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burning debris, searching, he assumed, for survivors. Houses, buildings, and shops were scattered around as if a giant’s hand had swept across them. He could drive no farther because the road was blocked by debris. He shut the engine off and jumped out and ran, dodging timber and brick. The sound of women wailing and men cursing filled the air. He passed a man who was sitting on the street, holding a small child in his lap. Tears were running down his face, and he was crying, “My baby—my little Ricardo!”
    When Luke got within sight of the Chavez home, he froze. The house was almost completely flattened. All the walls but one had collapsed, and smoke was still rising from the fire that had consumed the house. The one remaining wall stood blackened, held in place by a few skeleton timbers burned almost in two.
    Like a madman Luke Winslow began throwing broken bricks and beams aside as he struggled to find his fiancée. His hands were soon bloodied, but he paid them no heed as he desperately called her name. “Melosa—Melosa!”
    ****
    Before long a small man appeared at Luke’s side and silently helped him search. By the time the sun had set, they had recovered the bodies of the entire Chavez family. Luke had laid the bodies side by side as he found them and covered them with blankets the stranger had brought with him. Luke knew as long as he lived he would never forget the nightmare ending for these people he had come to love as a family.
    â€œI’m so sorry, señor.”
    Luke turned toward the man who had helped him dig. Hecould not answer the man but could only stare dully in his direction.
    â€œI know you cared about this family. They were such fine, fine people.” The man looked at the family that was now stretched out under blankets—three larger forms and two smaller ones. “I heard that you were engaged to the young woman, Melosa. My wife mentioned just last week that Melosa told her that she loved you very much.”
    Luke could take no more. He turned away blindly, and the darkness closed in on him. It was not just the lack of sunlight that enveloped him but a darkness that reached his spirit.
    The war had suddenly become a personal tragedy, and as Luke stumbled away from the forms hidden under the blankets, he knew for the first time what real hatred was.

CHAPTER FOUR
    Luke’s Revenge
    Colonel José Valdez left his desk and stood at the window, peering out as the young pilot in his office spoke haltingly. As he listened, he was watching a flock of sparrows scuffle in the dirt, fighting over crumbs. Even birds don’t agree, Colonel Valdez was thinking sadly. How can we humans expect to do any better? The thought troubled him, and pulling his shoulders back, he turned to face Roscoe Garrison. He knew the men called him Streak, despite the fact that there was nothing really fast about Garrison—except when he was flying. The big man was clumsy and seemed to have little coordination, but once he got in the cockpit of a fighter plane, that did not seem to matter. Valdez listened more intently now as Garrison stammered out his thoughts.
    â€œLuke is just not the same man he used to be,” Garrison was saying. “I’m sure you heard that his fiancée died about three weeks ago, and he seems to be taking it awfully hard. I want to help him, but I just don’t know how.”
    â€œI heard it wasn’t just his fiancée who died but her entire family.”
    â€œThat’s right, Colonel. He was real close to that family. He loved the young woman. He told me it was the first time he’d ever been in love.”
    â€œTell me what seems to be the problem now, Garrison.”
    â€œWell, Luke’s always been a careful man. Back when we played football together in college, I was always in favor of just busting into the other team, but guys like Luke weresmarter. They analyzed the situation, came up with more creative