In a matter of minutes, the group of eleven headed past the machine gun and in to the open fields. Bo walked in line with Miller. Jack kept pace with Upham. Donnie walked with Reiben in the front. Jo kept switching between Mellish and Horvath. It confused the two. Montie still lingered behind Jackson. She smirked as she caught up to him.
"So," she drawled, "Your name's Daniel?"
He smiled slightly. "Yes ma'am."
She raised her eyebrows. "Hmm."
He looked at the dirty blonde. "What?"
"That's going to get some getting used to. I mean, after all, I've been calling you Jackson."
"Jackson will be just fine," he replied while chuckling.
"Or you can call him Bumpkin like me," Reiben called over his shoulder.
"Oh, I wouldn't steal someone's pet name," Montie joked. "Especially from such a cute couple like you."
The two glanced at each other. "Couple?"
She nodded. "What, with all the nicknames and banter, it seemed pretty obvious."
Jackson and Reiben belted out a laugh. The sniper shook his head.
"I'm way out of Reiben's league."
"Hey, I think I'm the handsome one."
Jo glanced at them slightly. "Careful boys. You're startin' to sound like an old married couple."
The four laughed and it soon became quiet. The two companies thought to themselves. The day was ending the longer they marched. At what seemed to be midnight, they came upon a small structure. From the looks of it, it seemed to be an untouched, old farmhouse. Miller and Horvath glanced at each other and nodded. The Captain reached for the brunette that was nearby. She gave him a curious look.
"Do you want to clear this place or should we?" he whispered.
She leaned in. "I'll do it."
"Bring Mellish."
She nodded and jogged over to Mellish. After filling him in, the two slowly entered the house. They crept around the area as quietly as they could. They stood back to back as their eyes darted everywhere. A sudden creak caught their attention. Donnie nodded while pointing to a closet. Mellish moved over to the door and gently grabbed the handle as she pulled out her pistol. He ripped open the door. Donnie cocked her head to the side and lowered her weapon. A shadow timidly walked out of the closet and stepped toward the woman. She knelt on one knee and gazed at the creature.
"A fuckin' dog?" asked Mellish.
"He's cute," Donnie giggled as the border collie licked her face. She turned her head to the open door. "It's all clear Miller!"
The rest of the group moved inside. Jo tried turning on the switch. A small lamp flickered on.
"Electricity works. The family must've abandoned this ol' place."
Horvath picked up a picture of a young boy. "Or they were recruited."
"We'll bunk here for a few hours," the Captain announced.
"Hey, look at this," Jack spoke, "It's a fireplace…and it still has wood."
"This doesn't feel right," Bo muttered. They looked at her. "Who leaves this abruptly? They left their dog and firewood. Their electricity works for crying out loud!"
Reiben turned to his superior. "She's right Cap'n."
"We'll each take a watch. If anything suspicious happens, you wake us up," he ordered. "Jackson, you take first watch."
He groaned. "I was just about to fall asleep."
"It's only an hour, you'll live. You get Mellish when you're done. Mellish, you get Horvath."
He nodded. Everyone except Bo and Jackson walked to the back room. The violet eyed girl chuckled as she saw her leader playing with the dog. She moved to the fireplace and pulled out a lighter. After fifteen or so minutes, the flames licked the wood ferociously.
"That's a mighty fine fire."
The jet black haired girl smiled. "Thanks. I learned from my pa." She pulled out a cigarette and lit it. She spread her legs across the tiny French couch.
"Where are you from?"
Bo smirked. "New York, but I moved to Ohio."
"Why's that?"
Her violet eyes glazed over. "I wanted to be independent. I was sick of relying on my parents," she paused, "The worst part is that I left without saying anything. Now, all I want to do is go back and apologize." After a few moments, she spoke up again. "Where are you from?"
"West Fork, Tennessee."
"Sounds like a great place for a ranch." She blew a ring of smoke.
The blonde grinned. "Yes ma'am. Dinah Lee and I would race to the stables. Once we got on our horses, we'd race them. I won of course."
"But of course," she drawled. "I hear Montie likes ranches."
Jackson looked at her and blushed slightly. Bo laughed quietly. He shifted his gaze to the ground. The jet black haired girl slapped his back.
"I won't say nothin'."
He nodded a thanks. The two made little conversation throughout the hour. After a while, Bo stood up and stretched.
"Well, goodnight cowboy."
He laughed as she extinguished her cigarette and wandered to the back room.
"Goodnight," he whispered.
Bo's ears perked up as she heard a small whimpering. She sped up her pace slightly. She lit her lighter in order to see better. Her eyes widened as she saw a fidgeting Jo in the far corner. Putting her lighter away, she rushed to her friend and shook the auburn's shoulders.
