Broken Trust on the Homefront

Another zip flew past as we all ducked our heads. "I see the flash!" Halland replied, immediately opening fire with his M-249 Squad Automatic Weapon at the area where the fire was coming from. I peered up slightly, aiming down my ACOG sights at the area he was engaging and squeezed the trigger. I released my finger only to squeeze again rapidly as more gunshots began to fire on our position.

"Two Bravo, where the fuck are you!?" Morten shouted over the radio. "We're pinned down to the west of the village!"

"Two Alpha! This is Two Bravo; we're pinned down by heavy fire to your north about two hundred meters! We cannot advance any further at this time! The rest of the platoon is making their way up to us now!"

"God damnit, Two Alpha out!" Morten shouted as he raised his weapon and began to fire back.

Pyler looked to his left, "Gerhart, get ready to move with Williams down that ridge to your left!" He nodded to Halland and the two returned fire as rounds continued to pepper our position. "Go, go, go!"

I slid down from the ridge with my boots hitting the canal as Williams followed me close behind. I nodded at him and he nodded in return as we pushed down the canal, trying to find a flanking route. We ran at least a hundred meters forward until I slowed down, raising my rifle. I heard voices as I slowly began to peak the corner. In front of me stood a few insurgents with AK-47s and one RPG, they were debating on how to attack us. Not today guys, not today. I quickly squeezed the trigger, gunning the four down in rapid succession. Williams came up behind me as I advanced slowly, looking down at the four.

"And the Private gets taste of blood! Let's keep moving!" He shouted as I turned my head away from my sights briefly, spotting the men I had just shot, no correction. I just killed four people as their lifeless eyes stared up at me as the blood began to pool out of the four. I shook my head and focused back on taking point. I pushed further until I found a nice ridge and climbed on top with Williams. The firefight had really intensified as the rest of our platoon was engaged in this fierce action.

I raised my M4, and continued to unload into insurgent positions, some of them hiding within the town as we began to intensify our fire. My weapon clicked as I had finished my magazine, so I dropped further down into cover as I released the magazine from my weapon and shoved another into the magazine well and locked the bolt forward. I turned to Williams as a heavy machine gun opened on our position. We were warned that the enemy in the area had access to heavier weapons, but we shrugged it off. Chunks of rock sprayed in every direction as one smacked me square in the nose. I lost my balance and tumbled back into the canal, "Oh fuck me!"

Williams slid down beside me and quickly assessed the injury, "You're good, let's get back into the fight!"

He pointed further down the canal, and I nodded as Williams took point and began to run quickly as the machine gun sprayed our last position. I kept up closely as the heat began to grill into us but with our adrenaline pumping, we didn't care too much. As we turned again to get a better firing position, bullets impacted the sand and rocks all around us as we both fell back into the canal. I back pedaled, as did Williams when we heard a loud screaming roar getting louder. Williams looked at me with terror in his eyes as he shouted, "RPG!"

We didn't have time to react, but life slowed down for me. Not the whole "Life flashes before your eyes," I can say that is bullshit. Life slowed down for me entirely as I counted the seconds that turned into years for me. The rocket impacted right next to us, just hitting above the canal as shrapnel flew everywhere in every direction. I was lucky, nothing struck me except the rock shower. I turned my head, disoriented as the explosion rocked my world.

"Williams!" I cried out.

"Get your fucking ass moving before we get hit again!" A voice shouted right next to me as something ran past me, grabbing my sleeve and began to yank me up. I blinked as the world came back into focus. I shook my head, fully back into myself as radio calls came everywhere on the net.

"Two Alpha, we're combat ineffective!"

"Two Bravo, we're receiving heavy fire, where is everyone else?!" Morten's voice was filled with worry.

"One-Two, this is One-Three, we're pushing into the village from the South! We're taking fire but we're making steady progress. One-Four is on the East blocking off all angles of escape, CAS (Close Air Support) is on its way!"

Williams pushed on his comtacs, "Two-Alpha Mike, this is Two-Alpha Whiskey! Our flank was met with heavy resistance, Gulf is with me. We're returning!"

"Two-Alpha understood, get your asses back here now!" That was all we needed to hear as machine gun fire was echoing everything and we hauled ass back. We passed over the lifeless insurgents I killed, and I didn't pay a second of my attention to them. A few minutes later, we were re-grouped with the rest of the fireteam and continued to lay hate into the insurgent positions.

