CHAPTER EIGHT

The 101 and the Rangers ran toward the hill. The Sammies held back because they

knew what was up there. They reached the hill in five minutes and began climbing. Alan

dropped to the ground as he heard the thumps. The shells began exploding all over the

place sending men flying through the air. Machine gun opened up and the tracers raked through the men. Wounded in pain. Alan grabbed an M-16 and magazines from a dead

soldier. Alan looked around.
"Where are the others?" Alan asked Conray.
"I saw Henry. But a shell landed in front of him," Conray shook his head, "He

didn't make it." Alan lowered his eyes to his gun. Bullets were flying everywhere.
"I admit. These guys are good," Alan said sadly. Rex dove next to the two men.

Alan turned around and smiled. "Rex!"
"I can't find the others. We're getting slaughtered," Rex said sadly. A shell

exploded near them sending dirt into the air.
Hippo ran past his mates and just realized he past his comrades. He stopped and turned around. Alan

jumped as bullets thumped into his back. Two exited hitting the ground around him. Blood

poured down his back and in front of his chest. Hippo fell forward and slid down a few feet

and stopped in front of Rex who stared at his friend. Rex turned and looked at Alan.
"We're not going to git out of this!" Rex yelled. Alan turned serious.
"Yes we are! Remember: We are Rangers. Surrender is not a word!"

The Major wiped tears from his eyes as he listened to the fight. The news reporters

were outside giving interviews and asking what is going on. The major couldn't take it

anymore. His comrades needed help. And no one would give it to them.
"Take over, Sarge," The Major said walking out the door.

The Sammies from the city rushed the hill. Even though, some of them died from

their own stray bullets or exploding shells. The Sammies that were rushing were out of

ammo and they rushed the Americans with nothing but an empty gun. Alan took his M-16 and shot many of the bastards as he could. An exploding shell fragment hit the rifle and broke it. Shattering the barrel and stock.
Alan stood and punched a Sammie in the face. He threw another one over his back

and began beating him with his broken rifle.
"Git down, son!" Conray yelled but Sammies forced him to stand and fight. Rex

stood up but was thrown ten feet away from an explosion. He hit his head and the force of

it broke his neck. The Sammies that were charging from the rear all of a sudden fell back.
Ron ran toward Alan but he had to slide behind a rock. He changed magazines and wiped the sweat from his face.
"Al!" Ron called. Alan snapped a Sammies neck and let the limp body drop to the

ground. He turned around and saw his friend vaguely in the moonlight. A shell exploded

near by. Alan ducked his head. Alan started running toward Ron. A machine gun chattered away.
It seemed like slowly motion. The shells exploding and seeing their flashes and tracers flying threw the air. Men fighting hard to survive, Bodies lay in gruesome positions, and men yelling and screaming. This day showed how great America is and her soldiers.

The pilots landed the Black Hawks and waited. They were getting real impatient.

The co-pilot looked into the trees and saw some movement.
"Joe, it looks like-" The Black Hawk exploded. The other one saw this one and

began raising itself up. But the Sammies were to fast in reloading. The second Black Hawk blew up.

Alan tripped over a body. He got back up but four bullets ripped through his chest

and stomach. Alan turned around by the force of the impact. He felt the blood run down his chest. Oddly, he felt no pain. His eyes searched the land. Taking it all in. He shifted his eyes left and saw Conray's head jerk back and he fell back with brain matter oozing out of the big gash in his head. Alan slumped to his knees and fell onto his face.
"Al!" Ron got up and ran toward Alan who already was coughing up blood. Ron

put his arms around his friends neck. Alan looked up at Ron.
"Ron," Alan choked and coughed up more blood. Alan began shaking. Ron looked

around for him to do something to stop the bleeding.
"Medic!" Was all Ron could think of doing. "Al, buddy, don't die. Stay here.

Come on! Don't you dare go into shock on me!" Ron started slapping his friends face. Tears were rolling down Ron's dirty face. An explosion rocked the ground. A bullet

cracked by but Ron didn't care.
"I feel, I feel...nothing.." Alan said through all the blood. Ron began sobbing.
"Buddy, don't do this to me. You're a Ranger. Rangers don't give up. Remember?

You can't die. Don't do it for me." Ron felt a bullet hit his arm. But Ron did nothing but moved with the impact. He felt the warm blood run down his arm.
"Take this...reach into my...p..p..-" Alan couldn't say it. Ron's eyes stung with all

the tears and the pain that made his arm numb.
"Alan, wake-up! Damnit! Alan, you got a kid waiting at home! That's why you

can't die. You're going to be a daddy." Alan looked up at Ron and began crying himself.

Alan felt a sharp pain go up his spine.
"Letter...give...wif...e..." Alan said spitting blood everywhere. Ron looked into Alan's eyes. They were almost distant. Alan was going into shock. A medic slid near them. Ron looked at him.
"It took you long enough!" Ron moved away from his friend who had shut his

eyes then opened them again.
"It's too late for him," the medic said.
"No! Don't you ever say that! You are going to fuckin' fix him. And when you do he is going to git out of this hell and go back to his family! Now, fix him!"

