lay on their cots asleep. A symphony of unique ringtones set to be alarm clock tones, wake them.  One by one, the men begin to stir. They groan and reach for their phones to silence them.

“Mom, I don’t want to go to school today.” Ty jests as he reaches for his phone.

They roll out of their cots and begin to get dressed. With bags packed, the men are almost ready.

They sit on the edge of their cots, lacing up their boots. Their attention is drawn to the door as a soft knock reaches their ears. They watch the door slowly open. Tracy appears in the doorway, her uniform perfectly starched, as always.

“Boys, wheels up in one hour!” She informs the unit as they make their final preparations.

Turning to leave, Ty looks at the empty cot where Jayce had been sleeping, the bedding is neatly folded at the foot.

“Hey, anyone seen where Jayce went?” He questions.

“Can I ask you guys a question?” #zombie #book2 #axiom

“Sergeant Woods.” Ben acknowledges with a puzzled look as to why the Colonel’s assistant has paid them a visit.

Tracy shyly greets the men realizing that she has not had any interaction with them.  Jayce returns to where he had been sitting in the sand. Tracy sits down on a log in between Anne and Andre, who is sitting in the sand. Quickly, Tracy explains that she had to bring some documents for Jayce to look through. The men look over to find Jayce thumbing through a small manila folder. Ty returns carrying an arm load of sticks for the fire. Paul follows behind him.  The large framed man drags a large log.

An hour of laughing and talking goes by, when it comes to be serious.

“Can I ask you guys a question?” Tracy inquires.

The men turn their attention towards her, Anne has not ever had the nerve to ask questions. She has accepted the fact that she only knows her husband for the loving man that he is, but also knows that anything outside of home life is classified, nor does she want to know.  For her, that is good enough.

“How can you guys carry on like this? You know what you are walking into.” She states as she apologizes for not sugar coating it.

The only thing that can be heard through the silence is the crackling of the fire and rushing of waves hitting the beach.

Anne and Tracy waiting for an answer jump to the loud thud as Paul throws another log onto the fire. Paul, who rarely speaks, takes a beer.

Again, Tracy asks, “How can you guys carry on like this when you know what you are walking into?”

Paul carefully squeezes one of the lime wedges so that the juice mixes with the beer then squeezes the wedge into the bottle.

“Most do it for the fame and or glory. We do it for neither. We do it because we took an oath for our country and to protect the people that live within its borders.” Paul explains looking up.

He takes a drink and then finishes, “Plus, we are the best there is and it’s what we do.”

The laughing resumes.

“Is it the waitress from the club?” #zombie #book2 #axiom

“It might be the last chance you ever get to hang out with us.” He justifies with a hint of laughter.

She reluctantly agrees for the opportunity to be in the presence of the men she has read so much about in their personnel files, but has never gotten to know as people. She follows the Captain’s silhouette through the darkness towards the group illuminated by the flames of the campfire.

#

Anne keeps an eye on the hillside as she talks with the men that have grown to be family.  She first sees Jayce’s silhouette and then close behind his, another silhouette of what appears to be a woman wearing a skirt. Pat notices his wife’s attention to the hillside and turns his own attention towards the unit’s leader approaching. To his surprise, a woman seems to be with him.  Soon after, the other men see the distraction and look towards Jayce and the stranger.

“Is it the waitress from the club?” Anne questions Pat.

“No, he would never have invited an outsider here, especially tonight!”

Jayce is the first to arrive into the light.

"You want to join us for a beer?” #zombie #book2 #axiom

“Damn-it! This had better not be my dad calling to talk shit again.” Jayce mutters.

He pulls the phone out of his pocket and looks at the screen, “This is Jayce.”

His mood changes as Anne watches him interact with the person on the other end of the call. He tells the person that they are on the beach with a campfire, then gives the person directions to their location. Anne looks around at the men in the unit, it is apparent that not a one of them is paying any attention to the Captain. Anne assumes that it is the waitress from the club.  Jayce hangs up with the caller and slides the phone back into his pocket. Curious but not wanting to pry, she watches him glance towards the parking lot every couple of minutes. She sees headlights appear in the parking. Jayce stands up and brushes the sand from his pants. He walks towards the trail leading to where they had parked, disappearing into the darkness.

#

Jayce walks barefoot up the trail to where the parked car awaits. He watches the silhouette of a woman get out of the practical, four door sedan. She walks around to the rear of the car and opens the trunk. She closes it just as fast.

“Tracy, you want to join us for a beer?”

“I really don’t want to impose, Captain.”

"The ride is quiet" #zombie #book2 #axiom

The ride is quiet.  The smell of the ocean fills their nostrils as they approach the beach.  Jayce parks and has Ben look in the glovebox for a book of matches.

“Well . . . let’s go find some wood.” Ty suggests after Ben finds the matches.

Ben and Ty follow Jayce as they scour the beach looking for driftwood.  Ty shines the small light on his phone back and forth.  Pieces of drift wood lie scattered along the shore and the men load their arms up as they walk.  Returning to where they had started, they drop the wood onto the sand.

Shortly after the fire is lit, Paul arrives with the beer.  Andre arrives shortly after him with Pat, Anne and Adam.  After a stroll down the pathway, they all take a seat in the sand around the fire and one by one they all kick off their shoes.  Paul begins to pass around the beer.  They raise their beer, and toast to staying alive.  Ty finishes his beer and asks Paul to help him find more firewood as the fire begins to dwindle.

Anne watches as the men disappear into the darkness, her concentration is interrupted as Jayce’s phone begins to ring.