To Be a Hero by M.H. Lee

Author:M.H. Lee [Lee, M.H.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: M.H. Lee

Brian sat in the common area the next day staring at a spot on the floor like he had been all day. He couldn't shake the memory of that boy's eyes meeting his and how he'd tried to run, to flee the horrible man who'd thrown the grenade that killed him.

Brian had wanted to be a hero and instead he'd killed who knew how many innocent women and children. Because that's what all those little red dots had represented. Women and children.

After he'd recovered himself he'd started to dig through the wreckage. Every body he found. Every single one. Was a child. Or a woman.

All those little red dots. Too many to count. Each one a woman or child.

He'd only stopped digging when Pierce had dragged him away. By then Tanya had disappeared once more, of course. No story for the American public there.

Pierce had held him back as the drones arrived, dropping their bombs on the little town, obliterating all sign that anyone had ever been there let alone that all those innocents had died.

And it was all Brian's fault. Because he'd gone back and grabbed real weapons. He'd thrown that grenade where he knew those little red dots were.

It was all his fault.

First Sergeant Balimor sat down next to him. "You need to forget about it, son."

Brian stared at him, too shocked to speak.

Balimor leaned forward. "Look. You don't know who was shooting at Pierce and Kingsley. For all you know, those kids all had guns. And the women, too."

Brian shook his head. "No. They didn't."

"I've seen it, son. This is their home. You don't think every single person who can will defend it from us?"

"What are we doing here then, sir? Where are the terrorists we came to find? Where are the men who want to kill us because we're Americans?"

Balimor started to laugh but then stopped himself. He pursed his lips together. "Not sure they ever existed, son. You've seen these people. You've seen how they live. You think they care about us? Or you think they care about feeding their kids and keeping a roof over their heads?"

"Then why are we here, sir?"

Balimor spit a gob of tobacco on the ground. "Because war sells. And if we want to be ready when we really are needed then we need to give the networks a good show so they'll keep funding us."

"That can't be true, sir."

"Seems as good as any explanation I've managed to come up with the last two years."

They settled into brooding silence as Brian thought about what Balimor had said.

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