Alan saw the black sky. The moon made it Erie. He heard nothing. He saw his

friend move away. He didn't want him to go. Alan looked up and saw a medic doing

checks. He saw him say something then his head turned over and looked at a something then his eyes went back at Alan. Alan felt the peace and warmth. The calm. Grace popped into his head. He felt fresh tears forming and running down his

cheeks. Oddly, that's all he felt. That and the heart break. His kid will never know him.

More tears. Alan's head was lifted up and he saw another medic working on someone.

The wounded man had blood all over him and his body was shaking. His arms were

prompt up by his elbows. His fingers had curved in like a deformed child or person. Alan shifted his eyes toward the city. Alan saw, through the tears, four tanks crashing through the buildings and start shooting at the top of the hill. The darkness came unsuspected and

quick.

9 AUGUST 2006-THE BIG SHIP GOING HOME

It's been about five months since the battle. Ron passed out when the medic took

over but not before he saw the tanks come crashing out of the city. He felt proud. The

operation was a failure to the beginning. The Operations Officer was court marshaled after three months of the operation. The Major turned him in after he personally rode on the first tank. The Major was awarded the Silver Cross and a Purple Heart for he got shot in the arm.
The Deltas that went on the operation all died except for Walker which the only

survivor. One, the only one, of the SEALs rescued him. The Rangers of course you know what happened. They were wiped out, at least that's what Ron has been told. He didn't know anything. He was awarded two medals for bravery and was sent home nine months early. He had other things to do there, but they ordered him to go home.

Ron walked down the ship looking at the water. How the sun glinted off of it making it a Kodak moment. The General was never caught. He escaped like planned and left his men to die. America is still over there cleaning up the mess they made. But in two years they should be out. The American government is immediately tracking Xan again so they can interrogate him.
Ron past a guy who was sitting on bench over looking the sea and the setting sun. He didn't pay much to him. He just kept walking and tried not to think about what he saw out there.
The man saw her face in the clouds. Its always been there he decided. He just never looked hard enough. The man took his eyes away from the clouds and looked at the man who walked by. He also didn't pay much attention to him. The man looked back at the clouds. The man started crying hard. The horrors of what he encountered rushed back into him when he saw that man. Something just triggered. Alan couldn't believe he was alive. He cried everyday since he knew he was going to make it. Alan cried harder than this. He didn't know why. Was it because his team was dead? Or that he probably never would see Ron again? Or was it because of his family and how close he was of losing them? Alan shut his eyes and let the tears flow.
"Excuse me?" A man said. Alan looked up at the man. He had tears in his eyes also. Then it hit Alan.
"Ron!" Alan stood. Ron let the tears flow as he hugged his friend.
"My God, Al. I didn't think you was going to make it!"
"Neither did I. Boy, am I happy to see you!" They sat down and talked. Talked like long lost brothers.

Alan shut the cab and ran up to his house and opened the door. He took off his beret and looked around. He couldn't see anybody. He ran in to the bedroom. She wasn't there. Alan ran into his room. Nothing. Alan ran all around the house until he heard a kid scream. A smile formed and he ran into the back and saw his family there.
Grace's mom was still there and Grace was looking as beautiful as ever. Alan felt a twisting sensation his is stomach. Tears formed slowly. He was on the verge of breaking down and crying like a little kid. He held if for his team, and now he thought he could let it go.
Alan opened the back door slowly and kept his eyes on Grace as if he was afraid of losing her if he shifted his eyes somewhere else, like a dream. He was afraid it would vanish.
Alan stood on the pavement. Grace took really good care of the lawn. It was as green as ever. Grace still had not looked up, but the kid did.
"Mommy, who is that man?" The kid said pointing. Alan just realized that the kid might have a hard time to believe that he was his father. But the kid was just a kid so he might believe it. Grace looked up and stood. Her hand became shaky as she raised it to her mouth and tears ran down her face.
"Alan!" She screamed and ran over to him and jumped onto him. They began kissing and hugging. Tears mixed in with each others tears.
"Hey, baby," Alan said almost choking on his words.
"I thought you were dead. That's basically what the doctors said. They...they sent me a letter saying that you were critically wounded and most likely wouldn't make it." Alan kissed her again.
"I'm home. Don't worry now. I'm home. I am here to stay and raise our kid." Grace kissed him again.
"I can't believe you are here," Grace said as her hands wondered his body.
"I'm real," Alan said with a smile and put his hand on her chin. Grace smiled and yet again, kissed him
"I'm sorry about Nixon." Alan looked away from her. He felt another deep feeling.
"No worry," he said straightening himself up, "he died honorably. He died for his country." Grace smiled and kissed him again. She led him toward the chairs that was set up on the lawn. Grace's mom stood and held out her arms. Alan got a big warm hug from her.
"Welcome home, honey," Graces mom said. Alan smiled and picked up his kid for the first time. They both smiled at each other.
"Hey, there buddy. I'm your father...."

THE SEQUEL WILL BE COMING OUT SOON