Sixpack’s Squad had the most direct route and stopped every two-hundred meters to fire a green handheld flare into the air; the other three teams followed suit. Standard practice was for a lost squad without communications to respond with a star cluster flare of their own after seeing a green flare. After eight flares, there was still no response from the missing five men.
It took almost an hour for the First Squad to reach the general area of the ambush site. The other teams were still en route and were about fifteen minutes out.
John was on point and beginning to feel uneasy. There was a hint of death in the air and it became more pronounced as they advanced. His mind raced, trying to make sense of it all.
He felt a slight tug across his right shin and immediately froze in place. His
