Project Terminus
Page 11
“Heads up,” whispered Chris.
Randal was sitting up and peering through the brush in an instant. He saw Sara and the guard starting up the hill. They were less than 200 yards away and coming directly at the hide. “I can’t tell if she’s being watched or protected, but unless she alters course, she’s going to be on us in five minutes. Dad, go left and take the girl. I’ve got the guard.”
About half way up the hill, Sara stopped and scanned the hillside. Blackberry bushes on top of the knoll caught her eye and she decided there were enough berries there to meet Nina’s demands. She also considered the possibility that the guard might screw up and allow her to reach the top before he caught up with her. If that happened, she could take off and disappear into the woods before he could get there. She decided to take a chance and picked up the pace.
As she was nearing the crest of the hill, the guard called out, “Slow down, Sara.”
Sara pretended not to hear him and continued up the hill.
“I won’t tell you again, bitch. Stop or I’ll blow your brains out.”
Sara stopped, and turning said, “Nina might not like that, Caleb.”
“Who cares, I’ll just tell her you tried to run. You won’t be around to call me a liar.”
“What’s your problem, Caleb? Nina wants some blackberries and I don’t intend to be the evening’s meal, so fuck you.”
“Fuck me? Fuck me? No, fuck you, you bitch!”
Just as the barrel of the gun started to rise, Randal struck. He chopped down through the man’s trigger hand and, using an upward thrust, jabbed his knife into his jugular. Before the body hit the ground, he administered the coup de grace. Bill was at Randal’s side within seconds and together they dragged the body into the brush and crawled back to the hide.
The girl was a mere ten feet from where Chris, Sean, Bill, and Highlander lay hidden in the brush. At the exact moment Randal took out the guard, Wade put Sara on the ground and dragged her into the hide. With a hand over her mouth, he lay on top of her and said quietly, “I’m going to remove my hand. If you yell, I will slit your throat. Do you understand?”
Eyes wide, Sara nodded.
Wade slowly removed his hand. “Okay. Who are you?”
“My name’s Sara Driscoll.”
“Start talking, Sara, and do it quietly.”
Sara stared at the military garbed men with camouflaged faces staring back at her, and realized they were not cannibals. She said, “No problem.” Then instinctually she said, “Let me tell you right now, I am not a cannibal. I have never, ever, eaten a human being.” Nodding in the direction of the football field, she said, “I definitely am not one of them.”
She went on to explain how and when she had been captured, and what she had done to remain alive. “I’ve been looking for a chance to escape, but they always post a guard on me. I was going to make a break when I reached the top of the knoll, but, well…you know how that story ended.”
Wade asked about the ceremony and Sara explained how it worked. “Saadeh is a chemist. Rather, he was a chemist before everything went to hell. He concocts the drugs they feed the clan before the ceremony. That’s where they sacrifice—”
“We know about the ceremony. We watched the one last night,” Wade said.
“Well, then you saw her majesty in action. You can’t imagine how evil that bitch is. I’ve had plenty of chances to kill her, but I’m ashamed to say, I’m scared to death of her.”
“Is there going to be another ceremony tonight?”
“No, tonight’s Saturday. They don’t have ceremonies on Saturday nights. They have a sunrise brunch ceremony on Sunday morning.”
“What time do they start to gather for that?”
Sarah made a face. “Duh…it’s at sunrise. That’s why they call it a sunrise brunch.”
Wade went face-to-face with her, and said, “You’re in no position to be a smart ass, Sara. Don’t do it again. I’ll ask the question a different way. Do they go onto the field after the sun is up, or do they start the party while it’s still dark?”
Sara’s flippant attitude dissipated instantly. “You’re right, I’m sorry. Forgive me. To answer your question, they get massively screwed up on Saturday night, so they usually don’t get out to the football field until after the sun is up. Some of them are totally out of it and never make it to the ceremony at all.”
“Why did they move the stage?”
