{"id":94,"date":"2013-07-20T20:52:09","date_gmt":"2013-07-20T20:52:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/?page_id=94"},"modified":"2013-07-20T20:52:09","modified_gmt":"2013-07-20T20:52:09","slug":"chapter-5","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/story\/chapter-5\/","title":{"rendered":"Chapter 5"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chapter 5<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve always been a father figure.\u00a0 I think I was destined to play that role, since I was promoted to Captain over a decade ago.\u00a0 It hits home now that I\u2019m thirty-six and still have no children of my own.<\/i><\/p>\n

Being in the Air Force, I\u2019ve learned a few things about family.\u00a0 The family you were born with and the family you choose on your own usually get lost in the jumble of defending a country.\u00a0 This is especially true during a war.\u00a0 Once you put on that uniform, it doesn\u2019t matter who you called your family before.\u00a0 You become America\u2019s son.<\/i><\/p>\n

Or, in my case, you become the Air Force dad.\u00a0 The other thing I learned was that the family that is forced upon you is the one you come to see as your own.\u00a0 Generals and colonels become your father figures.\u00a0 The fresh-faced recruits are like your children.\u00a0 And when they\u2019re promoted, you feel a sense of fatherly pride in their accomplishments.\u00a0 People you fight with and suffer with are the people you form real bonds with.\u00a0 And even though they aren\u2019t your flesh or blood, they\u2019re more like family than anyone.<\/i><\/p>\n

I think that\u2019s truer now than it ever was before.<\/i><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

Saturday, April 7, 2012<\/b><\/b>
\n6 days before Infernal Friday<\/i><\/p>\n

He took in a breath as he exited his tent in the crisp morning air.\u00a0 He had been staying in the army camp for the past two days, in order to discuss the current invasion plans with the higher-ranking officers.\u00a0 At present, the aircraft carriers were out to sea with the naval force.\u00a0 Of course, the highest-ranking naval officers were here as well.<\/p>\n

He stretched his arms and took in another breath.\u00a0 Even though a war was going on, it hardly seemed that way in this camp.\u00a0 A brief smile crossed his face.<\/p>\n

He looked up to the sky and saw a few streaming clouds.\u00a0 That was unusual.\u00a0 Air travel was heavily restricted\u2026<\/p>\n

There was an explosion.\u00a0 He turned quickly to see a tank roaring with flames.<\/p>\n

He took in a gasp and ran toward the nearest trench, hoping to get out of the way of the fire.<\/p>\n

He heard the rattling of machine gun fire as he huddled under the outcropping above the trench.\u00a0 He was only mildly safer here than he was in the early morning daylight.\u00a0 He huddled with his arms wrapped around his body.<\/p>\n

Please let this be a dream.\u00a0 Please let me be asleep in the tent still.<\/i>\u00a0 He prayed to himself over and over again.<\/p>\n

It was then that he heard more explosions, followed quickly by the screams emanating from the camp.<\/p>\n

The quickest to their feet were swift to join him under the outcropping.<\/p>\n

Please let this be a dream.\u00a0 I\u2019ll ask nothing else ever again.<\/i><\/p>\n

Could anyone hear his prayers?<\/p>\n

\u201cLet him through!\u201d the voices shouted.<\/p>\n

In moments, his commanding officer was before him, bleeding profusely.<\/p>\n

\u201cSir!\u201d he exclaimed.<\/p>\n

The blood poured down his commander\u2019s face.<\/p>\n

He turned his head, shutting his eyes from the sight.\u00a0 \u201cWHY?!?!\u201d<\/p>\n

Kevin woke with a startle.\u00a0 He placed his hand to his heart as his breathing quickened.\u00a0 Just a dream\u2026\u00a0 At least, just a dream this time\u2026<\/p>\n

Lord, help me.<\/i><\/p>\n

He rose from bed slowly, throwing a towel over his shoulders.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I\u2019m sweating already, I may as well exercise,\u201d he laughed as he mentioned this piece of information to himself.\u00a0 He gingerly placed his hand on his wounded arm.\u00a0 He was thankful each day that he had only sustained a small injury, in comparison to a death as gruesome as his commander\u2019s.<\/p>\n

