by Steven Bird
Dropping to his knees and taking cover behind a small pumphouse, Denny said, “Go! Keep an eye on him! I’ll be fine. I’ll cover you from here if you have to fall back.”
Patting Denny on the shoulder, Curtis said, “Take care, brother. I’ll be back,” as he turned and took off running, following Tommy around the building.
As Denny watched his friend rejoin the fight, a huge fireball erupted on the far side of the compound. The massive LP gas tank exploded as the leaking gas from Frank’s direct hits reached the smoldering flares left behind by Jessie and Marissa’s last minute change of plans.
~~~~
Knocked nearly unconscious from the violence of the crash, Jessie regained his senses, coughing several times, feeling intense pain when he inhaled. Thank God for this vest, he thought as Frank began sending a barrage of lead into the compound after receiving Marissa’s orders.
Looking across the road, Jessie saw several armed men dressed in all black advancing on his position, when a massive explosion erupted from the compound, coming from the location of the LP tank.
“Let there be light,” he said as the compound was lit up like Times Square on New Year’s Eve.
Hearing gunfire from his immediate left, he looked over to see Marissa firing on the men with her M4 carbine, dropping both of them in quick succession. Realizing his M4 was still in the Jeep, having nothing but his Colt at his side, Jessie crawled over to Marissa, who was clearly in a lot of pain.
“My leg and my hip,” she said. “I can’t get up.”
Placing his arms underneath hers from behind, Jessie started to drag her clear of the Jeep and toward the buildings in the stockyard when she screamed in agony.
“No! No! Oh, God, something’s wrong,” she said with pain in her voice.
“I’m sorry. It’s gonna hurt, but we can’t stay here,” he said as gunfire again erupted from the compound.
Desperately looking around, Jessie said, “I’ve got to get you into one of those buildings until this is all over. They’ll find you out here. They’ll come to the Jeep if they get past the other guys.”
Nodding that she understood, Jessie started to once again attempt to lift Marissa and drag her clear as he heard Jӧrgen’s exhausted voice yell, “Jessie! Jessie!”
Turning to see Jӧrgen, drenched in sweat and out of breath from his run, Jessie said, “Help me get her in that shed. She’s hurt.”
Nodding in the affirmative, nearly unable to speak from exhaustion, Jӧrgen helped Jessie move Marissa into the relative safety of a corrugated metal shed in the stockyard.
Hearing the powerful shots of Frank and the big Barrett from the rooftop of the central building as he relentlessly pounded the compound, Jӧrgen asked, “What about the others?”
“I’m not sure,” Jessie replied. “It sounds like there’s been a gunfire exchange going on out back.”
“Are you ready to move?” Jӧrgen asked.
Doing a quick function check to determine the extent of his injuries, Jessie said, “Yep. I’m hurting, but I’ll be fine. I took a hit to the back earlier, but the vest stopped it. I almost got my lights knocked out from the wreck, too, but as long as my heart is beating, I’m still in the fight.”
Looking at the Jeep, now destroyed and on its side, Jӧrgen asked, “What the heck happened?”
“I’ll explain later. Let’s get moving,” Jessie replied, patting Jӧrgen on the shoulder.
~~~~
Catching up to Tommy, Curtis gave him the signal to hold his position while he caught up. As he reached Tommy and began to speak, Tommy shoved him to the side and simultaneously opened fire with his M4, downing an attacker that Curtis hadn’t even seen coming.
Once Tommy had determined that the man was down hard, he looked back to Curtis and asked, “Which building? Where are the girls?”
Looking around to get his bearings, Curtis pointed and said, “That one... I think. Remember, we’re guessing here. We’re not the CIA.”
As the gunfire started to subside, Tommy and Curtis worked their way through the compound, one aiming high, and one aiming low, advancing together as a team, just as they had trained for so long. With Tommy in the lead, as they worked their way around the corner of one of the buildings, Tommy caught a glimpse of movement coming from the darkness just ahead. Almost immediately on the target, he started to squeeze the trigger as Curtis violently pulled his rifle down, discharging the weapon into the ground just feet in front of them as Jӧrgen and Jessie appeared in the light of the now dissipating fire.
