The day was getting warmer and sweat pooled on my back. Zerzan stopped and turned to the group. She smiled back at us as she pulled out a bottle of water. The rest of us followed suit, drinking deeply. "Not much further now."
"How many men do you think are there?" I asked.
Zerzan shrugged. "I don't know, Sydney, the same way I didn't know the first time you asked."
"It can hold about one hundred, right?"
"Yes, but I do not think that they have so many fighters here. It is very remote. They would be foolish to keep too many men there."
I scanned over Hedar, Dilsoz, and Erzo; they looked hot under all their gear. I didn't envy their bulletproof vests on a hike.
Like Zerzan, I didn't worry about getting killed. It wasn't something that came into my mind. I worried about Blue. And I worried about these three young women in front of me. Did they have families? Mothers like Zerzan's, who thought about them every night and day, hoping they were still alive, dreading any news that might end their worlds.
We started forward again, Zerzan checking her compass as we moved through the thick foliage. It was still mostly pine trees here; however, there was more ground cover, which made the hike more difficult.
Zerzan stopped and turned back to the group. "This is where we should have some food and drink and then we will split up." We sat on the ground and pulled out the food that the women in burkas had packed for us.
We still had about another hour and half of hiking before we reached the camp. There were roads that led to it, but we didn't want to be so obvious.
Zerzan checked her cell phone. No call. Dan and I had spoken briefly, just long enough for me to tell him the plan, for him to sound nervous about it, and for me to promise to call him when it was over.
He was working on how to get me out of the country in the meantime. Though he sounded unsure if it would be necessary. For some reason, he thought me and four other fighters taking on an unknown number of soldiers in their own encampment sounded like a suicide mission.
But then again, Dan liked things to be well planned and expertly executed. Whereas flying by the seat of my pants was how I got this far in the first place. I laughed out loud at that thought and the other women looked at me. I shook my head and put up a hand. "Nothing, just a funny thought." That being here, in these woods, about to do something suicidal, was a good thing—that was funny.
The meal complete and our bags repacked, Zerzan pulled out her hand-drawn map again and we went over the plan for the final time. We checked our walkie-talkies to make sure that the communication lines were clear.
Once we were all in position, we would report in.
I had the least distance to travel, and according to Zerzan, I would be able to view the barracks from my position. I'd report what I could see. Then cut the fence and wait for the others to get into position.
I was checking my compass, looking down at the little needle as it swiveled back-and-forth, when Zerzan embraced me. I inhaled her scent: pine sap, soil, and something all her own, a smell that lingered around her, belonged to her alone.
Zerzan let me go and then turned away so that I didn't see her facial expression. "Good luck," she said.
"Be brave," I responded. It was the saying of Joyful Justice. How members greeted each other and said goodbye. Kind of our Aloha. It was a reminder that fear was expected, but bravery was cultivated.
I took a moment to look at each of the other women's faces, noting the expressions of determination they all wore, and felt secure.
Erzo and Dilsoz went in one direction, Zerzan and Hedar the other, while Blue and I continued straight. Since the other women had further to go, there was no reason for us to hurry. We stopped an hour later and had some more water. I sat on a fallen tree and closed my eyes, feeling the sun on my face and listening to the sounds of the forest: birds chirping, small creatures rustling, wind whistling.
About thirty minutes later, the fence came into view: a sparkle of metal in a sea of nature. Blue and I slowed and my body began to tingle. We moved quietly and steadily toward the fence. Once it was fully in view, we crouched down behind a fallen log.
The fence had not been maintained properly. The barbed wire was unspooled and disconnected in places. It drooped off the top of the fence like a lazy slinky. From our vantage point, we could see three different buildings, all one story. They had flat roofs and dirty windows. After ten minutes of observation, we still hadn't seen a single person. Was it because they were all out of their rooms? Or because there just weren't that many people there?
"I'm in position," I whispered into my walkie-talkie. "The fence is damaged in places. There is no sign of movement." Blue growled and I looked up to see a man outside the fence about thirty feet away. He was staring at me.
***
The guard held a machine gun. He wore pale green pants, a matching shirt, and a hat on his head in the same color. A black and white checked scarf wound around his neck.
His dark eyes sparkled as he watched me.
Crouching on the ground, my weapon holstered, I was vulnerable. While I thought I could get out my gun and fire before he shot me, I knew the noise would alert any other combatants to my existence. I spoke into the walkie-talkie. "There are patrols in the woods."
He yelled something and I dropped the walkie-talkie, slipping a throwing star between my pointer and index fingers before showing him my empty palms.
He aimed the rifle at Blue and I quickly stepped in front of him and shook my head. He began to approach me, keeping his weapon leveled at my chest.
When he was about fifteen feet away I twisted my body, pulling my arm back and then using the torque of my return, slung the blade. It sank deep into his throat.
His eyes went wide, the whites visible all around his brown irises. He choked and fell to his knees, coughed and blood dripped from his lips. He reached up a hand and touched the blade before his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he fell forward, landing on his face in the dirt.
I picked up my walkie-talkie, then Blue and I approached him. My pistol drawn, I used my foot to flip him over. He was dead. One down.
