Chapter 6 - The Recruits Behind Him
The recruits behind Ethan saw more than a man climbing out of mud. They saw proof that the trench could be beaten while exhausted. That the sagging wire did not mean the lane was impossible. That fear could be present without being in command.
Private Lawson came next. He had been the one who muttered for Ethan to move. Now his face looked different as he dropped into the trench. Less impatient. More honest.
The wire shook above him.
Maddox shouted, “Low!”
Lawson went low.
Ethan stood on the gravel, chest heaving, watching. He wanted to bend over, hands on knees, but Maddox’s eyes found him before he could.
“Recover standing.”
Ethan forced himself upright.
The rifle felt twice as heavy now that he was out. His legs wanted to fold. Mud dripped from his sleeves onto the gravel in slow, ugly drops.
Maddox walked past him, then stopped.
“You hesitated.”
“Yes, Gunnery Sergeant.”
“You froze.”
“Yes, Gunnery Sergeant.”
“You moved anyway.”
Ethan did not answer because he was not sure whether that required one.
Maddox turned enough for Ethan to see his profile.
“That’s the part that matters.”
Then he walked on.
It was not praise.
May you like
Not exactly.
But in that moment, it meant more than praise would have.
