24
Craig Garrett stood at the base of the ramp leading to the first of the four-room complex. There was a small patch of shade where the dome of the hillock cast a shadow over the entrance way. It provided only minor relief from the suffocating heat. At the top of the ramp, a heat-wave driven by the afternoon sun beating down upon the desert shimmered low in the air.
Longing for the time when he would be away from this desolate place, he wiped at the perspiration on his face with the back of his hand. The searing heat brought with it memories of the weeks he trained here prior to his deployment to Afghanistan. The tents were gone, the stinking, long-drop latrines were gone, and all the soldiers were gone. But, the ever-present, unforgiving, relentless heat was still there. Back then, whe