I searched the body and found another walkie-talkie; clearly he was meant to check in at some point. I turned up the volume, hearing only static. Unsure how long we had before his absence was noted, I reported the incident to Zerzan and the others over my walkie-talkie.
I backtracked to where he'd been standing when I first spotted him. There was a path in the woods. It was just a footpath, a wearing down of the soil and pushing aside of the vegetation, but it was a route that they apparently patrolled.
I climbed down to the fence, leaving Blue on the ridge above me, and snapped the metal with my bolt cutters. Then I returned to my spot by the log and watched the compound, waiting for Zerzan and the others to reach their positions.
Zerzan's voice came over the device. "We are at the south entrance. There are three guards. A supply truck just entered. Hedar will wait here while I continue to the west entrance."
Erzo and Dilsoz also checked in. They were in position to the north. "We can see the mess hall; there are five men sitting outside smoking." Dilsoz would remain there while Erzo went around to meet with Zerzan.
"Watch for the footpaths; there are guards in the woods," I warned again.
Blue and I stared at the empty barracks and waited for Zerzan to check in again.
"Erzo and I are here. This gate is guarded by four men. They look relaxed but are well armed. I'm going to call the others now." Zerzan left the line open. She spoke in Kurdish so I couldn't understand what was being said. "They are ready for me. I will leave my walkie-talkie here. Erzo will be able to see me."
My heart beat faster and I pulled three grenades from my bag, laying them on the log next to me. I dried my hands on my pants and waited. The silence that followed was excruciating.
But then I heard yelling in the distance. Zerzan must have revealed herself to the men at the gates. There was
a crack along the line and Erzo spoke. "Zerzan is at the gate. She is demanding to see Mujada. They are yelling for her to get on the ground."
I heard shots. "They are firing at her." I pulled the pin from one of the grenades and launched it into the compound. I ducked behind the log and heard the explosion and felt the heat of the blast.
More gunfire sounded. Picking up my grenades, I put them in a pocket at my waist, silenced my walkie-talkie, then ran down to the gap I'd created in the fence. Blue was by my side and as we entered the compound, his nose tapped my waist. Staying low to avoid most of the smoke pluming out of the building I'd exploded, we ran along the fence, heading north.
Chapter Thirteen
The grenade had blasted a hole in the side of the building and smoke poured from the interior. There were no signs of people running or evacuating. Blue stayed close.
The sound of gunshots had stopped, and I heard an engine approaching. I ran up to the building in front of me, across from the fence, and hunkered down with my back against the wall.
A truck pulled up to the burning building and men jumped out. A fire hose appeared in their arms and they began to extinguish the flames.
There were five of them, two on the hose while the other three began to search the area, yelling back and forth.
Blue tapped his nose to my hip. He was sniffing the air and looking west, in the direction of the gate Zerzan had entered. I nodded my head and we began to move away from the fire.
Blue and I moved slowly and cautiously, keeping our senses on high alert. Blue's ears swiveled back and forth, searching for sounds of danger. He stopped at the edge of a building and peered around. I stayed behind him.
Blue jogged across the exposed street to the next building and I followed. The street was empty. I could hear the hose and the crackle of the fire, but it was growing dimmer as we moved further into the compound.
We reached another intersection and Blue paused, his nostrils flaring. His hackles rose and I heard footsteps around the corner. I tapped my hip quietly and Blue moved behind me. Pressing my back against the wall, I stood at the very edge of the building, listening. Muffled voices. Perhaps they were inside the building and a window or door was open. I looked back at Blue; he flared his nostrils and then wagged his tail. I nodded at him, and he licked his lips as his tail picked up a faster beat.
He was excited for the battle ahead.
I stood still for about another thirty seconds, just listening. It was men's voices only. But it was possible that this was either where they had brought Zerzan or where they were holding Mujada.
Glancing down the length of the building, I saw that the windows were all closed, the curtains pulled. They were unbarred. Not much of a prison.
I peeked around the corner of the building and saw that the street was empty, the door to the building propped open. There was a window between me and the open doorway.
In the other direction was one more building and then the border fence. The building across from me appeared to be unoccupied. I crouched down and then slipped around the corner, headed for the open door, staying low so that I couldn't be seen by anyone peering out the window.
Blue was right behind me; his nose tapped my heel as I crept toward the open door. I stopped shy of the opening and took a deep calming breath.
I heard a low moan. It was sexless. Blue's tail whipped through the air.
I took another deep breath and then slowly stood, sliding my back up the exterior wall of the building. Blue's hackles puffed and his feet did a little dance as he prepared to engage.
I tapped the back of my left leg, instructing Blue to stay behind me. He glared at me but I knew that he would obey. One more breath and then I pivoted, stepping into the open doorway my rifle up at my shoulder, eyes trained down the barrel. There were three men; they were standing around a metal cage constructed for a large dog. When they saw me one of them yelped and all three began to fumble for the guns at their waists. I shot the man closest to me. As I shifted my aim left to the next man, Blue leapt from behind me, and as I pulled the trigger, I heard his body slam into the last man.
