Amber
Doomsday was coming, but all of us here in Alaska were strangely euphoric. I think it was the absolute freedom and beauty out here, far away from everything.
It probably also had something to do with the fact that our correspondence team had sent over the list of “maters” and been approved. Huzzah.
Today, we were headed to the drop zone to watch our paratroopers practice. Three planes were going up, and Rylen was flying the last one. I sat in a set of small bleachers in a local football stadium with Devon, Shavontae, little Tyree, Carmen, J.D., Officer Sean, and Matt. Both Texas Harry and New York Josh were learning to jump. I’d warned them both not to break a leg.
And just in case, I brought a stretcher, slings, and splints with all my regular medical supplies.
It was the most gorgeous day. Summer in Alaska was like fall in Nevada, weather-wise, but so much prettier. And the sky . . . Earth was just showing off with that dazzling bright blue and stacks of clouds moving across the horizon. When Rylen woke this morning, he stood at the window and said, “It’s a perfect day for flying.”
He’d been naked, by the way, chiseled peach bottom on display. Turns out it was a perfect day for things other than flying, too.
“I think I see one!” J.D. exclaimed.
Our heads turned at once toward the south. I shielded the sun with my hand. Sure enough, there was the black dot coming, with two trailing at a distance. I had to admit, seeing planes still freaked me out. And though I knew those were ours, I still couldn’t shake the gloomy feeling of things to come.
“Look!” Shavontae leaned closer to Tyree and pointed until he smiled and nodded, sitting taller to watch.
As they got closer, the planes slightly lowered, and tiny men and women dropped out, dotting the sky. Within seconds, one by one, their chutes opened. Tyree cheered. The next plane did the same. And then Rylen’s. I stared up at his plane, smiling, remembering the first time I’d ever seen him fly when I’d been a teen, and he was on the cusp of manhood. I remembered the smiles on my mom and dad’s faces, the wonder on Tater’s. My chest pinched with a deep ache for them.
“Ah, shit,” Carmen muttered.
I looked up. Every soldier was in a perfect slanted line in the sky, from the small dots a distance away, to the closer ones who jumped first, and were making their way to the dropzone in the middle of the stadium. But one tiny dot from the third plane was sort of veering off.
“I think that’s Tex,” Carmen said. “He was supposed to be the fifth jumper.”
“What’s wrong with him?” J.D. asked.
Carmen chewed her lip, worried. I whispered to her. “Did he say something before he jumped?”
She hesitated. “He might be a little afraid of heights.”
Oh, no. I looked up and my heart turned over to see he was going even more off course. He was freaking out up there.
“You fuckin’ serious?” Devon asked, laughing. “Dude’s afraid of heights?”
Shavontae whacked his arm and hitched her head toward Tyree, making Devon pull awhoopsface.
Sean stood, keys in hand. “Let’s watch his progress and then go after him when he gets closer to the ground.”
“He isnotgonna be fun to deal with in the vehicle,” Matt said.
I nodded, and we all got to our feet. One by one, the soldiers came down, running as their feet hit the ground, some of them rolling. I watched carefully, looking for any limping or turned ankles. Once the second plane’s soldiers were on the ground, I turned to Captain Ward, who was up a few rows. He’d brought his own med bag, too.
“I’ll leave you in charge for the rest. We’re going after Sergeant Harris.”
“Good luck,” he said with a smile. Everyone in the stands was chuckling.
“I’m staying here with Tyree,” Shavontae said.
Devon kissed her. “See you back at base.” He put a hand on Tyree’s head and jogged to catch up to the rest of us.
“Is this normal?” I asked Sean as we speed walked. “Because nobody seems worried.”
“Honestly, yes. People go off course. They land somewhere else. Sometimes get stuck in a tree, scraped up. The worst thing is dealing with the shit talking afterward, but he can handle it.”
I let out a deep breath as we got to the open-topped Humvee. Sean drove with J.D. in the passenger seat. Carmen and I took the middle, and Matt and Devon jumped in the back cargo area. We headed for the evergreen hills nearby.
