The Poppy Express: Death Eidolons: Collected Short Stories 2014 in Bloomington, MN

To earn extra money, he decided to volunteer for service in Afghanistan as a civilian technologist. During training provided by the government, he vowed he would never allow terrorists to easily cut off his head for their propaganda machine. Instead, he determined to make them chase him through the desert first.
After his capture by bloodthirsty jihadists in Afghanistan, a young American civilian must confront his worst nightmare with eyes wide open. After he manages to escape, however, he learns a terrible truth. Where will the Poppy Express take him?