I swung around and lowered my aim finding Blue shaking the man's arm. His weapon, a small machine gun, was still in his grip. As my gaze fell on them, the man pulled the trigger. Bullets blasted into the cement floor at my feet, sending up chunks of debris and dust.
I dove to the left, landing next to one of the dead men. On my belly, I brought my rifle back to my shoulder, aimed at the man's head, and fired.
His body went limp; the weapon slipped out of his hand and Blue backed away, his mouth red with the dead man's blood.
I closed the door and pushed the deadlock into place then turned my attention to the dog cage; inside was a naked figure. The back was to me; it was covered in seeping wounds. Long lashes, some welts, others lines of torn skin crusted with dried blood.
The body was in the fetal position so that the head was down between the shoulders, but I could see knotted, black hair. It was Mujada.
Blue was by the cage, his nose pressed between the bars and he was whining.
Revulsion and white-hot anger broiled inside of me. I approached the cage and found the door padlocked. I crouched down near Mujada's head. "Hey, it's Sydney."
There was no response. Her breathing was shallow and her face was covered in her hair. Cigarette burns dotted her arms. Black, brown, purple, green, and blue bruises mottled her legs. They looked like storm clouds.
I needed to find the keys to the padlock.
I searched the closest body. It was the man Blue had taken down. His head wound was leaking onto the floor, and I stepped into the puddle to get to his pockets. He wore loose navy pants that cinched at the ankle and a button down shirt. In his pocket I found a cell phone and some hard candies but no key. I pocketed the cell phone and moved on to the next man. I'd shot him in the chest, and he lay on the ground with his arms flung wide. His eyes were open and staring at the ceiling. He was young.
There was soft stubble on his jaw and a dusting over his lip. He could not have been much over eighteen.
I looked back at Mujada's body and the wounds that covered her which made it easier to fight back a stab of guilt. It wasn't my fault this boy had chosen to be here, but it was my fault he was dead.
He didn't have the keys either.
The third body was a slightly older man but still young. He had a large Adam's apple, and his hair was cropped close to his head. I'd shot him in his heart, and the entry wound was a silver-dollar-sized red spot. He lay in a growing pool of blood. It was also splattered on the bare walls.
I found a set of keys that included one for the padlock as well the ignition key for a Toyota truck. Blue growled and I paused as I crossed the room to Mujada's cage.
Blue was at the door, and I approached the window, crouching low. Shifting the curtain slightly, I looked out onto the road.
There were three men coming. Two dragged a body between them while the third formed a triangle behind them, rifles up. The prisoner's head hung loose between her shoulders, a dark ponytail bouncing back and forth, and her feet dragged on the ground. It was Zerzan.
Glancing around the room quickly, I noticed that there were two other cages and realized that they were probably coming this way. I pulled closed the curtain. Blue stood next to me as I planted my feet in a puddle of blood, my rifle at my shoulder, and knees slightly bent. I faced the door.
My entire body vibrated with adrenaline. I was seriously outnumbered, but I had plenty of rounds and a narrow opening that they would need to pass through to get me.
I heard them stop outside the door. They yelled, presumably asking the men I'd killed to open the door for them.
They spoke to each other. They knew something was wrong. I waited, figuring they'd need to investigate eventually. Blue released a very low growl that only I could hear, and a moment later the window shattered and a silver canister hit the floor.
It was to my left, and Blue was
to my right. I dove, knocking Blue to the ground under me as a white light exploded.
***
I squeezed my eyes shut, but the flash of light penetrated my closed lids.
The moment it was over, I was back on my feet, crouching down, rifle aimed at the door. White smoke billowed in the room, and my vision was spotted with bright lights.
My throat closed and my eyes stung as I recognized the burn of tear gas. Part of Joyful Justice training included exposure to the toxic smoke.
I coughed and Blue choked. In Mujada's weakened condition, this could kill her.
I picked up a chair and hurled it through the already broken window hoping to create a bigger hole. Glass shattered and the wooden chair became lodged in the frame, tear gas pouring out around it. I shoved Mujada's cage, pushing her into a corner, moving her out of direct line with the door.
Pushing my rifle onto my back, I pulled out my pistol. Motioning for Blue to stay behind me, I threw back the dead bolt and pulled the door open, staying behind it. White smoke whooshed out.
I'd expected a barrage of bullets.
There was only silence.
Smoke filled the doorway, billowing out onto the street. My vision was narrowing. Lowering myself to the ground, I peered around the edge of the door.
Through the smoke and my foggy vision, I saw several bodies on the ground. There was one figure standing. As the smoke lifted and shifted in the wind, I saw a bloody knife in her hand.
My vision darkened at the edges.
Zerzan's face and body were splattered with blood.
I crawled through the door. Zerzan grabbed my arm and helped me down the street as coughing seized me. She dropped me and I lay on my stomach coughing into the ground, dust rising up into my face. Blue lay down next to me, sneezing and coughing and crying. I rolled onto my back. Blue was on his stomach, pawing at his face. We needed water, and we needed it now.
I rose up on my knees and stumbled onto my feet, taking a couple of unsteady steps. White smoke was still spewing out of the open doorway, and tear gas was thick in the air.
The Girl With The Gun (Sydney Rye Book 8) Page 12