The
Code of Hector Barros
“I never
get the killers I ask for.
“They
send me these men and women from ‘war’, straight out of the desert and expect
some clean transition into their new war. But that’s not war. You gringos…you
go somewhere else, fire missiles from the comfort of the sky and you call it ‘war.’
You attack with all the fury of heaven and thunder, outnumber and outflank your
enemy immediately. And you call it ‘war.’
“It’s
not though.
“No.
No ‘war’ is your neighbor’s house burning. War is the enemy fighting from room
to room, your family hiding beneath the floorboards with soldier’s boots right
above their heads. War is when you have a stake in the dirt you’re fighting on,
when it’s watered with the blood of your brothers and sisters, your fathers and
mothers and all of your friends.
“It’s
no wonder you gringos lost Iraq. No one wanted that dirt but the Iraqis. Now
look, and you see that exactly who wants that dirt is what’s keeping it.
“But
we’re not just interested in dirt here.
“I
don’t care what your body count is, hijo. All you’ve killed are soldiers. Soldados…all they have are
thumbs and bones. There’s very little to killing soldiers. Just one moment,
that’s all it takes. It’s especially easy when you think they’re monsters, if
you truly believe that what they believe
is too dangerous to survive. Not to mention that for all of their muscle, armor
and training, a solider is just a man in a shell.
“They’re
only human.
“So,
it’s not surprising to me that you can’t kill a monster.
“I
don’t blame you, or anyone else. I’ll never forget my first time seeing one.
Only it wasn’t in a cage, not chained up and waiting for an execution, sedated
so that you can become familiar with the concept that yes, in fact, they are real. No, the first time I saw a
monster was in war. Real war. And…he…was
faster, more ruthless and quick than I hope you’ll ever see out there in the
field. And inexplicably, fire follows him when he walks. You may think it a
myth, but I cannot recall a time I’ve faced him and the world hasn’t been
burning.
“But,
I was like you. I froze up. What do you do, against all of that? They tower
over us, walls of muscle and teeth. All of the horror movies you’ve laughed at,
and they’re so much worse than Lon Chaney in make-up. They’re demons in the
skins of men, women, even children. And they’ll sob and scream and tell you
that they can’t control themselves.
“And
they’re not lying. In our war, the enemy is often innocent.
“But
the only cure they’ve got is death. The alternative is worse than you can begin
to know. If you don’t believe in souls…maybe you can’t grasp the horror of it,
taking communion with that devil.
“But
you’ve only ever killed men.
“Quiet
your soul. Steel you heart. Clear your mind. Steady your hand. Suffer no
illusion. Spare no evil.”
“You’ve
only just began. And if you’re lucky, that’ll be the only child you’ll ever
need to kill.”
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