“No, that asshole laying in a hospital bed insisting a park ranger shot him is the only reason we got this far,” Slade launched back in anger. “And following those mercenaries got us into the sanctuary. None of that had anything to do with you.”
Nolte nodded to the open door. “There’s the door, motherfucker,” he snapped. “Use it.”
“I will,” Slade announced and patted Nolte on the shoulder. “Have a nice life, asshole.”
Slade partially stood and made his way for the door. Nolte sneered and turned with his gun aimed, prepared to shoot Slade before he could reach the exit. He was surprised to discover Slade wasn’t there. Slade moved out from behind a tree and shot Nolte in the chest. Nolte gasped and fell to the ground while clutching his chest.
“You mother--” the dying hitman gasped with his last breath.
“Serves you right for thinking about shooting me in the back,” Slade scoffed without sympathy, then bolted for the glass doors.
As Slade slipped through the open door and ran from the aviary, Kirk and Gil exchanged bewildered looks.
“Did they just turn on each other?” Kirk asked in surprised disbelief.
“Hitmen and mercenaries aren’t exactly a trustworthy bunch,” Gil replied while shrugging. “They’ll work together until the last moment and then turn on each other.”
“Good. It’ll make our job that much easier,” Kirk muttered.
Chapter 49
Nevada and Bogart stood alongside the reptile house and fired at several mercenaries attempting to get past them and closer to the clinic. One of the men slipped past them and ran into the building.
“Does the building have a back exit?” Bogart asked with concern.
“I assume it would have multiple exits,” Nevada reported, then nodded to the nearby door. “I’ll go after him. You hold our position here.”
Before Bogart could respond, Nevada ran for the reptile house door. Bogart fired several shots across the clearing, providing cover for the woman. Nevada entered the building, immediately threw her back against the wall, and looked around, attempting to get her bearings in the dimly lit building. There was no telling which way the man ran, and she didn’t need him sneaking up on her. When there was no sign of the man who had entered, Nevada walked along the dimly lit area lined with glass walls, enclosing what used to be different reptile habitats. Nevada took the first right into another section when she heard the main door creaking as it opened and then closed. There was additional light that flooded the main area, further indicating someone had entered behind her. Nevada remained still and listened, unwilling to call out to Bogart in case it wasn’t him. The habitat must have been soundproof, considering the war outside could no longer be heard. The silence was almost deafening.
When she didn’t hear anything, Nevada continued along the dimly lit exhibit. She finally reached the back exit and pushed on it. The door opened to the outside, flooding light into the area she now occupied. She peered outside but didn’t see signs that anyone had left the building in that direction. When Nevada released the door, allowing it to close slowly and the light fading with it, she turned and saw a man standing only a few feet from her with his gun aimed. Nevada raised her weapon before the area would become too dark as the door closed. A gun fired, startling her. As the man gasped and fell to the floor, Bogart lowered his rifle and suspiciously eyed Nevada.
“Did the others escape through the back?” Bogart asked.
“Others?”
“While I was taking care of our friends out there, two others slipped inside,” Bogart replied.
Nevada looked around the dimly lit area, as her eyes once again adjusted to the darkness, and shook her head. “No, that means they must be in here somewhere,” she insisted. “There are plenty of corridors leading to other exhibits. I’ve got this. Why don’t you head back to operations and give Ross some additional backup.”
“No, we stick together,” Bogart insisted.
Rather than argue, Nevada moved past Bogart while keeping her weapon aimed and ready. Bogart kept close to her and watched the area behind them. As they proceeded cautiously across the corridor, something moved behind the glass wall from within one of the enclosures. Nevada spun and stared at the glass covering the habitat near her. In the darkness of the habitat beyond the glass, it was nearly impossible to see anything.
“I swear I saw something move,” she whispered to Bogart.
Both kept away from the glass with their weapons raised. Bogart removed his cell phone from his pocket, turned on the flashlight, and held it up to the glass. They saw a large snake on the other side of the glass staring back at them. Nevada let out a startled gasp.