“Holy crap, that was close!” Tommy shouted.
“Tell me about it!” Jӧrgen exclaimed. “I thought I was smoked when I saw your muzzle flash.”
“Where is Marissa?” asked Curtis. “I can still hear Frank pounding away so I assume he's all right.”
“She’s hurt, but she’ll be okay. We’ve got her in a safe place below Frank. Where is Denny?”
“Same,” Curtis responded bluntly. Looking at Jessie, he said, “And just what the heck was that all about? What were you thinking?”
“This isn’t the time,” Jessie replied sharply, shutting down any discussion of the matter. “While working our way over here, we saw four or five armed men enter the long rectangle building on the east side of the school. Are you sure the girls are in there?” Jessie asked, pointing at the T-shaped building.
“We’ve not seen them tonight, but there’s only one way to find out,” Curtis said. “Who’s got point?”
“We do!” answered Jӧrgen, nodding at Jessie, who immediately followed his lead with Curtis and Tommy bringing up the rear.
Working their way to the side entrance of the T-shaped building, Jӧrgen gave the men the sign to rally on him. Once they were formed up, Jӧrgen said, “Curt, you and Tommy go to the far side of the building and watch that door. Jessie and I will make our entry on this end. If we bump them out that way, we need you there. If we all go in the same way, they could usher the girls out the other side and we would never even know it.”
“Listen,” Jessie said, whispering.
Together, the men came to the realization that the gunfire had ended. The only sounds that remained were the crackling of the fire, along with the moans of an injured fighter somewhere off in the darkness.
“Go! We may be running out of time,” Jӧrgen said as he and Jessie made a move for the south-facing door.
~~~~
As Frank frantically tried to get the bolt of the big Barrett to cycle forward to chamber the next round, he saw two armed men off in the distance, working their way toward the downed Jeep.
“C’mon, baby. C’mon. What’s the hold-up here?” he said to himself as he repeatedly tried to shove the bolt forward and fully into battery. Looking back down at the Jeep again, he saw the two men dressed in all black disappear into the darkness on his side of the street, just beneath him. Ah, hell, he thought.
Giving up on the M107, Frank picked up his M4 and began to work his way across the rooftop of the old livestock building toward the ventilation cupola located in the center. Removing one of the vented louvers, Frank squeezed himself inside, disappearing into the roof itself.
~~~~
Lying flat on her back in the old tin shed, Marissa heard footsteps as well as what appeared to be the sound of someone’s clothing rubbing up against the outer wall of the sheet metal structure, only feet from where she lay. Hearing hushed voices, her heart raced as she realized it was men from the compound. They must be after Frank. Why has he stopped shooting? Why is it so quiet out there? she asked herself as thoughts raced through her mind, secluded in total darkness, unaware if her friends were still alive or dead.
Listening for a moment more, she heard the men start to move across the wall from her right to her left. I can’t let them get to Frank, she thought. If they got the others, I’m dead anyway, she thought as she blindly aimed her rifle in the direction of the sounds, opening fire, emptying the remainder of her thirty-round magazine into the thin sheet metal
wall. The flashes of light from her muzzle and the deafening sound of the high-velocity 5.56mm rounds echoing inside the small metal building disoriented her.
By the time she had fired her last shot, she was unsure if she was even still pointing her gun in the right direction. With her ears ringing and seeing nothing but spots from the blinding flashes of light in the darkness, Marissa quietly slipped a fresh magazine out of her vest and reloaded by feel alone. Listening... waiting for the next move to make, in total darkness... all alone.
~~~~
As Jessie turned the knob and pushed the door open, Jӧrgen rushed into the room and flipped on his weapon-mounted tactical light, quickly scanning the room for any possible threats. Entering behind him, Jessie scanned high while Jӧrgen scanned low. Reaching behind and pulling the door closed, Jessie whispered, “We don’t want anyone coming in behind us without us knowing.”
