James and Lao got out of the car but stood behind the open doors. James was holding the hunting rifle. “Stay where you are or I’ll shoot,” he said, his voice cutting.
The leader of the gang – the one who had spoken on the phone – lifted his arm. The men stopped. He took a step forwards, shook his head and laughed with unpleasant, bubbling laughter. “My men will riddle you with holes in a matter of seconds,” he said.
“You don’t need me dead,” James responded. “Where’s Malee?”
“Clive,” the leader shouted in the direction of the three cars, “get the girl out.”
A man walked out into the light of the headlights pushing a small, thin female figure in front of him. The figure’s head was covered by a black bag and her hands were tightly bound.
“I’ll bring her halfway. You come to us and I’ll let her go,” said the leader.
“Malee!” Lao shouted. “Take that thing off her head!”
“Shut up!” the leader shrieked. His voice sounded angry and somehow wild. “I’ll blast her head off right now for you to watch.” He cocked his gun demonstratively and pointed the barrel at the woman’s head. With a swift movement he then turned the gun towards James and Lao. His men followed his example. “What’s it going to be?” he asked, his tone now completely calm.
“Keep aiming at him. Shoot him if necessary,” James said to Lao and handed him the hunting rifle.
The leader stepped back, took the woman and dragged her about fifteen steps forwards. He raised the gun and held it at her head.
“James, it’s a trap,” whispered Lao.
“We can’t be sure,” said James and walked forwards.
“The selfless saviour,” said the leader sarcastically and gave a short burst of his repugnant laughter.
James stopped a few steps from them. “Take that bag off her head and let her go,” he said.
“At your service,” said the leader with more sarcasm. He pulled off the bag and threw it on the ground. The woman’s head was lowered. Her long hair was dishevelled and covered her face. “We gave her a tranquilliser because she was naughty,” he said and pushed her toward James.
“Damned bastard,” cursed James as he moved forward to catch her by the shoulders. The moment he touched her, he realised it was not Malee.
The woman abruptly flung back her hair. She had thin, sharp features. Although the lights were behind her, James could see that her expression was malicious and insolent. “Surprise,” she said mockingly.
With unexpected speed and skill, she threw a punch at James’ jaw. His trained reflex kicked in automatically. He stood back but not fast enough. The small bony fist reached its target and he reeled. Her second punch was aimed at his throat. At that very moment, James could see what was happening around him. He saw the leader rushing upon him with the gun raised to strike him. At the same time something like a gust of wind passed him. It was Lao running, or rather flying, toward the armed gang. Some men in the line were lifting their weapons to shoot at him. James saw that he wasn’t carrying the rifle. He had probably thrown it away and was now rushing in desperation against the gang, relying on his boxing skills.
James parried the punch coming towards his throat and did something he had never done before in his life – he hit a woman. His fist landed on her cheekbone and she passed out on her way to the ground. With the same hand he had knocked down the woman with, he blocked the incoming blow of the leader, and with the other hand knocked away the gun he was holding. The leader escaped James’ next punch and then it was his turn to attack. But he didn’t have James’ class in hand-to-hand fighting. James kicked him in the chest and threw him backwards. With an expression of pain, the leader placed one hand on his chest and with the other he reached under his mackintosh and took out a strange pistol with three barrels. James delivered another swiping kick at his hand and the pistol flew several steps away. Another kick in the leader’s head made him fall dizzy to the ground.
