by Ammar Habib
“Can’t sleep either?” Ethan asked.
“I haven’t had a good night’s sleep in a while, Ethan.” Ivan walked over and took a seat on the closest chair to Ethan. “Bad dreams keeping you up?”
“Bad dreams I can deal with. I’ve had more than my fair share of practice over the last couple of years.”
“What’s keeping you up?”
Ethan took a deep breath as he looked back at the tabletop. “Scary thoughts.”
“About what can happen to Katrina if you fail?”
Ethan nodded. “I’ve been able to save so many people. With my own hands, I’ve saved thousands of lives and I've altered the course of the world…but the ones closest to me always seemed doomed. My mother, father, sister, and best friend are all dead.”
“And now you’re afraid that your wife will be the next to die.”
“I almost lost her once before. When Anthony’s men kidnapped her, I was only seconds away from never seeing her again.”
“But you saved her.”
“It’s only a matter of time before I fail her as well, Ivan. I can barely protect myself from Daken’s soldiers. And it doesn’t matter how many of them I kill. He’ll just keep sending them over and over and over again until I fail.”
“Katrina knows the risks. She did not wait all this time for you because she was unsure if she loved you or not. If she had even a shade of uncertainty as to whether or not she wanted to fight this battle with you, she would have quit on you a long time ago. And if her death is the outcome of this war, then it’s a price that she is willing to pay.”
“But I’m not willing to let her pay it. The whole time I was away, she was my guiding light. And if something happened to her…I don’t know what would become of me.” Ethan looked back at his companion. “Maybe that’s what he wants. Maybe he wants me to lose everything. Maybe then, I’d finally be blinded by hate and would become the slave that he always wanted.”
“That’s why we keep fighting. To make sure that this never happens. You’re a soldier for the world now, Ethan. And a soldier is never out of the fight.”
A few long moments passed before Ethan broke it. “You were a soldier once, weren’t you? Russian special forces?”
Ivan nodded. “A long time ago.”
“Did you ever have to make any sacrifices?”
“Both on and off the battlefield.”
“…off the battlefield?”
“My wife.”
Ethan paused for a moment, not knowing if he should ask the next question. “What happened?”
“You know the life, Ethan. One second I’d be home sleeping in my bed. Then, I’d get a phone call at 2 a.m. telling me to report for duty. Before she knew it, I’d be gone. I would sometimes leave without a word. She would wait sometimes for weeks on end without ever receiving a single phone call as to when I’d be home or even if I was still alive.” Ivan looked down at his feet. “And when I’d come back, I couldn’t say a word about where I’d been.”
Ethan silently listened on.
“As you can imagine, living two lives took its toll on the both of us. The more the years passed, the heavier the toll became. I should have seen it coming. I think we both must have. With every mission, something changed. She grew more…distant. She grew further and further away from me.” He looked back up at Ethan. “And then one day it happened.”
“What?”
“I came home, and she was not waiting for me.”
“Wh—where did she go?”
Ivan slowly shook his head. “I never saw her again. I looked everywhere. Called in every favor. Called everyone I knew who might’ve had even a slight lead. Friends, family. Nobody knew where she had gone. I nearly went mad searching for her.”
“What did you do?”
“I went down a dark path, Ethan. I nearly lost myself. I quit the army. Quit on other people. And I nearly quit on myself.”
“But what saved you?”
“Katrina’s grandfather. If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be alive today. That’s why I’ll protect his family with my life. And now, you and Katrina are that family.”
Ethan slowly nodded. “Do you ever regret it? Letting your duty destroy your family, I mean.”
“Some nights I do and some I don’t.”
“And which one was keeping you up tonight?”
Ivan took a deep breath. “Regret.”
“How do you live with it?”
“You just do, Ethan. You go on with your life. You keep pushing forward. And…and you have to learn to accept what’s happened. It’s only then that you can start to forgive yourself.”
“If something was to happen to Katrina—if I could not save her, would you blame me?”
Slowly, Ivan shook his head. “I would blame the killer, Ethan. And for each love one you have lost, I blame their killers too. Your father, sister, and friends deaths were not your fault. You did what you could—you did the best you could, and that is the end of it. The only ones to blame for their deaths are now in Hell.”
After a long moment, Ethan slightly smiled at his fellow soldier. “Thanks for this.”
Ivan returned the gesture and leaned back in his chair a little bit. “Are you all set for tomorrow?”
“Everything we'll need is packed away. Tomorrow morning, I’ll need you to go and load everything up on the ship.”
“I’ll leave at dawn to do it. Are you taking any weapons?”
“Plenty. Rifles, handguns…and lots of knives.”
“Good.”
“Katrina has a few more things to take care of before we leave. There’s no telling how long we’ll be gone and she needs to make sure that things run smoothly while she’s away.”
“Is the plan of action still the same one you told me this morning?”
Ethan nodded. “We leave right when the sun sets. There’s a boat waiting for us at the shipyard. It’s disguised as a fishing boat on the outside, and it’s equipped with a system that makes it impossible to be picked up by radar.”
