Chapter 18
Trent Lockewood
My hands were still trembling. Those few short seconds kept replaying in my head. I could still feel the concussion of the air and heat that had grazed me as that shell had gone by. I could still see the dark recesses of the tank's barrel in my scope. Everything kept playing over and over, rewinding and playing again as soon as it had finished. I wasn't sure what had come over me, to leap out and risk my life like that. Marksmanship and the like had always been a priority for me, but acts of stupidity I tried to keep on the lower end. I flattened my arms against me as they started to tremble. I could not appear frightened in front of this Alex person. I had to assume that he already knew about me and Mike, and now it was a priority of mine to show him that we were still people. That we were still strong.
"So, Trent...before we go look for the others, I vould like to have a word with you."
I turned back to face Alex. He had his hands behind his trenchcoat, his stance mocking that of some type of officer. There was something about Alex that made me feel safe around him. He just seemed so...so calm, so secure and sure of what he was doing. Everything someone needed to be to stay alive in a place like this.
"Yes, Alex?"
His eyes flitted across mine before swooping quickly, seemingly becoming intrigued by a piece of shrapnel stuck into the ground. Clearing his throat, he replied, with a slight touch of anxiety in his voice.
"There is something about you...you and this Mike person. It's been gnawing at me ever since I've met you two. I might be missing something here, but...is there something, between you two? Between you and this Mike person?"
My throat closed up. I didn't know why I had this problem, around other guys. I was comfortable in my sexuality, but the very thought of talking about it with someone always brought my mind grinding to a halt. Not knowing what else to do, I nodded my head, looking away. Once again he cleared his throat, his voice becoming slower, his words coming as soft and slow as someone would through a mine field.
"I um...I see. I vould um...I vould try keeping that bit of information hidden from Salone, if you know what I mean. He is a bit of an asshole when it comes to people, especially me."
I looked up to him. I tried not to stare into his eyes...I focused on his short blonde hair, distracting myself with it while I talked.
"Thank you, Alex. I'm sure you know of how it feels to be different than most people. Thank you for being so open minded."
He nodded to me, the slightest of a smirk stretching across his face. He was quite handsome, now that I thought about it. I winced slightly as I thought about that, remembering that I still had Mike. What would Mike have thought about me thinking about other guys? And on further note...where were the others?
"Come on then Trent. Let's find the others, and see vhat we can do about digging ourselves out of this little shit hole."
I nodded to Alex, before noticing his eyes jerk up, looking over my shoulder. I turned as I heard the sound of someone running, their shoes crunching on the fresh sand and dirt. Turning all the way, I saw Salone skid to a halt, bending over to catch his breath. Alex and I glanced at one another, perplexed at what Salone was doing. After getting a few breaths, he started talking.
"Heh...Trent man, there's something...something wrong."
I raised an eyebrow. Stepping forward, I stopped as he looked up, catching my eyes.
"I said, there's something wrong. You might want to get your ass back over there with Nikole."
His vocabulary, or lack thereof, was a bit disconcerting. He seemed just the type that would make fun of people like me. Insolence.
"What's wrong then, Salone? What about Mike?"
I let my words hang in the air. I was beginning to feel uneasy. He hadn't said a thing about Mike. It was starting to worry me.
"Well?"
Taking one final breath, he pulled himself up, standing straight. Sliding his hands into his pockets, he looked me straight in the eyes. His were wide, almost as if in a constant state of disbelief. Like something had happened, or- Oh no. Oh god no.
I watched his lips move. I heard, but couldn't hear a thing happening around me. My mind had stopped. No, it couldn't be...in my mind, now a different scene was playing. No longer was I haunted by the barrel of the tank. In my head, I could now see Salone's lips moving, sounding out the same words over and over...
"That's the thing...Mike man, he's...he's dead."