(Cancelled) Rangers Never Sleep

These dreams...
These Fucking dreams...
My conscience, tormented by these tribulations to the extent where abnegation of slumber seems tempting as death itself.

The same thing, the same redundant scenario set on replay every time I decamp into the night's embrace. Am I really this anxious about my deployment? This one goal has engrossed my entire life, and yet once I have achieved that simple, stitched tab, after 61 gruelling days of hell that they like to nickname Fort Benning, am I just now facing apprehension?

My eyes gently open, as they are immediately cascaded by a blinding white light. Like a moth to a lantern, I am equally as enthralled with this luminous anomaly. It is coming from beyond an old gated doorway, similar to one of a garden, but at the edge of a long corridor. From what my eyes can make out after being so hastily introduced to such an overwhelming glow, I think I can see a something dark at boundary of hallway. There is a figure approaching me with a gait that is not one of a human, but rather that of an elegant clydesdale. The figure that eclipses the bright light, with its equine traipse, halts within feet of my face. At this distance, I can see that it’s definitely equine, and from the looks of it, a Unicorn... It raises a hoof to me as to make contact, a hoof made of shadows that makes it seem that it’s not tactile. With due apprehension I raise my hand to meet this strange creature of equine origin, but the closer I get to this hoof, which is only about 2 feet from my hand, the stronger I get pried away. I don’t know why I want to make contact, but there is something telling me that I need to. As I’m pried away from the mysterious creature I hear the sound of increasingly loud screams. They are the screams of men. My men.

“..an”...
“e...n..”
…....
…....
…....
“ANDREW!”

I shot from my nightmare into the relentless screaming of my bunkmate.

“Dude, the fucks goin’ on with you?” He was half-hanging by his forearms on my bunk.

Pvt. Daniel Westler, my battle buddy and bunkmate since Benning.

“You’re shrieking like a banshee, and look at your fuckin’ bunk!”

I looked down, where only then did I see my sweat soaked mattress.

“If you don’t cut this shit out they’re gonna file you section 8 man...”

I looked down at myself, my drenched bunk and t-shirt.

“Just another bad dream...” I stared down at my lap.

“Yeah? Well maybe some action will get your mind off of that shit, eh?”

I shot a look of confusion to him.

“...What are you talkin’ about...”

“2 of our UH-60’s from 160th SOAR got downed over Mogadishu, and that’s the thing with us Rangers, no man left behind.” He dumbly smiled

“Oh shit...Aidid’s men got them now?” I was fully awake at this point.

“They will if we don’t fuckin’ sky out now..”

His Nam terminology was starting to piss me off.

“Get your shit, we’re oscar mike!”

I could already hear the sounds of the HUMVEE’s engines roaring like a lions and the hurricane force of the MH-6/UH-60’s rotors spinning to life in the background. I jumped out of my bunk and grabbed my gear. I threw on my Coyote’s and interceptor, grabbed my M16A2 and ran out to meet my squad at briefing from Major Cardinal.

“As many of you already probably know, we’re embarking on a search and rescue mission. For many of you, this is probably your first assignment. For some of you, it will also be your last. Aidid’s men have engulfed the city and have set up numerous defence points to our great disadvantage. These men have an uncanny loyalty to Aidid and they are sure to put up one hell of a fight before you get anywhere close to our downed birds. Once you get there, you will meet up with the 1st SFOD-D Delta team and secure the area to make sure that we can get our boys out alive, hooah?”

“SIR, YES SIR!”

“Good, now get your asses to your posts, we’re oscar mike!”

The crowd dispersed and ran to their various positions, getting ready to head directly into the belly of the beast. I jumped onto the side of the MH-6, clipped in and we took off.

“30 seconds to contact.” The radio buzzed.

I yanked on the charging handle, a single .223 round slid up from the magazine into the chamber as the bolt closed on it. The pilot of the small black Littlebird lowered altitude to the rooftop of a native building. I pulled up my balaclava and jumped the 5 foot clearing onto the rooftop. As soon as we lowered, the chopper ascended back into the sky of day. Due to the small carrying capacity of the MH-6, I was put into a fireteam, luckily, Danny was still with me. He took point. We descended the staircase into the house that served as our LZ, making every measure to ensure the safety of the fireteam. 3rd floor, clear. We checked the room for munitions and any sign of enemy activity, but aside from a few bullet casings and empty magazines it was clear. We descended into the 2nd floor and used the same method that we used on the upper floor to this one.

“Hold. I hear enemy activity on the lower floor.”

