Curtis’ helmet jarred loosely about his head. He had long considered buckling the strap, but the strap rubbed uncomfortably against his neck and he decided to only buckle it if necessary; So his helmet jarred about his head. He was sitting in the back seat of a US humvee. If you could imagine sand, and lots of it, in every which direction, with a few mountains rising in the distance, that would describe his surroundings perfectly. For Iraq was a sandy place.
" Feeling like the new kid on the block? " Sergeant Lance asked from the seat besides Curtis’.
" Uhh, a bit" Curtis replied, not quite sure how to reply but afraid of giving an unsatisfactory answer to his new squad leader. In the front seats Link, the radio specialist and general nerd of the group, and Baggs, the strong black rifleman, argued over the music choices.
" I don’t care what you think" Baggs started " We’re listening to Young Money"
" Like hell we are" Link retorted " Put in Maroon five"
Baggs chuckled and replied " Sure thing buddy" as he inserted the Young Money disk and the Humvee was filled with Rap music.
" Turn that **** off" Lance called to Baggs
" Oh c’mon sarge, its Young Money!"
" I don’t give a damn if it’s the Queen of England; turn that **** off"
Baggs grimaced and finally reached across to the controls and turned off the music
" ahhh, much better" Link said from the drivers seat.
"That has to be the worst **** i’ve ever heard" said the gunner, Turner, who was manning the machine gun mounted on the top of the Humvee.
"I liked it" Curtis piped in
"Enough" Lance called again " We’ve got a new guy. Name’s Curtis."
" Yeah I seen him" Baggs said after a moment. He then turned and stared out of his window " Crow was better"
" Lets hope this sonofabitch can dodge bullets better than Crow" Turner called down
" Don’t pay any attention to them" Link reassured me from the drivers seat " Half these bastards can’t read. The other half are in the other truck" at this he jerked his thumb back to show the Humvee that was following us.
" Not those three crazy bastards" Baggs said " And I’ll be damned if Big T can read"
" Hey Sarge" Turner interrupted " We got civies up ahead"
"What?" Lance looked concerned " There isn’t a village within twenty miles"
" They’re there" Turner affirmed " take a look"
Turner lowered himself and traded spots with Lance . For the first time Curtis was finally able to observe Turner. He was thin. He had a bandana that covered his face, leaving only his sunburnt eyes visible.
" Well sonofabitch" Lance sounded from the gun " Lets see what they’re doing"
He lowered himself and Turner retook his position.
" Slow up" he said to Link, who obediently slowed the truck until it was at a stop besides the civilians. " Turner, you stay on the gun. Link, be ready for a quick takeoff. Baggs, Curtis, you’re with me." At that he popped open his door and left to meet the civilians. Baggs chanced a glance back to Curtis and said, "Don’t forget your gun", and with that he was also into the sun. Curtis was last to exit. The sun momentarily blinded him, dulling his senses and his connection with the world, but a moment later it passed, and he was able to clearly see the guns pointed at his face.
There is more. I just wanted to give an example. Thank you for reading. If you’ve already answered, please ignore this. I would like to know what you think of the plot and the style. I know there are grammar and maybe some spelling issues. Thank you very much.