"I'll keep both of ya in mind, Bill," she told him to soothe his ruffled feathers as he smacked Joe on the back of the head. "We'll see how this all turns out. But sure, I'll keep ya'll in mind."
The three of them talked long into the night, before Bill volunteered to keep the first watch, and M.J. and Joe fell asleep, each using the other's shoulder as a pillow.
Bill couldn't help but chuckle.
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"Take Cover!"
Shit.
Her feet just wouldn't move fast enough. Scrambling desperately, she felt them slide out from beneath her once more. "Shit!" Her arms stretched in vain towards a branch that was too small and too far away to save her. She scrabbled for purchase in the snow, and watched, in awe and depressed fear, as another mortar exploded only yards away from her.
The blast sent her body backwards, and she landed on her back, clutching at her side. A small fragment of the shell had hit her. Desperately, she picked herself up off the ground, stumbling and falling as she tried to regain her feet.
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(Continuation of Chapter 2)