We eased up to the granite rock and found nothing of interest, especially booby traps or bombs. “This is pretty good,” I said as I rapped three times at the mid-point of the tall fake rock, then twice at the bottom. Slowly I turned the rock towards the west. It moved easily and with no noise like it was on a well-oiled pivot. “Sweet,” I heard Kalvin say as he watched from behind Cleo. 

All three of us moved down the stairs and at the bottom, I saw a pully handle that closed the stairs up. Pulling it placed us in darkness that lastly only a section as both Cleo and Kalvin turned on flashlights. 

“Kalvin, you stay here to guard the exit,” I told him. “We’ll radio once we find Malik, then you can move up.” 

Half a dozen yards down the narrow passage, the beam from my flashlight dances over dusty walls. Damp air wraps around us like wet blankets. Koda’s low growl reverberates off the rock. Lucy moved tightly against my left leg. My fingers curl tighter around my rifle, every nerve alive with warning. 

Then a soft gasp: Malik huddles twenty feet ahead, back pressed against the far wall with his body curled around his midsection. One leg, the left, was stretched out to the side unnormal way. Blood seeps through his shredded camo, dribbling onto his boot. His breath comes ragged and shallow. 

I slid to my knees on the gravel, and I tasted bile in my mouth. Pictures flash through my mind of a different setting and men. Back to my team as they were killed. Then I shake my head, and the pictures change to Malik in his bloody clothing lying on the dirt and rocky ground of the tunnel. 

Cleo’s cry cuts through the tunnel. Kalvin rushes forward, but I place a hand up to stop him, telling him, “Too fast, too dangerous.” Lucy whines, nose twitching at the coppery smell of blood. My voice shakes: “He’s alive but hurt bad. I don’t see any dangers, Kalvin. You are clear to start medical care.” 

Kalvin starts pulling out medical supplies as he moves to Malik’s side. “I’ll start an IV,” I tell Kalvin. “You check the injuries and see what we need to do to stabilize him. Remember your training. You got this,” I tell him with confidence in my voice. 

“I have overwatch,” Cleo states as if this is a routine training mission with Kalvin. She moves further down the tunnel, taking Koda with her. A few seconds later, we hear, “clear so far. I’m finding bloody drag marks along the tunnel floor. It appears as if Malik was injured at the house and dragged himself down the tunnel. That’s moxie. Holding at ten clicks from your position.” 

Malik lies against the cold stone, his breath rasping like dry leaves. I’m counting his heartbeats, and every beat feels miles away, each pulse a thunderclap fading into silence. Suddenly, Shane is lying on the ground in front of me and I can’t see clearly—edges blur into black. The smell of blood is sharp in my nostrils, the coppery tang so strong it makes my tongue curl. 

“John,” I barely hear. Then again slightly louder, “John, John, I need your help.” 

“Sorry, Kalvin. My mind slipped back to when Shane died,” I tell him. “What do you need?” 

“Start the IV and hand me the second saline bag,” Kalvin states with authority in his voice. He’s back into a mode where this is what he is training for, and he knows what to do. “I’ll need you to help me stabilize his leg and get it into a splint. For the moment, his bleeding is minor. I wish we had brought a small oxygen bottle. If we can get more liquids into his body, we can start to move him to the helicopter.” 

“Kinsley…” Malik’s voice is a cracked whisper, barely more than a breath. I can almost see his mind working as his throat catches on the name, fear and hope tangling in his chest. Is she safe? Did she make it down the mountain? 

I settle a warm hand on Malik’s forearm, whispering close to his ear as I squeeze the saline bag.t: “Stay with us, Malik. Kinsely is safe at the Reilly Homestead. Once we get you stabilized, we’ll take you to her. She is a brave little girl.” 

I can see Malik gathering what strength remains in his body as he tries to move. “Kinsley…” He murmurs again, will and desperation pressed into that single syllable. 

As I hear Kalvin talking himself through the medical steps, I lean over to Malik’s ear, “Kinsey is fine. She said to tell you Sand Dollars. We will take you to her shortly,” I tell him. At the words ‘Sand Dollars’ Malik relaxes, and the tension flows out of his body. 

Kalvin has field dressed as many wounds as he could, then we carefully ease the broken left leg up in the air so Kalvin can wrap a towel around it. Then we place the leg into plastic splint. Once in the splint, Kalvin adds a little air to it to snuck it against Malik’s leg, then he wraps the splint and leg together with cotton wrapping. 

Rotating Malik’s body, we slide the stretcher under him, then roll him back. While Kalvin fastened Malik to the stretcher, I radioed Cleo, “Ready to move out in three mikes.” 

“Copy.” Soft footsteps could be heard as Cleo made her way back to us. “How long is the tunnel?” 

“It goes back to Malik’s house,” I reply thinking. “I would say about twenty or more feet.” 

“There is a slight smell of fire and smoke,” she replied. “However, there also is some fresh air coming down the tunnel. They must have not found it. Maybe just bombed the house, thinking they could kill him while he was inside.” 

We quietly move out with Kalvin and me carrying the stretcher with Malik on it. At the stairs, Cleo holds us up while she climbs them to ensure no one is waiting for us. Then with Cleo walking up the stairs holding the stretcher behind her, Kalvin and I grab one side of the back and lift as we walk up the stairs. The lifting turns heavy as we take care not to tip, bump, or drop Malik. 

The K-9 dogs lead us back up to the pass as Cleo covers out six. Kalvin and I shuffle carefully over every rock and dip in the path. I’m carefully placing my protistic foot so it doesn’t slip or skip off the path or a rock. As we round on of the last switchbacks, I hear over out headsets, “Team is in sight and return.” 

Nothing sounded so sweet as to know additional help was on the way. At the pass, Max and DJ meet us and help carry the stretcher back to the helicopter. I hear Kalvin softly talking to Max. Passing him Malik’s information and condition.