Of course, the other two heard it and they knew it had gotten their comrade. Naturally, they assumed that Finn had killed him, which only increased their anger. They raised their rifles and fired, not having a clear target in mind. One bullet narrowly missed Finn.
Odin had given them rifles. Fully automatic. They must be very proud, and for that reason alone they would strive to prove themselves worthy of the honor.
Finn knew only too well what such a weapon could do. It was like a rush. He himself had not taken one with him when he fled. Everything had happened too quickly. But he had Matt’s.
The obvious thing to do was to ambush the two and shoot them from cover. But he did not want that. Besides, that would steer others in his direction. Now it was just his comrades, who instinctively knew the right place, but in their eagerness to get praise from Odin, had never told anyone else about it. It was just him and them.
If he just timed it right, he could overpower them and no one would have to die today. There had already been so many deaths. He didn’t want to buy his freedom with blood.
“We’ll get you, traitor!” shouted Gunnar, and from his voice Finn clearly heard his hatred. He had waited too long. Too much resentment and disdain heaped upon him. Gunnar would kill him with pleasure.
With Erik it was different. Since he had not killed him in the fight, while Erik himself would have killed him without batting an eye, something was different. Erik had become quieter and had watched him again and again. He had done that before, too, as if he secretly admired him.
But since their fight, there was something else. Something that Finn couldn’t grasp, but made him hope that maybe Erik wasn’t approaching it with the same vigor as the others. It was only a small hope, but Finn would take anything he could get. Without hope and a little luck, there was no escaping the clutches of Odin and the Fellowship.
Gunnar fed and Erik combed the wider perimeter. They took advantage of any cover they could find, but also watched for any hiding places that might be offered to Finn. “We’re going to get you, traitor!” shouted Gunnar again. “You bastard! You have disgraced us for far too long. Now it’s time to settle the score!”
With that, Gunnar leapt forward and shot at the spot where he had seen the rifle barrel. Before Finn could do anything, he jumped around the tree, but there was no one there except the rifle, which was wedged in a branch fork.
“Look out!” shouted Erik still, raising his rifle.
Everything happened in a split second as Gunnar was still wondering why Erik was aiming at him. He himself pointed his gun at Erik when a branch already hit him full force in the stomach, breaking several ribs and hurling him backwards. His completely overwhelmed brain still had time to put it all together before he crashed into a tree and went down senseless. Erik had not aimed at him, but at Finn, who had hidden behind the tree, visible to Erik but not to Gunnar, and had bent a sturdy branch around so much that its force was his undoing. Erik had tried to warn him, but by then it was too late.
Finn looked at Erik, who looked at him with a frightened expression... and hesitated. In the next moment, Finn took cover, which released Erik from his stupor.
Finn closed his eyes. Erik’s hesitation had saved his life, but had jeopardized Erik’s for good. He had spared him, for whatever reason, but this was a fatal mistake that no one should make. He knew it. And Erik knew it, too.
“Let’s stop!” shouted Finn.
Erik shook his head. “You betrayed all of us! You’re a traitor! That’s worse than being the member of an inferior race trying to infiltrate our people. You are a traitor to the people!”
“And you hesitated to shoot me!”
Erik swallowed. “You were too easy a target. And I didn’t want to endanger my comrade.”
Finn smiled mirthlessly. “We both know that’s not true.” He paused for a moment. “Come with me. Put it behind you. Just one jump off the cliff and we’ll both be free.”
Erik gripped his rifle tighter. One look was enough for Finn to see that he was wavering. But would it be enough for him to let him go? He doubted it. If only he’d had more time. But he didn’t really need more time. Just a hesitation. A brief hesitation like he had just had, and he would be gone.
Erik moved closer, keeping clear of the trees and bushes that offered a perfect hiding place for an ambush. But at the same time, he also cut off Finn’s path to the slope. If Finn wanted to take that path, he would have to pass him. And then everything would be settled in a single moment. Either Erik would let him go, or he would have to hurt Erik, if not kill him, in order to buy his freedom.
