Chapter 6

They’d attracted a couple of onlookers, but Clark didn’t so much as glance their way. “Good man, soldier. One: your safewords for the night are color coded. Green means go, yellow means slow, red means stop.”

That seemed simple enough to Ellis, just like traffic lights. “Sir, yes sir.”

“Good,” Clark barked. “Two, and listen up, soldier: there is dishonor in not calling a yellow or red if you need a break or are in true distress. Tonight’s going to hurt at times, but that’s different than distress, and the second you’re questioning which one you’re in, you will call a code. Am I clear?”

Ellis considered for a minute, remembering a time when he took a ricochet in one calf and how that had felt. It’d hurt, but he’d been fine. That sounded like what Clark was talking about, and when Ellis was clear on that, he nodded and said, “Sir, yes sir.”