Z Day Chronicles: Genesis

Jake Riley woke up at Camp Lemonnier. He checked the time on his watch, which was laying on the desk next to his bunk: 0330. He then sat up and laid his feet on the matted floor. After rubbing his still tired eyes, he picked himself up and checked on the Muscle Car Calendar on the other side of his dorm, looking for the current date and his shift time.

'March 25, 2020... B Shift 0800-1600... Somali Ethiopian Peace Treaty... High Risk Conflict'

'One more week till I go home,' Jake thought as he rubbed his face, feeling the stubble that he had to shave before beginning his morning routine. 'Let's just hope this day goes smoothly.'

After shaving his slightly sunburnt face, he slipped on his Navy issued exercising garments and went outside his complex building and proceeded to jog 5 laps around the expeditionary base.

After finishing up his morning jog, Jake cooled off in the showers. After washing himself thoroughly, he went back to his dorm and pulled out a black leather case from underneath his bunk. He opened the case and pulled out his AR-15 rifle, and then proceeded to take it apart and clean it. After cleaning and readying his rifle, he locked it back in his case. He then suited up in his Naval uniform, strapped on his ballistic vest, and slipped his cap over his short brown hair. Once Jake was ready to start his shift, he picked up his rifle case and headed to the mess hall to munch on bacon, eggs, and toast, and drink his black coffee before starting his shift at the camp gates.

The blazing mid day sun came quick in Djibouti. The city was crowding with the locals awaiting the Ethiopian Prime Minister with protest. Jake Riley stood guard at the gates of the base with nine other Navy Master-at-Arms, one being Jake's commanding officer.

"The locals don't seem to pleased with this dispute," the officer told Jake. "Be prepared to detain anyone that tries to cross our borders."

"Yes, Lieutenant," Jake responded.

As the sailors awaited the Prime Minister's arrival, Jake overheard the Armed Forces Network channel playing on a nearby radio that another sailor was listening to while standing guard:

"...And was awarded the Bronze Star. Congrats to the Gunnery Sergeant for his service. And now back to Camp Lemonnier, where we are currently live awaiting the arrival of Prime Minister Malatu Teshome of Ethiopia and Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khayre of Somalia. They will be discussing a means to end the Somali Ethiopian Conflict, which has been ongoing since 2018. President Trump, Vice President Pence, and Djibouti Prime Minister Abdoulkader Kamil Mohamed will be overseeing the truce, along with other UN delegates representing the countries of Eritrea, Kenya, Sudan, and South Sudan. Needless to say, many of the locals do not approve of Ethiopia and Somalia's conflict being brought in their country. However, some are aware that the conflict will be settled on U.S. territory right here on Camp Lemonnier."

As Jake continued to overhear the radio and learn more about what he would be dealing with that day, the crowd grew more frantic and furious. Jake gazed into the distance to see a line of government vehicles driving towards the camp entrance. As the leading S.U.V. slowed down to a rolling stop in front of the base, Jake and the other Navy Master-at-Arms stood on guard.

"Look alive, men," the lieutenant ordered as he and another sailor approached the vehicle.

Jake saw the rear passenger window roll down as the lieutenant welcomed Malatu Teshome to Camp Lemonnier. Before motioning the driver to proceed, the lieutenant privately and briefly spoke to the prime minister, then took a good at all the vehicles escorting him. He then stepped back towards Jake.

"How many vehicles do you see behind that S.U.V., Petty Officer?" the lieutenant asked, pointing at the Prime Minister's vehicle.

"Six, Lieutenant," Jake answered.

"Thought so. He said he only left his country with four cruisers. Motion the Prime Minister's vehicle forward, then radio command to send reinforcements our way. We're not letting these other guys in."

While motioning the Prime Minister's vehicle forward, he saw a little girl in the huge crowd of protesters, curiously watching and wondering what was going on, meekly waving at him. Jake gave the little girl a smile and wave, and then contacted base command.

"Base Command," Jake started. "We have a 10-37 in progress at the north west gate. Two additional government vehicles that tailed the Ethiopian Prime Minister. 10-78."

"10-4," Command responded. "10-75 SEAL Team 6. They are 10-76 your location."

"10-4."

"Excuse me!"

Jake turned around to see Prime Minister Teshome approaching him while his driver and two other body guards tried to stop him.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Teshome demanded. "Why have you halted my men?!"

"Prime Minister," Jake answered. "We believe you may have been followed. Now please, head inside where it's safe."

"Not without my people!"

"Prime Minister, I can assure you, we will get down to the bottom of this."

Tension started building up. The protesters began screaming and spewing hatred even louder. The lieutenant ordered all of the Prime Minister's escorts to step out of their vehicles. As one group of men refused, the lieutenant ordered weapons hot while still repeating his orders more assertively to the ones still in the vehicle. Teshome's personal bodyguard held his leader back to prevent him from being caught in a possible firefight.

