by Chris Ryan
From behind us, a drift of cold evening air came blowing over the long, smooth slopes of the Beacons.
‘Brrrrrrh!’ I went, giving a violent shudder and jumping to my feet.
Tim stared at me in consternation. ‘What’s the matter, Dad?’
‘That wind on the back of my neck. Like I said, ever since our session when the little kid died, it’s given me the jankers.’
Still the boy was watching me. ‘Dad,’ he went. ‘Are you dying?’
‘What a question!’ I forced myself to make a joke of it. But all I could say was, ‘I don’t know. I don’t think so. But I’m not sure. The doctors don’t know, either. I got myself a bad dose of radiation, right enough. But so far it hasn’t done the damage they expected. They’re giving me a fifty-fifty chance.’
‘Was it that medicine Jason gave you?’
‘That’s going to save me? How do I know? Maybe it’s helped.’ I picked up my day-sack and slipped it on to my back. Long, purple shadows were stretching out over the folds in the mountains. Dusk was seeping into the valleys.
Looking down at the boy, I was disconcerted to see tears in his eyes.
‘Come on,’ I said, sweeping him up in my arms and sitting him on my left hip. ‘On the way home we’re going to drop in at Tesco’s and get some things for a good fry-up, because I’m definitely not planning to snuff it today.’
‘But Dad,’ he persisted. ‘Didn’t you say the German woman was the ninth white person to die because of the spell?’
‘If you leave out the two South Africans in the Beechcraft, yes.’
‘Then I hope you’re not going to be the tenth man down.’
GLOSSARY
Basha — Sleeping shelter
Bergen — Rucksack
BG — Bodyguard (noun or verb)
Blue-on-blue — Accidental strike on own forces
Bwangi — Hello
Casevac — Casualty evacuation
Choka — Piss off
Comms — Communications
CTR — Close target reconnaissance
DA — Defence attaché
DOP — Drop-off point
DPMs — Disruptive pattern material camouflage garments
DZ — Drop zone
ERV — Emergency rendezvous
ETA — Estimated time of arrival
Exvil — Exfiltration
Fiti — Sorcerer
Go-away bird — Grey lourie
GPS — Global positioning system, navigation aid
Gympi — General-purpose machine gun
Head-shed — Headquarters
ID — Identity, identify
Ima! — Stop!
Incoming — Incoming fire
Juju — Spell cast by witch doctor
Kremlin — SAS headquarters
LUP — Lying-up point
LZ — Landing zone
Magellan — Brand-name of GPS
MRE — Meals ready to eat
NBC — Nuclear, biological and chemical
ND — Negligent (accidental) discharge of weapon
Nshima — Maize meal
OP — Observation point
Pinkie — 110 Land Rover adapted for SAS
PNGs — Passive night goggles
QRF — Quick-reaction force
RTU — Return to unit
Rupert — Officer
Satcom — Satellite telephone system
SEAL — Sea, Air and Land — American special forces unit
Shamouli — Parachute flare
Shreddies — Army-issue underpants
Sin’ganga — Witch doctor
SOP — Standard operating procedure
Stag — Sentry duty
U/S — Unserviceable
Zikomo — Thank you
319 — VHF radio
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