Finally, the order was given to the entire platoon: advance into the city. Apaches had arrived and softened all the hardpoints that were pinning everyone down. I rose from my position as our fireteam rapidly closed the distance, getting to the rear of the village while the rest of the platoon were in positions. I pushed into the small village as insurgents littered the streets and the haunting sight set in. Civilians were cowering, many bloodied and wounded, some were lying dead where stray rounds hit. I lowered my rifle as I spotted the scenes and carnage, I closed my eyes and looked away. We spent another hour or two holding the village down as we assessed the total amounts of enemy combatants killed, we stopped counting at 40.

Williams and I stood guard over the enemy wounded as Williams lit a cigarette, taking a deep puff in. "You're lucky Gerhart. Our first engagement on our first deployment was much worse. Luckily no one was hit this time." I nodded as I stared at the destruction we had caused.

Williams took another puff as a woman came running out, spotting what was either her dead brother or husband. I turned my full attention to her, shifting my body to face her. She cried as she hugged the man and knelt over his body, screaming to the God she prayed to. Williams shook his head, turning back to the enemy wounded. "That's normal in this life Ger."

I continued to stare at the woman as I imagined Jen would do the same thing if that were me on the ground. How would she feel about me now? I took someone's life, a human being's life. She was always against violence. At that moment, I felt beyond foreign to her. I shook my head as I continued to watch the woman until she moved her hands over his body. I narrowed my eyes as I watched her withdraw something from the man's waist. "Hey!" I shouted as I raised my rifle.

The woman swung head around, looking at me with pure hatred and disgust. She raised an object in her hand, it was a pistol and she squeezed off a round too early. I reacted and squeezed a round off, aiming for her upper chest. The round struck the woman as her neck contorted, the round tore through the flesh and left a sizable hole in her neck as she fell to the ground, choking and convulsing. I kept my weapon raised as I took cautious steps to the woman, kicking the pistol away.

Immediately the streets filled with soldiers approaching her and I, asking what the hell happened until I heard something collapse behind me and hit the ground with a large thud, followed by a painfully labored, "Fuckkk!"

My heart froze as I turned around, Williams was hit. I lowered my weapon and immediately rushed to his side as did a few other soldiers. We began to take off his vest as his blood began to soak my gloved hands. I turned back to the soldiers filled the streets, shouting at the top of my lungs, "MEDIC!"

The doc finally came, and I was pulled off to pull security. Morten's face was stone cold as everything ran through his mind. "Motherfuckers. All of them."

His radio crackled, "This is Wolf One, I need a nine line!" All radio communications went silent as I zoned out. The MEDEVAC helicopter would soon be on its way and get Williams out of the hot zone.

A few days later, we all returned to base as the thought of us suffering casualties sunk in. After the debrief, I made it to the tent and dropped on my cot. I withdrew my phone and opened my screen. Jen had sent me a few messages, the usual I love you, and the usual pictures. I hesitated for a few moments before I shook my head and typed a reply to her.

R: I love you so much Jen.

I closed my phone as everything sunk in. I killed five people and my buddy got shot right next to me. That bullet was meant for me damnit. I closed my eyes as I was just beginning to compartmentalize everything, I would handle it later.

"Hey, you seem off. Are you okay?" Jen's voice echoed through the phone as I sat back in my cot. It was month eight of our deployment with us closing on the ending date. We had a few days left before we'd leave to go back to the States. Williams was lifted out of the country and lost his pulse on the way there. After successfully reviving him, he was sent home. I turned my gaze back to the camera.

"Yeah babe, just... ready to come home."

"It'll be over soon; I'll meet you at the airport and everything will be fine." She smiled and it briefly warmed my heart.

"Yeah, not too much longer." I smiled in return, but she knew right away I was wounded mentally, and something was eating at me.

"Do you... want to talk about it?" She inquisitively asked me as I shook my head. "Well, I want to talk to you about something."

That caught my attention. I became fully alert, "And that is?"

Jen paused for a moment. "It's about us."

I sat all the way up, "Jen, I know it's rough, but we can really work this out, whatever the problem is." I was not about to lose what I considered to be the stone of my life.

She blinked before she laughed. "Robert, no I'm not breaking up with you."

"Then... huh?"

"Our next step, marriage stupid!" She rolled her eyes at me, and I deserved that.

"Oh... sorry hun. I just thought you were breaking up with me."

