by Roger Hayden
Rachael pivoted around, clutching the revolver, her eyes glaring wildly. “You’re not going anywhere, you hear me?”
Startled, Nick stopped. Her voice was angry and demanding—uncompromising even.
“And don’t give me that look,” she snapped, as if reading his mind.
“What if Dad’s in trouble? What if he needs us?”
Rachael’s eyes welled up again as the faint gun shots continued. “Your place is here with me. We have to defend the cabin.”
“Forget the cabin! Dad’s life is in danger.” Nick turned around and stomped off toward the front door. As he pushed on the couch, Rachael followed and grabbed his arm.
“Hey!” he said.
“Stop it,” Rachael told him. “I made a promise to your father, and you’re staying here.”
Nick yanked his arm away just as they heard the sound of helicopters flying overhead. They both stopped to listen. The humming of rotors in the sky grew louder, and the cabin seemed to be vibrating. Rachael turned to look in the kitchen as a coffee mug wobbled across the counter top. Nick then ran from the front door to the small kitchen window and looked up into the sky. “They’re getting closer. I think it’s FBI.”
Rachael felt a sudden joy as relief sweep over her. She rushed to the living room window and looked out. Nick was right. She could see two black helicopters with the FBI seal displayed on the pilot’s side and “FBI” written in big white letters toward the rear. They circled right over, shaking the cabin, and then flew away.
“What are they doing?” Nick asked. “Where are they going?”
“They’re probably looking for a good place to land,” Rachael said, hoping she was right.
More gunshots erupted outside. Rachael held her hands to her ears. The choppers returned and her hopes lifted. They were closer and louder than before, vibrating the entire cabin. Rachael looked out the kitchen window as sticks, leaves, and clouds of dust blew by.
“Hurry!” Nick said. He ran to the couch and started pushing it away. “They’re landing nearby and we have to tell them about Dad.”
Rachael listened for more gunshots but couldn’t hear anything over the whirring of blades that gradually grew fainter. Nick and Rachel then pushed the couch, causing it to scrape against the wooden floor. Nick put his hand on the doorknob and looked back at Rachael.
“Are you ready?”
She held the .38 close to her side and walked over to him. “Yes. But let me go first. We don’t know what’s out there.”
Nick moved out of the way as she opened the door, bringing a rush of bright light into the darkened cabin. They both squinted and proceeded outside onto the front deck.
As her eyes had adjusted to the light, Rachael was able to make out the figure of a man, standing in front of the cabin wearing camouflage gear and pointing a pistol at them. She froze in fear, shielding Nick and blocking him from taking another step.
The man’s dirt-streaked, bearded face was covered in beads of sweat leaking from under his black bandana. His steely glare didn’t leave their frightened faces. He had on a camo-green bullet-proof vest and a waist pack on his side. For a moment, no one said a thing. Rachael could stood paralyzed. Even with her gun in hand, she didn’t know what to do. The man was already aiming at them.
“The laptop. Go get it,” he said bluntly.
Neither Rachael nor Nick reacted. Her mind raced in circles. Her first instinct was to run, but her legs were frozen in place.
“Do you hear me? I want the laptop. Now!”
“I-I..,” Rachael began.
“I don’t have time for games!” the man yelled. He glanced behind him, listening to the sound of the helicopters winding down and then turned back to Rachael. She attempted to hide her revolver behind her back, but he had already seen it.
“Drop it,” he said, motioning downward with his pistol. “I could shoot you and your son dead where you stand, so don’t mess with me.”
She released the revolver and it dropped noisily on the deck.
“Your husband brought us the wrong laptop,” he told her. “I’m no fool. Now send your son in there to retrieve the right one. He has twenty seconds, starting now.”
In a state of near shock, Rachael looked back at Nick, trying to form words which wouldn’t come.
“The MacBook?” Nick asked her.
She nodded fearfully.
“Yes, the MacBook, little one,” the man answered.
“Go,” Rachael said. “Get him what he wants.”
Nick ran inside and toward the bedroom in haste.
