In response, the enemy dropped mortar fire directly onto their position. The earth seemed to rise up and throw men, mud, and shrapnel together. Mike lunged back toward the trench, but the blast wave hurled him sideways.
A high ringing filled his ears, drowning out everything else. He tried to get up, but a sharp pain tore through his right side. Warm blood spread quickly through his uniform and into the dirt beneath him.
Through the dust he saw Doc Pete crawling toward him under fire, dragging the medic bag behind him. Then another round hit nearby, sending up a black column of smoke.
Mike tried to shout, but he couldn’t hear his own voice. He tried to crawl toward the medic, but his body wouldn’t answer. Darkness began to close in.
In the last seconds before he blacked out, he saw Annie’s face again. Her smile was brighter than any explosion. With what strength he had left, he clutched the photo in his bloodied hand.
Then a strange silence settled over the ruined position. Enemy infantry began moving in for a sweep. Heavy boots crunched over ground already torn apart.
Evan Carter, somehow still alive, dug his buried machine gun out of the dirt. When he saw the enemy closing in, he made his choice. He would buy time for the wounded, no matter what it cost him.
Then the sky filled with the sound of friendly drones. Volunteer-supported strike drones came in fast and began dropping charges on the advancing enemy. The attack broke apart almost at once.
As the enemy fell back in confusion, an armored medevac vehicle pushed through to the shattered position. Medics loaded the wounded as fast as they could.
Mike was lifted onto a stretcher, careful hands trying not to worsen the shrapnel wound. A medic gave him a strong painkiller. He opened his eyes for a second and tried to focus on the face above him.
The armored vehicle lurched forward, carrying the wounded away from the front. Inside, it was dim except for a small red light overhead. Mike lay still, feeling his strength slipping away.
Then the vehicle slammed to a stop. Metal screamed. The medevac had hit a hidden anti-tank mine. The explosion flipped the vehicle, and Mike’s world went black.
