Chapter 2: Life After Death

Location: Brazil, Rio de Janeiro

"So, Mathias, my daughter just turned 11 and keeps asking me to buy makeup for her. I miss when she was just a little girl, when all that mattered to her was what was for dinner and if I could take her to the park to play. Now she's in that phase of putting on makeup for the boys at her school," Henry sighed and chatted inside the patrol car about married life and being a single father.

"Damn, man, I told you it was only a matter of time until she grew up and got interested in these things. You can't stop a person from growing," I said to Henry, who was driving the patrol car for the mission.

"But whether you like it or not, I've seen this little girl grow up, and it's really a shame that some grown man wants to lay hands on her," I said as I checked my 7.62 caliber Parafal rifle.

"But damn, it's tough for you to be a single dad and still be in the force. You should retire. You're already 54," I said, looking at my patrol partner who was old enough to be my grandfather.

"Damn, Mathias, I wish I could, but this system is crap. I have to put my old bones to work fighting cowards, while I have a bunch of lawsuits to deal with at the forum. I'm old, I didn't want to be doing this at this age," Henry said with a sigh.

"We've arrived," Henry said.

"What can you do? The system sucks," I said, quoting a famous line from 'Elite Squad.'

Currently, we were on a mission to go to the Maré Complex, along with our Battalion, the 34th Police Precinct (34th Police Station), and the BOPE Battalion along with the PRF (Federal Highway Police) to seize stolen vehicles that were operating in this area.

"Park the car there. Let's talk to the operation commander."

As we exited the patrol car, we checked our equipment while heading towards what seemed to be the designation of each battalion in strategic locations.

When we approached the operation commander, we saluted.

"Captain Henry from the 34th Police Battalion reporting for duty!" Henry shouted as we stood in front of the platoon.

"Sergeant Mathias from the 34th Police Battalion reporting for duty!"

The commander nodded, turned to Henry, and spoke enthusiastically, "Henry, you old dog, you're still alive! HaHa!" The commander said joyfully. "Listen, Henry, your role in this operation is to drive the armored vehicle to Point A to remove the barricade, paving the way for the Conventional Battalion. Meanwhile, Captain Felipe from BOPE will provide cover fire with the PRF at Point G," the operation commander said.

"Understood, sir!" Henry shouted with a helpless smile at the commander.

"The operation begins at 7 sharp. We'll be waiting for your signal, Henry," the commander said.

"Understood, sir!" Henry said with a serene look.

As we moved away with our battalion towards the armored vehicle, I whispered, "And here we go, squeezed into this damn sardine can again," I said half-jokingly, while we laughed and joked, knowing that it was almost time to start the operation.

"Alright, gentlemen, don't die," Henry said with a serious look.

In this profession, those over 30 in the contingent have seen many patrol companions die, so this phrase touches us deeply.

As the armored vehicle approached the first barricade, Henry gave instructions, "Alright, guys, let's do as usual. Lay down suppressive fire while 3 or 2 of you exit the armored vehicle and remove the barricade."

"Ready!?" Henry shouted to me and two other comrades. I took a deep breath and then shouted, "Ready!" Henry looked at me and said, "GO, GO, GO!" I grabbed the handle of the armored vehicle door and exited, running towards the nearest cover, while I heard the shots going back and forth from the armored vehicle.

TATATATATATA, as I heard the shots from the guys in the armored vehicle going out and none of the traffickers coming back, I signaled to my comrades to go to the barricade, and I ran towards...

After removing the barricade, we returned to the armored vehicle and repeated the same process 4 times. As we were heading towards the last barricade, Henry received more orders from the BOPE Battalion.

"Guys, we have new orders. It seems that BOPE is in confrontation with the traffickers but can't advance. They want us to disembark from the armored vehicle and make a pincer attack on the traffickers blocking their advance," Henry said.

As we heard Henry's words, we laughed, and I quoted 'Elite Squad' again, "Knife in the skull, nothing in the wallet," while me and the guys laughed, we approached our objective, the last barricade. From there, it's boots on the ground.

We removed the barricade and disembarked from the armored vehicle without much complication; the traffickers were focused on BOPE, so we felt pretty calm. As we approached the backs of the traffickers, we heard the gunfire from AKs and other weapons aimed at the BOPE officers getting louder.

TATATATATA CLACLACLACLACA

Quietly, our battalion approached about 5 traffickers shooting from the top of the hill towards the police officers, and the tricky part was that there was a kid under 14 shooting an M4A1.

We got to within 20 meters of them and shouted, "PUT YOUR HANDS ON YOUR HEAD, DAMN IT!" "PUT THE WEAPON ON THE GROUND!" Startled, two of the criminals dropped their guns, but the youngest turned his rifle towards us and fired.

(In Brazil, conventional police officers are not allowed to shoot at criminals from behind; therefore, the approach is permitted only if they shoot against the officers)

CLACLACLACLACLACLACLA

Our front line was wiped out by the first shots, amidst the screams of my comrades behind me; my vision became blurry, and all I thought about was killing the bastards in front of me, so I let my rifle sing PAPUM

TATATATATATATATATA

Amidst the shots, I saw each of them turning into a sieve in front of my rifle.

In the midst of the adrenaline and tunnel vision syndrome, I heard Henry shouting in my ear, "Enough, kid, it's over," said Henry, the veteran police officer, single father, and captain of the squad.

I looked ahead and saw the bodies of the traffickers who turned into a sieve and my fellow officer, all lying on the ground amidst the blood. "Damn," I grunted, when suddenly

BAM, I heard a muffled noise, and I saw my fellow officers looking at me incredulously as I fell to the ground. "SNIPER!" a soldier shouted as Henry grabbed my vest and dragged me to the nearest cover.

I looked at my feet being dragged and the blood making a trail as I was dragged to cover, I looked at my comrades and shouted in despair as my vision became blurry and dark, "I'M GONNA DIE! DAMN FUCKING SHIT!"

"Calm down, kid, you're gonna die, yes," Henry shouted, knowing that pretending in that situation wouldn't help, as he spoke, "But death is just another adventure."

I looked helplessly at the old man in front of me as I said, "this is not the time to quote Harry Potter, you old shit!" I laughed as my vision finally completely darkened.

I wake up, look around, and think, what the hell place is this, did I survive? I look around wondering if I'm in purgatory or paradise, but I stop to look at the only little boy walking back and forth in this waiting room. When I raise my finger to speak, I stop, a mixture of confusion and amazement...

I look around and try to analyze the situation around me, I'm pulled by the five-year-old boy and running towards a room. Inside the room, I see a doctor, a nurse, a big fat man, and a woman lying on the bed holding two babies. Somehow the woman and the fat man are familiar to me when I hear, "Come meet your cousins too, Connor."

I snap out of the confusion I was in when I hear two familiar names, Sheldon and Missy, from my favorite series (The Young Sheldon) and (The Big Bang Theory).

I whisper to myself, "Sheldon, Missy, Little George"

End of Chapter -