BOOM!

The vehicle full of the defiant men exploded, killing everyone in it. Shrapnel from the vehicle scattered throughout the lieutenant, turning his face, arms, and legs into swiss as he flew back from the force of the blast. The other sailor accompanying the officer, who was standing directly next to the vehicle, was fully dismembered.

BOOM!

The Prime Minister's vehicle then exploded, pushing Teshome, his bodyguard, and Jake away from the blast. Teshome's bodyguard caught all of the shrapnel, sparing Teshome from his demise. The remaining bodyguards rushed through the gates of Camp Lemonnier to their Prime Minister. He stumbled as they got him back on his feet and rushed him to safety.

“Riley, we need some cover fire now!”

Jake barely heard his orders from another sailor. He quickly checked himself to make sure he wasn't injured, only to see three pieces of shrapnel stuck in his body armor. Thankful that they did not pierce through his vest, he hoisted himself up, snapping himself out of his concussion. He gazed out in the distance and saw rebels sliding their vehicles outside the gates, exiting their vehicles, and opening fire upon him, other sailors, and the prime minister and his men.

Jake then picked up his rifle, and began spewing ammunition at the militia as he rendezvoused with the remaining sailors, finding cover behind the entry booth.

Pap! Pap! Pap!

The militia and sailors continued trading fire with each other for a while. The once outspoken protestors were now scattering in fear, evading the firefight.

"10-18!" Jake radioed. "10-75 enemy fire! We had two IEDs, we got men down, and we're outnumbered!"

"Is the Prime Minister ok?!" Command asked.

"Affirmative!"

"Are you able to retreat?!"

"Negative! We're pinned down!"

"10-12," Command ordered. "SEAL TEAM 6 is 10-23."

In the midst of the firefight, Jake turned around and saw that the 16 members of SEAL Team 6 has arrived, being led by Lieutenant David Miller, and they were immediately opening fire as they met up with Jake and the remaining Navy Master-at-Arms.

“Just in time for the party," Miller began as he reloaded his rifle. "What do we have?"

"Two IEDs," one Master-at-Arms answered. "Lieutenant Adams and Petty Officer Langley are both K.I.A., and so are a few of the prime minister's men! We also have civilian casualties!"

“It's not just Teshome that was targeted! Khayre was also attacked on the South entrance! M.A.R.S.O.C. is handling that right now!"

"Base Command ordered us to hang tight here," Jake told Miller. "Glad you guys made it!"

"I guess this means we're keeping the bastards out," Miller replied. "Light em' up!"

As Jake and the rest of the Navy continued to unleash their fury on the rebelling militia, the wind began growing stronger, and the dust on the ground began to pick up and swirl. Jake looked up to see a huge sandstorm bellowing his way. Dirt and rifle smoke soon blinded him, and the team lost track of each other after scattering and avoiding gunfire. The only way Jake could detect any signs of life was either by seeing flashing muzzles or spurts of red mist, or by hearing cries of sudden pain. He could see the silhouettes of dead bodies both young and old, but only occasionally, when the sand didn't sting his eyes.

“Mère!”

In the midst of the cloud and dust covering the battleground, Jake heard the screaming of a child. He looked around, trying to keep himself covered from flying bullets. He finally traced the cries of distress to a little girl; the same young girl that waved at him earlier, now feeling her way past war torn vehicles, making her way towards the camp's entrance.

"Mère!!" The girl continued crying out.

This frightened child was the only person he was able to see, so he raced against a flurry of bullets to rescue her. He quickly and sternly grabbed her, protecting her as they made their way behind a demolished vehicle.

"Don't worry, kid," Jake reassured. "I'm gonna get you back to your momma. It's gonna be alright."

“Riley!”

Jake heard a familiar voice coming from the vehicle behind them. He turned around and saw a fellow Master-at-Arms.

"Where the fuck did the kid come from?!" The sailor shouted.

"Found her in this hell storm," Jake answered. "I wasn't gonna leave her out there to die."

"Well keep your head down and hurry your ass over here! I got your six!"

Jake held the little girl in one arm as he used his other arm to crawl towards the vehicle behind him, all while being provided covering fire. As he finally took cover behind the other vehicle, he swiveled his rifle from his back, reloading it.

"Where's Lieutenant Miller and the rest of SEAL Team 6?" Jake asked as he turned to the sailor.

The man that provided covering fire for Jake and the girl now laid lifeless propped up against the fender of the vehicle; his eyes barely open, blood trickling down the bridge of his nose, and a single bullet wound to the head.

