by Roger Hayden
Craig placed a hand on her shoulder, interrupting. “I’ll tell you everything, but first, let’s go inside and get out of the sun.”
A quick silence came over the group as they looked toward Husein, who stood sheepishly to the side. Nick and Rachael examined him. His curly hair was mess. His clothes were tattered and dirty, and he looked every bit as exhausted as Craig.
“I’d like to introduce Husein,” Craig said. “Husein, this is my wife, Rachael, and my son, Nick.”
“Nice to meet you,” Husein said.
They nodded back. Rachael said, “Hello.” Nick waved. After the initial awkwardness, they headed back to the cabin, with Craig telling them, “I’ll explain later.”
After setting down their backpacks, Craig and Husein sat on the couch where Rachael handed them each a bottle of water, which they gulped down.
From the kitchen, she continued her line of questions. “How did you get here?”
“We have a van. Parked it on the back road and walked the rest of the way,” Craig answered. He tilted his head back and finished the last of the water.
“I heard about the attack on the FBI building,” Rachael said. “It’s just terrible. But now that you’re back, I can breathe again.”
“I’m sorry for worrying you,” Craig said.
Rachael turned to them. “So tell us: How did you meet Husein?”
Craig glanced at Husein and then back to her. “He’s part of an ongoing investigation. A special witness. We ran into some trouble but made it through just fine.”
Craig suddenly rose from couch and limped toward the bedroom. Rachael looked up.
“Where are you going?” she asked.
“I need to check on something real quick,” he said, heading toward the bedroom, unable to postpone for another minute what had been in the back of his mind. He stopped before passing Nick and he put his hand on his shoulder. “How have you been holdin’ up here, buddy?”
“I’m okay,” Nick said. “A little scared though.”
Craig squeezed Nick’s shoulders. “We’re safe here. There’s nothing to be scared of.”
“It’s not just us, Dad. I’m scared for everyone else out there.”
Craig sighed. “Listen, things are bad right now. I’m not going to lie to you.”
Nick pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and held it up. “The Internet doesn’t even work. All I’ve been getting lately is this.” His display screen read: This page cannot be displayed.
“It may be like that for a while,” Craig said. “We’re just going to have to adjust.”
“For how long?” Nick asked.
Craig looked at him, uncertain. “I don’t know,” Craig said softly. “In the meantime, we hunker down. Look out for each other. Got it?”
Nick looked down. “Yeah.”
“You’re doing good, son. I’m proud of you.” Craig touched Nick’s arm again and walked into the bedroom.
Nick, suddenly hungry, decided it was time to help his mother with breakfast. He followed the aroma down the hall and to the kitchen eager to lend a hand.
On the twin bed in Craig’s room sat his backpack. He zipped it open and took out a slim laptop wrapped in a bath towel. He went to a small desk in the corner, placed it on top, pulled up a chair and sat down. He flipped the MacBook open and turned it on: A log-in screen appeared.
“Shit…” he said under his breath.
In the kitchen, Rachael was getting everything ready. She had exchanged a few words with Husein as he waited in the living room, and she was intent on finding out a little more about their unexpected visitor.
“So you’re from Chechnya?” she asked.
“Yes, that is correct,” Husein answered.
“Wow. That’s amazing…” Her attention was suddenly diverted to the bedroom, where Craig had just shut the door. “Hurry up before it gets cold.”
“Be out in a minute!” Craig shouted.
Rachael shook her head just as her cell phone vibrated on the kitchen counter. So they had a signal again. She jumped and looked at the screen. It was a call from Craig’s phone, a call she had been anticipating for the past two days. With him returned she didn’t understand what was going on. She picked up the phone and walked to their room where Craig was seated in front of a laptop.
She held up her vibrating phone. “Did you lose your phone or something?”
Craig narrowed his eyes as the room went quiet. He shot out of his chair and walked over to her, taking her phone. There was no mistaking the contact displayed on the screen. Someone was calling from his phone. Rachael saw the deep concern in his face and his hesitation to answer.
“What is it? What’s wrong?”
Craig pressed the answer button and held the phone to his ear. “Hello?”
Immediately, he was sorry he had answered. He knew who was calling and he knew the signal could be tracked. The line was full of static. There was a pause. Then a voice spoke, heavily distorted. “Hello, Agent Davis.”
Craig knew enough. He knew they had his phone and had somehow gotten into it, just as he had been trying on the laptop to bypass into their system.
“What do you want?” he asked angrily. Concerned, Rachael moved closer, trying to listen in.
“You know very well what we want.”
“Who is this?” Craig barked.
“My name is Ghazi, and I believe I’ll be making your acquaintance soon enough.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Craig asked.
“We’re close, Agent Davis. Very close. I’m afraid your options are very limited, so I’d listen carefully if I were you.”
Craig paced back and forth, looking out the window. Rachael asked who was on the line, but Craig didn’t respond.
“You will listen to me carefully.”
Craig left the room with the phone pressed tightly against his ear and headed outside.
“Are you still there?” the voice asked.
“Yes. What do you want?”
“I’m happy to get to the point. We want the laptop you stole and we want you to surrender yourself to us.”