"Why would I do tha-" Alarms all over the base started to blare out warnings.

"INCOMING INCOMING INCOMING, GROUND ATTACK GROUND ATTACK!" Almost immediately the Earth shook as an explosion shook our base.

"Oh my god!" Jen shouted as I dropped my phone, grabbing my kit and rifle and rushed out of the tent to my fighting position directly outside. The phone had fallen, and Jen was able to witness everything as the explosions ceased, immediately followed by heavy concentrated small arms fire. The firefight lasted for ten minutes until I heard a crack zip on by me, but the sound was different. The thud was human flesh as I turned, Halland was hit and falling backwards. My heart froze as my mind began to process everything, I hopped down from my position and rushed over to my fallen friend.

Halland was shot in the neck as his eyes rested on me, filled with terror as he gripped onto my shirt. He choked as blood poured from his neck as I quickly ripped open his first aid kit, grabbing gauze and pressed down on his neck attempting to stop the bleeding. His grip slowly loosened as he fell limp, passing away in my hands. My best friend in the Army was killed and died in my own hands. I slowly lowered my fallen friend to the floor and jumped back up to my position, continuing the fight. Finally, the gunfire dwindled as many rushed around, carrying casualties as I sat near Halland in shock.

"Hey kid." I looked up to the voice, Morten offered his hand as I accepted his help, pulling myself up. "It'll be okay, they'll get him home."

I turned my head as the medics finally reached Halland and carried him off. Tears filled my eyes as I realized something was ripped from me. We said we'd survive this, yet we didn't. I'm alive and he wasn't. I attempted to bury my thoughts as Pyler came up after Morten scampered off to report the casualties. Pyler stared off next to me as we both just sat together, our team of five was down to three. We didn't say anything as we both stared at the ground as I asked myself what home would be like now?

The day finally came, I was flying home. I had texted Jennifer that day and let her know I was returning home and she promised she would be there. I climbed off the bus that had driven us back onto base and our tired eyes laid upon our families. I scanned the crowds, not spotting Jen at first. I lowered my head further as Pyler smacked my shoulder bringing me out of my thoughts, "Pull yourself together and go unwind Gerhart. You had a rough first time."

"Rog Specialist." I muttered out as my mind was half shut off. I grabbed my bags and slung one over my shoulder as I stepped outside of all the cheers and happiness. How could people be happy when we lost a soldier? I shook my head again as I glanced around the parking lot. Everything seemed the same yet extremely different.

Closing my eyes, I lowered my head as a wave of sadness just crushed into me sucking the soul out of me. Out of all of the despair I was in, I swore I heard my name. I waited a bit as I heard it again and opened my eyes, Jennifer stood in front of me. She swept her longer blonde hair behind her ear as I winced my eyes. Tears filled my eyes as she pulled me in. "Shh, Robert, you're finally home with me."

I embraced her and hugged her tightly as I felt finally home. I was finally able to lower my guard that had kept me constantly on edge ever since leaving Afghanistan. Only I did not realize my hell was just beginning.

Jen shut the door behind us as I dropped my gear, it was the weekend, and I didn't need to be in the barracks. Immediately she grabbed me and brought my face to hers as our tongues slid into each other's mouths. I rubbed my tongue against hers as my hands dropped to her toned ass and squeezed the mounds gently through her leggings, causing her to moan in my mouth. She immediately reached down and began to squeeze my cock which was growing rapidly in my uniform pants. She pulled back from the kiss, "Get out of that uniform. You have nine months of work to catch up on lover boy."

I blinked, normally she wasn't this assertive, so I assumed this was just the distance talking and all the stress and hardships settling in. I stepped back, quickly unzipping my jacket and tossed it onto my bags and pulled off my tan undershirt. As I took off my top, she bit her lip admiring my better-looking body. I had the dark bronze tan and abs; I was definitely more fuckable now than I was before I deployed. I slowly undid my belt, teasing her as I dropped the belt on the floor. Right as I began to undo my pants, she dropped to her knees slowly and crawled her way to me.

Reaching me, she undid my pants and slid her fingers underneath my boxers too and gently pulled both down past my knees as my cock sprang from its hidden prison and smacked her on the cheek. Jennifer looked up at me, arousal flooding her face and moaned, "Is this... for me?"