Bogart looked at her with surprise, stunned at what sounded like fear from the hardened woman. “What the hell was that?” he demanded.
Nevada composed herself and sneered at him. “I don’t like snakes,” she snarled in response. “You got a problem with that?”
“It’s one little snake,” he insisted, “and it’s behind the glass.”
“Obviously, it’s not locked in there,” Nevada scoffed. “It wouldn’t have survived without food if it were.”
“It’s fine,” Bogart insisted. “It’s not coming to get us. Let’s just continue our sweep and then get the hell out of here.”
“I’m all for that,” Nevada muttered, then shivered. “This place gives me the creeps.”
Nevada walked past Bogart and led the way along the corridor. She suddenly stopped, holding her hand in the air, indicating for him to hold his position. Bogart took his cue and stopped as well. There was a strange sound, almost like the sound of the wind blowing.
“You hear that?” Nevada whispered.
Bogart listened a moment, then shook his head even though he couldn’t see anything. “Probably a broken window,” he replied.
“Then why don’t I feel a draft?” Nevada asked, remaining suspicious of the sound.
“We need to keep moving,” Bogart insisted with a sense of urgency. “There’s no telling how many are making their way to the clinic.”
Nevada took a few steps forward and again stopped. “Where’s that flashlight?” she announced.
Bogart removed his cell phone and again turned on the light. Both looked around, then simultaneously hesitated and slowly looked down. The floor was covered with dozens of snakes, and Nevada and Bogart were already a couple of feet into their area. Nevada let out a shrill scream, which was immediately silenced by Bogart’s hand covering her mouth.
“Shh,” he whispered. “Don’t scream. You’ll give our position away.”
Bogart slowly removed his hand from Nevada’s mouth. Rather than being hostile about him having touched her, instead, she was mildly panicked.
“Back up,” Nevada whispered with fear in her tone. Her fear increased. “Back up! Back up now!”
Bogart stepped around the snakes and moved past them. Nevada nervously followed while keeping her eyes on the creatures slithering close to her boots.
“Get me out of here,” Nevada whispered in panic. “Get me out of here now!”
“Almost there,” Bogart quietly informed her.
The moment they were away from the snakes, Nevada shivered and turned squeamish. “I never want to do that again,” she muttered.
Bogart turned and hurried Nevada away from the snake-filled corridor. As Bogart rounded a corner first, Hawthorn was suddenly in front of him with his weapon aimed. Bogart froze, holding Nevada back and out of sight just beyond the corner.
“Well, well,” Hawthorn announced and grinned. “Looks as if we meet again. What a small world.”
Bogart held his rifle in a motion of surrender. He started to set down the rifle, then thrust it upward and knocked the gun from Hawthorn’s hand. Without hesitation, he rammed the rifle stock into the man’s chest, winding him. Nevada leaped out from her concealed position with her weapon aimed at Hawthorn. Wilson suddenly appeared in front of Bogart, spun into a roundhouse kick, a
nd struck him in the chest. The rifle flew from his hands as he crashed into Nevada, knocking them both against the nearby wall. Nevada took the brunt of the impact, leaving her slightly dazed. Bogart recovered almost immediately and took a quick step closer to Wilson.
When Wilson went for the return kick, Bogart blocked it with his forearm, but he was unprepared for the punch that immediately followed. Bogart took the hit to his cheek and stumbled backward and into the wall near Nevada, who had now recovered and appeared moderately enraged. Before Bogart could even get his bearings from the punch and impact with the wall, Wilson was practically on top of Bogart and hit him in the gut. Nevada was about to intervene when she saw Hawthorn going for his discarded rifle. Nevada bolted across the hall and tackled Hawthorn into the glass wall, just about winding him with her shoulder to his chest. Hawthorn managed to stumble away from Nevada but quickly turned to face her, prepared to battle hand-to-hand with her.