Jake cocked his rifle and peeked around the side of the S.U.V., only to see more militia through the haze. One was preparing a missile, aiming the RPG straight at the gates of Camp Lemonnier. Jake then had the attacker right in his sights.

Pap!

The attacker was killed instantly, but at a cost.

Pssshhhhhh!

As the man hit the ground, the RPG fired off the rocket. Instead of hitting the camp gates, the projectile zoomed toward the vehicle Jake and the girl hid behind. Knowing that the two weren't gonna get too far away, Jake immediately pushed the girl out of the firing zone.

BOOM!

Jake was slammed to the ground by the force of the blast. The dust and air quickly spun around him, as if he was in the center of a sandy vortex. Jake became blinded once again by the wind and sand as the sandstorm grew stronger. Help was nowhere to be seen. He frantically searched for the girl and his rifle, but both were nowhere to be seen.

'Oh God,' Jake thought. 'Please be ok.'

As Jake started to pick himself up, a shadow of a man wielding an object charged towards him.

"Allahu Akbar!" the figure shouted.

It was a militia member. He was carrying a crimson stained dagger as he prepared to attack Jake. Jake hastily unholstered his sidearm and aimed it at the attacker's head.

Pow!

The man nearly tripped over his own two feet, nearly toppling over Jake.

Papapapapapap!

Jake quickly swiveled around to the attacker shooting at him from behind.

Pow! Pow! Pow!

Jake fired three rounds; two in the chest, and one in the head.

A third soldier tackled Jake to the ground, knocking his pistol out of his hand. The man pulled out his knife and attempted to plunge it into Jake's chest. Jake quickly blocked the man's thrust with his forearm as he shifted the knife away from his sternum. The attacker pushed even harder, overpowering Jake just enough to press the knife against his already weakened ballistic vest. The attacker wiggled the knife around, cutting through the fabric, and then finally shoved a third of the blade on the right side of Jake's chest. In retaliation, Jake firmly shoved his thumb against the man's trachea and began to wrestle the knife out of his chest. Once he got control of the weapon, he rolled himself on top of the man and jammed the knife upward underneath his chin, puncturing the man's jowl and the underside of his brain.

Jake began to apply pressure to the huge gash in his chest as he looked around for any signs of life. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a handgun that appeared to be similar to the one that went missing during his tussle with the soldier. He quickly picked it up, and proceeded to step back, almost tripping over a large object. He looked down to see a wounded SEAL unconscious. He knelt down and checked his vitals, thankful that there was still a heartbeat. He then drug his wounded ally through the blasting sand until he reached a booth. He had found the entrance to Camp Lemonnier. He made haste as he sat the SEAL behind the booth, providing him cover from the weather and ammunition.

"Ugh!!!"

Jake heard a painful groan not far from where he was. He crawled towards the groaning man to find Lieutenant Miller holding pressure on his leg, now gashed open by a huge chunk of metal.

"Are you alright?!" Jake asked.

"Yeah," Miller groaned. "Where's everyone else?!"

"One of your guys is at the entrance! He's unconscious, but he's alive!"

"There's more people out there!"

Jake looked around through the blistering sandstorm and saw two more wounded men, keeping their heads down while trying to fight through their own pain.

"Get them first!" Miller ordered. "They're in the open, so keep your head down. I'll provide covering fire."

"Yes, Lieutenant."

Jake hurried to the furthest sailor, crawling towards the man, using the sandstorm as cover. He reached the injured man, who was suffering from shock due to his now amputated leg, severed by the explosion.

Papapapapap!

Bullets started flying once again, hitting the ground around Jake, but not quite landing on him. He began to pull on the sailor's ballistic vest, and drug him to safety behind the gates, all while Miller kept firing towards the direction of the attack. Once assured the sailor was safe, he tightly gripped his handgun went back again for the other wounded man.

Pow! Pow! Pow!

Papapapapap!

Both Miller and Jake continued firing into the fray as Jake hurried to the fallen SEAL, whose face was completely charred on the side impacted by the blast. He checked the man's vitals, but could find no pulse.

'Dammit,' Jake thought. 'Not leaving him here either way.'

Jake dragged the fallen SEAL the way he dragged the wounded Master-at-Arms: grabbing the ballistic vest, and shuffling his way back to safety. As soon as he dropped the man off at the gates, he made his way back to Miller, who was reloading his rifle, preparing to shoot once again.

Pow! Thp!

"Argh!"

Jake got hit directly in the gut. His ballistic vest took the bullet, but he felt the forceful impact, which cracked his ribs and made it even more difficult for him to breathe than the sandstorm already made it.

"Just get out of here, Jake!" Miller ordered as he was nearing his last bullets.

"All due respect, Lieutenant," Jake responded in a raspy wheeze. "But to hell with that!"

With the bit of strength he reserved, Jake pulled Miller with the same might as he did the first two wounded sailors, all while Miller kept opening fire.