“That’s hilarious,” Craig said. “I’m with an analyst expert right now. In five minutes, we’re going to find out what’s on that laptop and expose your entire operation.”
“Way out there in the woods?”
Craig froze.
“We were hoping to find you at your house. But there was nothing but police there. Lots of them. More of our brothers martyred at your hands. Mark my words, there will be retribution for your actions when we get there.”
“Get where?” Craig asked.
“Why, your cabin, of course,” Ghazi answered.
“I don’t believe you.”
“The laptop has told us exactly where to find you.”
Craig froze and then dashed back inside, stomping across the hardwood floor and into the bedroom where he slammed the laptop shut.
A laugh came over the other line. “No use in turning it off now. Allow me to provide our terms. You meet us with the laptop, unarmed, and we’ll spare your family. You should be quite honored, actually. Our Supreme Commander wants to personally speak to you.”
“You come within one hundred feet of this cabin, none of you will make it back alive,” Craig said.
Ghazi laughed again. “We have more terms. You see, we have a team stationed outside the house of Meredith and Tony Adams. I believe this to be your wife’s parents, yes?”
There was a pause. Craig gave no response.
“They will be slaughtered upon my command. Nothing personal, but your parents proved harder to find.”
Craig pictured Rachael’s parents. He looked at his wife.
“Do we have a deal?” Ghazi asked.
Craig walked back outside, past Rachael, who had been trying to keep up with his wild pacing.
“Sure. You want this laptop, come and get it.”
“And you promise not to resist?”
Craig looke
d up, stretching his neck. There was no denying how trapped he felt. His adversaries didn’t seem to be bluffing. “Yes…” he said, quietly.
“Great. Where should we—”
Craig hung up before Ghazi could finish. He looked around, trying to strategize. He was cornered, there was no doubt about that, but he wasn’t planning to go down without a fight.
Lost and Found
Craig hung up the phone and put it in his pocket. His eyes stared off into nothingness as Rachael stood directly in front of him, trying to get his attention.
“What is it?”
He looked at her, stricken with distress, but trying his best to remain calm. The last thing he wanted was to send Rachael into a spiral of panic.
“I have to call the FBI,” he said.
“The FBI? Tell me what’s wrong.”
Craig looked into her eyes. “We need to go inside.”
As they walked back in, Husein and Nick watched them from the couch wondering what was going on.
Craig turned to Nick and spoke low and calmly. “Nick, I have a job for you and Husein.”
“What?” Nick asked.
“You know that hatch in the other bedroom? The one under your bed?”
“The trapdoor?” Nick asked.
“Yes. I need you to go in there and get out my toolkit. It’s a big wooden box.”
“Awe come on, Dad. There’s spiders down there.”
“I don’t care,” Craig said. “Take it out and bring it out here. Then I want you both to stand watch. One of you at kitchen window, the other one at the front. If you see anything suspicious, yell for me.”
Nick began to look worried.
Husein said nothing. He glanced at the rifle slung on Craig’s shoulder and looked back up at him. “What’s going on?”
“Please. I need you both to act. I’ll explain everything in a minute.”
Craig walked off to his room as Rachael followed. They closed the door before any more questions came their way. Rachael sat on the side of the bed as the mattress springs squeaked. “Okay, will you please tell me what’s going on now?”
Craig turned to her and took her hands in his.
“There’s not much time explain…” he began.
Rachael pulled her hands away and crossed her arms. “Try me.”
Craig pulled the cell phone from his pocket and handed it to her. “I want you to call your parents now and tell them to leave their house at once.”
Her shaky hand reached for the phone. Craig placed it in her palm and squeezed her hand. “But whatever they do, it has to be quick. Tell them to call a neighbor or the police if they have to. They’re in great danger.”
“What are you talking about?” Her voice was trembling.
“I was briefly captured by terrorists,” he said.
Rachael’s eyes widened. She covered her mouth. “I knew something bad had happened to you. How did you get captured? My God, how did you escape?”
Craig spoke rapidly and in hushed tones. “Nick can’t know any of this. Not right now. I was on that convoy that got hit, the one you heard about on the news. We were transporting informants to the Pentagon. After the attack, I was taken to some plastics factory in Detroit, where I was held prisoner. I broke free and escaped.”
“Detroit?”
“They got my phone, my wallet, everything. I had to steal a van to get back here. Husein and I.”
“He was taken prisoner too? Who is he?”
“Yes, he was,” Craig said. “He’s just a boy from Chechnya who got mixed up with the wrong people.”
Rachael held both her hands out, shaking. “That’s it. You’re done with the FBI. Do you hear me? I can’t take this anymore.”
“Please, Rachael. We have to be ready to fight back. The terrorist are on their way. They’re headed for the cabin right now and they want the laptop.”
Rachael shook her head and closed her eyes. “What does this have to do with my parents?” she asked as her hands fell to the mattress.
“That phone call was from a man named Ghazi. He has my phone. They know everything about me.” Craig stopped and took a deep breath. “He made threats against your parents. Said that if I didn’t cooperate…”
Something in Rachael triggered. She jumped up from the bed, and pushed Craig. “You give them that damn laptop, you hear me?” she shouted.
