The Killing Grounds

by Jack Ford

  Father O’Malley paused, becoming visibly upset. ‘Who is there to ask to investigate, and to help, Thomas? I’m powerless and all I could do is pray for them and for my country of birth. That’s all I have and what use is that? And what use am I as a priest to these people if I can’t do anything? Even though I have faith in the good Lord, I often feel this place and these people have been abandoned, forgotten by the rest of the world, forgotten by God.’ He stopped to wipe away his tears. ‘If there is anything, anything you can do, Thomas, I beg you: help us.’

  120

  ‘I owe you an apology.’

  Cooper spoke as they stood outside Father O’Malley’s brick hut.

  ‘You need to do nothing of the sort.’

  ‘No, I was wrong. I misjudged you. I’m sorry.’

  The priest took hold of Cooper’s hand and said, ‘Thomas, you’re a good man, and the only reason why you behaved as you did was because you thought I was betraying the people. Isn’t that right, Rosedale?’

  Rosedale leant on the wall under the roof which sheltered him from the rain. ‘Our Thomas here, he likes to beat up on himself, feels like he owes the world. Feels like he’s got a debt to pay back.’

  Father O’Malley stared at Cooper with great concern, as if he were one of his parishioners.

  ‘Is that right, Thomas? And why is that?’

  Cooper gave a cold stare to Rosedale. He wasn’t about to give a confession; he’d already done that with Jackson. ‘It’s a long story, Father, but I’ve got my reasons.’

  ‘Then that’s all that matters, Thomas. If you believe in something, never give up, no matter how great the challenge is. Everyone knows the story of David and Goliath. Do you remember? David didn’t stop or even hesitate, no matter what other people around him said. Everyone else cowered and backed away in fear, but David ran and went forward into battle. He knew what needed to be done and he did the right thing in spite of dissuasion and threats.’

  Cooper cocked the priest a half smile. He said, ‘Thank you. I appreciate your words.’

  As usual Cooper felt uncomfortable with the focus on him, so he changed the subject back to Emmanuel. ‘So do you think he’s going to make it?’

  ‘No,’ said O’Malley. ‘No I don’t. I’m surprised he lasted this long, but perhaps he knew he had to hold on because he knew you were coming.’

  ‘It’s a…’

  Cooper stopped, hearing a noise coming from the other side of the hut. He signalled to Rosedale to go round the other way.

  Slowly, Cooper moved along the wall. He could still hear the noise. His gun was at the ready and, squatting down, he surveyed the area but it was too dark to see anything. He could feel it, though. He knew there was somebody there.

  Cautiously, he made his way across to the edge of the forest and the adrenalin rushed through his body as the rain pelted down, and he ran quickly across to one of the trees and pushed his body against it. Craning round, he saw a flicker of a shadow and watched intently and yes, it was there. He could see it. A tiny movement, followed by another.

  Gradually he moved.

  Sideward.

  Wanting to get directly behind whoever it was.

  He was meters away from the person now, but he waited for a moment before making his move.

  Then he ran.

  Dashed towards the tree and whirling his gun round from the side, he brought them down to the ground, jamming his knee into their back, gun pressed into their head as they lay face down.

  ‘Ne bouge pas ou je te tue. You hear me? Don’t move, otherwise I’ll kill.’

  ‘Get off me! Get off me!’

  ‘Levi…? What the hell…? Jesus, Levi, I’m sorry, I had no idea. But more to the point, what the hell are you doing here?’

  Quickly jumping off Levi Walker’s back, Cooper pulled him up.

  Annoyed, and brushing off the wet leaves and undergrowth which had stuck to him, Levi said, ‘Oh I don’t know, I did a wrong turn on Route 66, and found myself here…’ He gave Cooper a hard shove, which he accepted, and then he added, ‘What the hell do you think I’m doing, Coop? Making sure your sorry butt is okay, like all the other times. What were Maddie and I supposed to do? Just sit back and wait? Hope that you’d come back alive rather than in a body bag? As usual you gave us no choice. And as usual it was Maddie who led the way. She was worried when we couldn’t get in contact with you, but once we got here and got through the worst of the weather we were able to find you via your GPS signal.’