Wilson swiftly kicked Bogart in the ribs, momentarily incapacitating him. She then took a step back and went for a roundhouse kick meant to disable him permanently. Nevada saw what was going down. She kicked Hawthorn in the chest and sent him flying into Wilson’s path. Wilson kicked Hawthorn in the chest instead, sending him flying backward into another wall of glass. Wilson’s surprise reversal was enough to catch her off guard. Nevada kicked Wilson in the chest with her booted foot, hurling the woman across the reptile atrium and into the exhibits' glass wall. Nevada eyed Bogart, then pointed demandingly at Hawthorn sitting on the floor.
“He’s yours,” Nevada informed Bogart, then charged across the atrium for Wilson, who was now gathering her bearings.
Nevada didn’t even bother stopping to kick or punch the woman. She maintained her speed and tackled the woman to the floor. In a well-coordinated roll, Nevada landed on top of Wilson and punched her in the face. For a brief moment, both Hawthorn and Bogart stared at the demon-possessed woman. When the two men exchanged looks, it was as they suddenly remembered they were supposed to kill each other. Hawthorn pulled a knife from his boot, leaped to his feet, and attempted to slash Bogart. Bogart jumped back, avoiding the blade, and threw a left-legged kick, striking Hawthorn in the side. He pivoted around, knocking the knife from his hand with his right forearm, and then punched him across the face with his left fist. It happened so fast; Bogart even surprised himself. Bogart’s moment of hesitation after his coordinated attack victory left him open to Hawthorn’s uppercut punch.
Bogart was thrown back and struck the glass enclosure with enough force to moderately daze him. Hawthorn seized the opportunity and lunged for him. The man was plowed down by the two women flying down the corridor with their hands on each other’s throats. Wilson was screaming like a banshee while Nevada roared like a tiger. Bogart flattened himself against the glass to keep from being taken down with them as they flew past like a tornado. Both women disappeared into the nearby, darker corridor. Hawthorn stumbled to his feet, dazed by the force of the two women plowing through him. Bogart lunged forward, threw himself into a roundhouse kick, and struck Hawthorn in the chest with a hard, fast kick. Hawthorn flew backward and hit the thick glass enclosure with enough force that it cracked. Despite having nailed the kick, Bogart lost his footing on the landing. It took him a second to regain his bearings.
Hawthorn was obviously in agony from the kick to his chest and then the sudden stop against the glass wall, but he still managed to pull himself together enough to lunge for his discarded knife. Bogart saw him leap for the knife and jumped on top of him to keep him from securing the weapon. Bogart placed his arm around Hawthorn’s neck from behind and applied pressure. The man gasped while fighting Bogart’s arm around his neck and attempted to grasp the knife with his free hand. Bogart pulled himself up to his knees without releasing Hawthorn and applied added pressure to stop him. When he heard the man’s neck snap, Bogart gasped with surprise. Hawthorn went limp beneath his arm. Bogart cried out and released him, springing backward and away from the man. Bogart stared at the dead man with the realization that he’d unintentionally snapped the man’s neck. Bogart ran trembling fingers through his hair, stunned at what he had done.
“Oh, shit!”
There was a loud thump from the nearby corridor, and the women could be heard screaming profanities. Bogart grabbed his discarded gun, sprang to his feet, and ran for the nearby passageway to check on Nevada. The two women broke free from each other’s grip and immediately threw punches. Both were already a few feet into the snake-infested corridor, although neither seemed to notice. Nevada blocked Wilson’s right fist then kicked her in the side. She immediately went for a second, higher kick. Wilson went low, avoided the kick, and swept Nevada’s legs out from under her. Nevada crashed to the floor but went with the fall. She rolled across the floor, landing on her hands and knees, and then saw the snakes on the floor just about surrounding her. Some of the snakes seemed quite agitated. Nevada cried out with something resembling horror. Most were non-poisonous, but that didn’t seem to matter much to Nevada, who was obviously terrified of the more than two dozen snakes.