“He better not try anything. I’ve had enough games today, starting with your husband.”
“Who are you, and what do you want from us?” Rachael said, trying hard to keep her voice from trembling.
“My name is Ghazi, and we want many things. Vengeance upon your husband, for starters. The blood of every American running in the streets a close second.”
“You’ll get neither. The FBI is here, and they’ll be at the cabin any minute,” Rachael said.
“I can assure you, Mrs. Davis, I’m counting on it.”
“Where’s my husband?”
Ghazi shook his head. “Your liar of a husband made a deal with me. The deal was to spare your life and that of your son. But he then chose to go against his word, leaving me with no other choice but to take your family prisoner.”
“What did you do to him?” she shouted.
“Quiet,” Ghazi said, aiming his gun higher. “If your husband isn’t dead yet, he soon will be. My men have him surrounded.”
Rachael examined Ghazi closely, observing all the sand and grass covering his clothes. “But yet you fled. Why?”
Ghazi’s mouth went from a straight line to a crooked smile. “There’ll be no more questions from you, only answers to my demands. Now where is your son?”
The sound of FBI agents scrambling through the brush and coming toward the cabin could be heard behind them. Ghazi turned and saw silhouettes behind the trees moving closer. He looked at Rachael and pointed his gun to her head. “Call your son now.”
“Nick! Nick, please hurry.” Her eyes glanced down at her revolver on the ground.
“Don’t even consider it,” Ghazi said. “Now kick it over to me.”
She gave a reluctant nudge with her foot.
Nick came out the front door and stopped at his mother’s side with the silver MacBook in hand.
“Good job,” Ghazi said with a self-satisfied smile. In a flash, his expression then turned incensed and livid. “Now come down here. Both of you!”
Rachael hesitated, then slowly moved down one step. “Please. Let my son go. He has nothing to do with any of this.”
“Don’t make me ask you again. If that happens, I’ll shoot you both where you stand.”
Rachael took Nick by the hand and led him down the remaining two steps, stopping inches from Ghazi, who stood rigid and unwavering as he waited. He looked at Nick. “I want you to hold onto that laptop like it was your life. Now move!” he said, gesturing with his pistol.
Rachael walked ahead with Nick at her side. Ghazi ordered them to the back of the cabin, where he stopped to search for any signs of Craig or the FBI. The gunfire had ended, and he was left to wonder who had survived, if anyone. A strange and unsettling feeling told him that Craig was near. He needed to move quickly, and for that reason he un-strapped his vest, pulled it over his head, and tossed it on the ground.
He then took the handle of the pistol and smashed out the above kitchen window. Startled, Rachael and Nick looked at each other, unsure of what Ghazi was up to.
“Stay right there, and don’t move until I tell you,” he said. “When the time comes, you’d better be ready to run.”
“What are you planning to do?”
Ghazi took a step toward her and put the pistol directly against her forehead again, causing her to wince. “What did I say about questioning me? Must I make an example of you?”
He turned away f
rom her, appearing fidgety and distracted. As he held them captive outside at the rear of the cabin, the agents kicked the front door open and stormed inside.
Knowing the FBI agents were inside, Rachael was ready to scream to them, to call out, despite what Ghazi might do to her. They watched Ghazi as he dug into his waist pack. To their shock, he drew a frag grenade from his pouch, pulled the pin out, and tossed it inside the cabin, through the kitchen window. They heard it hit the ground and roll along the hardwood floor.
“Get out of the cabin now!” Rachael shouted. “There’s a grenade!”
Ghazi pointed the gun at her. “Better start running, loud mouth.”
“Grenade! Move out!” one of the agents shouted from outside.
They heard more shouting and stomping around as the agents scrambled to flee the cabin in time.
Ghazi put his gun to Rachael’s head. “Move!”
She ran, holding Nick’s hand as he held onto the laptop. Ghazi followed from behind, jamming the gun into her back. “You want to get blown up? Run faster!”
They ran toward a thick patch of Elms frightened at Ghazi’s screaming demands and his incessant jabs of the pistol. Moments later, an explosion erupted behind them at the cabin.
