Nightfall

by Peter Hoole

  Darcy looked to Murphy for guidance. “Dunleavy’s gone.” replied Murphy

  “Who are you?” the woman demanded.

  “Mr. Dunleavy has gone off to do something. Take a leak, I think.” Murphy replied, ignoring the question.

  “Where? Where did he go?”

  “Look lady, I’m just an assistant. He doesn’t tell me much.”

  The woman turned to the SWAT team, and motioned for them to raise their guns. “Come here” she said, “You don’t seem surprised to see us?”

  “Why should we be,” Murphy replied as she walked towards the group, “Dunleavy asked you to come…”

  When Murphy was a yard or so away from the team, one of the SWAT members moved forward swiftly, and forcefully grabbed her by the arm.

  “You’re not the SWAT team we ordered, are you?” Murphy asked, already knowing the answer.

  The leader silently walked towards Darcy, ignoring Murphy’s question. As she stepped closer, a look of recognition appeared on her face.

  “Look at the pair of you,” the leader said. “If you’re assistants, then I’m Mickey Mouse. The woman smiled at Darcy. “Hello, Ms. Chamberlain. So glad I’ve found you.” Her sunglasses and the black cap sitting low over her eyes hid the rest of her joy at finding the runaway.

  She turned to two of the officers behind her. “You two, move in on the asset’s position,” she ordered. “Provide protection and ensure the mission is carried out.”

  The pair turned and ran towards the tree-line, following the same path Caleb and the others had jogged earlier.

  Darcy exchanged a glance with Murphy. With the woman’s words, it was obvious that these were not SWAT members, and she and Murphy were in a lot of trouble. Figuring she had nothing to lose, Darcy pulled the pistol from her back, and pointed it at the leader.

  The woman held her hands up in front of her. “Now, Ms. Chamberlain. We’ve been sent to take you with us,” she began. “It’s up to you whether that happens with you being dead, or alive.”

  Darcy considered her options. She could pull the trigger, and hope she killed the leader. Though what effect this would have on the other shooters was unknown.

  Just as she was about to lower the gun, Murphy made the decision for her. The Lieutenant grabbed the arm of her captor, and flipped him to the ground. The man crashed onto his back and his weapon flew through the air.

  Murphy grabbed at the gun, snatching it up in one hand and rolling to her left.

  Bullets flew through the air in Murphy’s direction, but she was agile enough to keep moving, rolling quickly between shots. Such was her speed, that their assailants couldn’t track her movements effectively.

  Murphy rolled to a stop, with the gun pointed at her first target. She fired a quick succession of bullets, adjusting her sights between each shot. So effective was her shooting that she took down all but one of the armed men. One received a bullet through the neck, one got shot in the chest. The last was hit in the head with such force that his cap was blown clear off his now partially-missing skull.

  As soon as Murphy made her first movement, Darcy knew the play.

  She pulled the trigger and the bullet flew in the direction of the group’s leader. She was agile though, and moved to the left, just enough that the bullet merely winged her. Though, it was enough to knock her off her feet.

  Once Darcy had fired the shot, she looked over at the man Murphy had struggled free from. He was groaning, but still moving. As she watched, he reached towards his sidearm, pulling it out. He pointed it directly at Murphy, who had just finished the third of her kills.

  Darcy pointed the gun straight at him, and pulled the trigger. The bullet flew through the air, hitting the man’s jugular. Blood exploded from the back of his neck, and he was dead before he hit the ground.

  Within seconds, all four of the five team members were dead, and the last lay wounded on the ground. Darcy moved quickly to the wounded woman, standing over her, with the pistol pointing straight at her face.

  “Well done, Darcy,” Murphy called, “hold her there.”

  The lieutenant stood up, fighting against the pain in her shoulder. She hadn’t managed to escape the gunfight completely unscathed, one bullet had clipped her shoulder on the way through. She hurried over to join Darcy, and they both looked down at the fallen woman. The woman, who had initially been so confident and in control, was a different person altogether now - her fear almost palpable.