Nodding in agreement, Jӧrgen motioned for Jessie to follow as they pressed on through the building. Entering the next room in the same manner, Jӧrgen saw movement in the far corner, followed by a flash of light and the shockwave of a round blasting into the sheetrock wall directly next to his head. Diving out of the way while returning fire, Jӧrgen hit the man directly in the throat with the high speed 5.56mm projectile, severing the man’s jugular vein, causing blood to stream out of the man’s body as he fell to the floor, a pool of blood flowing outward from his now lifeless body.
Clearing the rest of the room, Jӧrgen heard crying through the next door. Turning to Jessie, he whispered, “Careful in here. Don’t risk any blind shots.”
Nodding in agreement, Jessie cautiously followed Jӧrgen to the door, where they each took a knee on opposite sides. Reaching out and turning the knob, Jessie pushed the door open as Jӧrgen shined his light into the room, only to hear the muffled cries of scared little girls. As Jӧrgen entered the room, he held his hands out to show that he wasn’t a threat and put his finger to his lips to signal to the girls to be quiet as he looked around the room.
His heart broke to see a group of young girls, battered and bruised, tied together like animals. Turning to signal to Jessie, a blinding flash of light, followed by the thud of an impact and the crack of a supersonic round as he fell backward to the floor. Lying on his back, Jӧrgen looked up to see Jessie fire two quick shots at his attacker.
Jessie knelt and looked into his eyes and said, “Jӧrgen! Jӧrgen, are you okay?”
Unable to talk and finding it hard to breathe, Jӧrgen patted his hand on his chest and mouthed the word, vest, with a smile.
As Jӧrgen struggled to his feet, coughing, trying to catch his breath, Curtis and Tommy entered the room from the far side with their rifles at the ready. Signaling for them to take it easy, Jessie said, “Careful. Let’s get these girls out of here.”
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Once they had freed the girls from their bondage and Jӧrgen went around to each one of them, reassuring them that everything would be okay, Jessie looked at Tommy and Curtis and said, “Okay, guys. The game has changed. We are no longer in fight mode. Now we are in flight mode. Avoid contact if at all possible. Let us work our way back to the south side of the compound. I do not think the road is safe at this point. The sun will be up in a few hours. Let us bug out into the brush and hunker down until first light. We need to get some distance between ourselves and this place before we call in the flatbed. We do not know how many of these guys scattered, but the road may not be safe.”
“Agreed,” Curtis said, nodding in the affirmative.
“Jӧrgen, radio Frank and see if you can reach him on the radio. See if he can get to Marissa from where he is. We’re not leaving her there, but we can’t bring the girls into that area.”
With a nod, Jӧrgen picked up his radio and transmitted the message, “Frank. Report.”
~~~~
Alone and in severe pain from her injuries, Marissa was starting to doubt if she was going to make it out of her current situation. The jihadis from the compound seemed to have silenced Frank above, and several had already made their way across the road from her position. Gripping her rifle tightly, she debated in her mind if she was capable of taking her own life if her capture became unavoidable. She did not want to die by her own hand, but she knew that the horrors that awaited her in the hands of the enemy was a far greater fear.
With the sounds of footsteps outside the building once again, her morbid thoughts were interrupted as she was snapped back into the here and now. Blindly aiming her rifle toward the sound, she listened for any sign that it may be either friend or foe.
Feeling her rifle in the dark, double checking its readiness, she gently placed her finger on the trigger, ready to shoot, as she heard the staticky crack of a hand-held radio receiving the message, “Frank. Report!” followed by Frank’s muffled voice in reply.
“Oh, thank God! Frank, it’s you!” she cried as tears rolled down her face, lowering her rifle. “In here. In here,” she said softly.
~~~~
“Eleven, I’m counting eleven,” Jessie said as he and Curtis took a headcount of the girls, who were still in shock and afraid to utter even their names. They had clearly been through a true living hell in the hands of their captors, and Jessie knew it would be some time before they could expect to earn the girls’ trust.
