Lone Survivor_ The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10 ( PDFDrive )

12
“Two-two-eight!
It’s Two-two-eight!”
In her mind, there could be only one possible reason for the
call...They’d found my body on the mountain...A voice came
down the line and demanded, “Is the family assembled?”
They were gone for five minutes, and they came back together. Ben Sharmak
stood for a few moments staring at me, and then he climbed away, back to his
army. Gulab walked down the hill to me and tried to explain Sharmak had
handed him a note that said, Either you hand over the American — or every
member of your family will be killed.
Gulab made his familiar dismissive gesture, and we both turned and watched
the Taliban leader walking away through the trees. And the village cop offered
me his hand, helped me to my feet, and once more led me through the forest,
half lifting me down the gradients, always considerate of my shattered left leg,
until we reached a dried-up riverbed.
And there we rested. We watched for Taliban sharpshooters, but no one
came. All around us in the trees, their AKs ready, were familiar faces from
Sabray ready to defend us.
We waited for at least forty-five minutes. And then, amid the unholy silence
of the mountain, two more guys from my village arrived. It was obvious they
were signaling for us to leave, right now.
Each of them gave me support under my arms and led me up through the
trees on the side of this steep escarpment. I have to admit I no longer knew what
was going on, where we were going, or what I was supposed to be doing. I
realized we could not go back to the village, and I really did not like the tone of
that note Gulab had shoved in his pocket.