He was right, I could hear footsteps running through the first level of the house and orders that were spoken in swahili. We jumped into position as to await our assailants, they were getting closer. The footsteps were now slamming on the staircase and that door would be sure to bust open within seconds to where there was going to be an all out firefight. The footsteps slowed to a cautious walk, as we could see the doorknob slowly moving. I raised my rifle to my shoulder, and fired 10 rounds in a horizontal line.

Silence

The only movement was that of a small puddle of blood sliding under the door.

"Move up."

We cautiously approached the door and blood puddle, from the looks of it, it was clear. I want to meet the man that can survive that kind of barrage. That would be one hard motherfucker. Moving on, our rally point was a school house about 1&1/2 klicks from our current position and we needed to get moving. I opened the door and peered into it with caution, for all we knew there was someone waiting to send a round through my skull. Assuring it was clear, I moved down onto the lower floor.

"If we're gonna make the rally point in time, we're gonna have to double time it." I spoke without taking my eye's off 12.

We picked up speed as to make good time, it eventually turned into a run. Our rally was only about a 3rd of a klick away and we needed to get there, and get out. I truly wouldn't be surprised if they already got our pilots, this whole situation is already fubar. These streets were baron, a wasteland, I haven't seen a single civie since we got here. I didn't like it one bit. I was just waiting for a pickup with a bed mounted .50 to roll out of one of these alley ways and mow us down right there.

The sound of boots slamming into the concrete, gear in our rucks jingling and the increasingly loud sound of gunfire was the only thing that any of us heard until we reached the rally point. This school looked like it had been through hell and back, books everywhere, windows broken, just a complete fucking Charlie Foxtrot of assorted supplies and debris. We shortly met up with another team, but they weren't wearing ACU pattern.

"Hold...LIGHTNING!....LIGHTNING OR WE WILL FIRE!"

"Good, you must be the Rangers we were promised."

I relaxed my muscles a bit, now knowing they were friendlies.

"You're wearing desert pattern...Hell, I didn't think that we were gonna be fighting with SEALs, what team?"

"Six."

I looked at him quizzically.

"...What team?"

"Exactly. Now lets get a move on, we got our guys already fighting resistance and we're not paid to watch."

We reached the kill zone, the smell of gunpowder and blood hung heavily in the air.

"SUPPRESSING FIRE!" Was shouted by a automatic rifleman, just before a barrage of M249's 5.56 rounds were sent in the directions of the militia. This was our time to move. I hunched over and sprinted to the other side of the street, a trail of rounds following me the whole time. I reached the other side completely unscathed, but something was still wrong. I patted myself down for puncture wounds, but found nothing. I jumped back to my feet and scanned the area. I found out what was wrong.

"GAAHH....MEDIC!...MEDIIIIC!"

It was Daniel, he was hit. He was my battle buddy, my best friend. I remembered the point that Ranger school slammed home,

Your battle buddy will be there for you, so you damn sure better be there for him.

Without hesitation, I sprinted directly back through the street. If I got hit there, I wouldn't of even noticed, I had one goal and that was to get to Danny. I dived down behind some debris and back to him, a medic was on the way.

"DREW, GET A MEDIC I'M HIT!"

"YOU'RE GONNA BE FINE, THERE'S A DOC ON THE WAY! RANGERS ARE NOT ALOUD TO DIE WITHOUT PERMISSION, DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?!"

I heard one call. One word that made all of the difference.

"GRENADE!"

Without hesitation I jumped over Danny, completely shielding him with myself. All I heard was a bang. Endgame.

I could see that dark figure, that luminous anomaly, that same black gate. Something was different this time though, I could walk. I walked right up to that dark figure. I reached out my hand and touched it. It was only then where I was enveloped by a bright light. Brighter then anything you have ever seen.

My eyes shot open, I was completely disoriented, completely confused. I didn't know what the fuck was going on. I felt my vest, the velcro on my arm where a small scroll hung. It all came back to me. I shot up from the ground and grabbed for my rifle. Nothing. I frantically searched for it, but to no avail. I grabbed my sidearm, a Colt Model 1911 .45 ACP, and brought it to eye level. It was only then that I realized that I wasn't on the street any more. I don't even think I was in Mogadishu anymore...I don't even think I was in AFRICA...

Where the FUCK am I?!

All of the walls were stone, stain glass windows and regal tapestries. But there was something else there too. I couldn't quite make out what it was in this light. Then it hit me, terrifyingly so. It was the figment of my nightmares, that FUCKING unicorn that caused me nights upon nights of shear terror. I readied my sidearm.

"It appears as though my attempts of telepathy have come to fruition" She spoke with a concerned expression.