breathing.
Smith shined his light under the Jeep and Wallace followed suit. Just as he had expected earlier, there was a man under the wreckage. Burns and blood marked his fairly young face. The boy’s legs were a mangled mess and his ragged breath indicated he was in immense pain.
Corporal Smith dragged the man out from under the vehicle and crouched next to him, handing the young man his canteen. The young Iraqi only eyed it yearningly. Smith unscrewed the cap and slowly pressed it to the scarred lips, allowing water to trickle into his throat. He took it away, allowing the boy to swallow. He then handed the canteen to the private.
“Keep giving him sips of this,” he ordered. As Wallace complied, he reached into his pocket and dug out a bundle of papers. He motioned for Wallace to move back. Smith placed a wrinkled, browned pieced of paper in front of the Iraqi. The paper was covered in strange markings. Wallace identified the corner of the paper as directional markings and guess it was a map.
Smith placed his finger on it and looked at the injured boy quizzically.
TANNER - SANDS OF BABYLON
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