At the same time, four men ran towards James. They had to cross several metres’ distance and that gave him time to scan the situation. A few bodies dressed in black writhed on the ground. Lao had struck them down as he passed them like a storm. Apart from the ones running towards James, four men were still standing, their backs turned to him, their guns twitching and throwing off shells. Seeing that they were shooting at their cars, James realised what was going on. Lao was there. He was checking if Malee was somewhere in the cars. How he had got through the line of armed men and how he had knocked down some of them without being shot was inexplicable. However, James didn’t have time to think about that. The four men attacked him simultaneously. One of them was a step ahead. James dived beneath his arm and hit the attackers’ carotid artery with the side of his hand. The man sprawled, face down on the ground. James collided with the others. They were big and obviously trained in man-to-man combat. A swift exchange of blows ensued. James avoided, or softened, most of the blows, but some reached their mark. He was outnumbered and he would soon be defeated if something did not change. He aimed a combination of different punches at one of the men and managed to break his defence. One of James’ cross-counters hit his jaw and he was knocked out. But James received several blows as well. He was forced to step back. For a fraction of a second he darted a look at the gang’s cars. He saw Lao come out from among them and head towards the people who were still shooting at him. He leaped, zigzagging with a speed that James had never suspected he was capable of. His movements resembled a speeded-up film.
Transfixed by this sight, James noticed too late the fist approaching his face. He succeeded in partially avoiding it, but the blow shook up his head and stars and lights appeared in front of his eyes. However, the punch made the attacker sway and his right side became unprotected. James reacted instinctively. The blow reached the man’s temporal bone and he came down. The last attacker standing roared and jumped on James in a rage. James warded off the blows. In his anger, the man forgot to pay attention to his defence. James took advantage of that. He placed a strong kick just beneath his ribs and threw him backwards, doubled up with pain. At the same moment, James felt something prick his side. He looked down and saw three syringes. He heard the familiar bubbling laughter. The leader was kneeling on one knee grinning at him and holding the strange three-barrelled pistol in his hand. James pulled out the syringes and threw them away, but almost immediately he felt overwhelmed by a sensation of heat.
The drug they used on Costov is now in my body, he thought.
He would not allow them to triumph. He reached into his pocket and grabbed the pellet containing Lao’s poison between the tips of his fingers. He tried to take his hand out of his pocket, but it became entangled in his clothes.
No.
The warmth was spreading into his limbs. He was weakening. It was taking all his strength away. He tried as hard as he could to take his clenched fist out of his pocket, ordering himself to lift his arm at any cost, but he could not. He didn’t feel his arm. The world turned upside down and cracked. He could see the sky full of stars and the man with whom he had just fought bending over him. James realised that he was on his back on the ground. He had sensed nothing when he fell. How could he? He felt as if his body was missing.
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
Sounds of footsteps came to Irina’s ears. Still hiding behind the tree, she glanced past it and saw the sniper walking in her direction carrying the long rifle and the stand. She realised that he was trying to take up a better shooting position. If that was his intention, he would come to where she was or go a bit further on in order to be able to see behind the warehouse where James had moved the car. She took out her gun from the holster under her armpit.
The man was treading, appearing not to be worried about the noise he made. He had no reason to believe he was in danger. He got very close to the tree Irina was hiding behind. She heard his breathing and raised her gun. The worst that could happen would be the sniper choosing to establish his shooting nes
t where she was. If that were the case, he would appear face to face with her, which would make her attack difficult.
The man passed by her, looking for another site further on. Irina lashed out and hit the man on the head with the handle of her gun. He made a brief sound – something between a sigh and a groan – and fell on his knees, dropping the stand and rifle. She hit him a second time. He tilted sideways and laid motionless.
Irina took the stand and rifle to the edge of the wood and set them up. She pulled back the weapon’s bolt slightly illuminating into the slot by her mobile phone. The magazine contained two cartridges and one was in the barrel.
She looked through the telescopic sight, which was adapted for night vision, and began surveying the vicinity. Suddenly, about a hundred metres ahead, a man holding a rifle similar to the one she had in her possession dashed out of the wood. He ran, keeping close to the tree edge. He looked like he had also decided to change his position. Irina aimed at him and pulled the trigger. He fell dead as the bullet struck home.
Irina scanned the area. If there was another sniper, he may have seen the sudden death of his colleague and might be able to locate her.
She discovered the third sniper after a few seconds. Luckily for her, he didn’t seem to have noticed what had happened, because he was looking at the industrial estate. She held her breath and aimed carefully. Through the telescopic sight she saw the bullet hit him and his head exploded.
