Nocturnal Demons

Pockmarked houses whipping past firing ports. An unexpected boom. Bodies strewn around the burning shell of the convoy's lead Humvee. Muzzle flashes from rooftops. A run for cover through the carnage. Ricochets and radio chatter. Smoke plumes from close air support. Women and children running from burning houses, leaving footprints in blood thick as caramel. A crowded stripmall. A desperate man surrounded by determined ghouls. Breath control, front site focus, trigger squeeze, follow through, reacquire site picture.