“What’s the size of the crew?”
“The ship doesn’t require much man power. Is there anybody from Katrina’s security detail that you’d trust enough to take?”
Ivan didn’t hesitate in his answer. “Oliver. He’s been with us for some time now. Was a decorated soldier. He’s a good man.”
“I was thinking the same thing. Does he know?”
“About you?”
Ethan nodded.
“Yes. He had figured it out on his own and is the only one outside of me and Katrina who does. Where will we be heading?”
“We’ll stay out at sea for a little while. Wait until things have died down. Then we’ll head to a place called Govan Cove. It’s a safe place. Off the grid. David owned some property there through a third party. There’s a small town close to his home there. But that place is disconnected from the world and won’t recognize any of us. She’ll be safe there, especially with you and Oliver.” Ethan paused. “All that we need to do now is get her out of the city safely.”
“Do you think that he has agents in the city?”
Ethan took a deep breath as he looked towards the closed window. “I don’t know…and I pray that we don’t find out.”
***
The next morning Ethan woke up and emerged out of the master bedroom. White rays of sunlight came in through the corridor’s windows. Ethan did not know why, but he felt different than the night before. He no longer felt uneasy. Maybe it was the conversation with Ivan that set him at ease. But whatever it was, something was finally allowing his mind to rest.
He did not go even a few steps when a voice from behind stopped him.
“Ethan.”
Ethan turned around and came face-to-face with one of the manor’s guards. “Morning, Oliver.”
Oliver was a young man, only a few years older than Ethan. Dressed in a black suit and tie, the guard wore a handgun on his belt. “Good morning.”
“Ready for t
onight?”
“Yes, sir. Ivan left a couple of hours ago with the last equipment that we’ll be needing while we’re away.”
“Is he back yet?”
“He came back a few minutes ago, sir.”
“Great. Thank you, Oliver.”
“Yes, sir.”
Ethan turned back around as Oliver walked back from where he had come. Katrina came out of the bedroom wearing her dark pink robe. A hair band held back her long, black locks as she looked to her husband. A slight smile came to her face. “What is it, Ethan?”
“Nothing. Um…were you planning on going to the office this morning?”
“Just to file some last minute paperwork.”
“I was thinking about accompanying you, if you don’t mind.”
***
Before they knew it, the sun was over the horizon and its last rays disappeared. The clouds were heavy and blocked out the moon and stars. A chilly wind blew through the streets.
In the living room of the manor, Ethan stood near the corner of the room. He wore a pair of jeans, a long-sleeved shirt, and a grey zipped-up hoodie. His eyes were closed as he took in the peace and quiet. Ethan heard Katrina’s soft footsteps up above him.
Slowly, Katrina made her way to the top of the staircase. She tried to soak in the feeling and images of the house that she grew up in. She did not know when she would return. It may be a year. Or this may very well be the last time she was in her home.
Arriving at the top of the staircase, she gradually made her way to the bottom of them and came onto the large, glossy foyer. Ethan opened his eyes and looked at her. Katrina wore a brown long coat over her clothes. Glancing over at Ethan, she began to make her way towards him. “Where’s Ivan?”
“Outside, waiting for us with Oliver.”
As she came to him, her gaze went over the room. “You know what this room is, Ethan?”
“It’s where we first met.” They both looked at the exact spot where it happened. The memory ran through both of their minds. They were four-years-old again. They remembered his shyness and her sweet voice, inviting him to join her in her game. The rug she had been sitting on when he first saw her was still right there as if it had happened yesterday.
“This is where our first journey began.” Katrina looked back at him. “And now it is where our second journey is about to begin.”
Ethan was silent.
She took a deep breath. “Are you ready to go?”
“Yes.”
Grabbing one another’s hand, they slowly made their way to the front door. As they left, a part of their hearts remained behind.
They quickly went across the foyer. Ethan reached over and pulled the heavy doors open. Standing on the other side of it was Oliver.
It was obvious that he had just been about to open the door himself before Ethan did. Oliver glanced at both of them before turning his attention to Ethan. Through Oliver’s body language, Ethan knew he had something important on his mind, but was hesitant to say it.
“Um, Ethan, may I speak to you in private?”
Ethan slowly nodded and looked over at Katrina. “I’ll meet you at the car.”
She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek before turning away. Walking past Oliver, she headed towards the parked, black Escalade only a few meters out.
With her gone, Ethan looked back at Oliver. “What is it?”
“It’ll be better if I just show you.” Oliver lightly grabbed ahold of Ethan’s arm and the two of them went inside before he closed the front doors shut. Oliver speedily guided Ethan back into the living room. He walked right over to the table and picked up the remote control before finally looking back at Ethan.
With the click of a button, the television switched on.
The black screen lit up and a news report flashed before them. Ethan watched as the camera from a news helicopter looked down at the street below and zoomed in. The roar of the helicopter almost drowned the voice of the reporter, but he could still be heard. And in his voice was utter fear and disbelief as he watched what was happening nearly eighty feet below him:
Destruction.
