Free Last Man Standing (Book 1): Hunger by Keith Taylor

in his throat, "until he came home to us. And I always did. Washed her every Sunday, rain or shine. Kept her running smooth." He looks up at Kate with tears in his eyes. "It's what James would have wanted, you know?"
     
    Shit .
     
    The young soldier moves closer, the stock of his gun pressed up against his shoulder. He taps the barrel against the window. "Get out now ," he orders. I can see the barrel shaking a little. This kid has probably never fired a shot in anger. There's fear in his voice. Panic. His finger twitches over the trigger. He's liable to do something stupid.
     
    I slowly, carefully push open the back door, making sure not to startle the kid, but he still wheels around on me, the gun pointed right at my face. " Woah, woah, unarmed! Steady now, there's no problem. I'm stepping out of the car, OK? Please don't fire." I hold my hands palms forward above the door and slowly climb out, taking care not to make any sudden movements. When I'm finally on my feet I gently push the door closed and take two long steps back towards the trunk of the car, just to make sure the kid doesn't think I'll make a lunge for him.
     
    "Please, sir, can you just give him a minute to say goodbye?" I plead. I realize how stupid this sounds, but I guess there's no other option. "Look, this was his son's car, and the kid died in the Gulf. He's not trying to be an asshole, it's just his last connection with his kid. You're a soldier, you must understand what it's like for the parents. Can you give him a break? Please?"
     
    The kid's eyes dart from me to Arnold and back again. His finger is still on the trigger and the barrel is still shaking like crazy. I'm terrified that the the slightest breeze might make him twitch. I've never had a gun pointed in my face before. My adrenaline is spiking, and I can feel my heart thump in my chest. It takes all my strength to avoid ducking behind the car, but I know the slightest move might set him off.
     
    Time passes. Who knows how long? Every second feels like an hour with that barrel pointing at my nose, but eventually I see the kid's trigger finger relax a little. The hyper, agitated look fades from his eyes, and he slowly lowers the gun. I can feel it running down my body as the barrel moves, tracing a line from my head to my feet. I don't dare take a breath until it's finally pointed at the ground.
     
    "OK," the kid sighs, nodding. "I'll give him one minute."
     
    I duck my head down and look into the car. Kate's comforting Arnold. His shoulders are shaking, and his head is pressed against the steering wheel.
     
    "Thank you," I sigh, taking a long, shuddering breath. "I really appreciate it. I'm Tom." I hold out my hand, but pull it back when I see the kid take a tighter grip on his gun. "Umm... Can I offer you a cigarette?" I point to my pocket, and with slow, exaggerated movements reach in and pull out the pack.
     
    "Karl," the soldier replies, still a little nervous. "I don't smoke."
     
    "OK, well I do, and if I don't have one now I might have a coronary. You sure know how to make a guy shit himself." I let out a little chuckle, and start to relax when I see a shy, embarrassed smile appear on the kid's face.
     
    "Sorry about that," he says, speaking like a human for the first time. "Rough day, you know? Between you and me I'm scared out of my mind."
     
    I nod in agreement. "You and me both. I'm still hoping I'll wake up soon. This has to be some kind of fucking nightmare, right?" I light my cigarette and point to his fatigues. "So what are you? Army? Navy?" There are a couple of patches on his shoulders, but nothing I recognize as a branch or rank.
     
    Karl looks down at his uniform, seemingly embarrassed. "Umm..." he mumbles, "JROTC."
     
    I shake my head. "Sorry, I'm pretty clueless about the military. What's that?"
     
    His cheeks burn red. "Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps," he mumbles quietly, suddenly looking like even more of a scared kid. All of his bluster has