Screaming Eagles

^FIFTY-TWO COLEY

Coley dove behind the remains of a low wall. The blast shook the ground, and flames rushed over his body. He rolled over and over, hoping his clothing wasn’t on fire. The heat had been so intense that the hairs on the back of his head had ignited, burning to the skin.

Von Boeselager smacked Coley’s back in places to put out small flames. All in all, Coley felt like a damn marshmallow that’d been held over a campfire.

The anti-aircraft gun had fallen silent. When Coley regained his feet, Audley and Higgins were already moving away from it.

Audley pointed at the remains of the army that had been stumbling down the street. “I don’t think there’s time to drag more ammo over here to reload the M4. We done enough.”

Piles of bodies and pieces of men blocked most of the access point.

“Right. Fall back, and let’s get the hell out of here,” Coley said.

His voice was hoarse. He remembered that he’d been screaming when the flamethrower had exploded.

He limped, but von Boeselager was there to help. He draped Coley’s arm over his shoulder, and together the mixed company retreated.