Rule of Four (Damned of the 2/19th Novella)

Fifteen Minutes

I was a tired old man
By the time I was 20
But I'd be damned if I died
On that god-forsaken mountain

Barracks Area
2/19th Special Weapons Group Area
Secure Area
Alfenwehr, West Germany
22 November, 1988
2345

Step. Thump. Drag. That's all it took to walk into the War Stocks room. The temperature dropped immediately, raising goosebumps on my skin, making my eyes prickle. I blinked a few times to clear my one good eye, uncertain as to whether or not my bad eye had blinked. There was a faint taste of rotten meat in the air, a tang of something long dead in the cold air.

"It's cold in here, Sergeant," the Private said, following me in.

Something skittered off in the darkness.

"What's that?" The Private asked.

"Things in the dark," I growled.

Step. Thump. Drag.

everyone knows that boots cost money

"Where's the fuse box?" The Private asked, coughing.

"Far side. Used to be on the right but they moved it this summer," I told him.

"Why?" He coughed.

"Wall started sweating," I told him, slowing down and coughing myself. I could taste copper. "Wanna know something funny?"

Step. Thump. Dra-thump-g.

Wait? What?

"Tell me," the Private said.

I could hear it more clearly now. Something thumping behind us.

it's just a trick. it's the building playing tricks on you

"There's no water pipes on that wall, no reason for the sweating, it just does," I told him.

The smell of rot and decay suddenly rolled over me and made me start hacking again. It was thick, rich smelling. Weirdly enough, it suddenly reminded me of Jungle Warfare School in Panama that I'd been sent to early in the year. That weird taste of humid compost pile rot that only the jungle has.

"Jesus, what is that?" The Private coughed.

"Keep going," I told him.

Step. Thum-thum-thu-th-thump. Drag.

The temperature dropped with a crack and I blinked my eye rapidly again.

Of all the stupid times to wear contacts. Stupid stupid stupid. I'd started wearing them that summer, the long wear types you could keep in for a few days.

Now I was worried they'd freeze to my cornea and leave me as blind as Lancer.

The skittering noise again, this time off to the left. The Private grabbed the back of my BDU top, getting right up on my back.

"We've done plenty of checks down here, why is it suddenly," the Private started.

One of the massive water-heaters off to our left chose that moment to start gurgling and clanking. There was a groan that made the air shimmer around us, made flakes of frost fall from the ceiling, followed by a loud cracking sound.

ice. it's just ice in between the concrete layers

just the ice. that's all

The door behind us boomed shut. I jumped, the Private gave out a curse. I stopped dead, cursing myself. The chemlight in my hand chose that moment to dim down quickly until it was just lighting up itself and nothing else. My fist around it wasn't even lit, just darkness wrapped around the dark green light.