Chapter 28

"We had bad intel," Steve started his report. "And they knew we were coming. Not only how we wanted to get in, but also when. They had waited for us. Mike…Mike was the last in the air. He got shot...and killed before he had even landed.
We had two more severely wounded before we noticed we were surrounded and outnumbered. Commander Holland ordered us to surrender – so we did.
We laid our weapons down and raised our hands.
Each of us got their hands bound behind our back. Then they bound our legs as well. After that they…they…they shot our two wounded comrades in the head. Then we received a beating with a gun butt – stomach, ribs, chest, face and head. Their leader stopped his men when they wanted to start over.
We were being led to their headquarters, to a cell in the basement where the next beating came – same MO. When we were on the ground they kicked us a few times and then we got chained – with the hands to the wall and with the legs to the ground -minimum movement.
They left us alone for about two hours. Then their leader came in. He told us we would all go free in perfect health in two weeks if we tell him what he wanted to know. None of us fell for that. He told us, he would ask us in private – one after the other – bring us back to the cell unscathed and no-one would ever find out who had told him. None of us fell for that either.
I don't know why they took me I wasn't neither the leader nor the lowest rank – what they might have seen as the weakest link. But despite our insignia they thought I was the leader. And I didn't tell them otherwise. They tortured me: beatings, burns, water boarding, stress positions. Nothing worked. And they weren't stupid. They realized I'd never talk, doesn't matter what they would do to me.
Next time they came for me, they took the others too. I got bound to my usual chair, the others got placed in front of me – in a wide circle.
The leader said he needed that intel, he wanted it and he would get it. They dislocated my shoulder and popped it back in – twice. Every time I had passed out they woke me up again with icy water. After they were done, they broke the fingers of my right hand and fractured my left ankle. He told the others that he had been nice to me, but he would change that if we don't tell him what he wants. Nobody said anything."
Until now Steve had spoken with a more or less steady voice. Everything that followed came out slowly, in a stammer and/or a whisper interrupted and or followed by sobs, tears and trembling.
"After they had noticed that wouldn't work, they placed our youngest member - Peter – in the middle of the circle. They forced him on his knees and put his left arm on a block of wood…told us they would cut his hand of…holding up a machete. None of us said anything. They…they did…did…it. Peter screamed. They cauterized. Peter passed out. They…they showed us his hand. Everyone had to look at it for a few seconds. They told us they would cut of his arm when he was conscious again. They did. They told us they would continue with his foot and leg, would turn to his left hand and arm, then to his right foot and leg. None of us said anything. They did what they had said until Peter died from the trauma to his body.
They stopped after that. Told us to relax, get some rest and start to think. They would continue the next day with whoever would lose the draw.
It was Sam. He died after they had cut of his first foot. They sent us back to our cells to continue thinking. They accused me being a bad leader – letting my people die like this. I still hadn't told them I wasn't the leader and I never did. But they were right. It was barbaric to let that happen. But if we had told them what they had wanted thousands of people would have died. Not the same way, but equally slow and painful. And despite their promise, they would have killed us too.
Next was Jones. He hated his first name, so we all just called him Jones. He begged to stop this, said whatever they would do wouldn't make us answer their question. They beheaded him.
They brought the remaining team members back to their cells. I was the only one left in the room. They showed me Jones' head, kissed it, hit it, put it in my lap, on my hands, to my face – imitating a kiss – and kicked it around like a football, cheered when they "scored" – hitting the space between the chair legs.
I don't remember much after that. Only bits and pieces. I had obviously passed out – due to pain, stress, exhaustion and dehydration. They had inserted an IV for fluids and had tried to get food into me, forcing it down my throat like I was a stuffed goose, laughing when I gagged or expelled it soon after. They put my hands and legs in the vomit and kicked against my fractured ankle, breaking it completely in the process, saying they would cut of the other foot soon and the broken one would need to be amputated as well when they were done.
Miraculously we got rescued by another SEAL-Team before they could kill another soldier.
We had started the mission with two teams – twelve men – half of them didn't return. Commander Holland and Richard killed themselves two months after we got back home."
Steve was done crying, but he was still drowning in emotions.
"And I already had my gun in my mouth too. I just couldn't pull the trigger – thinking about Mary and my dad and what it would do to them – especially to Mary."
Danny was shocked. Not only about Steve's confession that he had wanted to kill himself, but even more so about the whole story. He had probably wanted to kill himself too if he would have experienced that kind of violence.
"Can…can I have my sleeping pill now?" Steve asked and pulled Danny out of his thoughts.
"Of course. Would you mind to drink some more too?" Danny answered and asked softly.

Due to his emotional state Steve felt the effect of his sleeping pill much earlier than usual. He made himself comfortable on his side of the bed and asked "You staying, right?"
"I will, I promise." Danny answered and put a hand on Steve's shoulder.
"You will sleep well. I promise that too."
That was enough assurance for Steve to stop fighting his sleep. He was out a second later.
Danny on the other hand sat there and thought about what he had just heard. He once again wondered how anyone could come out of this without losing their sanity and how humans can do that to each other thinking it was right.
He had his fair share of violence and human atrocity, but he – thankfully – had never experienced anything like this – not even close to it. Hearing about it was one thing, being aware of the fact that it really exists another, but knowing that his best friend had been a victim of such an inhumanity made his blood boil. His own emotions were a mixture of a total lack of understanding how someone could do this, angriness and rage because it had happened and sympathy for his friend and everyone else who might be involved in something similar. He felt his energy draining only thinking about it. He had unconsciously started to rub Steve's shoulder blades. When he realized what he was doing he stopped, squeezed the shoulder instead and said "No wonder you wanted peace. I am in this now more than ever and I will make sure you'll get it."
He lay down beside his friend, closed his eyes and fell asleep a few minutes later.
But he dreamed about some of the scenes he had just heard about and he must have slept fitful too, because he felt someone nudging his arm and then he heard a whimper. Danny opened his eyes. Eddie was standing at his side of the bed. He whimpered again, but when he saw that Danny was awake, he wagged his tail.
"Hey buddy. Thanks for waking me. Wasn't a good dream. Glad you noticed it." He patted and cuddled the dog. "You need to help me take care of your master too. I think he needs you a lot more than I thought." He patted Eddie again. Then he turned around and pulled Steve a little closer. Feeling the now again regular heartbeat calmed Danny too. He took one of his friend's hands in one of his own and hoped that it would help Steve as much as it helped him to feel safe and comfortable.
The now free space on the bed that Danny had just created, got occupied a minute later by Eddie, lying down close to his master as well.
Two minutes later it was a wonderful scenery of peaceful sleep and security.