by G M Sherwin
Daniel said nothing. He waited for James to explain.
James sighed. “The major must know by now we have contacted someone for help and those guys are waiting to see who. Once they know that, it’s cleanup time. No witnesses, no trace of what we know.”
“Well, fuck them, James. We need to get your friend away from here and ditch this car for another and get on the move. Put as much distance between us and them so we can regroup,” Daniel said. “Ring her again. She needs to know that coming back here is a mistake.”
James was already on the phone as Daniel spoke. “Don't come back to the apartment. Meet us at the place we used to meet—do you remember, Emilia?”
Daniel heard a female voice responding to James, and by the sounds of it, she wasn’t too happy.
“I know, I know—it’s a hard to understand, but I promise I will explain everything when we meet. But trust me, it’s not safe for you to come home. Please trust me on this and meet us at our place, okay?” James was insistent this time amid the protests of Emilia down the phone.
Daniel listened to the conversation going on at his side, all the while never taking his eyes off the watchers. How many were there? At any rate, he knew he would have to deal with them before they moved away. Removing the tracker would take time. Time was not on their side right now.
“James, I need you to trust me. Can you do that?” Daniel asked.
“I think you know the answer to that, but why do I get the impression I’m not going to like this one bit?”
“I need you as a diversion. You’re going to be bait while I deal with these guys.”
Daniel wasn’t stopping for a reaction but just carried on with his plan whilst James listened. Five minutes later, they had an agreement. James moved to open the door and exited the Jeep. Daniel watched for a few seconds, then slipped out of the vehicle himself.
Daniel watched James from the rear of the Jeep until he was clear out of sight. It didn’t take the men in the van much time to disembark and take the bait. Three of the four men started after James. Separating they each took up their pursuit from various positions, being careful not to alert him of their presence.
Daniel waited until they were far enough in front, then he followed the pursuers, keeping to the shadows as he did so. He admired their skill; they continued onward, never too close but not so far away that they would lose sight of their quarry.
James was still up ahead and turning right onto the next street. Daniel would wait for the two farthest ahead to turn the corner before making his move.
Three . . . two . . .
The first two disappeared around the side of the building. A hundred feet behind them was the last watcher. Breaking into a stealthy run, Daniel caught the man off guard. Leaping off the ground, he dropped a sharp elbow to the back of the man’s neck. Swift and brutal, he dropped him to the ground without a sound. Daniel didn’t break his pace. Running hard now, he followed the course the men had taken. He caught sight of the second man. He stopped and held back, watching. Just up ahead was the leader of the now two pursuers.
What had James stopped for? Daniel wasn’t waiting to find out. If he stopped now, the element of surprise would be lost. Stealth was not on Daniel’s mind now; instead a swift and deadly move was needed before the next man could alert the other up ahead.
At the last moment before Daniel reached his target, the man turned to face Daniel. Too late. Daniel thrust the heel of his hand upwards, forcing the man’s nose to shatter, blinding him from what came next. Daniel throat-punched him, knocking him to the ground before he could voice a shout. A quick headlock snapped his neck and silenced him for good.
Last one, Daniel thought.
This was going to be more difficult. But not impossible.
Takedown
James stopped amongst the crowds leaving the arena. John Legend was playing tonight. A slight tinge of normality crept over him for a moment as he watched all the young and older generations revel in the music. Blissfully unaware of the danger they could all face in the coming days and months. Would everything change? Could he change the course of events?
Silently James chided himself and remembered why he was here. Trained men pursued him and would undoubtedly hurt him once they had what they wanted. Where was Daniel?
Looking into the crowd, James couldn’t find a familiar face but took comfort that he was safer mingling with the mass of excited people who just wanted to continue and stretch out the night before returning to the reality of their everyday lives on the morrow.
One among the crowd caught James’s attention, just off to the right of the crowd and slightly out of place here. A little too tense for this crowd, thought James as he moved farther into the mass of moving people. He noticed something else. The van. It was the same blacked out vehicle he and Daniel observed back at Emilia’s apartment building. Daniel had better make a move and fast; they were closing in on him and this crowd would eventually thin out, leaving him exposed.
What was Daniel waiting for?
James was now looking for a clear exit so he could slip away. He found it. The taxi queue around the side of the arena was long and provided the perfect cover. He could mingle with the people and then circle back to the Jeep. Hopefully Daniel had accomplished what he intended.
Picking up the pace now, James slipped through the crowd, pushing his way through. Some people groaned their annoyance as he did so, but he needed to put distance between the soldier and the . . . VAN.
James stopped dead. Thirty feet away from where he stood was the same van. Fuck, now what! James struggled to think clearly. Can’t go forward; definitely can’t go back.
Something sharp pricked his back.
“Stay calm and move to the van and you may live through this,” a deep voice spoke into James’s ear.
The edge of a blade pressed harder into his lower back, prompting James to do as he was told.
“Where’s the other one?”
James stayed silent for the moment as he was forced towards the opening side door of the black van.
