Ground Zero

Two AK-47s opened up.

- Michael Golembesky

All the King’s Men

The rounds made a whistling sound as they passed closely overhead. The gunmen were close. The sound of the weapons’ inter workings could be heard, not muffled by distance, like two metal pipes being slapped together.

Everyone moved to cover while a few commandos pulling security on Main Street engaged. They returned fire on a walled compound directly west of them. Small puffs of dirt drew everyone’s eyes onto the target as the commandos’ rounds smacked the wall, forcing the gunmen to go to the ground inside the structure.

“Compound, three o’clock, hundred meters, two dudes!” someone yelled out.

The ground force held their position. Phil was not going to allow them to be drawn into another compound again. That lesson had been learned. No, these remaining fighters were trapped and in no rush to leave the security of the compound in broad daylight. The ground force maintained a steady stream of suppressive fire on the area.

Yuri had already started working on targeting the compound. There would be no stalemate this time, no bogged-down momentum … just one simple bomb.

The remaining fighters hiding in the shelter must have spooked when they saw the ground force moving back into the area. This induced them into firing the first shots rather than waiting to be discovered. It would have only been a matter of time before they were discovered by the commandos getting ready to sweep the area for survivors. The Taliban’s only option was to sit, wait, and hold their fire until they felt their luck had run out.

Andy pushed Dagger 22’s vehicles all the way back down to the north side of Cemetery Hill after parting ways with the ground force and ATVs. They were set up in a blocking position to cut off any escape route into the hills.