“I’m not sure, but I’m guessing it was because her majesty didn’t like the long walk when she made her grand entrance.”
Wade nodded and sat staring at her until she nervously asked, “What now?”
“That’s a good question. I haven’t decided yet.”
Wade motioned for Randal to exit the hide. They moved a short distance away and in a low voice Randal asked, “What the hell are we going to do with her, Dad?”
“That’s a tough call, Son. I don’t want to kill her. Do you believe her story?”
Randal thought for a moment, then said, “Yeah, actually, I do.”
“My gut tells me she’s being truthful, so I do too. Let’s see what else she has to say.”
Going back to the hide, Wade entered first and Sara, still flat on her back on the ground looked up at him, said, “Can I ask you a question, sir?”
“You can ask,” said Wade.
“Who are you guys?”
Wade looked at her, and with narrowed eyes said, “We’re survivors, Sara, just like you.”
Sara’s flippancy was returning. “Yeah, right. Let me rephrase the question. You’re obviously more than survivors. And you’re checking out The Light. Are you going to do something about them? I mean, if you are, I can help you.”
“Keep talking.”
“Well, I know a lot more about them than they think I do. I can give you a lot of useful information.”
“Like what?”
“Like Mohammed Saadeh, for example. You’ve seen one of the ceremonies, so I’m sure you know who he is. Yes, he’s the recognized leader, but in reality he’s nothing more than a dipshit con man wearing a red cowboy hat. Paul Justice? That’s the guy wearing the cavalry hat. He’s their military guy. He’s a complete and utter moron. And then there’s Aziz. That’s the big guy. He’s Saadeh’s bodyguard, but he’s a half-wit. He follows Saadeh around like a puppy dog. The only one with any brains—and she’s one smart bitch—is Nina Lutrova. If you kill her, you’ll effectively kill The Light.”
“And how do you propose we do that, Sara?”
“Shoot her ass, I guess. I mean, get real…you’ve got guns.”
Wade thought, This girl has balls. I’ll give her that. Then he said, “What were you doing out here?”
“Nina sent me to pick some blackberries for her. That’s it. That’s all I was doing.”
“How long before she starts to wonder where you are?”
“Umm…I’m not sure. Maybe another half hour.”
“And what do you think she’ll do when she decides you’re late?”
Sara thought for a second. “At first she’ll be pissed, then she’ll try to find Caleb—that’s the guard you offed. When she can’t find him, trust me, she’s gonna go into full alert mode.”
“What will that consist of?”
“With Nina, you can never be sure, but it won’t be good. No offense, but if you’re planning on fighting them, I hope you have more than six guys, because you won’t stand a chance.”
Wade said, “Let us worry about that. We’re only here gathering information. I’ve decided not to kill you. You can go.”
Sara’s mouth dropped open and she stared at Wade with wide eyes. “I can go? Go where?”
“Back there,” said Wade, nodding his head towards the school.
“Are you crazy? I’m not going back there. I’ve been trying to get away from them for nine long months. No way. If I go back down there, I become brunch. You can kill me if you want to, but I’m not going anywhere near those assholes.”
Grimacing, she said, “Can you be a bit more specific?”
“We do intend to take them down. And trust me, we have the ability to make that happen. We have a plan, which we are now going to modify. How good of an actress are you?”
Sara saw where this was going. “Look, I do want to help you, but I can’t go back like nothing happened. Nina will never believe me.”
“Will she even talk to the guard, Caleb?”
Sara paused for a second. “No. At least I don’t think she will. I’d just knock on the door and take her the berries.”
“Who would miss the guard?”
“I don’t know.”
“If he was missed, who would question you about him?”
“Nina would, definitely.”
“And if she did question you, suppose you told her the guard tried to molest you and that you fought him off. Then you told him you were going to tell her about it and he took off? Would she buy that?”
Sara stared open mouthed at Wade, then reluctantly said, “Maybe. But I don’t see the point. I’d be back where I started, and I don’t look good in barbecue sauce.”