Right in the middle of the city of Zimba, a war had begun. Numerous vehicles were turned over, both civilian and police. Many of them had exploded into balls of flame and their fires continued to burn. A few corpses lay scattered on the ground after being killed by an explosion. And there were countless others that were knocked unconscious.
Fear suddenly grabbed Ethan’s soul. In an instant, he knew who was responsible. A red-headed woman and five other figures made their way down the destroyed street. Walking with a step of arrogance, they stopped for nothing. Wearing their dark trench coats, the six of them moved through all the destruction without even flinching.
People ran in terror, fleeing in every direction away from the attackers. They knew that not running would mean that they would die. But their screams did nothing to deter the killers.
“We still don’t know what’s happening. We don’t know who these people are. And we don’t know what they want.”
Two police vehicles rode right at the red-headed women. But the killers continued to march undeterred. It seemed that they would be run over. Within moments, they were only ten feet away from ramming into the woman.
But the vehicles suddenly stopped.
The red-headed woman raised her hands and the two cars lifted off the ground. With a quick motion and without a second thought, her open palms became fists. And right when they did, the two cars violently collapsed in on themselves. She waved her hands to either side, and the two cars flew in either direction, crashing into the sidewalks.
“Holy—!”The reporter’s rapid breathing could be heard. “How the…”
Countless officers took position with their handguns raised. Using their parked cars as cover, they aimed their weapons. And at the loud order of their commanding officer, the triggers were pulled. They lit of the street with their loud gunfire.
The bullets flew through the air. But they did not even go ten feet before they abruptly froze in midair. The bullets hung motionlessly for several seconds. The officers could not move, unable to fathom what was happening.
With a quick wave of her hand, the red-headed woman made the bullets drop harmlessly to the ground. Her vile gaze came onto the officers. They helplessly watched on as she suddenly did another sweep with her hand.
The next instant, all the officers were taken off of their feet. They went flying through the air in every direction. Some flew further down the road. Others went soaring towards the sidewalks. The reporter let out a quick curse of surprise. Before any of the cops really knew what was happening, they were all scattered all across the road, unconscious.
The woman did not even glance at her victims. Her attention immediately turned upwards. Her green eyes looked directly at the camera now, revealing her face for the world to finally see. And on her face was something that Ethan was all too familiar with: a sinister smile.
“She—she’s looking right at us! Mark, g—get us out of here now!”
But those words were never answered. Before the reporter or pilot had time to do anything, the camera went black.
Ethan suddenly snatched the remote from Oliver and switched the television off. Turning towards Oliver, he saw the guard’s eyes were still glued to the black screen. “Tell Ivan to go now.”
Oliver could not move.
“Oliver!”
Coming back to reality, Oliver looked at Ethan before quickly nodding. “Y—yes.”
“Tell Katrina I’ll join her later. Tell her…tell her that I needed to meet with somebody to transfer some more funds before we leave.”
“I will. W—who are these people?”
“They’re…they’re like me. Only stronger. The red-head…her name is Vixen.”
“When we get to the docks, do we wait for you?”
Ethan took a deep breath. “No.”
“When do I tell her that she’ll see you next?�
�
“Soon.”
Oliver knew what that meant.
Ethan glanced down at his feet. “I have to stop these people, Oliver. Only I can do it. And…and I can’t bear to tell her. It’d destroy her.” Slowly, he looked back at Oliver. “Promise me you’ll keep her safe?”
“I swear on my life.”
“Thank you. Go…go now. Before it’s too late.”
“Good luck, Ethan.”
And with those words, Ethan was on his own.
***
Ethan watched as the van pulled off. Under the dark skies, the black vehicle went out the open gates and quickly sped down the road. Ethan took a deep breath as he stood on the porch. For all he knew, this black van would be the last time he ever saw his wife again.
And the worst part was that he did not even said goodbye to her. But it was the way it needed to happen. She would not be able to understand. After living all this time knowing that Ethan could have died at any given moment, Katrina finally had Ethan back. Knowing that he was suddenly throwing himself back into the flames would have broken her heart again.
Vixen and her army were here for Katrina. He knew it without any doubt. They were here to kill another person who was close to him. For what end, he did not know. Maybe it was to finally break him. But he would not let it happen.
He knew that Ivan and Oliver would give their lives for Katrina. But her safety was not the only thing that scared him right now.
It was the safety of the city.
These murders were going to raze the city to the ground on their way to kill Katrina. Man, woman, and child—nobody was safe from their malice.
And Ethan was the only one who could stop them. Taking a deep breath, Ethan looked down and felt the belt that he now wore. Attached to the belt were two sharpened daggers and numerous throwing knives. The exact same type of knives that had killed Vixen before.
He killed her once before. Now, he would kill her again.
***
The van came to an abrupt halt. The entire way here, none of Katrina’s questions were answered. Why did Ethan suddenly changed his mind about coming with them? Why did he not tell her? What were Ivan and Oliver so terrified of that they could hardly even speak? And with every unanswered question, Katrina’s annoyance and fear began to increase.