All the Cuts and Scars We Hide by Garry Michael

Five: Wyatt

Fourth of July

Ineeded to be home before the craziness that was the Fourth of July started. Drunk Islanders and tourists flooded the streets, vying for the best spot to watch an overrated firework display year after year. I haven’t seen it since high school and I have no desire to suffer through it ever again.

I grabbed my headphones out of my pocket and placed them on my desk next to Elijah’s picture so I'd be ready when the fireworks show started. Drowning the loud explosion with music had kept my attacks at bay these past few years.

“I hate monthly reports,” Avery moaned, looking at the receipts scattered around his desk while holding a steaming cup of coffee in his hand. His eyes were red from staring at his computer monitor.

“We’d finish early if you’d stop whining,” I said, my focus never leaving the spreadsheet in front of me, matching every transaction line by line from the previous month. “And you say that every month. Besides, I told you I could do it myself.” And that was the truth. I didn’t mind working on holidays since it meant no interruptions from anyone and I could do the task alone. Perhaps faster.

“Dude, it’s Fourth of July, I wasn’t about to let you do this on your own. This is our business,” Avery explained while rubbing his neck with his other hand. “I need to be outta here before it gets dark though. I want to see the fireworks.”

I huffed out a breath and shook my head at his last statement. I didn’t get it, walking around bumping into people. No, thanks. I had zero tolerance for crazy, especially when I had tasks that needed to be done, or ever—

“What?” Avery asked, crossing his arms and leaning back in his chair. “You’re the grumpiest fucker on this island, you know that?”

“Oh Geez, that just broke my heart,” I mocked, placing both my hands over my heart. “How could I possibly sleep at night thinking that?”

“You’re something else.”

“Yup, now can we focus?”

We clicked and typed away for the next couple of hours.

“Alright buddy, you’re on your own. Elizabeth is waiting for me by the boardwalk.” Avery said, taking me out of my zone. He was standing by the door, his computer had been turned off and his pile of receipts was stacked neatly on his wooden desk. I hadn’t even noticed him move.

I glanced at the time on my computer and was stunned that it was almost eight o’clock in the evening. My stomach growled loud enough for Avery to hear.

“Dude, get something to eat, will you?” he chuckled.

The mention of eating made me even hungrier and I grabbed a protein bar that I kept in my drawer.

“I meant real food. By the way,” he hesitated with a smirk. “I stopped by the café yesterday to pick up some coffee and Andrea said you’ve been there a couple of mornings in a row.” His statement was disguised as a question.

“So?” I didn’t have to look up to know that he was watching me. He’s one of the most intuitive men I know. Not to mention nosy.

“You hate going there in the morning. That’s why you always send us there to pick up our orders for the charter.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’ve gone there in the morning,” I said, pretending to work. “What?” I barked because I could feel his gaze still focused on me.

“Nothing, I’m just wondering is all,” he said.

“Well, don’t. The café is open for everyone, the last I checked.” I immediately cursed myself for saying too much. This was Avery’s modus operandi which tricked you into blabbing any secrets and intel.

He raised both his hands in surrender, but his smirk said otherwise. “Okay, I guess you better get back to work then.”

“I never stopped,” I murmured.

Avery shook his head and grabbed his car key, then headed out.

“Enjoy the crazies,” I yelled before he was out of earshot.

I resumed working as soon as Avery left, clicking away on my keyboard and getting lost with the mission in front of me. Honestly, I enjoyed the silence and solitude that had become my simple sanctuary. All thoughts of cafés and a certain sparkling dimpled smile were pushed to the back of my mind. I was determined to stay focused on work, oblivious to the time as night fell.

The outside turned orange and red as if a fire was coming down from the sky. Vibrations started to rattle the windows of the office.

Boom!

A loud noise from the distance startled me, and in an instant, the room started to close in. Everything went dark and the sounds of boots pounding on the floor resonated into my surroundings, taking me back to the war zone.

Boom! Boom! Bang!

More explosions were followed by cries of help.

My heart started to race, my pulse pounding in every vein of my body.

“Ambush!” someone yelled.

Fight or flight mode kicked in and I got up from my chair and went under the desk for cover. I pulled my knees closer to my body and put my hands over my ears shaking my head frantically. My breathing became heavy, the forced sound of inhaling and exhaling cutting through the explosions. “It isn’t real, it isn’t real,” I kept saying while I rocked my body back and forth.

“Wyatt, over here!” Martinez called.

“Jim?”

I leaned around my cover, searching for the source of his voice. “Jim, where are you?” I screamed.

Another explosion followed by more screaming. The sky was now covered with smoke, while red fire cut through the haze. Vibrations were harder and louder. Constant and never-ending.

“Lance Corporal, over here.”

I patted my waist, searching for my weapon.

Nothing.

I looked around for my fellow soldiers, only to find that I was alone. The door vibrated some more, the knob rattled.

“Wyatt!” Martinez yelped. His voice came from the line of fire.

“I’m coming, Jim!”

The smell of sulfur suffocated me when I got outside. “Jim!” I yelled in between louder booms, their pounding matching mine. “Jim,” I repeated when I didn’t hear any response.

Boom!

Another loud explosion caused me to be off-balance. I landed on a hard surface, a dull ache knocking the wind out of me. I’m not very religious, but I prayed to anyone who’d listen to save Jim before our enemies got to him.

I stared at the red sky while more and more explosions followed. Fire blazed down from the sky before disappearing into acrid smoke. “Jim!” Wells of tears flowed down my cheeks.

Footsteps closed in. The Taliban had found me. I closed my eyes and thought about happy memories to take with me to the end, but nothing came. People said life flashes before you when facing the end, but sorrow and heartache were all I could remember. The vision of my mom succumbing to her battle with cancer, my dad throwing me out of the house, Jim’s death, and the constant nightmares that never failed to visit.

“Are you okay?” someone said, the footsteps were louder, a voice became clearer. “Are you okay?” the voice repeated when I didn’t reply.

Confused, I slowly opened my eyes.

It took a minute for my eyes to adjust, for my mind to return to the present, but when I did, a pair of familiar brown eyes greeted me. I didn’t know what was more horrifying, the fact that I just broke down in public or the fact that the subject of my every thought for the past few days was staring back at me after he just witnessed me crumble and fall apart.