She looked around again but did not see anything suspicious.
A distant angry shout attracted her attention. The gang had spread out in a line in front of James and Lao, who were out of the car. One of the armed men shouted and brandished a gun in the air. Irina tried to stay calm and aimed at him.
She had experience of difficult situations. She had participated in operations to free hostages and shoot criminals. From a professional point of view, she regarded the situation in which James and Lao found themselves as hopeless. She regretted how easily they had fallen into the trap.
She had seen many things, but she couldn’t have envisaged what happened next. She released the half-pulled trigger because the behaviour of the man with the gun changed and he was not directly threatening James and Lao. James walked into the open to make the exchange with Malee. Suddenly, the situation changed in a snap. Irina saw Lao’s mad lightening attack, escaping the hail of bullets with incredible feints. By some miracle he managed to get close to the gunmen unharmed, and in a few seconds he had knocked some of them out. James also tackled several members of the gang. The next thing Irina saw was James falling. Only after he had fallen did she see a kneeling man holding a gun. Until that moment he had been masked by James and the last man he had fought.
She aimed at the man but didn’t have time to pull the trigger. Lao, who had knocked down the remainder of the gang quickly and effectively, leaped towards him. In the next instant, James’ last opponent was on the ground. One more leap and Lao was next to the kneeling man. The speed of his movements was exhilarating. In a fraction of a second the pistol flew into the air and the man fell. Lao was standing, looking around, his foot on the man’s throat.
Irina jumped to her feet. James, what’s happened to him? She took the sniper rifle and ran. On her way she glanced about for any surprises. Although everything looked calm, she knew that impression was deceptive. The cult had forged a large-scale operation to capture James. She was one hundred per cent sure that part of their squad was patrolling somewhere on the road linking the industrial estate with the major road. Thus, their way back would be cut. Those people could show up at any moment.
“James!” she shouted as she approached. “How is he, Lao?”
Lao was kneeling next to him, one hand touching James’ chest. With the fingers of the other hand he was tapping different pressure points on James’ neck and head. “He’s been injected with some kind of tranquilliser I think,” he said and pointed to the three syringes that James had thrown aside.
Irina sighed with relief. “Yes. They wouldn’t kill him with a gun. Lao, we must find a way out and take James to hospital. But we can’t use the road we came on.”
“When we entered the estate we noticed a wooden gate behind the last warehouse. Beyond it there’s a dirt road. It leads into the forest.”
“That may be a good chance for us,” said Irina. “Hopefully, they didn’t position any men there.”
Lao lifted James and put him on his shoulder. He took him to the Land Rover and laid his body on the rear seat. Irina walked behind, side-on to keep an eye on the road and the forest.
“Sit next to him. I’ll—” She didn’t finish the sentence because Lao was already walking back. “What are you doing? Other cult people could appear any moment now,” she shouted.
Lao turned and said with a flat voice, “I’ve got unfinished business.”
“Damn it!” murmured Irina and followed him.
He approached the leader, who lay unconscious, and bent over him. The sounds of a roaring engine came floating through the air and Irina saw a car driving at great speed in their direction. She knelt on one knee to give the heavy rifle better support, took aim and shot at a front tire. The car swerved off the road but the driver managed to retake control.
Bullets hissed in the air close to Irina. She stooped low and then saw Lao dragging the leader toward the gang’s cars. They offered the only shelter for them from the hail of bullets. It would be too risky for Irina and Lao to try to reach the Land Rover right now. Irina threw away the empty rifle and ran to the cars. On her way she took a risk and picked up as many of the of the gang members’ weapons as she could and brought them to the cars. She chose a machine gun with a full cartridge clip and squatted next to Lao who had knelt behind the cars and was leaning over the leader. Lao was holding the man’s neck with both hands gazing intensely into his face.
Suddenly, the leader exclaimed,his eyes wide open. “What—”
Lao slapped his face with the back of his hand. “You will only answer my questions,” he said.