Craig stumbled back then regained his footing.
“Giving them the laptop won’t solve a thing,” Craig said back. “We have to be ready to fight them. All of our lives are in danger right now. That’s why you need to tell you parents to go somewhere safe. Ghazi could be bluffing, but I don’t want to risk it.”
Rachael looked at Craig in disbelief. “How did they find us? How did they find my parents?”
Craig stepped forward in an attempt to comfort her, but she backed away, held up her phone, and dialed her parents’ number. With the phone to her ear, she waited.
“There’s still a chance for us to beat this,” Craig said. “You have to trust me.”
Rachael lowered the phone in frustration. “I can’t get through to them. There’s no signal in here.” She attempted to walk past Craig, out of the room, but he blocked her.
“We have to work together on this. It’s the only way. Do you understand?”
She nodded as her eyes closed and tears streamed.
“I want you and Nick to take the boat and get out of here. Husein and I will set the traps. Then I’ll be ready for them.”
As she opened her eyes, he saw a look of pure conviction. “I am not leaving. It’s out of the question. Do you understand?”
“Rachael, please.”
“We’re not going anywhere.”
She left the room and stomped across the hardwood floor. Craig stuck his head out of the room and shouted to her as she swung open the patio door. “Make sure to tell your parents that they’re being watched. Whatever they do, they have to be careful about it!”
She didn’t answer as the screen door swung shut behind her. Craig went to the desk where the laptop rested, deciding what to do. Husein and Nick walked by the room carrying a wooden chest, one on each side.
“Geeze, Dad. What do you have in this thing?”
Craig grabbed the laptop and set it on the bed, next to his backpack. “Uh. Just a bunch of stuff, Nick. Set it down. Don’t mess with anything just yet. Go ahead keep watch.”
“Are we in danger?” Husein asked.
“Not yet,” Craig answered. When Nick and Husein left the room, he dug through his backpack, pulling out four fully-loaded magazines. He stuffed two in each pocket of his jeans and then slid the laptop inside his computer bag, zipping it up. It was time to explain to Husein and Nick exactly what was going on. Craig walked out of the room and closed the door.
Rachael was outside the cabin on her phone, pacing in circles. Having finally gotten the call through, she had been pleading with her parents for the past five minutes to leave their house in Boston, Massachusetts.
Her mother had said that things were crazy enough and that her father, Tony, wasn’t going anywhere. The city, they said, was largely on lockdown, and they didn’t know where else they could go. Rachael tried to explain the situation in the clearest way possible.
“I know what’s going on, Mom. But you and Dad have to get out of there. Yes, that’s what Craig told me. You’re not safe at the house. At least go to a neighbor’s, but do it quietly. Secretly,” she pleaded. “Craig said that terrorists are specifically targeting you.”
“Why us?” her mother asked.
Rachael felt desperate. Strands of hair had escaped from her short ponytail and fallen into her face.
“Can I talk to Dad, please?”
“Your father is busy, but hold on.” As Meredith spoke, the reception went in and out.
Rachael waited impatiently.
“Dad?” she asked. “Dad, are you there?”
“Yes, Rachael. What is it?”
“Plea
se listen to me. Craig…” she stopped, trying to choose her words carefully. “Craig was captured by terrorists yesterday. He escaped and we’re safely in hiding. So they’re coming after you and Mom. You both have to…” She stopped speaking. The phone seemed to have gone dead.
“Dad?” She held the phone out, looking at it. The signal had dropped. “No!” She dialed again and again, but nothing went through. Craig walked outside the cabin and approached with caution. She whipped around at the sound of a twig snapping as he came closer. Her face was red and her tear-streaked cheeks were puffy.
“Did you get the message to them?”
“Lost the signal,” she said, lowering the phone in defeat.
Craig gently took it from her hand. “It’s time. If you’re going to stay here with me, we have to be ready.”
Rachael looked up. Her eyes met his, and they both found a moment’s comfort.
“What did you tell Nick and Husein?” she asked.
“Nick is going to stay with you, by your side, in the cabin. If things go south, I want you all to take the boat and get out of here.”
“Where are you going? What are you going to do?” she asked.
Craig paced around, thinking. “I’m going to meet them halfway,” he said. “Keep them away from the cabin. I’m going to give them a decoy laptop and send them on their way.”
Rachael looked skeptical. “That’s it? What next? They’re just going to go away? You need to call for back-up, Craig. This is serious.”
“I am,” Craig protested. “I’m not walking into this thing alone.”
Rachael eyes fluttered. The same look she made when she made whenever she was conflicted. They were hopelessly stuck. Fight or flee. To abandon their safe house seemed foolish, given the threat of more attacks. Craig reminded her of this.
“When they had me captive, the terrorists spoke of two more attacks. ‘Phases,’ they called them. I’m positive that there’s information on the laptop that will reveal their plans. We can save thousands, if not millions, of lives here.”
“Okay,” Rachael said, softly conceding. “I didn’t realize the laptop was so important.”
“That’s why I need to get on the line with the FBI immediately.”