"No…don't…leave him be," Jo mumbled.
"Jo. Hey Jo, wake up kid. It's a dream."
The auburn's eyes snapped open as her hands gripped Bo's forearms. It was then that the violet eyed woman realized her friend had been sweating. Words frantically fumbled out of her terrified mouth.
"Hey, it's okay Jo. Everyone is safe," Bo cooed.
Becoming mute, she stood up and jogged through the hallway. Bo watched after her curiously as Jackson appeared in the door frame. He glanced at her with a raised eyebrow. She shrugged and laid on her back. Jackson worked his way toward Mellish.
Jo paced back and forth quickly outside the front door. She held her stomach with her arms. Her honey brown eyes were wide open. Sweat continued to beat down her forehead. The auburn brought her hands to her temple and shook her head.
"It wasn't real," she muttered, "Just a nightmare."
A few tears fell to the ground. She gripped her stomach as she dropped to her knees. She bit her lip to keep the tears in.
"Don't cry…don't cry."
"Jo?" someone asked from the door. She turned to see Mellish. He had taken off his pack, helmet, and jacket leaving only a white tank top, pants, and boots.
"Are you alright?"
She turned her head to stare in front of her. A moment passed before she shook her head. The brown eyed soldier slowly walked over to her. He gently grabbed her arm and helped her stand up. "Let's go inside."
Jo nodded and walked with him. The two sat on the couch. She continued to let silent tears cascade down her cheeks. Mellish rubbed her knee soothingly. The crying soon stopped. The auburn snapped her head to him.
"Don't you tell anyone I cried." He chuckled and shook his head. "What?"
"Oh nothing, don't worry about it." Jo smirked and let out a quiet giggle. Mellish grinned. "Hey, uh, I've got a question."
"Alright, go for it."
"I noticed that all the girls in the war look nearly the same except-"
"Except…"
Mellish smiled. "You have your instrument, I think. Montie has those bracelets. Bo has that thing on her bicep, and so on."
Jo grinned. "Ah. Mine's an anklet, and those would be our identifiers."
"What the fuck is that?"
She giggled. "It's kind of like your dog tags, except we get to pick," she paused as she grabbed her bag and opened it. She pulled out a familiar headband.
"When one of us dies, we're supposed to collect it. That way, we keep track of all who've gone." Mellish bowed his head slightly. Jo pulled out a dull ring with a thick band. "Annie 'Phil' Phillips." She proceeded to pull out a daisy pin. "Daisy 'Jon' Jones." She pulled out a green scarf. "Donna 'Will' Williams." The auburn retrieved brown, no finger, gloves. "Hannah 'Spence' Spencer."
A few moments of silence passed. The flames crackled.
"Ya know," Mellish began, "I never got to thank you for not going easy on me when Carpy died."
Jo scoffed. "Any time."
"I'm serious. If you hadn't, I don't think I'd still be alive. I would've been FUBAR. You, well, saved my life."
The two connected gazes. The auburn's cheeks warmed slightly. She was about to say something when she heard a creak behind her. She snatched her pistol and swung around. Her aim was strong and deadly. Her eyes fixated on a young man. His clothes were torn. Jo eyed him.
"Qui êtes-vous?" she asked. The man just stared at her gun. "Qui êtes-vous?" Jo repeated.
"What are you saying?" Mellish asked.
"I'm asking who he is." She turned to the man. "Êtes-vous français?" She looked over her shoulder. "Asking if he's French."
"Oui," he answered.
"Okay, I know that means yes."
Jo lowered her gun. "Get Miller and Donnie."
"I thought Donnie attacks people who try to wake her."
She nodded. "Tap her elbow twice. It calms her somehow. Now would you get them please?"
Mellish ran to the back while Jo sat the French man on the couch. She asked him questions in his native tongue. In a couple of minutes, a tired Miller and a groggy Donnie trudged to the front room. Mellish followed them over. The brunette whistled softly as the dog rushed to her. He wagged his tail. She glanced at Jo with a raised eyebrow. The auburn nodded.
"He says his name is Pierre and he owns this house."
"Ask him if this is his dog and what is his name," Miller responded.
Jo did so quickly. The man faced the dog and squinted his eyes. A smile grew on his face. He spoke a name that made the dog perk up. The border collie panted and walked over to Pierre and licked his face. Donnie grinned.
"I was afraid I'd have to leave that dog here alone." Pierre smiled. "Jo, thank him for letting us stay here for a few hours."
The auburn did so. Pierre nodded and spoke words of welcome. Mellish returned to taking watch while the other three made their way to the back room. The honey brown eyed woman smiled warmly at the soldier who wasn't paying attention. She continued to the back and slept on the floor.