The blast shook the ground. Rachael could hear wood planks splinter and felt the heat of the blaze as the cabin went up in flames, glass popping, beams crashing, and then, the cries of men howling in pain. As they reached the thick concealment of vine-covered trees, she managed to turn her head and see half of the cabin engulfed in flames and burning to the ground.
Nowhere to Run
As Craig raced toward the cabin, the explosion nearly sent him stumbling backward in shock. He regained his footing and pushed on with Husein behind him. Fire quickly spread throughout the intact portion, and the crippling fear of loss stunned Craig as he shouted for Rachael and Nick.
Two FBI agents came running out, each carrying an injured agents over their shoulders. The closer he got, the more Craig could hear the cries of pain from within. He passed a severed leg lying in the grass, and the jarring sight nearly stopped him in his tracks.
He rushed to the first agent he could find, recognizing him as the thickly mustached Agent Thomas.
“Have you seen my wife? My son? Where are they?” Craig shouted, breathing heavily.
Thomas looked up at him, surprised, and stopped. “Davis? I-I don’t know what happened. A couple of our guys went into the cabin. Thought they heard screaming. Then an explosion. I don’t know how…”
Craig gripped Thomas. “My wife and son! Where are they?”
“We haven’t seen them.”
Craig turned when suddenly another agent ran up, armed and wearing a helmet and visor. He was coughing from the smoke, but managed to blurt out his words. “It was a grenade. Someone threw it through the back window as soon as we came in.” He stopped and coughed again. “I got out in time, but Anderson, Meeks, and Dyson were hit pretty badly. Dyson might not make it.”
Something clicked. Craig took a step away and scanned the area. Ghazi was near, he was sure of it. He saw that Thomas had a pair of binoculars dangling from around his neck.
“Give me those,” he said.
Thomas handed him the binos. He ran to the back of the burning cabin and stopped, looking for signs of disturbance or footprints, but there was nothing. Then he saw something glinting in the grass: Rachael’s wristwatch. They couldn’t have gone far.
In the distance, behind the cabin, he caught a glimpse of a man running into a thick line of trees with Rachael and Nick ahead of him at gunpoint.
“Over there!” he shouted, sprinting off. Husein stood with the FBI agents, not sure what to do. Agent Thomas drew his pistol and followed Craig, while the other agents gently placed their deceased partner on the ground.
Craig was quickly gaining in his pursuit. The back of Ghazi’s head was in view. Craig stopped and raised his pistol.
“Ghazi!” he shouted.
Ghazi froze, turned his head slightly, and then shouted something at Rachael and Nick while brandishing his pistol at them. He wasn’t going down without a fight. The sight of Ghazi holding a gun on his family pushed Craig over the edge.
He fired and sent Ghazi to the ground writhing. Rachael screamed as the shot rang out, and Nick ran off, deeper into the trees. Craig bolted toward his family, leaving Thomas behind.
“Rachael!” Craig shouted, gasping.
She ran toward him from where Ghazi lay, shouting his name. They flew into each other’s arms and tightly embraced.
“Thank God,” Craig said in exhausted relief. “I thought something had happened to you. I saw the cabin and thought I had lost everything.” He stroked the back of her hair, holding her close.
“We’re okay,” Rachael said, trying to catch her breath. “The cabin. We couldn’t stop him. Is it over?”
“Yes,” Craig said. “For now.”
He looked over Rachael’s shoulder, searching for Nick as Ghazi groaned from the ground. Nick was nowhere to be seen. Craig released Rachael and walked over to where Ghazi lay, Rachael following behind, but he stopped her and urged her to stay back.
“Where’s Nick?” he asked.
“He ran off. He’s frightened.”
“Nick!” Craig called out. He pointed his weapon downward and approached Ghazi with caution. Ghazi lifted his head and made a feeble attempt to push himself up, but fell back on his stomach.
