AN: If I were you guys I would be wondering : What WOULD happen if Montel got out of the tank on time? Well its been picking at my mind so I wrote it. please enjoy.
“Holy shit!” The tank rocked as an RPG struck the side of the tank. Kolvalsky, the tank commander, yelled the order to pull the tank back before we get take another hit. I threw the empty shell out the back and pulled another round from the storage. I flipped it with the ease of a man who seemed to have been doing it for his entire life. I slid the high explosive shell into the tanks gun and pulled the lever down, closing the hatch behind it. “Loaded!” I yelled at Levon whom nodded and fired.
The tank rocked as the main gun fired. The building it was aimed at crumpled and cheers crowded the radio. I smiled and opened the hatch allowing the shell to slide out and into my waiting hands. I tossed it through the waste hatch and pulled a reload out and slid it into the gun and closed the hatch. Levon was shaking slightly from the adrenaline rush, and Kolvalsky sat back and sighed. Suddenly, yells and orders to scramble flooded the radio. “RPG! RPG! RPG!” The tank shuddered as the rocket propelled grenade landed home and struck the treads. “Fuck! Where the hell did that come from?!” Cobel was screaming and Kolvalsky slapped him in the helmet, “Shut up!” He turned to me. “Montel!” I turned my head at the call. “Sir?” He tossed me his rifle. “Get out there and do an assessment!” I nodded and threw open the top hatch.
I jumped and pulled myself out of the gunners hatch, gunfire and the sounds of explosions and yelling reached my ears as I jumped off the side of the tank. I looked at the treads and grunted. I pulled myself up on the side and dropped back inside. The tank gunner fired when I closed the hatch. “Treads blown apart.” I handed Kolvalsky his rifle as he began to swear like a sailor. I prepared the next round, I pushed the round into the gun and picked the empty one off the floor. I turned and threw it out the trash hatch and pulled another from storage The tank shuddered as Levon struck home with the round." What the hell?" He bent over and peered through the viewfinder again. "Someone dropped a smoke." I grunted and quickly opened the gun , and the empty shell slid out along with a live grenade.
The grenade hit the floor with a thud. “Shit!” Levon scrambled out of his seat. “Grenade!” Kolvalsky flipped open the floor hatch “Everybody out!” One by one we scrambled out of the emergency hatch and crawled out from under the tank. When your going on an adrenaline rush, five seconds seems life 5 hours. We managed to reach a building when the tank exploded. We turned back and faced the burning wreckage “Well, fuck.”
My radio crackled, “What the hell was that explosion?” I looked at Kolvalsky who was cursing. He shook his head. “Just tell them.” I shrugged and pressed on the call button. “This is Lancer 2-1. That uhh… that was our tank.” I released the call button and static ensued. “Roger Lancer 2-1. Did you say that was your tank?” I sighed and clicked the call button again. “Yeah. Over” I let go of the call button. “Ah. Lancer 2-1 what is your grid?” I looked at the commander. “2205.” I nodded and repeated the coordinates. “We are in grid 2205, copy how?” The radio crackled, and stopped. “Good copy. Begin your way to grid 2196. How copy?” I nodded and scribbled the grid down on a pad. “Good copy. On our way.” The radio crackled and I turned the volume down. “Grid 2196.” Kolvalsky nodded and looked on the map. “11 blocks.” He looked up and place his helmet on his head. “Let’s get moving.”
I wrapped my hand around the little plastic pony my daughter slipped into my pack as I was packing. Levon glanced at me. “You’ll see her soon, Montel.” I looked at him and he smiled. I smiled back, placing the toy in a pocket and put my hand back on my rifle. I scanned the roof tops across the street as we made our way to the other convoy.
“Man. I don’t like the feeling of this.” Levon mumbled as we made our way down the final block. The idling hummers audible. As we reached the final corner, Kolvalsky reached into his pocket and pulled out a flag. He stuck his had around the corner, waving the flag. “Friendlies coming out!” I followed the others around the corner, and the trucks came insight. “We made it man.” A pop sounded from my left and my head jerked to the right. “SNIPER!”
Ahh, my neck hurts. A tug at my vest, my boots dragging as someone pulled me quickly down the sidewalk. The loud bang of a door being kicked in. I felt a pair of hands fumble with my pack clips. Another pair holding my head and neck. Some yells, something enclosing my neck. A guy shined a light in my eye. “Hey man.” He smiled and squeezed a finger. “Feel that?” I managed to grunt out a “Yes”. The kid nodded and looked into his pack. “Possible neck injury and concussion.” I became aware of several hands on my sides and shoulders.
“One, two, three!” I closed my eyes and felt my body leave the ground, only to be laid on a stretcher. I focused on how it was to be in a stretcher. I heard the idleing of a stopped vehicle, the pop of the back of a Humvee opening. My stretcher turned and I felt the pop as it was placed on stretcher notches. Hands fumble in my pockets. That hand grabbed mine and placed a familiar object in it. “You’ll be home soon man.” Kolvalsky patted my chest and the back door closed with a thud. Some orders muffled by the hummer’s armor, the faint ness of doors slamming shut. The doors on this hummer opened and closed. An radio crackled. “This is Hunter 2-4.” Static. “Roger Hunter 2-4. Go ahead.” The soldier in the passenger seat turned back and looked at me then turned back. “We have a tank crew who lost their tank to enemy fire. One, possible neck injury. How copy?” The radio flooded with static. “Good copy Hunter 2-4. Return your convoy to base.” The vehicle shuddered as the gear was switched to drive. The vehicle lurched off, and several times on the trip back to base, the medic would check on me.
“Well, Corporal.” The doctor in neat fatigues with a stethoscope around his neck was standing with a report at the foot of my bed. “Two bits of good news.” He looked up and smiled. He looks about my age. “ Your tour of duty has expired. The crew and you are still going home.”
I smiled and looked down into my hands; I gripped the toy a little tighter. “The other bit of good news, is your tests came back clear. No concussion, broken or damaged neck. All your scopes are clear.” He pulled a pen out of his breast pocket and clicked it, scribbled something and flipped the pages back to the top page. “I’ll go and write your hospital discharge order.” He clicked his pen and walked out the door.
NOTE:
Please understand this does not mean I am done with this story. I am NOT done with this story. I have an online class I am rushing to finish to free up my summer. I also am going to be working on some chapters while I am away at a national competition next week. (doubt I can upload there.)