we're on each other's team [band of brothers / hbo war]

7: d-day, part two

UPDATED 05/06/2022: Flow and grammar should be corrected.

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For most of the ride, it was quiet. No one was talking. They were too busy pondering on what was going to happen. If someone did speak up, it was only if they asked for a light.

Madison was sitting in between Cobb and a paratrooper that she didn't really know. For the majority of the time, she would often stare at some part of the plane and stare at it. For another part of the time, she prayed. Currently, she was leaning forward, elbows on her knees and her palms in the praying gesture, close to her face.

Dear Father, please guide us as we come closer to our mission. Please guide and protect us.

She prayed for herself. She prayed for her friends: Liebgott, Malarkey, Guarnere (even though she was still mad at him), Hoobler, Skip, Penkala, Roe, Shifty, Toye, Luz...the list went on. She prayed for the wonderful Lieutenant Winters and she prayed for Meehan, who were in different planes. She prayed for her brother and his comrades who were in the pacific. She prayed for her parents, asking God to let Matthew, Sr. and Marlene Klein to not feel the pain of losing a child. She prayed for her family, hoping that they weren't scared to death for her or Matt. She prayed for Morgan and Mikey, and everyone else back home. How were they doing?

To Madison, it felt like the aircraft was shaking her nerves like they were black spice in the pepper shaker, causing her to be even more nervous than before. The sounds of the engines didn't help her either. It all made her very...eager, for the lack of a better term.

I could be home right now, Madison thought. I could be home with Morgan and Mikey and our parents. Louise and I could still be having sleepovers. I would be graduating high school...

In the distance, Madison could hear explosions and see brief white and yellow flashes of light. If she wasn't up in the sky and not about to drop in the middle of a warzone, she would have said that it was only thunder. Too bad for her and her comrades—they were about to drop into France.

Oh, now they really were about to jump. From the corner of her eye, Madison spotted the red light flash on.

"Get ready!" Buck Compton yelled.

Oh, Lord.

Madison could feel her heart thumping hard and loud. It was so intense that Madison could feel her pulse everywhere—from her hands and to her neck.

"Hook up!"

Everyone did. Thankfully, Madison was able to hook it on herself this time. She didn't need any help, even if her hands were clammy.

"Equipment check!"

Madison reached forward to check the man in front of her—everything was fine with him. She could feel Cobb's hands all over her—and she didn't like that.

"Sound off for equipment check!"

"Twenty okay!"

"Nineteen okay!"

Madison could barely hear the paratroopers screaming out their numbers. They were getting closer to the warzone. The explosions were getting louder and you could start to see white flashes in the dark sky last longer than before.

"Thirteen okay!" Cobb yelled. Madison quickly checked the soldier in front of her.

"Twelve okay!"

Soon, Buck Compton yelled, "One okay!" And then they all had to wait anxiously for the light to turn green.

Suddenly, the plane jolted and everyone was being thrown to the side. Bursts of white light blinded the soldiers. Madison was trying really hard to not freak out at the moment. Why did she ever think that jumping out of an airplane was a good idea?