Scariest Night Ever

I’m not sure when I dropped the book to the bed beside my face but I woke up long enough to turn off the flashlight I was reading by. Right on the verge of sleep, I hear a low moan coming from outside. I turn over, but the TV is not playing the Bollywood musical-romance, which I suspect is creating this eerie noise. The clock says an even 2am and the moan begins to sound like a sob. Having seen many strange things my mind starts to match scenarios to this noise and I’m scaring myself more and more.

I listen closely and realize that is not the sound of a woman crying while being slowly tortured, it is a baby… Yes that’s what it has to be, an abandoned baby outside having just been left as a lure from some bad man. So I pick up my cell phone and call the Marine who lives directly across from me in another connex. I feel a little safer knowing he is one of the most intimidating looking and huge Marines I’ve ever met. Once we had both verified that we both hear a tortured soul right outside our rooms I ensure that we coordinate the opening of the doors. This is mostly so that I am not alone with the Taliban lurking outside ready to get me.

We slowly open our doors and peek out towards each other and the crying get very quiet and turns into a growl. Looking between us we see the source of my fear, it is a ratty male stray cat whose mating session we have interrupted. I burst into giggles as my fear turned to embarrassment. As I start apologizing to my Marine friend I notice he is holding a gun at his side to which I immediately say “How cute, you brought your gun. You’re my hero!” I learned 3 things that night. The sound of feline love, that I am a wuss and that Marines with guns aren’t “cute”.

I lied they are cute.