That was the most dreadful thing about dying in war:\u00a0 everyone who lived suffered more, in the end.\u00a0 Those who died never had to see the gruesome face of war ever again.\u00a0 And yet, dying was never really a reprieve either.\u00a0 Everyone always witnessed everyone else dying.\u00a0 That was the horror of war.<\/p>\n

Kevin stood on his treadmill as he adjusted the settings on the machine.\u00a0 He began jogging slowly, eyeing his injured arm every few moments.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

March 15, 2012<\/i><\/b><\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a good thing we\u2019re here to refuel your planes, isn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

Kevin gave him a slight nod.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s a necessity.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cDo you ever worry about getting shot down?\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a fact of life.\u00a0 If it happens, it can\u2019t be helped.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

The technician laughed.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re a stronger man than I am.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

Kevin gave him a warm smile and put his hand on his shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cYou could be just as strong someday.\u00a0 You just have to keep moving forward.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s pretty kind advice for someone in the army.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

Kevin shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cNot everyone is a harsh drill sergeant.\u201d\u00a0 A small laugh escaped his lips.\u00a0 He turned his head slightly.\u00a0 \u201cDid you hear something?\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cProbably just the wind.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cIt probably is.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

The ship rattled intensely.<\/i><\/p>\n

Kevin ran to the side of the ship.\u00a0 The water was full of ripples.\u00a0 He turned to face the sky.\u00a0 The aircrafts were overhead\u2026\u00a0 and they were on the attack.<\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cAre the aircrafts ready, yet?\u00a0 We need to get off this ship.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019ll be a few more hours, at least\u2026\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cUnfortunately, they can\u2019t wait that long\u2026\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

There was another crash.<\/i><\/p>\n

Kevin turned just in time to witness the second blast.\u00a0 One of the airplanes burst into flames.<\/i><\/p>\n

Without hesitation, Kevin knocked the technician to the ground.<\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cOw,\u201d the technician cringed as he hit the ground.\u00a0 \u201cWhat was that for?\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

Kevin cringed as he held his arm.<\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re\u2026 you\u2019re bleeding!\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

Kevin cringed for a moment.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m fine. Just\u2026 keep moving forward.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

The young man\u2019s eyes grew wide as he knelt with the air force captain, as the shrapnel from the planes kept flying toward them.<\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Kevin touched his arm lightly as he slowed the machine to a stop.<\/p>\n

He stepped off the treadmill, wrapping the towel around his shoulders.\u00a0 He let out a sigh as the phone rang.\u00a0 He pulled it from his bedside table.<\/p>\n

\u201cHello?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIs that any way to treat your cousin?\u201d the line responded.<\/p>\n

Kevin shook his head.\u00a0 He hadn\u2019t realized he sounded annoyed.<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry, Brian.\u00a0 How are you this morning?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGood, just busy getting ready for Sunday.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is almost Easter, isn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis makes me a terrible pastor; my own cousin<\/i> can\u2019t remember when Easter is.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry, I\u2019ve just been getting ready to go back overseas.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s right.\u00a0 When do you get shipped out again?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTwo weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTwo weeks?\u00a0 Now, why couldn\u2019t you come up for Easter?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI wish I could, Brian\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll be singing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kevin let out a laugh.\u00a0 \u201cYou always sing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it brings the community together.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kevin laughed again.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll make you a promise.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA promise, huh?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll be on leave around Christmas, so I\u2019ll come for your Christmas Eve sermon.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy don\u2019t you just come up and see us for the entire holiday?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d love to.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brian laughed.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s a promise, then.\u00a0 Just, be careful when you go.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSure, Brian, I\u2019ll try.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t try.\u00a0 Promise.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTalk to you soon.\u00a0 I know you\u2019ll give a great sermon on Sunday.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kevin lowered the phone and put his head in his hands.\u00a0 Relatives\u2026<\/p>\n

He gave a small smile.\u00a0 \u201cGod, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change.\u00a0 The courage to change the things I can.\u00a0 And the wisdom to know the difference.\u201d<\/p>\n

He ran the towel over his head and headed toward the shower.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

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Chapter 5 I\u2019ve always been a father figure.\u00a0 I think I was destined to play that role, since I was promoted to Captain over a decade ago.\u00a0 It hits home now that I\u2019m thirty-six and still have no children of … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":8,"menu_order":5,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"onecolumn-page.php","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/94"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=94"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/94\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":95,"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/94\/revisions\/95"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=94"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}