Free The Dark Trinity (Book 1): Shuffle by Steven Till Page A

Shirley, is do you have the chutzpa to
give me an honorable death?”
    Nathan stood and cleared his throat, not sure how he should
answer. He had never killed anyone before and he didn't want to shoot an
unarmed man. Self-defense was one thing, but this was just plain murder.
    “I’m not sure I can do that, Sarge. I mean, I’ve never shot
anybody before. Couldn’t you just do it yourself?”
    The man’s eyes squinted. “If I could do it myself, then you
wouldn’t be standing here right now, would you? I asked you for an honorable
death. A soldier’s death. There’s no honor in me taking the coward’s way out by
offing myself.”
    Nathan stepped towards the table, poured another shot of JD,
and raised it to his lips with a shaky hand. The second shot went down a little
smoother than the first, but it still felt like battery acid to him. The
painful burn paled in comparison to the knot that was forming in his stomach.
Kapinsky flashed another sardonic grin at him and took another deep drag on his
smoke.
    “Quit pussy-footin’ around and help an old soldier find some
peace. The alternative is me shooting you in the leg and then eating you after
I turn into one of those zombie-things,” he said as he exhaled another plume of
smoke.
    Nathan sat quietly back down on the bucket as he contemplated
the task before him. Shooting people in a video game was one thing, but this
was for real. He felt for the old guy, but could he do what the retired Master
Sergeant asked of him? He wasn’t sure. Kapinsky finished his smoke and lit
another. He released a long, tired sigh.
    “I killed a lot of people during the war. A lot of them were
the bad guys,” the Master Sergeant started, his tone was somber. He took
another drag on his cigarette.
    “A lot of them were not. Women, children… They all ended up
in my crosshairs. The enemy had employed guerrilla tactics the likes of which
we never encountered before. Charlie began using civilians as weapons; they
strapped explosives to children and gave guns to the elderly. Soon, everyone
became the enemy. I told myself I was serving my country; doing my duty and
becoming the best damn soldier I could. In the end though, all I had become was
a murderer.” The man took another long drag on his smoke. “I’ve got no more
fight left in me, kid. The tank’s empty. All I’m asking is for you to send me
off in a blaze of glory.” Kapinsky poured another shot and gulped it down.
    “We’re in another war, son,” he said as his stare bored into
Nathan’s. “The enemy is out there and this time, we’re not going to win.
There’s nobody left to save us, kid. Mother Nature has taken over and She will
destroy us with merciless efficiency.”
    The two men sat in silence. Nathan contemplated the man’s
words. There was no question that Kapinsky had seen a lifetime of horror during
his service. No doubt he suffered from Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, but this
didn’t sound like the ravings of a disturbed man. It was a confession and a
warning. Perhaps it was his small way of atoning for his sins. The Master
Sergeant had gone paler and paler as the minutes ticked by. Another coughing
fit started; more of the thick, dark blood spurted from Kapinsky’s mouth.
    Nathan picked the shotgun off of the old wooden table. It
felt heavy in his hands. Fuck, I’m actually going to do this? I’m going to
blow this guy away. Right here. He didn’t want to do it, but it was far
better for the old war vet than the alternative.
    “Okay, so how do I do this?” he asked as he turned the gun
over in his hands.
    The Master Sergeant’s grin grew into a huge smile, exposing
blood-stained teeth. “That’s the spirit, soldier!”
    He poured himself one last shot for the road, drank it, and
dragged on the cigarette again. Nathan could tell he was trying to savor his
vices as much as possible for the few remaining minutes he had left. Sarge
pulled the last drag of his smoke into his lungs, throwing him into