“No point trying to be stubborn, Edmunds. You know what we’re capable of and your friend will be found with or without your help. Just comes down to how much pain you want to cope with, doesn’t it?”
The sharp pain in his back ceased as James was pushed into the opening of the van and promptly shoved to the floor. His face met the cold metal of the van floor, a knee shoving weight onto his back. The door clunked shut and the vehicle sped off.
Whats the plan?
“What’s the contingency plan, sir?” Stanmore asked the major.
The Lynx engine was deafening but the mouthpiece and headphones made conversation easier. Stanmore had been pondering his current situation. He had no idea what he was in store for when they reached their destination, wherever that might be.
“We have a base in Scotland, Stanmore. While we were dealing with your situation, I received reports of further incidents from sites around the globe.”
“How bad is it?”
“Bad enough to gather the heads of our organisation and a full clean through of most of our research facilities. It appears all the subjects we have used and tried to dispose of have—” the major paused “—started an insurrection, for lack of a better term. Now, Peter, can you tell me why our billions in investment have suddenly gotten up and walked out and attacked everyone in their path?”
Stanmore found himself caught in the major’s stare. His next answer had better be satisfactory or he feared the worst.
“I need to look at all the data you have and confer with all the heads of the research to give you a definitive answer, but if you need a quick and short one—the gene has mutated from its original state,” Stanmore responded.
“And what could have caused that? More importantly, how do we stop this mutation, Stanmore? In only a few hours, the dead have started to walk around causing chaos, and in one country that I know of, the contagion spreading fast. Oh, did I forget
to mention the subjects’ bite causes certain side effects? When you called me earlier, I had a report on my desk with the details and I have to warn you, it doesn’t bode well.” The major fell silent for a moment.
Reaching down into a case by his feet, the major passed a file over to Stanmore.
***
Gasping to breathe under the weight of the man above him, James could barely move as the van raced on.
“I lost comms with the other two a while back. You heard from them?” the man shouted to the front of the van.
“Yeah, I wouldn’t worry about those two,” the driver shouted back.
“Why’s that?”
With a screech of tyres, the van suddenly stopped at the roadside.
Two short thwaps echoed inside the vehicle. All of a sudden, James felt a solid weight on in his back and the face of his abductor fell forward. Eyes glazed—no, dead.
“You okay James?”
That voice. Daniel.
“You took your fucking time! I thought I was going to die,” James shouted back. “Now get this sack of shit off me, would you?”
“Aye, hang on, don’t get your knickers in a twist.”
Climbing into the back, Daniel pulled the dead soldier off James and shoved it towards the back. Then he patted the body down for anything that would prove useful. Ammo, money or any details on their base of operations. A long shot but worth a look.
“Find anything? And dare I ask what happened back there?” James said.
Picking himself up, James took a deep breath after coming closer to death than he cared to think about, and shot Daniel a grateful smile.
“Some cigarettes—God, I wish I still smoked! Some loose change and a swipe card for a building named Smart-Creations Limited. Sounds familiar—do you know of it, James?”
“I’ve never heard of it, but I have been cocooned in my own facility for a few years. Not much of a social life lately, if you know what I mean.” James smiled as he spoke the words, knowing full well what that meant to Daniel.
Hunted
“That’s it. We’re tracker-free,” Daniel said, wiping his hands and slamming the bonnet of the van shut.
“You sure they won’t be able to track us now? These are resourceful people we are dealing with,” James said.
“As sure as I can be. Now, where are we meeting Emilia?”
“Out in the sticks. Clitheroe. There’s a country pub we used to go to regularly just to get away from the buzz of the city. It’s remote and not somewhere anyone would think of looking for us. Besides we need to find somewhere to rest up for a day.”
“Well, we have some cash and now we have somewhere to go and decide what to do next. Jesus, I need a shower!” Daniel said as he sniffed himself.
“I won’t argue with that, you stink!”
It was the first time either one had felt at ease to joke in their current situation, but it felt good, thought James. The night was getting colder and fatigue was setting in now that the adrenaline had dissipated.
James didn’t question what Daniel had done with the body of the man who had thrown James into the back of the van only an hour ago. He was just glad they weren’t going to be on the move with the body still in there.
“Let’s go,” Daniel said.
Both men jumped into the van, slammed the doors shut and drive away.
***
Emilia switched the engine off and sat for a moment looking at the picturesque building in front of her. How long had it been since she’d been here? Fifteen years maybe, and it hasn’t changed much, Emilia thought as she climbed out of her car and walked towards the entrance.
Once through the door, the familiar smells and sounds of her university years assailed her. Ah, to be young and carefree without the worries of the day.
The glow of the open fireplace towards the back of the room was a memorable sight, its flames enticing her to go sit and become lost in her own thoughts with a glass of red in her hand and a good book in the other. But that was not what she was here for—and there sat her old friend James Edmunds by the fire. A little older looking, thinning hairline and a tad rounder around the waist, but his smile was unmistakable. Emilia smiled back.