Irina hadn’t yet figured out what he was doing, but she didn’t have much time to ponder over it. The gunmen from the derailed car were attempting to get closer. She fired off a few short bursts at them and they dived to the ground.
“You’re not getting him out alive …” the man began.
With a flash-like movement, Lao took out a bunch of long needles with round heads from the folds of his sleeve and, in a matter of a few seconds, stuck them into the man’s neck and torso. His arms and head flopped down as if they had been paralysed. He started howling as if he were in great pain.
“What’s it going to be with James?” asked Lao.
The leader didn’t answer.
Lao drew out two of the needles and stuck them sharply near the corners of the man’s eyes. The howl he produced was terrible. Lao pulled the needles halfway out. The leader stopped screaming and began to moan in pain. Lao repeated his question and pressed on the needles slightly.
“Aaah … he’s just drugged. I can’t bear it anymore,” the man begged. “I’ve got a wafer … with salve in it. Take it. Just stop the pain. Aaah … I can’t move my arms … Coat his gums with it and he’ll recover.”
Lao found the wafer and dropped it into his pocket. Then he pushed the needles deeper. The man’s scream was wild.
Lao released the needles. “Where’s my daughter?” he asked.
The man was breathing heavily and covered in sweat. Blood trickled out of his ears. “She’s not here. She was taken … She’s gifted.”
“Who took her? Where is she now?”
“Aaah … she will be a seer.”
“Where is she?” Lao touched the needles.
“Aaah … in the mountains.” The man’s eyes rolled up until only the white of his eyes were visible.
Lao applied gentle pressure to some of the needles stuck in the man’s torso. His eyes immediately returned to the normal position.
“What mountain are you talking abou
t?” asked Lao.
The man didn’t answer straight away. He looked as if the life power had left his body. Lao shook him.
“I don’t know. The Perfecty’s horns come from there … The horns of the eternal death.” A haggard smile appeared on the man’s lips.
“Lao,” said Irina, “we need to get to the Land Rover. We won’t be able to hold it here much longer. They’ve begun to surround us.”
Lao looked round. “Okay. Let’s try. You’ll drive.” He nodded to the leader. “This one’s almost finished. If you want to ask him something, this is your last chance.”
Irina got closer to Lao and his victim. What Lao had done was cruel, but necessary. She didn’t have the right to judge him. “Tell me the names of the high ranks in your organisation,” she said.
“Prior on the top of the High Gathering … The Perfectys’ circle … Touched ones.” The man’s voice faded.
“Give me names. Who are you?” Irina asked insistently.
“My name is Roger … I am North,” he said in a barely audible voice, and then his eyes rolled up for the last time.
Lao drew the needles out of the lifeless body, wiped them on the man’s clothes and stuck them back in his sleeve.
Irina popped her head up above the car and fired the last rounds of the machine gun. She threw it aside and looked at Lao. “Now!”
They started running. Irina jumped over one of the fallen men. While her back leg was still in the air, the man beneath suddenly stretched his arm up and grabbed it. She lost balance and fell to the ground. She rolled over and drew the gun from the holster under her armpit. She saw the man pull out his gun and point it at her. She pulled the trigger a fraction of a second before him and then fired a second time. The man’s head dropped and he stopped moving. These two shots were the only ones that had been fired from a weapon without a silencer. They echoed loudly in the quietness of the night.
Irina got to her feet and ran. She saw Lao at the car taking aim with the hunting rifle. The two loud bangs muted the hissing of the bullets flying around her. She reached the Land Rover unscathed. Lao was already sitting next to James. She jumped behind the wheel, pushed the starter and drove away, tires burning. When she switched on the headlights she saw the wooden gate that Lao had spoken about. She accelerated rapidly. The car went through the gate as if it were made of paper. The dirt road stretched ahead about a hundred metres, crossing a meadow before disappearing into the dark forest. They managed to get to the forest without seeing any of the cult’s men. Irina noted that the meadow and the road must have been the shooting zone of the last sniper she had shot.
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