The sound from a couple of rattlesnakes could be heard just a few feet away from her. Nevada’s eyes went to the sound. There was a small cluster of rattlesnakes just beyond the angry but non-lethal snakes. Nevada, still on her knees, spun to face Wilson. Wilson wore a sinister grin and thrust her foot for Nevada’s chest, intending to kick her backward and into the poisonous rattlesnakes. Nevada ducked the flying foot and sprang to her feet. Wilson sneered and immediately threw a fist for Nevada’s face. Nevada blocked the punch, caught her wrist, and thrust her shoulder into Wilson’s abdomen. With all her energy and anger, Nevada elevated the woman off her feet and threw her over her shoulder. Wilson was thrown through the air and landed on the floor just about on top of the rattlesnakes. The snakes angrily and repeatedly bit Wilson while she screamed.
Nevada bolted away from the snakes and practically leaped into Bogart’s arms while staring in horror at the woman being repeatedly bitten by the venomous creatures.
“We need to get out of here,” Nevada gasped while clutching and clawing at Bogart, unable to take her eyes off the terrifying scene before her.
Bogart hurried Nevada away from the snakes and into the safer corridor.
§
Jackie and Zack remained on their respective branches of the large tree behind the wall. They easily remained hidden while firing shots at the men attempting to advance closer to the visitor’s center. More than a dozen men had already made it past the main gate after busting through it. Jackie and Zack fired at the six men within their range, unable to do anything about the others that had gotten past by heading further north where the wall was demolished. Keeping the invaders in smaller groups meant fewer men attacking the clinic at once. They knew Beck had been defending the visitor’s center as a last stand before the clinic. Jackie and Zack took their time lining up their shots, making each one count. With all the trees, it made less sense to spray the entire area with bullets in the hopes of hitting something.
Zack looked through his scope and hesitated. “Son-of-a-bitch,” he muttered just loud enough for Jackie to hear.
She gave him a curious look. “What is it?”
“I recognize one of the men,” Zack informed her while watching Carter through his scope. He was able to advance while remaining out of Zack’s line-of-sight. “We ran into him and his friends the other day.”
“I’m sure we’ve run into a lot of these guys the other day,” Jackie remarked.
“No,” Zack replied. “These guys are different. Like pieces on a chessboard, you send the pawns in first. This guy--he’s a bishop. He’s letting the pawns clear a path for him.”
“You think he’s one of Vincent’s men?” Jackie asked.
“I don’t know, but he’s definitely higher up the food chain,” Zack remarked while keeping an eye on Carter through his scope. “I can’t get a shot. It’s like he knows I have him in my sights. He’s just playing w
ith me.”
The remaining men made another attempt to advance. Zack and Jackie fired a few shots, winging two of the men. Several return shots were fired back at the tree, and a stray bullet struck the tree near Jackie’s head. The bark splintered, hitting Jackie in the face, which caused her to recoil. She lost her balance, fell backward from the branch, and plummeted into the murky water below. Although no stranger to taking unexpected swims, Jackie felt terror the moment she went under the dark surface into the cold water. She knew what was down there, and, for a brief second, she attempted to see the danger coming her way. Unfortunately, the water was so murky; she couldn’t see much.
Jackie no sooner hit the water when Zack yanked the Bowie knife from his boot and leaped into the water not far from her. Jackie surfaced with a gasp while her heart raced, and she immediately looked for the nearest embankment. She then saw the water crest not far from her, not needing to see the alligator to know it was coming for her. Without delay, she swam on pure adrenalin for the nearby embankment deeper within the habitat. The alligator was just about upon her when it suddenly disappeared beneath the water. Jackie heaved herself onto shore, flipped onto her backside, and saw the water churning violently beneath the surface. She looked up at the tree and realized Zack was gone. Jackie sprang to her feet and looked back at the dark water with horror, realizing Zack must have jumped in after her.
Despite the dull brown color of the churning, murky water, she saw it suddenly turn red. Jackie gasped with horror and took a step closer to the edge. The second alligator, who had been further away on land, suddenly slid into the water. It would reach her in a matter of seconds, but she couldn’t just leave if there was a chance Zack was alive. Zack surfaced with a large gasp, spit out the foul water, and swam for Jackie. She reached down, caught his hand, and just about hoisted him from the water with urgency. Zack scrambled to his feet with the Bowie knife still in his hand.
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