Two humvees were running in the unfamiliar rough terrain.
While Sergeant is checking the map beside corporal inside the vehicle.
"Have you checked the compass?" Captain said to Sergeant when he noticed that he seems having a hard time.
Ah.....Captain, I think there's something wrong with the compass....Corporal, mind lending yours?"
"...Sure,"
Corporal lend his compass with haste.
"Here," he said.
Sergeant took the compass from his hand, but his face grew more chaotic.
"..."
There is really.....S-Something w-wrong with this," he said, his voice is shaking.
"May I see?" Corporal said, confused with their actions.
"What the hell?" A drip of sweat drop on compass.
The two pointed sticks in the compass were synchronized, circling counter-clockwise at unusual speed.
Although they were moving, it is unreasonable for a compasses to not detect a certain direction of where is north, south, east and west.
puzzled by the eccentric phenomenon, they both look at each other with inquisitive faces.
* * *
The roads were unstable, Captain is still trying to make the radio work, but only static sound.
"What is this?" Annoyed by their current.
In front of the vehicle private seems to stumbled something on the road.
(Wheeew) Private whistled.
"Captian, there seems to be a road block....
I think."
Having seen a dimmed hill on the middle of the road swallowed by the pitch-dark environment.
"Huh?"
Captain said, he didn't bothered to looked at the window because he was was fixated on fixing the radio. He seems to know what his doing.
"I don't know what's that Captain, But that thing is huge."
Sergeant and Corporal look in a front.
"Terrorists or Friendlies?" Sergeant said while holding his assault rifle and he aggressively locked it.
Corporal squint his eyes, trying to verify more.
( Checkpoint?....no way, its too dark...there's no light, maybe a debris or something.....landslide was out of option because it's not hillside ).
he said to himself.
"Slow it down Private, we have to stay cautious. "
Corporal turned at Captain. His eyes were were confused.
( Hmmm. He's sharp...We both came from the same egg after all. ) They're both came from the same camp. But Captain is more like his senior...Looking at their rank and ages.
As a Captain who leads his squad, his first priority as a Captain is to keep his men safe, avoiding combat as possible..
. His are senses telling him something is dangerous.
( But, hell....this....gives me goosebumps...) As he button his Jacket.
"Relax Corporal, get your shit together. Freting yourself doesn't help."
"Y-yes sir!"
Then silence fell. The conversation cutted off, the awkward atmosphere inside the vehicle. Corporal couldn't stop the sweating.
The vehicles were running at its minimum, it Was sluggish.
"That's a fucking IED ( Improvise explosive device ), Captain IED's nowadays are different. bomb cars and pipe bombs buried on pile on junk are ancient. Thats a different kind of tactics."
"Once we stop on that stacked of barricades, terrorists would rush in and waylaid us.
"Annihilate us or fuckin make us as their hostage and decapitate us in front of a camera for a whole world to see."
Corporal closed his eyes with a weak smile.
( Now you said it...)
"...Ain't that great Sergeant?" Captain sarcastically said.
"..."
( Huh? )
" Coming out of screen isn't that so bad some times....Specially you'll become a hero and your family will surely live in luxury after your death and with some honorable badge that doesn't mean shit..."
Captain finally turned off the radio and holstered his gun.
"...Now shut yer trap and just prepare your self."
Sergeant clears his throat.
" Ohh....Ahum... Ahhh....".
" Yahhh Captain...Im fine....I just need some....thing to eat Hehe.." Trying to regain his composure he just casually changed the topic .
" We got no food for you anymore Sergeant, You already ate it all you fuck."
The sky was pitch black, not even a single stars can be seen. It was like the world is consumed by a void.
The moment they came here, their vision were only limited with the headlights on.
"...Corporal.."
"Sir.." Corporal immediately responded.
"Get on on that 50. And stay alert...keep your eyes peeled."
"Y-yes sir,"
With disinclination, he has no choice but to follow orders from his superiors, because he is a soldier, thats what they do.
The compasses were in the pocket of Sergeant, he completely forgot to return the compass since their attention was on entirely on different matter.
Corporal was struggling to get into the 50. cal on the roof of the vehicle because of the unstable road and the vehicle were quacking terribly, in addition, its too rigid inside the vehicle.
"STOP THE CAR!.." Captain s shouted.
Corporal jolted his shoulders and hurted his head. He instinctively ease himself, because he was surprised by a sudden loud noise.
(haahhh) he breathed to ease the pain.
"What the fuck?" he complainingly said with a low tone, looking around to make sure sure no one heard him.
Filled with curiousity, he hurriedly took the gun handle,.
"Jesus Christ!"
he expressed to himself.
The sweat from his back became a catalyst to cause a chill on his spine. Fear swallowed his whole being, he doesn't know how to react.
Two humvees parked in the middle of the road but the engines are still roaring.
"..This is great, this is so great..Yeah..probably are we gonna die today..? Sergeant was complaining. His weak smile shows that he sarcastically said that.
".. Shhh...quiet Sergeant....Captain is praying...you should'nt disturb him...or else..."
"I know private.." His whispering his voice. but enough to hear clearly inside the vehicle
Eyebrows of Captain were moving, reverting as he reacts to the murmuring of Sergeant and Private. But he ignores it, praying it down for his safety and the safety of his men.
Whenever something dangerous is going to happen, he always pray. A religious man who grew in America but is a pure Italian, a man of valor and righteousness.
Corporal carefully tottering the gun from left to right, he squint his eyes and shows in some loathsome expression. Fighting a sea of thoughts that flooded his head.
His hands were shaking.