Free Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (Book 4): Walking In The Shadow Of Death by W.J. Lundy Page B

tracks they had left the day before. With four
walls and a roof over their head, sleep came easy, and with their brothers on
watch they slept soundly.
    On the third afternoon they reached
a compromise; Parker was allowed to use some of the driest and smallest cuts of
barkless wood on the porch to build a small fire in the stove. Dry wood tended
to smoke less, and by feeding in the small pieces slowly they could build a
hot, fast-burning fire with little to no visible smoke. It was still very cold
outside so the smoke that was produced rose away from the cabin quickly. They
hoped it would be enough so that their position was not given away.
    They used the stove to prepare
meals from the canned goods. As always, they left the easy to carry MREs packed
away and ate what was readily available first. As Brad had surmised, the water
from the hand pump in the kitchen cleared after the rust buildup was flushed
out. They had found a small can of coffee that they happily brewed and enjoyed
while it lasted. The men were feeling good about their situation, even though
they didn’t know about the rest of their party or the whereabouts of the boy
that was supposed to come for them.
    They spent their time cleaning
weapons, redistributing ammo, and repairing their equipment. When it was
necessary they would leave the confines of the cabin to use the outhouse in
pairs. They were careful to skirt the perimeter of the buildings and cross as
little open ground as possible to avoid silhouetting themselves against the
bright snow. They began to develop a routine, and with the routine came
boredom. Cabin fever set in and they began to discuss their next move.
    Brad was sitting at the kitchen
table using some heavy cord he had found to stitch together a heavy coat.
Joseph had made the first one and the others were impressed with the design, so
Brad had taken a turn working at the table. He made large, uneven stitches, but
it would be enough to hold the coat together, and would help to keep them warm
when the time came to travel again. He had just finished attaching the sleeves
to the coat when Sean gave a warning call from the attic. Sean had been on
watch, using his rifle’s scope to keep an eye on the snow-covered fields.
    “Movement in the west tree line,
ten meters inside the trees,” Sean said in a low voice that could easily be
heard below.
    Brad stopped what he was doing and
ran to one of the windows in the side of the cabin. Over the past few days they
had improved their peep holes to make them large enough to use their
binoculars. Brad spotted them right away: two figures standing side by side
inside the trees. They seemed to be observing the cabin.
    “Should we snuff the fire?” Hahn
asked.
    “No, let it burn. If they haven’t
already seen it, putting it out won’t help, it’ll just make a cloud of smoke,”
Sean answered from the attic.
    Brad watched as the two figures
began approaching the cabin. As they broke the tree line, Brad could see that
both of them carried heavy packs. One held a walking stick and the other had a
rifle slung over his shoulder. Brad let out an audible sigh of relief as he
identified the man with the pack as Private Nelson. The other figure in front
he didn’t recognize.
    “It’s Nelson plus one,” Brad said
in a jovial voice as Sean dropped out of the attic entrance.
    “Holy shit, they finally came for
us,” Daniel said with a laugh as he walked to unbolt the door.
    They met the men on the porch and
quickly rushed them inside, locking the door behind them. They removed the
men’s heavy packs and brought them close to the fire to warm up. They wore
heavy coats and heavy boots; quickly they were stripped of the clothing and
handed cups of warm water.
    “Sorry we don’t seem to have any
tea or coffee, but the water will still help to warm you,” Parker said with a
smile.
    “Most grateful for it, and by the
way my name is Thomas,” the new man said as he happily took the cup, sipping
while the