  “You’re hurt,” Darcy said, noticing Murphy’s wound.

  “It’s just a scratch,” Murphy replied reassuringly.

  Murphy returned her attention to the woman on the ground. All head wounds seemed to bleed profusely and this one was no different, even with the scratch the woman had endured, blood was seeping out onto the tarmac.

  “So,” Murphy said to the woman. “What are we going to do with you?”

  The woman offered no reply, apart from for the gritted teeth she had.

  Murphy looked towards the SUV, “Good… now we don’t have to steal a car” she said with a smile.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Navigating the trees and terrain had proved more difficult than anticipated. Although it had taken the majority of the allotted time, Caleb, Dunleavy and Matthew had arrived at their predetermined location.

  Caleb glanced at his watch.

  0655.

  In a few minutes, a plane was going to land.

  Their timing needed to be precise. If they attacked Emmett too early, he might fire the rocket into the terminal. If they attacked too late, the plane would get shot down.

  It was a precarious position to be in, a situation unlike anything Caleb had faced before. They came to a stop about twenty yards from the clearing. Caleb turned on his radio and spoke quietly. “Sergeant. We’re in position. What’s your location? Over,” Caleb said, hoping Casey had not been delayed. When no response came, Caleb repeated to message.

  Still no response.

  A couple more moments passed, and Caleb began to worry as Casey’s deadline to reach his position was passed. Again, Caleb repeated the message, and still there was no response.

  If something had happened to Casey, Caleb knew he would need to continue with the plan. It was too important, and too many lives were at stake, to change their course of action now. The needs of the many outweighed the needs of one Sergeant and his companion.

  Caleb decided he could wait no more. “Follow me,” he whispered to Dunleavy and Matthew.

  “Is he here yet?” asked Dunleavy.

  Caleb shook his head, repeated his instructions to Dunleavy, and they slowly crept towards the area. In the middle of the clearing, Caleb spotted a young man. He looked much younger than Caleb had anticipated. Emmett wouldn’t have looked out of place at a high-school, and Caleb imagined he would never have been suspected of undertaking a terrorist plot. Indeed, that was probably a determining factor in his recruitment.

  Emmett was standing motionless in the clearing, the MANPAD on his shoulder, facing the runways.

  “You two stay here,” Caleb ordered, “Dunleavy, keep a close eye on him.”

  Caleb checked his watch. 0658. It was time to move.

  The moment had finally arrived. Over the past four hours, Emmett had centred on the joy he would feel when he completed his mission, although there were still some minor, lingering doubts.

  Once he caught sight of his target however, all the doubts vanished.

  The plane came into sight, and he thought it seemed almost peaceful as it seemed to glide downwards towards the runway. The time was 0659, and it was the only plane approaching the airport.

  Emmett could hear the words of his teacher, from the last face-to-face meeting they’d had, and he remembered how he’d vowed he wouldn’t let Pierre down. Now, with the moment imminent, he concentrated on that thought.

  He peered through the sight of the MANPAD, confirming the plane was in clear sight. He pressed the targeting button, and heard the beep which con
firmed the plane was locked in. Cautiously, carefully, he adjusted his finger, reaching towards the trigger.

  Suddenly, Emmett was tackled from behind. The sharp pain he experienced in his back shook the MANPAD from his shoulder, and the weapon fell away to the ground.

  Emmett tried to turn over, but found himself buried under an enormous man’s frame.

  “Don’t struggle, Emmett” the man warned.

  “What the hell? Who are you?” Emmett asked, surprised the man knew his name.

  “I’m a friend, stopping you from making a terrible mistake.”

  Anger rose in Emmet’s chest and he struggled more determinedly. “A friend? You’ve ruined everything! Why didn’t you let me finish the mission! I was so close!”

  “It’s okay, kid, listen, we’ve brought someone you know,” the man continued as they struggled.

  A loud thud came from the place Dunleavy and Matthew were waiting.

  Caleb turned to look for clues as to the cause. But what he saw was more frightful.

