“Target confirmed, cleared to engage,” Bynes whispered.

Marcus took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. His warm breath condensed in the cold, dry winter air. With a smooth trigger pull, Marcus sent the round downrange. The bullet hit the Colonel in the temple mid-sentence, instantly dropping him to the ground as brain matter splattered the officer next to him. The men were sent in a frenzy as they scattered to seek cover and blindly returned fire.

Marcus and his spotter maintained their cover, careful not to make any movements or sounds to give away their position. At that range, there was no way the panicking officers would be able to locate their position from the single gunshot. All Marcus and his spotter needed to do now was wait for the dust to settle as stray, unaimed rounds ripped at tree limbs beneath them and sent snow flying. A few minutes later, the gunfire stopped as the men dragged the Colonel’s body out of the street and a patrol started up the hillside to their right.

Marcus froze as he heard a tree limb crack to his left. It hadn’t been a round striking the trees, but someone stepping on an old branch in the snow. He and Bynes had scouted the area pretty well before settling on their current OP, but random foot patrols were not uncommon either. Marcus snaked his hand down to his Beretta 92FS sidearm.

“Get ready to move, kid,” Marcus whispered as the footsteps grew near. Bynes readied his handgun as well, trying to remain perfectly still. They would lay in wait, hoping the soldiers would walk past them.

As the footsteps drew nearer, Marcus could finally see who had been making the noise. They were two men, each appearing to be in their mid-twenties, carrying AK-47s slung from their necks. Marcus clenched the butt of his Beretta as the men approached. They didn’t appear to have noticed Marcus and his spotter, but they were on track to stumble over them.

The two men were within twenty feet of Marcus and Bynes. Marcus hated the idea of shooting them in broad daylight without silenced weapons. Their position would immediately be given away to the other patrol. Suddenly, the men stopped. The lead man motioned for them to turn toward the village below them. Marcus breathed a sigh of relief as they changed course.

They walked a few feet and stopped. Marcus watched as the younger looking guard pulled a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket, offered one to his comrade, and they both lit up.

With their backs to him, Marcus unsheathed his boot knife. He didn’t have time to wait. Their ride, a Marine UH-1 Huey, would be at the rendezvous point in two hours. They had a lot of ground to cover while avoiding enemy contact.

Following Marcus’ lead, Bynes pulled out his knife and followed, approaching the soldier to the right. In unison, they both grabbed their respective guards, shoving their knives into the men’s necks while covering their victims’ mouths with their free hands. Once they were sure the men were dead, they dragged them off into the brush. It was time to move.