024: Bullets

Captain Paterson, August 11th, 2000

Morning came too early with a rap on our door.

We'd spread out over the house, each eager to have some space to ourselves.  I took the master bedroom, front of the house, on the third floor.  Spacious with a good view of the street and a heavy, but short, chest of drawers for the machinegun to be braced on.  The new normal for a live officer. 

Another rap that I tried to ignore.  Then the sound of the knob turning and the door banging against my kit bag doorstop.  Sigh, they weren't going away.

"Who is it?"

"Miller, we need to talk."

"Alright Doc, give me a minute."  I sleep in pants and undershirt these days.  Getting up is just a matter of shirt, vest and boots.  At least she's not trying to get in anymore. 

I kick the bag over to the side of the door before opening it.  The Doc's face is drawn.  She looks back and forth down the hall.  As soon as there's enough room she squeezes through the door.  Takes a spot with her back against the wall.

She takes a steadying breath.  Holds out a clenched fist.  "Take'em."

Doc drops four spent bullets, one by one, into my palm.  "I found those in my bedding when I woke.  Do you think someone's playing games?"

"I'll have their balls if they are."  I roll them round my hand as I think.  "Have you angered anyone lately?"  She shakes her head.  "Has anyone come on to you?"  Another shake.  Damn that would have been an easier one.  "I haven't heard word one against you either."

"I got shot.  Now there's bullets in my bedding.  Someone hates..."

"No, someone is being a mean fuck.  Now, I've been with Donald and Ed for over a year.  I trust them implicetly.  I'm going to get them over here.  Let me know if you don't, I won't hold it against you."

"No, they're good.  You should bring Leo in as well.  If he had a problem he'd say it direct to my face and make me laugh at it."

I leave Doc in my room and gather up the boys.  This is the old crew, worked together throughout the winter, fought through the summer offensive and lived through one hellish night of fire and death.  Once we're all together I pass them a bullet each and tell Doc's story.  "Opinions?"

Donald clears his throat.  Once it's clear he's got everyone's attention he holds up his bullet and quietly speaks.  "5.45 Bloc, Soviet round.  You can see by the striations that it was fired down a rifled barrel.  The deformation of the tip shows it hit something soft.  The, uh, discoloration flakes off.  It wasn't dirt."

"So, you think someone dug it out of a body?"  Donald nods.

"Kapitan," Leo hesitantly begins, "Major.  When you treated your wounds did you notice any vest penetrations or exit wounds."

Doc puts on her beligerant face.  "No, I didn't.  There weren't any entry wounds either."

"Just much blood.  Some skin breaks, maybe, but no holes.  Da?"

"That's exactly right buster."

"Like me under Shrine?"

"Just like it."

Leo shrugs off his vest and turns it around.  Waggles three fingers through three matching holes.  "Clean penetrations at two meters and I'm walking out fine.  You took them at the same.  Does your side still hurt?  Your leg?"

Quietly.  "No."

"Check your vest."

I let her.  I should have put a stop to the whole line of questions, but it's like a train wreck and I can't help but rubberneck.  Doc pulls off her vest and finds two holes through the lower right side panel.  All the way through.  Doc whispers, "Should have gone through a kidney or the large intestine."

"Kapitan, you too.  I remember your leg cover with blood from spike in pit."  I remember too.  Tried to believe it was someone else's blood.  "You pant leg all brown with blood.  You should fall over.  Pass out.  Carry out Fillipowitz instead." 

He hands the bullet back to Doc.  "This not left by someone.  This come from you.  Inside you.  When you sleep."

We're all looking sickly at one another when the door creaks and Moon-Pie pokes his head in. 

"You're all crazy.  You know that.  Loud too.  You want to make up stories and scare yourselves.  That's fine by me, but keep it down.  M'kay?"

He pulls the door shut.  Clomps off down the hall.  Shouts back, "I'm breaking eggs and bread.  Wake up and come on down."

Doc, "Another nation is heard from."

"Look, regardless of what he said, something off has happened.  It hasn't hurt us any either.  We'll figure it out."

Leo shakes his head as he heads for the door, "Nothing to figure.  It's Our Lady."

"Nah," chimes Eddie, "haunted forest.  Right Alpha?"

Donald trades a fist bump with him.  He doesn't answer.

I put my arm around Doc's shoulders.  "We'll figure it out.  But not on an empty stomach."