Nightwatch

Chapter 37

Thomas Kellogg stepped over the fallen oak trunk without breaking his stride. Considering the dwindling-light conditions, the nine-man Sapper squad that he was following was moving with an incredible swiftness, and it was taking a full effort on his part to keep up. The Sappers had been given the lead position, with Sergeant Reed walking point. They were moving in a modified wedge formation, an eight-meter interval between soldiers.

Twenty-five meters behind, also moving in a wedge, were Ted Callahan and the MPs. Ranger Glickman was included in this group, which was heavily armed with M16s, SAWs, and M60s.

Since their encounter with the meth bootleggers, they were extra cautious to be on the lookout for booby traps, but this still didn’t keep them from moving at a blistering pace.

Thomas was starting to feel the fifty-five-pound rucksack that he wore on his back. The heat and humidity were fierce, and to slake his ever-present thirst, he took cautious sips on the plastic tube of the Camelbak water bladder that was stored in his ruck.

The sun had long since set, the fading hues of the midsummer twilight barely visible through the tree limbs. In the forest a gray darkness prevailed, and as his night vision sharpened, Thomas attempted to put to use some of the limited-visibility techniques he had learned in the Air Force. Even then, he stumbled over too many fallen branches to count, while saplings slapped his face, and sharp thorns tore at the rip-stop cloth of his camouflaged BDU pants.

He was ever thankful for the protective goggles the Sappers had given him, and as he wondered when he’d have time to utilize the NVGs that were stashed on his back, the soldiers in front of him raised their open palms overhead. The squad halted, and from the center of the wedge the PL could be seen slapping the cargo pocket of his BDUs.

Thomas moved forward to participate in the map check. He knelt beside the PL, and they were joined by both the compass men and the pace men, as well as the veteran walking point.

Sergeant Reed was the consummate professional soldier. As the senior Sapper leader course instructor, he was an expert at his unique craft, and Thomas could sense the respect that his fellow soldiers afforded him.

“If you didn’t know any better, you’d think we were back home at Leonard Wood,” commented Reed, who spat out a torrent of tobacco juice and pulled out a red-tinted flashlight to illuminate the PL’s map.

While they tried to decipher the detailed topographical map, the sound of footsteps foreshadowed the arrival of Ted Callahan, Captain Christian, and their U.S. Forest Service representative.

“Looks like that’s it for the last light of dusk,” was Callahan’s greeting.

“Anyone know the moon phase?”

“It’s a day away from the first quarter,” Reed answered.

“Since the sky is clear, and is forecast to remain that way throughout the night, we should have plenty of natural, ambient illumination.”

Thomas noted that Jody Glickman was carrying a full rucksack herself, and he watched her kneel beside the small knot of soldiers gathered around the map.

“We should be right about there,” she said, pointing to a quadrant near the center portion of the wilderness area.

“We’ve already passed Fiddler Spring, which puts us on the northern slope of Slash Bay Hollow, with Freeman the next hollow to the south.”

“How are you doing reading the trail. Sergeant?” asked Callahan.

Reed spat out more tobacco juice before answering.

“Right now, I’m following the dog tracks. There’s still seven individuals in the party, with one of them either a woman or a large child.

Because the soil’s getting increasingly rocky, and since it hasn’t rained in these parts for a while, with nightfall and all, it could get difficult.”

“Well, we don’t have much farther to go, since it’s obvious they’re headed into Freeman,” said Callahan.

“Sergeant Reed, you and your Sappers will continue to lead the way. Per our OPORD, I think it’s best if we move in a file formation from here on in and slow down the pace a bit. And for those who’ve got them, it’s time to deploy the NVGs. The army that can fight at night is the army that wins.”