Matt didn’t argue. He ran with me, notifying Top on the handheld that there’d been shots fired inside and we were going in. I let Matt lead the way, but my eyes darted around for other Baelese that might’ve survived the first assault. That last one looked like he’d been stabbed in the neck, but I remembered learning how their skin was much thicker than ours. They were harder to kill by normal means.
We passed two dead guards outside of the doors. Their guns had been stripped from them. Matt stopped and looked over his shoulder at me, pointing to his ears. The earplugs! I dug mine out of my pockets with shaking hands and shoved them into my ears. How could I have been so stupid running to the base without them in? I’d never been more mad at myself.
Matt attached the walkie-talkie to his belt and slung the rifle from his back to his front, then he pushed open the door and let the barrel of the gun lead him. I pulled out my gun in one hand, safety off, and held my medic bag in the other. I wished I could calm my heart. I couldn’t afford another mistake.
Two morepopssounded farther inside the building, followed by cries and someone shouting orders. We started to move that way, and my heart jumped out of my chest as someone came around the corner. Matt froze just as the other person did, and I recognized Carmen’s face under the helmet.
“Don’t shoot!” I said, waving my arms since they had ear plugs in.
She and Matt both let out loud breaths and unplugged their ears to talk.
“What’s going on?” Matt asked.
“Comm room was secured, and then shots were fired outside.” Guilt soured inside my gut as she looked to me. “We need you.”
I pushed past Matt in the narrow hall and followed her, stepping over several Baelese bodies along the way. Matt stayed close behind me. When we rounded a corner to what looked like barracks rooms, I gasped at the familiar lanky body splayed unnaturally on the floor.
“Fuck!” Matt dropped to his knees at the same time as me. I reached for Tall Mark’s bloodied head wound, and Carmen grabbed my shoulder.
“He’s gone, Amber. Come on!”
Gone? Oh, God. Matt pressed his hand to Mark’s chest as I felt for a neck pulse, turning his head to see the gaping injury. He’d taken a gunshot wound to the skull. Already, his face was pasty, eyes glazed. A choking sob stuck in the back of my throat as Matt closed Mark’s eyes one last time. Tall Mark had been our silly, dorky Cali boy. Tex used to swat his head for sayinghella. He’d made me laugh during horrible times when I wouldn’t otherwise have been able to fathom a smile. I pressed the back of my hand to my mouth.
“It’s not your fault,” Matt whispered to me.
We both knew that was bullshit.
“Come on,” Carmen urged more gently this time. I don’t even remember getting to my feet. I followed like a zombie to where one of our men lay at the other end of the hall, leaning against the wall and holding his calf. He sagged with relief when he saw me.
“Fucking ricochet to the back of my leg,” he said. I opened my bag, too shaken to speak, until Carmen started to leave.
“Have you seen Rylen?” I asked her.
“No,” she said. “But he was one of the ones securing the comm room, so he should be okay.”
That settled my heart enough to let me concentrate. I cleaned his wound quickly and took a better look. “The bullet went through and took out a piece of your muscle, but no bone was hit. It’s going to hurt like hell, but you’ll definitely recover. We have to keep it super clean.”
He closed his eyes and leaned his head back as I administered a shot of morphine, then swabbed the area and winded a thick bandage over a wad of gauze. I made the mistake of peeking into the room behind him and seeing three of the four bunks had dead Baelese bodies. Blood dripped from the fingertips of one dangling hand.
“We got most of them in their sleep,” he said.
I nodded and closed my bag. Most of them. Except the ones who were woken because of my stupidity. I was guessing that’s what happened to Mark.
New York Josh ran around the corner as I stood. His face was elated.
“The base is ours!”
Cheers rang out down our hall and throughout the building. Matt got on his handheld, unsmiling, and reported to Top. “Elmendorf is secured. All enemy dead. Comm room was uncompromised. Mission was a success. Over.”
“Any casualties? Over.” Top asked.
“One.” Matt swallowed. “Sergeant Mahalchick. Over . . .” He looked down at Mark’s body and his chin trembled until he swallowed and looked away.
Top cursed into the receiver and sighed. “We’re on our way.”
I stood beside Matt, the two of us silent and still while everyone ran around other parts of the building hollering, rejoicing. New York Josh approached, whispering, “Ah, fuck, man,” as he looked down at Mark. Slowly, Devon, Texas Harry, Officer Sean, and Rylen found us in the hall. I reached for Rylen’s hand, and as soon as my fingers were enveloped in his warmth, I let the tears I’d been holding back fall. We took off our hats and helmets.
In the midst of celebration, the seven of us mourned.
“He died a soldier’s death,” Tex said. “He’d be glad to know we won this round. We’re one step closer to taking it all back.”
I’d watched a lot of people I loved die in the past six months, but knowing my actions directly affected this one hurt more than anything. The guilt was paralyzing. I wanted to tell him I was sorry. I’d never been more sorry.
Devon bent down and put his large hand over Mark’s thin one. “Rest in peace, brother. It was an honor to serve with you.”
“Hooah,” the others murmured.
Rest in peace.
