As the new guy, he usually got the dog watch. Night time in the Stan still freaked him out. It reminded him of nights in the Arizona desert with his brothers. They used to sneak out of the house and go coyote hunting. It was a stupid thing to do when he was only twelve, but he wanted to be with his older siblings. They were always doing crazy things. Their dad, a former Army soldier with the 101st, just told them to use muzzle awareness and keep each other safe. In Arizona, it was the sound of coyotes that kept him from sleeping. In Afghanistan it was everything else. Tracers. Mortar rounds. Random shrieks in the darkness. Even though the official war had ended, there was still plenty of fighting going on. His friends at home hadn’t believed him when he’d told them.Hock rolled up his sleeves so he could soak in a bit of the welcome sunshine. That was another thing that had surprised him, the cold. Winter was still winter, another reason taking the late watch sucked a big green weenie.