Craig stood at Ghazi’s slumping head, which was streaked with drool, dirt, and sweat. Ghazi grunted and spit blood as he gasped and tried to speak between shallow, rapid breaths. He pushed against the ground but only rose an inch before plunging back down.
“I can’t feel anything…” he said, frantic now. His breathing became more labored as panic and shock gripped him. “I can’t move! Help me…” His face fell into the dirt as he sobbed.
Unaffected, Craig examined him. The shot had hit Ghazi directly in his back. Things weren’t going to fare well for him. In response to his pleas for help, Craig knelt and put a pistol to the back of his head.
Troubled by the sight, Rachael called out to him. “Craig, what are you doing? We need to find Nick.”
Agent Thomas ran up and drew his weapon. “What’s going on here? Davis, what are you doing?”
Craig ignored both of them, speaking only to Ghazi. “Just what were you planning to do with my family?”
Ghazi offered only delirious pleas for help. Craig pressed the barrel harder against his skull.
“Were you going to take them somewhere and torture them?” His finger lit on the trigger. “A woman and a young boy? Is that what the plan was?”
Agent Thomas took another step forward. “Let it go, Davis. We need him for intel.”
Craig thought of the laptop, assuming that it had been destroyed in the cabin blast. Thomas was right. He stood up and moved away, leaving Ghazi mumbling to himself on the ground.
“Might as well get him out of here then,” Craig said to Agent Thomas. “I have to find my son.” He headed into the woods, with Rachael following closely behind.
Agent Thomas called out for the other agents for assistance.
Craig charged down a small hill but his limp began to come back to him.
“Slow down,” Rachael said from behind. “You’ll hurt yourself.”
“Nick!” Craig shouted. “It’s okay, buddy. You can come out now.”
Rachael joined Craig in calling out to Nick. From behind a tree in the distance they could see the toe of his shoe sticking out. His sweaty face then peeked out, his short bangs matted over his forehead. When he saw Craig in clear view, he ran to him, stumbling.
“Come here,” Craig said with a hug. He took notice of the laptop in Nick’s hands and squeezed his shoulders. “The laptop? How did you…”
Still shaken, Nick tried to answer. “That man. He told me to carry it and guard it like my life depended on it.”
“You did the right thing. Now because he told
you to, but because you kept it out of his hands. You’re safe now,” Craig said.
Rachael caught up with them, relieved to see her son.
Nick backed away from Craig and looked around. “Where’s Husein?”
Craig turned and pointed off in the distance. “He’s over there with the FBI.” Craig then shook his head. “The bastard took out one of our agents. Injured the others.”
Rachael covered her mouth, shaken. “I tried to warn them. That man threw a grenade through the window as they came in. I had no idea what to do.”
Craig put a hand on her shoulder. “It’s okay. You did everything you could, but we’re going to pick up the pieces starting now. The cabin is gone and it won’t be long before Allawi sends more of his people after us.”
“Who’s Allawi?” Rachael asked.
“He’s the leader of the ISIS sleeper cells. At least he’s who we think is running them.”
Rachael was unnerved. “If we’re not safe here, then where?”
Craig ran his hand through her hair, picking out tiny sticks and blades of grass. “We’re not running anymore. I’m going to get with the FBI, and we’re taking them out.” He then took the laptop from Nick. “That man wanted this laptop for a reason. There are secrets on there. Plans for the next attack, I’m sure of it.”
“Not another one,” Rachael said in disbelief. Then another fear seemed to take hold of her. “Do you have my cell phone?” she asked, holding her hand out. “I need to try my parents again.”
“I’m pretty sure they’re safe.”
Rachael took a step back. “How sure is pretty sure, and how could you possibly know that?”
“Because if they had gotten your parents, it would have been the first thing they said,” he said, pulling the cell phone out and handing it to her. “Here. Call them. We need to get back to the cabin now and see if there’s anything we can salvage.”
They walked together to where Agent Thomas was. The other agents had just lifted Ghazi onto a stretcher and were carrying him off. Smoke fumed from the cabin. The flames had subsided, leaving much of the remaining cabin smoldering and charred. They were out of places to hide.