  To Caleb’s horror, Matthew had walked over to the MANPAD and picked it up. He then stood as Emmett had, facing the airport… facing the plane.

  “Matthew! Noooo!” Caleb pleaded.

  “Yes, Matthew! Do it… For the next life!” shouted Emmett

  “Nooo!” Caleb screamed.

  But it was too late. As the rocket flew out of the MANPAD a bullet collided with the back of Matthew’s head.

  Matthew’s head exploded, the bullet entering through the cerebellum and out through the parietal lobe.

  Casey had arrived, but it was too late.

  After a second of wavering on the spot, Matthew’s almost-headless body slumped to the floor, never to move again.

  Caleb stared skyward, following the trajectory of the rocket. Time seemed to slow down as he watched, aghast, as the rocket collided with the side of the airplane. The back of the fuselage was vaporised in an instant, metal and debris flying towards the airport terminal as it hit the ground. With directional control gone, the plane veered to the left, spreading the remainder of the destroyed aircraft across the tarmac. The plane’s momentum carried the burning shell across the tarmac. Such was the impact of the rocket that no one could have survived.

  Caleb rolled off of Emmett, and knelt on the ground, his mission a failure.

  He watched the scene at the airport in disbelief, dazed by the thought of so many lives being extinguished in a split-second.

  Casey ran over, followed closely by Dunleavy. Casey pulled Emmett’s hands behind his back and secured them with some cable ties. “Cap, we’ve gotta move!” he yelled to Caleb.

  Caleb mentally shook himself back, stood up and tried to regain his focus. He took one more look at the wreckage, burning like a beacon at the end of the runway. Emergencies workers were scrambling to their vehicles, ready to make their way towards the destroyed plane.

  “What happened?” Caleb asked Dunleavy.

  Dunleavy seemed to be in shock, no doubt partly due to the concussion he’d received after being knocked by Matthew. He could only mutter some words, but Caleb could barely make them out.

  Knowing there was little time to waste, Caleb attempted to regain his composure.

  “Sergeant,” Caleb said. “Secure the prisoner.”

  Casey grabbed hold of Emmett’s hands from behind, “Done, sir.”

  “It’ll be some time before they get their heads around what just happened. We’ve gotta move. We gotta go,” Caleb exclaimed. Caleb began to run towards the runways. There was no point in hiding in the trees now. They had to get moving as quick as possible.

  He stepped towards his dropped weapon, but was stopped by a bullet rushing past his head.

  Caleb spun around to see what looked like a two members of a SWAT team approaching. Caleb held up his hands, remembering Dunleavy had organised for the local Seattle PD SWAT to assist. “We’re friendlies!”

  The SWAT officers approached, without saying a word.

  “Holy shit Cap, they don’t seem too friendly to me,” said Casey.

  Casey quickly grabbed his gun. But, for the second time in as many minutes, he was too late.

  The men opened fire, hitting Caleb in the chest, the bullet impacting his bullet-proof vest. The impact knocked him over and he fell onto his back. The same fate befell Casey, who had moved up next to Caleb in the build-up.

  Casey looked over at Caleb, and said “Told ya,” with a cheeky smile.

  Stunned by the impact of the bullets, all they could do was watch. The two “SWAT” team members hurried up to where Emmett stood. They both fired from almost point-blank range. Both shots hit Emmett square in the chest. Emmett wasn’t as fortunate as Casey and Caleb, for he was not wearing a vest.

  He had no protection from the blasts. His struggling heart pumped blood through the wounds, and out onto his chest - the last of Pierre’s protégés now dead.

  The two gunmen then turned their attention to the fallen marines, both of them writhing from the impact of the earlier shots.

  Casey looked over at Caleb.

  “Dammit, Cap, I’m in trouble,” he said, “I promised Murph I’d do the dishes tonight.”

  Caleb could only muster a light laugh. As the gunmen approached, his only thoughts were of Darcy. The times they’d had together. The laughs they’d shared. He suspected it was all about to come to an end. It was then when a thought struck him.

  Where was Dunleavy?

  Bang! Bang!