“He’s got her,” Jӧrgen said with an excited tone.
“What?” Curtis asked.
“Frank’s got Marissa. He said he’ll get her somewhere safe for the night and will find a way to hook up with us after sunrise. He agrees it is too dangerous out there in the dark right now with no idea how many more of these guys are out there.”
“She’s gonna need medical attention right away,” Jessie replied.
With a nod of understanding, Curtis said, “We’ll get her to Spence as soon as it is safe. For now, though, we need to all make it through the night. We can’t have Spence and Leland blindly roll up in that big ol’ flatbed if there are guys in black pajamas still running around out there with rifles, and in the dark, we have no way of knowing.”
“Yeah. Yeah, you’re right,” Jessie replied, though the guilt of his role in her injuries was eating at him inside. He desperately wanted to get her help right away, but he knew she would want him to ensure the safety of the girls first.
Taking control of the situation, Jӧrgen looked at Curtis and said, “Where is Denny?”
“He’s behind a small pumphouse on the south side of the compound. He said he would cover for us on our way out.”
“Okay, then, we will work our way back to him. We can pick him up on the way out. Curtis, you know the way. You take point. Tommy, you take up the rear. Jessie and I will stay in the middle with the girls.”
Answering with a nod, both Curtis and Tommy took their positions as the group of four men and eleven young girls began working their way out of the building in which they had been held captive, and into the darkness of the night.
Once outside of the building, darkness had reclaimed the night as the fire had subsided to a mere smoldering flicker. The night was still and silent; the familiar gentle breeze was the only movement throughout the compound that was, until a few moments ago, the scene of a violent struggle for life and death.
Nearing Denny’s location, Curtis motioned to the group that he was just ahead. Reaching Denny, Curtis dropped to his knees in horror, finding his friend dead. He had been beheaded and stripped of his weapons and gear. The soil beneath his body was drenched in his blood, which was now soaking into Curtis’s pants as he knelt by his dead friend’s side in a state of shock.
Feeling a hand tug at his shoulder, Curtis heard Jӧrgen’s voice say, “Come on. We have got to go. We have got to get the girls out of here.”
Reluctantly struggling back to his feet, his knees trembling, Curtis got his head back in the game, knowing the girls would not be safe until they had gotten far away from this cursed place.
As they quietly worked their way away from the com
pound, one of the girls turned to Jӧrgen as if she had just remembered something and said, “Emma! He’s still got Emma!”
Kneeling in front of her, Jӧrgen asked, “Who? Who do they have, and where is she?”
Mustering the strength to speak, the girl said, “The man... the man who says he speaks for Allah, took her to his bedroom tonight. He said we are all gifts from Allah to him and his men. He wants to make her his bride. He forces her to stay in his room almost every night.”
“I’ll go,” Jessie said. Looking at the terrified young girl, Jessie asked, “Where? Which building?”
“The one across from where we stayed,” she said, struggling to speak through the tears.
“I’ll go, too,” Curtis insisted. “I’ve got a score to settle.”
“No,” Jessie said firmly, “these girls need you more than your anger needs to be quenched. Jӧrgen and Tommy might not be able to handle what lies ahead alone. You go with them. You’ve lost enough. Now go. I’ll catch up with you all somewhere, sometime. Go and don’t slow down until you see the sun come up. Just keep going.”
And with that, Jessie slipped off into the darkness as Jӧrgen said, “You heard the man, let’s get moving.”
~~~~
Slipping silently back into the compound, Jessie worked his way back to the building that the young girl had described. Pausing momentarily, closing his eyes and listening intently to his surroundings, Jessie focused as the night’s breeze blew across his face, carrying the smell of burning embers—a silent reminder of the violence that had just transpired.
Crouched down in the darkness at the side entrance to the building, Jessie turned the knob ever so slowly, ensuring that it did not make a sound. His heart raced as he slowly opened the door. As he released the knob to bring his rifle to the ready position with both hands, a gentle gust of wind pushed the door open, causing it to bounce against its door stop, making a thudding noise that startled even Jessie.