  Rosedale walked up behind them. He stretched out his hand. ‘Levi, I never thought I’d say this, but it’s good to see you.’

  ‘Yeah, well, I was just saying to Coop here, he never gives us a choice.’

  Cooper said, ‘Where’s Maddie?’

  ‘Over there behind that outhouse. Come on. And let me give you an FYI: she’s not best pleased.’

  Rosedale and Cooper followed Levi across to the outhouse, oblivious and now accustomed to the heavy rain.

  ‘Hey Maddie, we found them. Or rather, Coop found me… Maddie…? She was just here.’

  A noise made them turn around. It was the Commer truck.

  ‘Quick!’ shouted Rosedale.

  The men raced across the couple of meters to the road, and in the distance Cooper could see the rear flap of the blue tarpaulin cover being rolled and lowered down on the truck. But not before he saw Maddie bundled inside it.

  121

  ‘You can’t do this. Jesus, John. Think about what you’re saying. The gun reforms. We’re this close… This close. And you want to throw it all away because of… something that hasn’t been proved? It’s crazy. There’s no investigation. No federal charges. Nothing.’

  ‘Teddy, listen to yourself. Morality doesn’t always come into legal documents. Just because there’s nothing official as of yet, it doesn’t mean I should ignore it.’

  ‘Why the hell not?’

  ‘Are you for real?’

  ‘You won’t be the first president to cover up stuff. The word Watergate mean nothing to you?’

  Woods threw a piece of gum in his mouth. Missed. And not bothering to pick it up from the floor, he said, ‘For God’s sake, what era are you living in? If I didn’t think you were being serious, you’d be laughable, Teddy. And honestly, using a term which is basically a byword for corruption and scandal is hardly the way to convince me to see things your way.’

  ‘I shouldn’t have to convince you. The DRC… well, let’s face it. It’s not our business. Here. Now. America’s our business, John. Making a change for the future.’

  ‘At what cost, Teddy? How many lives have to suffer so we can get what we want?’

  ‘It’s not about us. It’s about the American people.’

  ‘Is it? Really? You sure about that?’

  Teddy said, ‘Damn sure.’

  ‘So you really think the American people would want reforms pushed through on the back of people suffering? Children dying? Don’t you think it’s ironic that our reforms were about saving lives, and now it turns out that to get those reforms we’ll be part of harming others.’

  ‘Jesus, John. Every day that happens. This is politics for God’s sake.’

  Woods kicked one of the highly polished wooden chairs, as was his habit lately. It fell. Knocked into another one. ‘Not the kind of politics I want to be involved in. Tell me something, Teddy. What about the people in the DRC? Who’ll look out for them?’

  ‘Like I said, it’s not our problem. You need to forget about this and what you think you know and concentrate on what this administration has set out to do.’

  Wood’s anger filled the room along with the tears which filled his eyes. ‘Bullshit! I entered politics to help people. And that help doesn’t have boundaries. Borders. Color. Culture or religion. I will not be part of the problem. I refuse to have blood on my hands.’

  ‘Sorry to disappoint you, John, but that’s exactly what you’re going to have. Because no reforms mean no gun controls… Can’t you
just wait? Get the votes then do something if you have to.’

  ‘Oh come on, that’s not even an option. That’s crazy talk. You think Parker wouldn’t bring us down with him if we did that? You’re not thinking straight.’

  ‘Me? Me, John? Tell me something, how many presidents have tried and failed to get significant changes when it comes to gun control? You know how difficult it is. And you, John, have the chance to make a difference… Mr. President, I’ve been by your side since the beginning, both politically and as a friend, and throughout that time, I’ve admired and respected everything you’ve done and stood for in equal measure. But today, Mr. President. Today is a very dark day. Not only do you not have my support. You do not have my respect.’

