Evan.

[Kitosdad]

Would this dark night never end?

Evan had been on guard for two stints of four hours and his eyes were bleary. Continually scanning the gloom looking for movement.

Movement of any kind so that he could raise the alarm and have the company of friends around him, friends who were sleeping in their beds whilst he was patrolling the perimeter of the camp.
He and one other who was approximately one hundred and eighty degrees away from him.
That was nearly a quarter of a mile!

What if he were to be attacked in the darkness? A lot of good his pal would be four hundred yards away.
What if there were enemy creeping up on him right now?
What was he supposed to do?

Bloody hell, he was so scared. Oh, it was great walking around in the dance hall of a Saturday evening in his uniform and having all the girls smile at him.
A real hero he was, but deep down he knew just how afraid he was.
Afraid of his own shadow his Father used to say, but even he thought of his son as a trained soldier now, afraid of nothing.
How little he knew.

He just wished that his Father was with him now walking this perimeter.
He could do with some company.

Man, it really was dark.
He could imagine so many things moving out there in the darkness.
Once in the past he had almost shot a stray dog.
He had imagined it was an enemy soldier crawling toward him, but it had only been a dog shuffling its way toward him in the darkness.

He'd petted it and hoped it would stay with him for company, but once it realised that he had nothing to offer it it had slunk away again in the darkness.

Never mind, just one more hour and he could radio in for his relief, and off to bed for him.
No duty for him tomorrow after a long night on guard duty.
He decided it was time for a quick smoke.
No-one to see him so far from the guard-room.

He walked to the wire and turned from the gentle warm breeze that was blowing across the desert.
His lighter flared and he bent to light the cigarette.

He barely felt the blade as it slashed across his throat.
He sank to his knees and his killer let him fall, his blood pumping onto the warm sand.

The killer wiped his blade on Evan's silent body and headed to the other side of the perimeter.
It was still dark enough for him to finish his work.

Kitos.
_________________
If you need me, I'm here.