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My name is Alex Griffin.
I’m 24 years old.
I Joined the Military when I turned 18.
I was on my fourth tour of Iraq when something unbelievable happened to me.
THE GRIFFIN
PROLOGUE
I’m 24 years old.
I Joined the Military when I turned 18.
I was on my fourth tour of Iraq when something unbelievable happened to me.
THE GRIFFIN
PROLOGUE
January 1st
My platoon had just spent the last two weeks escorting refugees across the hot zone of Iraq, trying to get them across the border. Out of the fifteen soldiers that started this mission, only eight of us remained intact. Five of my fellow soldiers had been killed during the many fire fights that we had encountered on our long trek. The other two were wounded, Davis had lost his left hand but refused to quit while he could still carry and fire a gun. Jackson had taken a shot in the gut and was quickly deteriorating as each day passed, he was slowing us down but my men and I refused to leave him while he still had breath.
Ten soldiers to cover over a hundred refugees, our chances were looking slim at best. We were in the desert and still several days away from the border.
Then it happened.
CHAPTER 1
My platoon are quietly celebrating the New Year, allowing ourselves a rest and to check on the supplies. Three of my soldiers are acting as lookout; one was checking the wounds of Davis and Jackson – checking their vitals and changing their dressings. Two other soldiers are giving food and water to the refugees, while Kira and I check the weapons and ammo.
We are beginning to run dangerously low, luckily a dozen or so of the refugees were used to combat and owned their own AK-47s. It helped to improve our chances but not by much, the refugees are brave and not afraid to fight but they are careless and over eager, wasting a lot of ammo and taking stupid risks as they run straight into the fray with their guns blazing.
I pull the compass and map out of my pocket, I put a raincoat over my head before I turn on my torch, blocking the light from any enemy patrols that might be in the area. We are over a hundred clicks from the safety of the border. I remove the raincoat and look at Kira.
“What’s the verdict Alex?” She asks in a whisper.
“We still have over a hundred kilometers before we get to the border.”
Kira looks up at the stars in the clear sky, and then looks back at me. Her gorgeous eyes looking deep into mine full of seriousness.
“There’s no way we are going to make it with the little ammunition we have.” She looks over at Davis and Jackson. “Maybe we should cut them loose?”
“Not an option.”
She looks back at me with tears in her eyes. Even when she was in her army fatigues, covered in dust and dirt, she is still one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen.
“Alex, you no I hate to say it. They’re my friends too, but with the condition they are in, a two day hike is going to take almost a week.”
“I know, but we have already lost enough of our friends and I’m not willing to lose anymore.”
I wipe a tear from her cheek as it rolls down from her eye. I kiss her gently on the lips, the taste of her tongue makes me wish that we were already back at the barracks, holding her in my arms and feeling her warm body against mine.
“INCOMING!!”
I look up in time to see a handful of refugees disappear into a ball of dust and flames as charred wet chunks of meat and bone fly into the air, the sound of the explosion makes my ears ring. The ringing is then replaced by the sound of gunfire as my soldiers return fire, their muzzle flashes lighting up the desert. The white traces of the bullets going through the night air look beautiful and amazing, except for the fact that each of them could kill you in an instant.
Kira grabs her weapon and is immediately all business, checking the clip of her sniper rifle as she runs up to the frontline, she dives onto her stomach and activates the night-vision on her scope, takes aim and fires.
Shot one.
Reload.
Shot two.
Reload.
Shot three.
Reload.
I grin at myself as I watch her. I met her on my first tour and we had been together ever since. She is one of the best shots I have ever known. Without even checking, I can guarantee that an enemy soldier dies with each squeeze of her trigger.
A second explosion fills the air.
“Check your shots! Pick your targets and fire short bursts!” I shout above the din to both my soldiers and the refugees. Several of the refugees run off in a panic, vanishing into the darkness. If they aren’t killed by the enemy soldiers, then the desert will get them.
I put my helmet back on and crouch low as I move next to my platoon; I can’t see anything in the darkness. I fire a flare into the air, my entire platoon open fire at the silhouettes of enemy troops. I notice loads of glimmering metal in the distance as the desert is pitched into darkness again. I crouch next to Kira and take the night-vision bifocals out of her satchel. I turn them on and look in the direction that I had seen the shimmer. I immediately wish that I didn’t look.
I put the bifocals back into Kira’s satchel and tap her shoulder; she looks up at me questioningly.
“What’s up?”
“We have to go, now!” I shout back to her.
She immediately stands up and addresses everybody.
“People, grab your gear and haul ass! We’re moving out!”
Everyone grabs their things and stays low as they start to head out across the desert, in the opposite direction of what I have just seen.
Hopefully we can reach the border before the enemy catches up to us.
Twenty minutes later, Kira raises her fist as a motion for us to stop. We all crouch and I move up to her.
“We have a bit of a problem Alex.”
I take her bifocals and look in the direction of where we are headed.
“Bollocks!” I say when I see what Kira had noticed.
A mine field is spread out before us.
I now have a decision to make.
We can either stand and fight or navigate through a mine field at night with no mine detection equipment.
We are so screwed….
Keep it up
Quite thrilling... i hope they kick ass 
I guess. 
Lol