  Woods rubbed his face, taken aback by the wave of feeling. He swallowed hard, ignoring the cut of emotion at the back of his throat. Ignoring the tears which rolled down his face. ‘Can’t you see what you’re asking me to do? You’re asking me to let Parker do what he likes. You want me to exchange one lot of lives for another. Well I can’t do it, Teddy… I can’t, and it kills me that I can’t because I know right now… and right now… and right now in this country, children and loved ones are being shot, and I was going to do something about it but that something has just slipped right through my fingers. You know how important these reforms were to me. What was it that Abraham Lincoln said when he spoke about the Emancipation Proclamation? If ever my soul was in an act, it is this act. Well that’s exactly how I feel about the reforms, but I won’t do it by causing someone else’s suffering.’

  ‘You’ll regret this, John. Emotions are blinding you. And I’ll tell you something else for nothing. I don’t think the rest of the party is going to be too happy with you, do you?’

  Woods walked up to Teddy, slowly. ‘I don’t give a damn what anybody thinks. Not you, or them. I won’t be complicit to what Parker is doing, and if that means not getting the votes, that’s the way it’s got to be. I couldn’t live with myself otherwise. How could I look myself in the mirror?’

  Teddy scooped up the files from the table. He turned to Woods and said, ‘John, if you wanted to look at yourself in the mirror, you should never have become president.’

  122

  Cooper slammed his fist hard on the bonnet of the Land Rover. The tyres had been slashed on every wheel. It was impossible to drive.

  He was full of panic. Anger. But most of all, fear. ‘What the hell are we going to do now?’

  Father O’Malley pushed some keys into his hand. ‘Take mine, come on, it’s parked round the back.’

  They raced across to the priest’s battered old Subaru, jumping in, with Rosedale driving. Before the doors were even closed, he reversed out, sending mud and water up in sprays as he sped down the road.

  Cooper glanced quickly at Rosedale. It was the first time he’d ever seen him look afraid.

  The car dipped and juddered and the engine screamed as they drove at full speed. Rosedale kept his foot pressed down on the gas but the road was precarious. Thick red sludge caused by the heavy rain encased the wheels, slowing them down.

  ‘There!’ Cooper yelled. He could see the truck’s lights in the distance as it made its way down the hill.

  Rosedale cranked the car into fifth but the speed of the Subaru in the water-logged roads wasn’t a match for the truck which hurtled along. Going faster. Skidding down towards the bottom.

  ‘Look, it’s turning off!’

  The gap between the truck and the Subaru was getting wider, but it didn’t matter because Cooper knew the road the Commer had just turned down led to only one place. The Lemon water plant.

  They crawled along now, the tyres sunk, almost submerged in the mud, and Cooper turned to Rosedale. ‘We going to go in?’

  ‘That’s crazy talk. We’ll be totally outnumbered.’

  Anger flared up inside Cooper. ‘Then tell me exactly what we’re going to do. Tell me how the hell we’re going to get Maddie.’

  Rosedale stared at Cooper. His eyes darting around. ‘At this moment, Thomas, I have no idea. We go in, it’ll be like a suicide mission. We might as well put a bullet to our heads now. They’ll be waiting for us, and even if they’re not, that place will be heavily guarded. There’s only the three of us, four if we count Father O’Malley.’

  ‘At least let us go in and try.’

  ‘Can you hear yourself? Thomas, you aren’t James Bond. We’ll all be killed, which won’t save Maddison.’

  Blind rage struck Cooper. He grabbed Rosedale, yelling in his face. ‘So we’re just supposed to leave her in there? Is that what you’re saying? Is it?’

  ‘I’m not saying that, but what I am saying is if you want to stay alive and see Maddison again, going in now isn’t the way to do it, and you know that. Separate your emotion, boy.’

  ‘You bastard! You don’t give a damn.’

  Rosedale pushed Cooper off. ‘That’s where you’re wrong. You have no idea how much I care but we have to be sensible about this.’

  ‘And what if we wait, what happens if we leave it too late? Because we’ve only got one chance. One shot. One opportunity to get it right.’

  Father O’Malley leant forward, touching Cooper’s shoulder gently.

  Cooper wanted to push him away. Tell him to get the hell off. But there was something calming about the priest, which in turn impelled him to listen.

