Amayehli by Michael Connelly

Author:Michael Connelly [Michael Connelly]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781426983627
Publisher: Trafford
Published: 2009-09-23T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER XXII

THE GAMBLE

No matter how carefully he tried to walk, young Private Brian Lowry could not keep from stepping on the fallen leaves and broken twigs that covered the forest floor like a golden carpet during this time of the year. Even though the mountains were alive with the sound of nature’s own music, every step he took reverberated like a gunshot on his raw nerves. Brian was a slender, dark-complected seventeen year old who looked like he belonged at a high school prom rather than acting as point man on a combat patrol for a guerilla army. Yet, like all of Colonel Hamilton’s men, he had volunteered for this mission without really knowing what it was all about until after the platoon had left the valley. Then all of the men had been told what they were facing and they were each given an opportunity to back out and join the shadowing force. However, no one had accepted the offer and young Lowry had never even considered it. He felt comfortable serving under Colonel Hamilton who always treated his men fairly and with respect. They all knew he cared about their well-being and that he was a damn good leader of combat troops. In addition, Brian was well aware of the critical importance of this mission.

As Brian moved cautiously ahead, he felt both fear and pride. He had been chosen for the point because he had proven that he was good. His keen senses had saved his own life and the lives of others on several occasions. He claimed he could smell the enemy, but actually he was just able to detect their presence by subtle changes in his surroundings that few other people would even notice. He felt a lot of credit for that ability belonged to his father, a Vietnam veteran who had later been his son’s scoutmaster. They both loved the woods and his father had taught all of his boy scouts to track wild game and all of the other methods needed to survive in the woods if necessary. Brian became one of the youngest Eagle Scouts in the history of his troop and eagerly taught his skills to the new scouts coming into the unit. If he had still been alive, Brian knew his father would be proud of him. He just hoped his instincts wouldn’t fail him now, because more people were depending on him than ever before.

Suddenly, his keen senses kicked in and he knew something had changed in the forest. He dropped quickly to one knee, flipping off the safety of his M -16 as he did so, and then raising his hand to signal those behind him to halt. At first, he was not sure what had alerted him, and then he realized that the woods were suddenly still and silent. There were no birds singing, and even the insects had stopped their constant noise making. He scanned the trees on the downward sloping mountainside ahead and could see nothing,

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.