As the superior officer, Julia took first watch. Even with a company of two, rules were rules.
They’d talked a bit, to pass the time, after they’d cleaned their guns and checked their ammo. About their hometowns, mostly. Connor had tried gamely to stay awake with her, but the grind of the last thirty-six hours had finally caught up, swallowing him mid-sentence.
Her eyes had long since adjusted to the darkness, and she saw Connor plainly, curled on his side on the floor, one hand on his gun. So young. She turned back to the window, listening to the woods.
Cynthia Hamill 