The number of those trained had increased. We gave them guns and ammunition. The more experienced ones were assigned as sentries. They carried long-barreled rifles.
Rauf, Kudret, and I were making new plans. Rauf had come out of the last fight without a scratch, just like me — because we were experienced. Kudret, nicknamed "The Bear," was experienced too, but as crazy as he was brave. The three of us gathered to assess the situation: should we stay on the defensive or go on the offensive?
Last time, we stayed defensive and took losses, but the enemy retreated. We didn't surrender. If we set a trap again, we might take them down again. But this time, they'll come back stronger, more prepared. Then we won't stand a chance.
Rauf was thinking.
— Let's set a trap. With the right tactics, we'll take them. We're not ready to go on the offensive.
— I agree, I said.
Kudret said nothing, chewing his food.
— Kudret, say something. Your food's not going anywhere.
He swallowed, wiped his mouth.
— I'm fine with anything. But if we attack, they'll be more afraid. Plus, we'll seize the loot.
He was right. He continued:
— If we can defend with good tactics, we can attack with good tactics too. Calmly and step by step.
— Fine, let's make a plan. Do you know of any camps?
— I do.
— Where?
— Down by the river. Two acres of land. There's also an ammo depot.
— How many of them?
— A lot. I didn't count.
— We'll go with at most 15 people. Two experienced ones will stay here as sentries. If anything happens, they'll call us on the radio.
— Who's staying?
— Süleyman and Kudret. Süleyman's just reunited with his brother — he can keep watch.
— Fair enough.
— We'll go in quietly. We'll need Jilet. We need to take out the sentries silently.
We set out, this time with a vehicle. When we saw the river, we stopped.
— From here on, we walk. If they hear the engine, they'll notice us. We take them out before the alarm goes off.
— Understood.
Rauf chimed in:
— I'd love to set these guys on fire.
— You and your fire obsession.
— Can't we do a little slicing too?
Jilet had gone ahead. He'd already taken down two sentries silently. I used a ladder to climb up to the roof. The guy up there was smoking — I neutralized him. Rauf took the other one. Most of them were already gone.
I signaled the others to come in. Rauf and I entered the ammo room. There were two soldiers. They were about to raise the alarm. We threw our knives at the same time — Rauf's hit the throat, mine hit the heart.
We radioed in:
— No problems, everything's under control!
We filled our bags — bullets, grenades, a few long-barreled rifles.
The newer recruits took care of the others outside. Though, Jilet hadn't left us much. No wonder they call him "Razor."
They'll lose their minds when they find this place. Kudret said there were too many of them — turns out, not really. I was expecting more.
We hopped in the vehicle and returned to camp — with ammo, medicine, and food. No casualties.
It seemed they'd only stationed rookies there. No one in command.
A clean, simple operation.
When we got back, Kudret greeted us:
— Where've you been, man?
— We're here, brother. We're here.
Kudret and three others came and took the load.
— What's in this?
— Guns, ammo, grenades… water, food — whatever we could find.
— Whoa, whoa, whoa!
— We're having a feast tonight with this food!
— Damn right we are, Ömer.
Everything was distributed evenly. People's stomachs were celebrating. These were hard days.
— We're getting stronger. We'll give the new guns to those in training.
We need more sentries. And two more towers over there.
The sky was dry, with no thunder. The biting frost had finally let up, replaced by a gentler coolness. That dry cold that burned your lungs was gone. The wind still blew, but it no longer scraped your face — now it merely brushed it. The harshness had eased, the cold had slowly receded. Spring was coming.
Rauf broke the silence:
— Spring is coming… I hope everything gets better.
Kudret replied:
— Don't worry, brother. Everything's going to be just fine. Hang in there.