Finn closed his eyes. He didn’t want to kill Erik. But if he had no other choice...
Carefully, he crept from tree to tree, always timing it just right. Between the edge of the forest and the edge of the slope, there was only a short free stretch. He only had to make it there, then it was only a jump into the unknown. If he got him there, they would both be able to live.
Erik was good. But he apparently still assumed that Finn wanted to kill him and had a firearm. Finn could use that to his advantage, since he could act quite differently unarmed than with a gun. All he had to do was keep the optimum distance from Erik so that his field of vision was restricted enough to take advantage of this.
Finn kept himself very low and moved even more cautiously than he would have with a real opponent, since his ultimate goal was to spare Erik’s life.
Everything depended on just one moment. A moment in which everything was decided.
Erik was really good and did not make it easy for Finn. He could only hope that his former comrade was not as focused by his existing inner conflict as the situation would have required. Just a moment longer.
Suddenly Erik wheeled around, aimed right in his direction and fired. Finn just managed to dodge, but hadn’t been fast enough. The bullet grazed his leg and he came down hard.
When Finn lifted his head, he could see the forest line. Behind it, the river rushed just below the slope. It was only a few more yards. It would take him only a moment to reach it. And then...
Heavy boots appeared in his field of vision, blocking his view of freedom.
Odin’s boots.
In the next moment, Finn was grabbed by the collar, lifted into the air, and his face found itself in front of Odin’s. Finn had seen Odin angry many times. The violence in his eyes. But never like this. His bloody face was a grimace of horror.
“You will die now!” Odin announced. “And of your death generations to come shall yet speak and feast. Let everyone see what happens to traitors!”
Odin threw Finn against a tree and pain ran through Finn’s back. Already Odin was at him, ramming his fist into his stomach. Although the blow did not come unprepared, Finn could not bear its force. Odin was simply too strong, but the fight against Wolgar had cost him strength as well. Perhaps this was the only chance Finn would ever have against Odin.
Finn succeeded in blocking Odin’s next blow, and in return, he placed a blow himself, directly on the laceration on his eye, which still came from Wolgar. The next blow was also successful. And the next.
Finn kicked at Odin’s knee, ignoring his own pain from the graze on his leg. Odin, however, did not. As he got to his knees, his fingers reached right into the miracle.
Finn cried out in pain that exploded in white flashes in his head. Then another hard blow hit him. Instinctively, Finn blocked and struck himself. Again and again. Odin took the blows, but staggered. Only pure hatred kept him on his feet.
Odin’s face was already completely covered with blood when he caught Finn’s blow with his hand, twisted his arm and broke it with another blow. Finn screamed out all his despair, because he knew it was over. And then Odin kept hitting him. Breaking his ribs and bones until Finn’s face was also covered in blood.
When Odin stopped hitting him, Finn no longer knew. There was only pain and the mercilessness of the world that would not allow him to pass out. He barely felt Odin grab him
and slither to the edge of the slope.
“That’s where you were going down?” sneered Odin with all the contempt he was capable of. “Escape from us? To freedom? What freedom? There you would have been but a slave. A slave to niggers and Kanaks who increasingly infiltrate not only this land.” Odin’s face was again distorted by anger. “You are a miserable traitor! I should have killed you before, but I believed you would come to your senses!”
With that, he punched Finn in the stomach again and just let him fall to the ground.
Like a giant death demon, Odin loomed over Finn, who was unable to move.
16
Anna was sweating. She entered the password again, but nothing happened. Her normal password, which she needed every day for her work, had been no problem, but the files were locked. She had no access to the data. Yesterday she had been working on it, but now suddenly everything was gone.
She turned the computer off and on again. It remained the same.
“Shit! Shit! Shit!” she screamed and was about to punch the computer, but still held back. It certainly wouldn’t be a good idea to hit a computer that contained such explosive files. She might have to get someone to take care of it, in which case they would need something to work with, not a pile of junk.
