LCpl A. Swofford (oneperfectshot) wrote in spinningcompass, @ 2013-04-24 08:54:00 |
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Entry tags: | !closed |
Who? Swoff & Eames
Where? The beach, then Eames' apartment
When? Tuesday, after the tea party
What? Military feels.
Status? Closed, ongoing
Rating? Potentially high.
Swoff didn't know where the rest of his regiment had disappeared to, and as worrying as that was, there was a little more than missing troops on his mind. Everything had changed. The temperature had dropped dramatically to something more springlike and tolerable, a light breeze in the air. A sea breeze- he could see the sea, and considering he'd been in the middle of the desert a moment ago, the sight of the ocean felt almost like a mirage. For a boy from California, the sight, sound and smell of the ocean felt like home. God, he missed home.
And yet, it wasn't a mirage- it was really the ocean. If his geography served him right, the only coastline in Iraq was a very short stretch at the Persian Gulf, hundreds of miles from his former location. And this wasn't the Gulf, clearly. Maybe he'd finally gone mad- maybe he was lying in a sand ditch somewhere, and his mind was providing him with familiar images of beach holidays. Maybe he was about to get blown to pieces- maybe he had been already. Maybe he was on morphine- the possibilities were horrible and endless.
The radio offered no satisfactory answers, leaving him more confused that before- and as a figure appeared on the horizon, Swoff lifted his rifle, pressing the butt into his shoulder and assuming a defensive stance. His heart was pounding in his ears as he tried to keep his hands steady. So he was only one marine, but all he needed was one shot. Someone was fucking with his head, but it was okay- his rifle would know what to do even when he didn't.