In spite of himself, Wade grinned. “What happens after you deliver the blackberries?”
Sara rolled her eyes. “You don’t want to know.”
“Okay, got it. I’ll rephrase the question. How long before you could leave her room?”
“About an hour or so, I guess.”
“Do you have any duties after that?”
Sara said, “No. I’m Nina’s private stock. And just so you know, I’m not gay, or even bi. I just didn’t have a choice if I wanted to stay alive. And trust me, staying alive is number one on my bucket list.”
Wade pulled her to a sitting position and said, “Okay, Sara. I’m going out on a limb here. I’m going to take a chance on you. We can’t have Nina sounding the alarm if you and the guard both disappear. So you have to go back down there and win an Academy Award. Can you do that?”
Sara stared at Wade with a questioning look. “If I do, how do I get away again?”
Wade turned and said, “Guys, load up her bucket with berries.” Turning back to her, he said, “After you leave Nina’s room, do what you would normally do. Don’t change your routine and don’t act any different. If you’re questioned about the guard, you stick to the story that he ran off and you had no idea he didn’t come back. Okay so far?”
Sara reluctantly nodded her head. “Then what?”
“Whatever a normal Saturday night consists of, continue with it. When the ceremony starts, don’t be anywhere near the football field. Is that going to present a problem?”
Looking hopeful, Sara said, “No, I can make that happen.”
“Good. Find a place to hide near the front entrance and stay there. You’re a bright girl; you’ll know when it’s time to make your exit. When you do, circle around to the south,” he pointed in the direction he wanted her to go, “and make a circuitous route back to the top of this knoll. If we’re not here, just stay here and wait. Got it?”
“Got it,” said Sara. “But, please don’t take this the wrong way…can I trust you?”
“Relax, Sara. I won’t screw you over. When this is done, you’ll be done with The Light.”
“Then what happens? Where will I go?”
Wade smiled at her. “We’ll discuss that later. For now, get back down there and win that Academy Award.”
Watching Sara go back down the hill with her bucket of berries, Bill said, “FUBAR.”
“Yeah,” said Wade. “FUBAR. Unfortunately, sending her back down was the only choice we had. If both she and the guard went missing, Nina would sound the alarm and we’d be back to square one. At least for now, plan A is still a go. Plus, we know there won’t be a ceremony tonight. Let’s just hope the girl can pull it off.”
******
Sara delivered the berries to Nina with a big smile.
“Here you are, baby. Big, sweet, juicy black berries. I washed them for you too.”
Nina took the bucket of berries and ate a few. “Hmm…these are good, Sara.” She ate a few more, then smiling, said, “But I’m hungry for something else right now.”
An hour later, Nina was sound asleep and Sara left the room. She was shaking. God, I am so afraid, she thought. I’ll never make it until tomorrow morning.
The day passed slowly, and as the sun inched its way behind the mountain at their back, long shadows began to eat away at the football field and the sky to the west darkened. A storm was coming.
Everyone was awake, and Wade said, “Sunset is in an hour. If it rains, that should keep the animals off the field and provide us with additional cover. We might be able to start planting the charges earlier than we anticipated. Let’s do a final check of the gear.”
At 10 pm, a gentle but steady rain began to fall, and Wade, Randal, and Bill eased down the slope to set the Claymores. At midnight, it was still raining and with Chris on over-watch, Bill, Sean, and Highlander made their way to the football field and began burying napalm and C4 pipe bombs while Wade and Randal wired the stage. There was not a sound from The Light, and they finished by 3 am. Bill was too keyed up to sleep and offered to take the first watch while everyone else grabbed a wet but needed nap.
Sunrise on Sunday was at 6:58 am, so at 6:15, Bill woke everyone up. The rain had stopped, but it was still cloudy and the wind had picked up significantly. It was now coming out of the north at 25 mph with gusts to 40 mph.