When Anna heard the explosions, she knew something had gone incredibly wrong. Again.
Why had she allowed Sergey to take care of this Ben too? She should have insisted that he just shoot him. But she had seen it in Sergey’s eyes that he had not been satisfied with that. And she knew all too well that if you wanted to prevent men like Sergey from satisfying their needs on you, you had better give them what they wanted.
And now she heard explosions. This could not be a coincidence.
She would have liked too much to believe that it was a coincidence. That none of this meant anything. Or that Russev’s people were simply covering their tracks. Something like that. But she knew better.
Ben had done it. She didn’t know how, but he was still alive. And if he was alive, he was looking for her. For sure. And he knew where to find her, too.
Actually, she would have been long gone. But Mo had to have done something. Of course, he knew something like that. He was a damn genius at computers and had always made sure that the IT department in her branch had the least to do, which had always been just fine with her. But now he had used his knowledge to lock all the important files.
Anna had tried desperately to open them. And the longer it took, the more nervous she became.
She had to open them. Everything depended on it. If she couldn’t get the data to the accounts, then...
She felt a chill run down her spine.
No, she couldn’t think about that.
She had always imagined everything so well. Problems included. But what had happened that night, she hadn’t seen that before. How could she?
Actually, everything could have ended with Mo. A regrettable loss, which she would have liked to prevent, but equally accepted. The whole thing would still have been uncomfortable, but not like this. Of course, she would have had to finally get rid of Russev and Ahrend. But everything according to her schedule and not so bang on the spot.
It had all been planned. Her whole exit strategy. And also how it was to continue.
And it could all still happen. She just needed access to the data. Just that and she would sort it all out. But access remained denied to her.
Again and again, she glanced at the clock. Listened to the sirens wailing in the distance. Her time was running out. And everything she had built up would be irretrievably destroyed.
When she looked to the side in the main branch room, Ben was standing there.
She jumped up in shock, causing her desk chair to bang against a shelf. In the next moment, she searched for her pistol in near panic. When she found it, she held it out, aiming at Ben, but he made no move.
They stood there for a few moments. Anna with the gun at hand. And Ben, whom she was threatening, who looked as if he had just escaped from hell. His eyes fixed on her made her gulp. His look was unambiguous.
“Who the hell are you?!” she finally screamed out her anger. “Who are you?!”
Ben didn’t move. “Nobody!”
Anna screamed. “Cut the crap! You’re not a banker!”
“Yes, I am.”
Anna almost pulled the trigger because of the answer. “Stop it! Tell me who the fuck you are!”
Ben remained unmoved. “I’m the one whose friend you killed.”
Anna’s face contorted in anger. “I already told you! It wasn’t planned! He didn’t fucking let up and put me and everyone in danger!”
“He trusted you. He even sent me to protect you.” Ben paused, then gave a short cynical laugh.
“What?!” Anna wanted to know.
“Maybe he figured out your secret, too. Realized when he saw everything in front of him that something was wrong. And sent me to you because he knew what would happen.”
Anna’s jaws ground. “You mean he sent you to me knowing that this is exactly what was going to happen?” Again she paused. “Why? How did he know that? How did he know that you would destroy everything and leave only corpses in your wake? And that you would get behind this? Behind me and what I’ve done? How?”
Ben smiled. “Because he was Mo. There was no one who knew me that well. Except for his father. Mo always saw me right. Better than I saw myself.”
Anna took a breath. “Well, what the fuck does that mean? What did he see? Who are you?”
Ben smiled wearily. “If I told you, you wouldn’t believe it. It doesn’t matter, either. What only matters is that you killed Mo, and I’m going to kill you for it.”
“Um, now this is the part where I have to step in,” a voice suddenly sounded.
Confused, Anna saw a man she didn’t know enter. Wolters kept his hands raised in plain sight next to his body and came closer to stand near Ben.
