Free Outbreak: Long Road Back by Robert Van Dusen Page B

which was a definite plus.
    The rest of the morning was spent showing the recruits getting more comfortable with their weapons and going over the fundamentals: sight picture, trigger squeeze, steady position and controlling your breathing. Frays ran them through the Dime Drill, having the Trainees pair off and practice dry firing their weapons while balancing a dime on the carbine’s barrel. The point of the exercise was to fire the weapon without making the coin fall off.
    Frays had them break for lunch around noon when PFC Brooks brought a case of MREs to them. Sergeant Hanes handed Frays one of the two remaining meal packets after the trainees had gotten their food. “How you think they’re doing?” the man asked as they sat down in a little bit of shade towards the back of the building.
    “Not bad.” Frays said as she tore open her MRE and dug into what the writing on the outside claimed was beef enchiladas. The woman frowned and sprinkled the packet of salt over the pasty foodlike substance. “I don’t think any of them would be here right now if they couldn’t shoot so there’s a plus there.” She finished a mouthful of the enchilada and frowned again. “Can I have your salt, Sergeant?”
    The man obliged with a grin. Sergeant Hanes took off his Kevlar and wolfed down a foil packet of peach chunks. “My sister in Jacksonville had weird cravings when she was pregnant with my niece.” he said with a wistful little smile as he watched the trainees swapping parts of their meals like kids in the schoolyard. “She used to love bacon and peanut butter sandwiches. Did you ever even hear of such a thing?”
    Even the mention of greasy fried pork made Frays’ stomach pop a wheelie. “Ew! That’s gross.” she said and smiled as she mixed a little water into the cocoa powder packet she discovered near the bottom of her meal. “I wish I could have bacon. Pork tastes like it’s made out of soap or something.”
    “Well that’s great. More for the rest of us.” Hanes gave the woman a good natured jab with his elbow and set to work trying to eat the tarry Ranger Bar they insisted was good for you but always felt to him like he would lose a tooth trying to chew. Frays handed him a little foil envelope of Powdered Beverage, Orange Flavor which he accepted and dumped into one of his one quart canteens. “I think I’d step over my own mom for a pulled pork sandwich about now.” the man grumbled and took a swig of the watery beverage.
    Frays’ lips practically disappeared into her mouth for a moment. “It’s about time we got them back at it.” she grumbled as she forced herself to her feet and dusted her bottom off. “We’re burning daylight, right?”
    Sergeant Hanes blinked then threw a glance over his shoulder at the trainees. “Shit, did I say somethin’ wrong?” he asked, shifting the woman away from the rest of the group a little bit. He swallowed hard and shrugged slightly and looked back at the trainees again.
    The woman let out a long breath through her nose. “No, it’s cool. I lost my mom and dad a few weeks ago.” Frays muttered sharply. The woman shifted her gear around and tried to make it ride more comfortably. She noticed that the trigger guard of her M203 was starting to rub against her son and she made a mental note to check and make sure she was getting any sores or blisters or anything like that.
    Hanes nodded sadly. “I’m sorry.” the big man muttered. That seemed to explain a little of Frays’ behavior he had noticed in the brief time he had gotten to know her. He sighed and nodded towards the recruits then collected their trash. “Ready to go?”
    They spent the rest of the afternoon running the trainees through loading, unloading and misfire procedures as well as basic range safety. Sergeant Hanes would teaching them how to use the intimidating looking bayonet bolted onto their carbines tomorrow morning while Frays was making sure the range was set up and ready to go.