Click! Click!

"Shit!" Miller exclaimed. "I'm out of ammo!"

Jake turned around to see shadows and muzzle flash inching closer to him and Miller. He quickly reloaded his sidearm with the last magazine on him, and then aimed carefully at each shadowy figure that was charging at him.

Pow! Pow! Pow! Pow!

He kept firing at each one, aiming carefully to conserve his ammunition, all while a flurry of bullets kept flying past him and Miller.

Thp! Thp!

"Grrr!"

Jake was hit in the shoulder and in just above his heart by the militia. A third bullet grazed the side of his face and removed a chunk of his right ear. Although war torn, he refused to stop. He fired some more until there were no more muzzle flashes. He finally got Miller to safety.

Through the sandstorm, he saw what appeared to be another sailor, and some of Teshome’s bodyguards.

“Just hang tight until this storm blows over!” Miller ordered.

“There’s more people out there!” Jake responded.

“Dammit Riley, don’t be a hero! I’m out of ammo, so I can’t help you! You’re going to get yourself killed!”

Disobeying Miller’s orders, Jake cautiously crawled over to the wounded men and proceeded to remove his belt. He then pulled out his knife and cut a hole in the backs of both of their shirts, just large enough to slip his belt though both of the wonder men’s garments. He then strained to pull them both back to safety, using the belt to pull them with. Once done, he saw another fallen SEAL, and proceeded his direction. He continued as he kept going back and forth, pulling whoever he found to safety.

Papapapapap!

More shooting began as he was rescuing people. He retaliated with his firing back, conserving his ammunition as much as possible.

Click!

Jake finally ran out of ammo.

“Over here, you assholes!” Miller shouted out from where he rested. “C'mon, you pansies!”

Miller continued distracting the assailants, giving Jake a few seconds to act. While keeping his head down, he grabbed a sidearm from one of the men he was carrying, and then continued firing once more.

Jake then fixed his eyes ahead of him and saw another figure speeding towards him in the blinding storm. He quickly positioned it one last time to the running silhouette.

Pow! Pow! Pow! Pow! Pow!

The figure stepped back a few feet, and then the dust blew and whirled harder, making it difficult for Jake to see past his gun. His heart began painfully pounding, and he stood frozen in place in the midst of scattering dirt devils. He was unsure where his allies were, and equally unsure where his enemies were, if there were any more of either. He questioned whether the charging figure was an attacker or a mere mirage.

The smoke and dust soon cleared. Jake could finally see the remains of the war zone. As he got a clearer image of the figure that stood before him, he lowered his arms in awe. They began to sway back and forth as his handgun slipped out of his hands. The figure that stood before him was the little girl, now riddled with bullet holes.

“No!” Jake whimpered.

The little girl began coughing up blood, choking as she stumbled over her own two feet.

"CORPSMAN!!" Jake shouted as he rushed to catch the girl before she hit the sand and stone on the ground.

As Jake continued to call for aid, he felt the child's body grow colder. She tried to breathe, but she was suffocating, fighting through the blood that continued to build up in her lungs. She soon stopped struggling, and her eyes began dilating.

"No no no no no," Jake whispered. "Stay with me, baby girl. You'll be ok. Don't do this to me now."

"ZIZA!!"

A young woman, perhaps the girl's mother, rushed towards the two as she continued screaming out her daughter's name.

"ZIZA!! ZIZA!!"

As the woman approached, Jake shuffled back away from her and her lifeless child. She frantically shook her daughter, still screaming her name, as if she was trying to wake her up. Realizing it was no use in trying anymore, the mother buried her head in her child's chest, using the lifeless body to muffle her screams of agony as she wept and wailed. Jake sat still, chilled to the bone at what he had just done.

While mourning, the woman slowly turned her head towards Jake's direction. Her look soon changed from that of sorrow and hopelessness to that of pure hatred. She furiously leaned close to Jake and spat in his face.

“Murderer!” The woman shouted in her native tongue.

She crawled over to the corpse of a knife wielding militia man, and pried the blade from his clammy fingers. With haste, she leaped towards Jake with only the sole intention of ending his life. As she did, two sailors that showed up sprung into action, holding her back while wrestling the knife out of her hands. Two Corpsmen showed up as well, responding to the dead child. One applied direct pressure to her wounds, while the other began trying to resuscitate her.

“MEURTRIER!!" The woman repeated as she struggled to be released from the sailors. "MEURTRIER!! MEURTIRER!! MEURTRIER!!"

Although he took the life of this little girl by mistake, he dragged three SEAL members, the remaining five Master-at-Arms, and a couple of Teshome’s bodyguards, while holding his position against roughly 50 insurgents that day, all throughout the blazing sandstorm.