“Come sit! I’ll go get you—is it still red you enjoy?” James asked.
“Yes, please. Thank you,” Emilia said as she took a seat in the old leather couch.
“Daniel.”
Emilia smiled cautiously at the man opposite as he introduced himself. His hair was short and thick, raven-coloured. Square-jawed but with soft features for someone whose physique declared ex-military. His eyes, blue and piercing, watched and noted everything occurring in the room. Emilia had met enough men from the forces to recognise one when she saw him.
“Don’t ya hate uncomfortable silence when you meet someone new?” Daniel asked Emilia.
“I’m quite at ease with silence. I’ve never been one for small talk. So tell me, Daniel, why am I not allowed to go home? And what the hell are you two into?” Emilia asked now that the ice had been broken.
“James is the best one to explain everything when he gets back. I've been out of things for a while. Besides, it’s better for it to come from James.”
“Good, I see you two are getting acquainted,” James said as he handed Emilia a large glass of red wine. “Makes things easier if we all get along.”
For the next hour, James sat at Emilia’s side giving her the full rundown of the past twenty-four hours and what he had been working on for all those years. All the while, Daniel watched the two old friends reconnect reminisce. It surprised him that this Emilia could so easily adapt to complexities of their current situation. She fascinated Daniel and was a pleasant distraction from the horror of the day.
Something, however, was off in the room. Daniel didn’t want to interrupt James and Emilia, but he continued to scan their surroundings.
The couple in the corner leaned into one another, whispering and holding hands, the girlfriend entertaining the occasional caress. The bar staff, although busy, paid a little too much attention to Daniel’s corner of the room. Stranger still, no one had entered after Emilia arrived nor had anyone left. Strange for a country hotel such as this one and at this time of year.
Standing, Daniel told James he was going to the men’s room and to order him another drink while he was gone. Passing through another door, Daniel soon found the room. He walked over to the urinal and relieved his full bladder quickly.
The door opened behind him. He didn’t turn, just finished and zipped up and moved to wash his hands in the sink. The mirror revealed the guy who had been groping his girlfriend a moment before. Another man entered the room, one of the male bar staff.
Daniel saw the look.
Daniel spun around, just in time to grab the arm of the first man, who now held a syringe aimed at Daniel’s neck. Closing the distance between them, he slammed a swift elbow squarely into the man’s jaw.
Daniel’s foot cracked down on the bar staff’s knee. Screaming, the man dropped to the floor in agony as his knee snapped from the force. Daniel thrust the needle straight into the fallen man’s chest to finish the job. Swinging around, Daniel slammed a knee into the first man’s groin, followed by a swift punch to the temple.
Both now lay unconscious on the men’s room floor. Daniel quickly snatched the gun from one of their belts and moved back towards the bar. Voices echoed as he silently walked back down the corridor. Stopping just short of the doorway, he listened to what was going on on the other side.
“Stay seated or I will just deal with you now.” The tone was flat and emotionless.
Groper Guy’s girlfriend is the one talking and giving orders, Daniel thought to himself. He needed to be quick and accurate with his next move. There would be two left in the bar to deal with. From the sound of the woman’s voice, she stood at the fireplace so the barmen would be close by.
Now or never, Daniel thought.
***
The red-headed woman sto
od only five feet away from where Emilia sat. James stayed silent but alert. For the first time in her life, Emilia stared down the barrel of a gun. This was surreal. Everything James had explained in the last hour was now turning real for her, and only a few hours before she sat in the Alchemist restaurant waiting for the rude council representative who never showed up.
Behind the gun-wielding woman, a barman spoke on the phone, obviously quite pleased with the situation.
“They’ll be here in twenty minutes,” he said, hanging up.
“Good, now go see what’s keeping the other two. I’ll watch these two. You’re not going to give me any trouble, are you, Doctor Edmunds?” Red said, looking directly at James.
“I’m not, no,” James answered.
Then the door Bar Guy was going to open slammed him full in the face, knocking him off balance, as Daniel burst through into the bar, firing a shot at the one holding James and Emilia at gunpoint. The bullet hit its target, killing the woman instantly. Daniel now turned the gun on the fallen guy. Another shot and the man was dead. No hesitation.
Emilia immediately stood up, grabbing her keys from her bag and cell phone.
“What you doing?” James snapped.
“There are two dead people in the room—we need to report it. Seems the obvious thing to do,” Emilia said.
“Not a good idea, Emilia. The people who are after us had the resources to find us here and lay this trap before we even got here. To me that speaks volumes about their reach. Contacting the police would be a fatal error. No, we need to move and move now,” Daniel said, walking behind the bar to empty the cash register of its contents.
“Agreed and we don’t have much time—they won’t be long by the sounds of things.” James grabbed his things from the fireplace.
The shots rang out, startling James and Emilia. The bar staff from the men’s room crouched on the floor by the door, arms outstretched and aiming at Daniel. The third shot floored Daniel.