Chapter 2 - An Unmarked Letter
Thomas froze, his grip instinctively tightening around Leo’s small palm. The man stepped forward, placing the heavy envelope onto the armrest of the wheelchair without saying a single word. His eyes carried the distinct hollow glaze of someone who had walked through the same hellfire. Before Thomas could ask a question, the stranger turned on his heel and disappeared into the market crowd, swallowed by the morning shoppers.
""Daddy, who was that?"" Leo asked, wiping his wet cheek with his sleeve, sensing the immediate shift in his father’s posture.
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""Just someone passing through, Leo,"" Thomas lied softly, his heart pounding against his ribs. He turned the envelope over. There was no return address, only the crest of his old unit: the 10th Mountain Division. Below it were six words written in bold black ink: The mission is not yet complete.
Inside the envelope lay a single printed photograph and an official transfer notification. The photo showed Thomas's former reconnaissance unit taken three weeks before the ambush. Four men smiled beside an armored Humvee—including Sergeant Marcus Diaz, the young scout Thomas had watched bleed out on the desert floor. But the date printed on the bottom right corner of the glossy photo wasn't three years ago. It was stamped three weeks ago.