“Who are you?” Anna wanted to know, aiming the pistol at him. The man had to be around fifty, wore a gray suit and looked more like a diplomat with his well-groomed appearance. But there was something impenetrable in his eyes. Something dangerous that made Anna instinctively swallow.
Wolters acted innocent. “Who, me? Who am I? Hmm. Nobody. I’m not here at all. And you’d better forget you ever saw me.” He paused for a moment, as if considering. “Well, actually, you’d better have forgotten about bringing up criminal business. If you had, people wouldn’t have died and we wouldn’t be sitting here in this situation.”
Anna seemed more and more overwhelmed. “Are you a fucking cop?! Also an undercover guy like him?!”
Wolters was surprised and looked at Ben uncomprehendingly, then turned back to Anna and pointed at Ben. “He an undercover cop? Did you see all the damage he did? The whole factory’s on fire and he’s turned this peaceful little town here into a Chicago back in the thirties. He’s truly anything but a cop!”
Anna gripped her gun tighter and Wolters reflexively raised his hands a little higher.
“What are you doing here?” Wolters smiled. “That’s a much better question. Very good.” With that, he turned to Ben. “I came to tell you that I can’t allow you to kill her. I’m sorry, I can’t allow that.”
Ben remained motionless as Anna nervously stepped from one foot to the other.
“He, kill me? I’m the one with the gun! You should rather say that I shouldn’t kill him. Which is all the same now.”
Wolters screwed up his face and shook his head. “No, I’m sorry. My message was already meant for him. But perhaps I should point out that I certainly won’t intervene and restrain him if you try to kill him. There is a case to be made against murder. Nothing at all against self-defense resulting in death.”
“Murder?” asked Ben.
Wolters rolled his eyes. “We both know she doesn’t stand a chance. Thus, it would be murder.”
“She had Mo killed!”
Wolters’ face turned sad.
“Yes. I know. That explains all the sweating you’ve been doing, and my being here. But I can’t let you kill her.”
Ben nodded. “I don’t have to.”
With that, he slowly pulled out a sheet similar to the one Anna already knew.
“What’s this?” she asked, irritated.
Ben smiled weakly. “The mail addresses from the Grimms. I contacted them with Sergey’s cell phone. When he did, I informed them that you had robbed them of their money. I guess they’ve already contacted you about that, which is why you’re so nervous.”
Anna gulped and rose again from one moment to the next, confirming Ben’s suspicions.
Wolters laughed out loud. “Oh, lady, you’re in big trouble!”
Ben nodded. “I explained to them that it was you who screwed them all by hiring a hit man to take them all out. I guess once it becomes public that Russev, Matteo, and Sergey are dead, they won’t doubt the authenticity of the message.”
Anna turned chalk white. “You can’t do that!”
“I already have.” He was silent for a moment. “You won’t be able to feel safe anywhere. There’s a gruesome death lurking around every corner. They’re all specialists in the art of killing. They know how to kill a person slowly and extra painfully or keep them alive forever. I guess the brutal guys who took your father were among your clients, too?”
Wolters seemed to be thinking as Anna grew more agitated.
“So we don’t have access to the damning data on this computer?”
Ben nodded. “Mo locked everything down with a special code. He died with it.”
Anna’s eyes grew wide. “That’s not true! He knows the code! Both used it all the time! Ask him! Look at him! You must know him!”
Ben didn’t move and Wolters maintained his feigned seriousness.
“I guess you, Ms. Kerkov, have covered your tracks well too, so they can’t connect you to the whole events, since no one is alive to witness it.”
“What?! Ben can! He was there everywhere!”
Wolters shook his head. “I never got used to that name.” Then he looked at Anna. “Unfortunately, this man is under my supervision and has never been here because of it. I advise you to forget you ever saw him. In return, I am committed to having you connected with everything. Assuming a full statement from you. Thus you are guaranteed a long spell in prison. And thus your angry business partners will not be able to get at you.”
Ultimate Rage - Ragnarok (Thriller) Page 16