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were coming. I need you with my Barrat to help me get to hut 1. Once I’m there I’ll try and do what I do best...’
    ‘ Which is?’ asked Spade who was now calmer.
    ‘ Get shit done, of course. Back me up. I’m gonna circle to the right, flank ‘em, then come up from behind taking cover from the car near the burning fuel barrel - a long shot, I know, but the only shot at this point, you follow?’
    ‘ I dig. Use you COM and let me know what you’re doing. What you gonna do once your there?’
    ‘ Nothing fancy, bro, just try and kill the fuckers. Simple.’
    Running in zigzags, Tommy sprinted and ran to hut 1. Spade gave support with the sniper rifle and looked for Tommy in his scope. He saw Tommy kill two men with his M16 - both shots were close range – then Spade lost Tommy for a second. He saw him reappear and slit a man’s throat from behind. There were some more shots but Tommy again was out of focus. Spade waited impatiently for a glimpse of Tommy, or anybody. The firing had stopped at least.
    It had been a few minutes now. Spade decided to get up and go and try and find Tommy.
    As he got closer he shouted ‘Tommy? You ok, mate?’
    There was no reply.
    The night’s sandy wind could be heard again, mixed with the roaring flames from the burning fuel barrel, as Spade edged closer.
    There were dead bodies scattered on the desert floor and all around hut 1 which was also on fire, but no sign of the rest of the men. Spade stayed alert, frosty, just as Tommy had said. Spade preferred the gunfire compared with the eerie quietness as he at least knew were he stood when in the shit. He paced slowly towards hut 2.
    ‘ Tommy? You in there? Trigg? Samson?’
    Still no reply as Spade edged closer.
    Getting to the door Spade switched back to night vision as he could see no lights were on in hut 2. He grabbed the door handle and twisted the doorknob ever so slowly.
    It seemed he heard the shots before he felt them.
    There were two shots at first, then a third, as Spade fell and tried in vain to keep his stomach intact with his hands as he followed his rifle in dropping to the floor.
    His night vision goggles had half slipped off one eye. In one eye he could see the floor in bright green, in the other he could see the pretty orange and yellow flames of the fires all around. He could kind of hear a muffled laugh, then he saw some boots approach him. Everything quickly started to fuzz. He couldn’t feel pain, just a feeling of coldness as he slipped away.

Chapter Two
    Standing above Spade, Trigg admired his handy work.
    ‘ Get some! Now that’s what a fucking double-barrel shotty does at close range, Samson. Fucking bang-bang-bang, none of this tip-tap silenced shit. Look at him, deader than dead, not even any need for a double tap. Nice.’
    ‘ I agree,’ added Samson as he lightly tapped Spade’s head with his boot to check for signs of life.
    ‘ Look at him, all zombiefied ’n’ shit. Tell you what, this plan of yours, Trigg, it’s going well so far. I’m liking it. I’m liking it very much.’
    ‘ It’s how we roll, baby,’ laughed Trigg as he high-fived Samson.
    Coming out of hut 2, four Iraqi men stood and joined Trigg and Samson. Two of the men were dragging Tommy, who was unconscious, by his boots. Another man had a big suitcase which seemed heavy as he lowered it to the sandy floor. The last man approached Trigg smiling. He had a fuzzy old-fashioned styled side-parting haircut with a thick moustache reminiscent of Saddam Hussein’s. This man was obviously in charge as he said something in his native tongue and sent one of his men running round the back of hut 2 for their jeep.
    Wearing more or less the same attire, which was full combat gear, the Iraqi men were heavily armed and looked ready for battle.
    The man who approached Trigg spoke decent English as he shook Trigg’s hand firmly.
    ‘ I trust we are done now, yes?’ he asked as another man opened the suitcase. It was full of