Hired Collection: Frank's Misadventures In Iraq

By Kenneth Guthrie

Four stories about Frank and his experiences in Iraq as a soldier. Included in this collection is the worst 29th day that Baghdad can bring, desk work that nearly gets Frank killed, the experience of driving hard boiled Major Temple, and bomb squad duty as punishment for Frank's failings.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lunatic Ink Publishing
• Release date: Dec 6, 2011
• ISBN: 9781466170049

Kenneth Guthrie

Kenneth Guthrie is a writer of sci-fi, fantasy and crime novels.Profile image credit: Vincent Gerbouin at Pexels.com

Book preview

HIRED COLLECTION: FRANK’S MISADVENTURES IN IRAQ

Kenneth Guthrie

Copyright 2012 Lunatic Ink Publishing

Find more at Kenneth Guthrie’s Book List

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Hired

Downgraded

Driving Major Temple

Bomb Squad

Showdown

HIRED

DAY 29

Frank stood looking at the blown out building. The artillery had done their work nicely today and there wasn't much more than a wrecked shell of a building to look at.

Everywhere down this street there were buildings in similar states. The fools at the top had decided that it was high time to piss the natives off by trying to catch more terrorists through a show of force - scare tactics.

Unfortunately, the result was that often this created terrorists where there were none as regular people took up the family Kalashnikov and went to work killing America's finest.

Frank had been in Iraq for exactly 29 days. He'd heard that if you survived the first month then you were safe for the rest of your tour. John Heats, Franks friend, had lasted 31 days before being shot in the leg and being sent back home with a messed up knee, so he didn't believe that.

Heat had been the sort of guy that would storm into a building like this and do whatever needed to be done inside. That's probably why he ended up the way he did, Frank thought.

Frank signaled to his partner in the jeep behind them. A few months ago Frank had answered an advertisement:

No experience needed. Fit, reliable and hard working. Excellent pay and benefits.

Frank was strapped for cash and hadn't been able to find work for awhile, so this seemed as good as any. He'd walked down to the office and nearly walked away when he realized who was advertising. The recruiter had told him he would be behind a desk counting stock. Apparently, that 'stock' was dead bodies and the desk were burnt out buildings in the middle of Bagdad.

Chase, his partner, got out of the jeep slowly. He was overweight and Frank had no idea how he had gotten through basic training.

Are you sure the 1st cleaned this out properly? Chase asked fearfully.

Cleaned meant killed or captured everyone inside.

You saw the report. The 1st doesn't usually fuck it up. Frank didn't like Chase much and it was a mutually shared feeling as far as Frank could tell.

They walked across the dirty concrete street with pieces of rock and stone scattered across it. The yellowy stone building with its two floors looked like it would have been a pleasant enough building for the people who had lived there. The first floor would probably be a kitchen and a small lounge and on the second floor’s rooms for the family and children.

The wind blew up a little and dust spilled along the street as Frank and Chase made their way to the building.

Frank popped the safety on his M16 and Chase did the same. Looters were a reality that caused more than their fair share of deaths and you couldn't be too careful.

Frank went first, he always did. The small broken down room was a mass of broken furniture and rock from the destroyed second floor. He scooted over to the kitchen door and signaled for Chase to cover him. The room was empty.

Chase and Frank relaxed and took stock of the damaged house. There was nothing to count. Apparently, no one had been in the building when the artillery had attacked it. He'd have to talk to the boys in the 1st about properly reporting this sort of thing.

Chase pulled out