Chris on the Barrett and Wade on the M24 were going to take the shots on Nina and Saadeh.
“That wind is going to make this an extremely difficult shot, Dad,” said Chris.
“Yeah, it will. If we miss, let’s hope the ordnance gets them.”
Wade and Chris were in the middle of the hide. Highlander was hunkered over the SAW and Randal had an M4 and the M203 grenade launcher, both manning the left and strong side, while Sean and Bill were in position on the weak, right side.
They waited.
At 7 am, The Light began to assemble on the football field. At first it was just a trickle, but in less than ten minutes, the trickle turned into a flood and the field quickly filled up. At 7:15, Paul Justice took the stage and the assembled cannibals started their chant, “Justice, Justice, Justice.” As before, Justice held up his hand for silence and the crowd obeyed. He then motioned stage left and Aziz appeared, leading four captives to the center of the stage where he forced them to kneel.
The cannibals were silent.
Pointing stage left, he screamed something that was lost in the wind, but in seconds Mohammed Saadeh, wearing his red cowboy hat, appeared and walked to center stage. Saadeh raised his hand and the crowd went wild.
“Saadeh, Saadeh, Saadeh,” they chanted.
He basked in their adoration for a few moments, then raised both hands for silence. When they were quiet, he went through the thumbs up/thumbs down gestures.
“Where the hell is Nina?” muttered Bill.
*****
Nina Lutrova had a severe case of diarrhea from the blackberries, and was running back and forth between the toilet and her bed.
An hour before the sunrise brunch ceremony was slated to begin, she sent the guard to bring Saadeh to her room.
“But you have to attend the ceremony, Nina,” Saadeh whined. “There is no other option.”
Nina made no effort to hide her annoyance. “Mo, what type of impression will we send to the flock if they see their beloved queen shitting all over herself on the stage?”
“But what do I tell them?” asked Saadeh.
In an irritated voice she said, “You tell them nothing. You perform the ceremony, or have Paul do it. I am not going on stage today. And you, of all people, know the sunday brunch ceremony is my favorite. If there was any way possible, I would be there.”
&nb
sp; Reluctantly, Saadeh agreed. “I’ll have Aziz perform the ceremony.”
******
Sara awoke to find the other members of The Light in various stages of preparation for the sunrise brunch. Going through the motions was easier than she anticipated and, as those around her began heading for the football field, she headed for a broom closet near the front entrance. She wasn’t sure how she would know when it was time to exit, but the guy said she would understand. Looking at the entrance door, she could see the lone sentry sleeping as usual, and eased into the closet. Leaving the door cracked, she verified she could see the front door, then settled in to wait.
This ceremony was different. All four captives were given the thumbs up, but instead of Nina stepping forward, it was Aziz. The clan screamed at the top of their lungs as he turned all four captives to face him. Unlike Nina, he did not play to the crowd. Holding the sword by his side he raised it above his head and the crowd went silent.
Wade was on the M24 and targeted Justice.
Chris centered the crosshairs on Saadeh’s head.
Randal said, “Now.”
A nanosecond after two bullets started their flight toward their targets, the football field erupted in a gigantic and thunderous fireball. The air was sucked out of the immediate vicinity and into the heart of the massive explosion. Within seconds, the men in the hide felt the concussion and then the heat of the blast. Immediately, a huge mushroom cloud started its climb into the air; moments later, rocks, flaming debris, and body parts began falling back to earth.
Sara heard the world explode and felt the building shake. Plaster rained down on her and she started to panic, unable to comprehend what happened. When the thunderclap receded, she gathered her wits and peeked out the door. The entrance guard stood frozen for nearly a minute, then started running toward the football field. Sara decided the explosion was her exit cue. She flung open the front door and hit the ground running in the direction she was told to go. As she ran, she glanced over her right shoulder at the angry dark cloud that, while sheared by the gusting wind, was still ascending into the early morning sky.