  Caleb closed his eyes, prepared to absorb the pain he was sure would be coming. The act was unnecessary.

  Dunleavy had waited in the trees, cautious about the approaching soldiers. From there, he’d had the perfect view of everything. There had been an opportunity to intervene, just before Emmett was shot. However, Dunleavy decided to wait it out. Better to let them kill the young man, as he would more than likely have been a problem later had he survived.

  After watching Emmett die, the men moved back over to his marines. Now they could still be useful to Dunleavy.

  When he saw his opportunity, Dunleavy made his move. He moved with speed he hadn’t used since his field agent days, and put a bullet in the base of each gunman’s skull. Though messy, it was certainly efficient.

  “Captain,” he said, leaning over to shake Caleb’s shoulder, “get the fuck up – we don’t have much time.”

  It took plenty of effort, but Caleb and Casey obliged, the sting of the bullets in their vests still prevalent. “Follow me,” Caleb said, reasserting his control of the situation.

  The trio started to run across the tarmac, a journey that would be much quicker than their initial trek. This was due to the straight line of travel rather than the roundabout way they had previously needed to use.

  As they made their way, Caleb assessed the situation.

  Caleb hoped Murphy had found a car to use, otherwise they were in real trouble.

  While the getaway was an issue, Caleb was sure he would find a resolution. Another concern was their next move. With Matthew and Emmett both dead, and the SWAT team that had been sent obviously placed there by the people they were chasing, it was difficult to know what to do next.

  As they ran across the tarmac, Caleb continued to assess their options.

  What he didn’t know, was that there was already an escape option awaiting them.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  The journey back to where Murphy and Darcy waited took a fraction of the time of the away journey. They used the panic at the airport as cover, the wreckage at the southern end of the runway was still burning fiercely, despite the efforts of the arriving emergency vehicles.

  The trio ran as fast as they could, with Caleb and Casey no longer seeing the need to keep an eye on Dunleavy. If he’d really wanted to betray them, he could have remained hidden, and let them be shot by the as-yet unknown gunmen.

  However, he had saved their lives. While the time for gratitude would come, they needed to get themselves and the rest of the team to s
afety.

  Running as fast as they could, they made it across the tarmac and behind the building in less than five minutes. As they turned the corner of the building, Caleb gave a signal to his Sergeant to stop.

  Casey did as he was requested, putting his arm out to ensure a breathless Dunleavy did the same. Caleb raised his weapon and pointed it at the SUV, which was parked near where they had left the women. All kinds of thoughts, mainly negative, were going through his mind. His guilt over the plane exploding was being over-run by the fear for Darcy.

  As he looked closer, he saw several bodies of what looked like SWAT team members strewn across the ground.

  He realised a gun fight had occurred.

  He turned on his radio and whispered, hoping the Lieutenant would answer.

  “Murphy? Do you read, over?” Caleb whispered into the headset’s microphone. He took a few more steps toward the SUV, seeing no signs of movement. “Lieutenant… do you read, over?” he asked again, his stress level increasing.

  After a few more steps, a voice came through on the radio.

  “Charlene can’t hear you, but I’m here Caleb… um… over,” Darcy said.

  “Darcy? Thank God,” Caleb replied. “Where’s Murphy?”

  “She’s um,” Darcy began hesitantly. “Probably best if you see for yourself.”

  Caleb rounded the building, past the bodies and SUV’s.

  Casey and Dunleavy were right behind him, as though sensing his urgency.

  Continuing around the building, he saw what Darcy was referring to. Murphy had her gun squarely pointed at a new guest.

  “Who the fuck is this?” asked Dunleavy.

  Murphy heard the question, but made time to make eye contact with Casey before responding. She smiled at him, a smile he reciprocated. “Absolutely no idea.” Murphy eventually replied, “She hasn’t said a word since we took out her men.”

  “Men??” Caleb said, looking alarmingly at Darcy.

  “Was no problem, sir. Piece of cake. We took them out. Darcy did what she had to do.”

  “Are you okay, babe?” Caleb asked his paramour.