Before I could answer, she immediately leaned forward, parting her mouth open and took my cock in her mouth. I groaned as I grabbed the back of her head. She moved her head forward, trying to take the entirety into her mouth and throat while she slid her tongue on the underside of my shaft, hitting that sweet sensitive side.

"Oh, fuck Jen!" I groaned out loud.

She pushed my cock deeper into her mouth, shifting side to side to fit it all in as her nose touched my hardened stomach. I held her there for a bit and released her as she pulled my cock out of her mouth with spit trailing from my shaft as she panted heavily. She leaned forward, devouring my cock as she began to gag once again.

She moaned needfully as she stared into my eyes as my cock began to expand, she knew I was about to cum as she moaned with my cock in her mouth as the vibrations and her tongue wrapping around my tip set off a chain reaction. I grabbed the back of her head and held her as I grunted loudly, almost howling, as I fired rope after rope into her mouth. I lost track of how many times as I let go of her and she slid back as my cum overfilled her mouth.

"God babe... so much..." She moaned again as she quickly stood up and slid her leggings down her legs. She didn't wear any panties underneath as she tossed the clothing onto the couch nearby. "I hope you're ready for more, soldier. Make love to me now." Ready up! My brain shouted as my cock sprung back to life immediately.

She bit her lip as I could smell the intoxicating sweet scent of her arousal, I knew a child would probably be conceived as I had zero intentions of pulling out. She bent over the couch, shaking her ass invitingly as I stood behind her and rubbed her soaking wet pussy. She threw her head back, "Oh fuck Robert, I can't wait anymoreeeee!" She squealed as I shoved my rock-hard spear into her, invading her pussy for the first time in months.

Her walls clamped tightly on my cock as I began to pull out until to thrust right back into her. I tested the pace, going slowly as she reached down and began to rub her clit as she stared at me, moaning as her face contorted with pleasure. "Fuck me, fuck your girl!"

I spanked her ass hard as she yelped, but suddenly thrusted back to meet my tempo faster as she moaned loudly. I grabbed her blonde hair and yanked back hard as I leaned in, "I'm going to fucking cum in you Jennifer." I growled as her pussy tightened as she began to quiver.

"Oh, my fucking god, YES!" She screamed as she began to orgasm, shaking uncontrollably as she fell limp against the couch as I picked up my tempo, I knew I was closing in on finishing as I moved my hands to her shoulders and dug my nails into her shoulders as the electric pulse was beginning to build up.

"I'm fucking cumming!" I howled as my cock unleashed a second, yet larger load into her waiting pussy.

"Yes baby, cum in me! Fill your woman!" She moaned as I fell limp on top of her, both of us breathless. We panted as I pulled myself off her and took a few steps back. She turned her head to me, still grinning mischievously, "You aren't going to get any sleep tonight hun." We fucked for hours and hours until late at night we both fell asleep together, cuddling and holding each other snuggly.

I inhaled and exhaled, feeling the warmth of the sun on my face and the gentle rustling of the tent flap in the breeze. Wait, warmth, tent? Something was amiss. I raised my arm over my eyes, trying to make sense of the situation. As my eyes adjusted, I realized that I was in a familiar, uncomfortable place - back in Afghanistan. Panic surged through me like an electric shock, and I shot up, scanning my surroundings in a frantic search for answers.

The entrance of the tent flapped open, and Halland's face appeared. "Yo, what's up, brother?"

My heart pounded in my chest, and I struggled to find words. "Halland, but... how? You..."

Halland looked at me quizzically. "What?"

I sat up on the cot, turning to face him. "You were killed. I watched the round hit you."

He chuckled, a casual grin on his face. "I never got shot, bro! Come on, Williams is waiting for us."

"He was hit too!"

"Gerhart, are you sure you didn't hit your head, man?"

I pushed myself to my feet, standing shakily as a sense of shock washed over me. "I mean, yeah, I got rattled when that RPG hit our position."

Halland raised an eyebrow, his expression still puzzled. "RPG? Bro, what are you talking about?"

Terror clawed its way up from my gut as confusion consumed me. What was happening? Why was my reality warping?

"Robert?" A voice called out, jolting me from my spiraling thoughts. My heart raced even faster as I struggled to grasp my surroundings. Where the hell was I? The voice called out again, more urgently this time. "Robert!" A hand shook my shoulder, and I gasped, my breath hitching as panic set in. My breathing escalated to a rapid pace, matching the chaos in my mind as I frantically scanned the room.