  ‘Thomas, you need to listen to Rosedale. What he says makes sense.’

  ‘Maybe it does, Father, but that don’t mean it’s going to keep Maddie alive.’

  ‘Now listen to me, Thomas, I might have the answer. I may be able to help.’

  123

  Levi, Rosedale and Cooper stood in the middle of the refugee camp, listening to Father O’Malley speak to a large group of gathered men.

  ‘These three people need our help, and in return we’ll hopefully be able to help ourselves. It’s an opportunity which I didn’t think would come along. I know a lot of you have lived in fear, cast out by Bemba, or you’ve lost loved ones because of him. Some of you were displaced by the conflicts within the country, but when you tried to come back to your homes, return to your houses, you found you couldn’t because of Bemba’s reign of terror. A reign of terror which, as you know, was built on lies and the manipulation of your traditional beliefs. I love my country like you do, and we need to reclaim what we can of it. These men will pay you to help them, buy the arms we need, and as a consequence we will be able to take back our community and rid the place of the real evil. Nearly all of you have fought in wars, so you know what needs to be done. And whilst as a human being, and a man of God, I know violence is not the answer, sometimes it’s the only solution.’

  124

  The sun rose, bursting out across the Congolese skies. Rosedale and Cooper lay on the top of the hill, looking down on the Lemon water treatment plant. The men who Father O’Malley had gathered from the refugee camp, one hundred and twelve in total, also lay hidden and armed, scattered over various vantage points around the plant.

  The priest had confided in Cooper that the men had at one time or another been soldiers. Some child soldiers. Some forced into rebel groups to protect their land from other militia, or from the Congolese army. But the one thing they did have in common – no matter what their history – they all wanted the same thing: to claim back their lives and homes from Bemba.

  All the men had readily agreed to join them, and in the early hours of the morning, directed by Father O’Malley, Rosedale, Levi and Cooper had gone to buy arms from one of the many dealers who flourished in the robust illegal arms trade, stealing, buying and selling from and to governments, armies and militia groups. With supply easy, due to a lack of government intervention and porous borders, and demand high due to the ongoing conflicts in sub-Saharan Africa, guns, grenades and rocket launchers brought in from neighboring countries were sold like apple pies in a bakery store.

  AK-47s, AT4 shoulder-fired anti-tank missiles, SPG-9 Kopye 73-millimetre
recoilless gun, , M72 light anti-armor weapons, along with a number of M249 Squad Automatic Weapons and a M240 Series medium machine gun, all paid for by Father O’Malley’s church funds.

  *

  Cooper passed the binoculars back to Rosedale. ‘So we know what the plan is, right?’

  ‘Yeah, I’ll take half of the men round to the south and west side, covering the whole of that area. We’ve got the stronghold, blocking road access to the area further down, and Levi is on his way to take the remainder of the men to cover the north and east side, both on the ground and the higher level. The good thing is, we won’t have to worry about encountering any militia because of the fear they’ve got about the land. So it’s just Bemba’s men and us. Us against them. You sure you’ll be alright?’

  Not moving his gaze away from the water plant, Cooper said, ‘Yeah, I think it’s best this way. I’ll take the river which runs along the side of the plant. We’ve got our watches synced so in twenty minutes exactly, you cause the distraction. Unleash everything we’ve got. Pound them with the fires from hell. They’ll come out of the water plant, and when they do, I go in.’

  ‘Okay, Thomas, if you’re sure you’ll be alright.’

  ‘Oh I’m sure, alright. Maybe never been surer in my whole life. And I’ll be fine, it’s them who won’t. I’m going to take those sons of bitches out.’

  ‘Okay, you got it… And Lieutenant, good luck. Make sure you bring her back safe.’

  125

  Cooper charged down the hill towards the water plant, jumping over and crashing through the undergrowth. Over crevices and over streams. He could feel his body drenched with sweat but he pushed on harder and faster. Acutely aware of the time as he ran on. Knowing that Rosedale and Levi were going to detonate the first explosive in less than ten minutes.