Blood Lily Company - Afghanistan - Year 2

XIV

We went back to the empty graves, Erk wanting to absolutely close them. Kris told him OK, but that he would be the only one shoveling. That didn't seem to bother him. Then, afterwards – well, while he was shoveling – I saw his expression and understood that he was actually angry and needed a way to let it out.

He wasn't angry because someone had stolen the punishment from him, but because that someone had felt that death was the only answer to what they had done. Because nobody will take it out of my head that these kids were not random victims. They had been chosen for what they had done. And if we had a vigilante in the area, we were in deep shit...

While Erk was filling the graves, Kris and I, covered by the rest of the squad, looked at the little nook that JD had pointed out to the Viking. Because, imagine that, it was behind the backs of those who came from the village... what a coincidence.

While Kris, crouched down, used his eyes to find clues, I took pictures to later sift through with the computer for more answers if needed.

- Can you hear me, guys? Kris asked.

After a volley of "Yesses", Kris began to describe what he was seeing.

- Good. What I can see are traces of one-man occupation. Only one intact print, but what little I can see of the others makes me think it's the same... Archer, snap a picture. It's a jungle boot. But it's quite common around here. What I can say is that it didn't last very long. A day or two, max.

- That's not great intel, said JD.

- Yes, it actually is, because he had to eat and drink. Archer, take lots of pictures and let me know when you're done. I would like to search the ground.

I shot at all the angles, I even filmed, a slow panning from right to left and up and down, too. We never know. I found a hollow trace, 60 cm from the ground, a rounded hollow, as if a round pebble had fallen from the wall, but there was none on the ground.

- Kris, I said showing it to him, what do you think this is?

- Describe it, please, for the others.

I described the small hollow, its height from the ground.

- What could it be, then?

- A shovel, said the monotonous voice of the giant.

Ah. Yeah, made sense. And a collapsible shovel, at that... The round handle at the top and, just below, slightly erased by a partial boot print, the trace of the edge.

- Good point, brother. Archer, are you done?

- Yes, go ahead.

He got on all fours, his hands at the edge of the hollow and looked at the floor of the hollow from all angles. Then he reached for a corner and gently brushed aside a small pebble.

- Ah! Found it!

- Found what?

From where the Viking was, the shovelling noises had stopped.

- A small piece of kraft paper, embossed, folded in half, which looks like a corner. It's small, barely darker than the dust and hidden by the pebble. Given the zigzag cutouts on one side, machine-made, the torn corner, hand-made, and the slightly shiny interior, I would go for food packaging.

He took out a little paper bag – where the hell did he get it from? – and slipped the little thing into it.

- Considering the color, I'd lean towards something military. Lin may be able to tell us, with her microscopes, what was in it.