15 Signs Of Murder (Fifteen thrillers)

by Luis Samways

  A narrow and long concrete staircase stood in front of her. Many fresh new faces appeared as they came up, and many weary ones disappeared as they went down. All she had to do was get down the stairs without tripping. She felt awfully on edge. She was scared out of her mind, more so for the safety of her daughter. She had to turn around to get another look at the man chasing her. He was meters behind her now. She had to act soon, or she would be in the hands of the unknown. She had no idea what savageness the unknown had waiting for her.

  “We can buy clothes some other time,” she caught herself saying under her breath.

  She hurried down the first two steps, dragging her daughter behind her. She let her left hand’s grip go, and the suitcase she was carrying stayed perched on the first step down. She bundled her daughter up in her arms and ran down the stairs. The man behind her didn’t see it coming. He was too focused on her. So much so that he had been following her at the exact same angle that she was walking, like a race car following the driving line. He watched as she disappeared down the stairs. He followed, but not for long. Something touched his feet as he tripped over the case Cindy had left behind. He hurtled forward and put his hands out in front of him. He kept his head from hitting the concrete steps but took a few hard bumps as he tumbled down the stairs. By the time he reached the bottom, Cindy was gone. She had hailed a cab and was now driving off into relative safety. She looked out the window as strangers attended to the man who’d fallen down the stairs. The man got up, brushing himself off. He had a bleeding nose, but dismissed the kind people around him. He saw Cindy staring at him from the back of the moving cab. He waved at her candidly, licking his lips as he did so. He knew it wasn’t over, and so did she. She started to cry a little, masking her tears with a few stubborn coughs.

  “It will be okay, Mommy. The duckies aren’t far now,” her daughter said as she hugged her mom in the back of the swerving cab.

  Chapter Eight

  “Nice going with the whole ‘I hate you’ speech you did earlier on,” Jerry said to me after a long stint of silence. We had been quiet for an hour or so. I didn’t want to alarm any of the damn mountain lions that were nearby. The farmer had stuck us in a large barn. Inside it, when he had the lights on, which he didn’t now, were a few mountain lions. I couldn’t tell if they were sleeping or stalking us, but it didn’t really matter, seeing that they were locked up and were far away from us. The big farmer guy was courteous enough to keep us alive for a whole two hours since our capture. I wasn’t counting on him keeping us alive any longer, especially if he was really expecting the Germans to pay for our release. I didn’t think they would be doing such a thing, that was for sure. If there was one thing I had learned from the Germans, it was that they would rather kill everyone in the world than listen to the voice of reason. It turned out I was right, but we’ll get to that in a bit.

  “It wasn’t a speech, Jerry. I meant every damn word of it. In fact, I’m pretty sure I hate your fucking guts right about now,” I replied.

  The cage we were in was small, and I was surprised when we were stuck in it together. We were still hog-tied, but the farmer was nice enough to sit us down instead of putting us flat on our stomachs.

  “I can’t believe you would say those things to me. I am trying to make sure you don’t end up dying, you ungrateful turd,” Jerry replied. I could feel his breath on my neck. I didn’t bother looking in his direction, but I could tell he was looking at me. We were propped up against the steel cage with our backs to it. It resembled a dog kennel, and was probably the home of the mountain lion that had chased us. I didn’t know what the farmer had done with that one, but I didn’t really care. Probably had some sort of outhouse for the bastard beast. There were plenty enough lions in the cages next to us anyway, so I wasn’t too preoccupied about that one.

  “Don’t waste your breath, Jerry. I know why you rescued me. You only wanted money. I can see it now — you were planning to sell me to the highest bidder and go about your own life without a care in the world. So long as you had your damn pocket change, you’d be just fine.”

  I could feel Jerry’s stare again. The warm heat on my neck from his breathing intensified. It was as if his veins were boiling the contents of his body.

  “That is not what I was going to do! Why on earth would you think something like that?” He huffed. I could still feel the heat coming off him. I was really getting to him, and I was happy about that.

  “Save it, Jerry. I don’t want to know. I couldn’t care less about your intentions. We’re fucked now anyway, so get over it and let me die in peace, will ya?”

  I heard a few grunts from his side of the cage. The darkness of the room made everything seem so much darker and hopeless than it probably was. After all, I did have that blade. And I was trying my best to cut the rope behind my back, but I was cutting my fingers more than anything. I could feel the blood trickling out of them.

  “Any luck on the rope?” Jerry asked.

  I didn’t answer; I was preoccupied with trying to save my life.

  Fuck him and his questions.

  “Are you going to answer me?”

  “Nope,” I replied.

  “You just did.”

  “Fuck you,” I said, still going for the rope behind my back.

  What followed was more silence for the better half of a minute. And then the door to the barn opened and the farmer walked in. I immediately stopped what I was doing. I wasn’t going to risk my escape. I still wasn’t sure on whether or not I would attempt to free Jerry if my cutting skills permitted it. As I said before, fuck him.

  “Ah, you two look cozy in there. I have some news. I have spoken to the Germans, and they are happy to pay for yours and Jerry’s release into their custody. The only problem is that they were not willing to meet my demands at first. But I am happy to confirm that they have agreed on the terms and you two shall be passed onto them soon. They will be picking you up in a plane within the hour. I hope you aren’t afraid of flying. Auf Wiedersehen,” the farmer said, blowing us a kiss and walking out of the barn. He shut the barn door once more. This time he didn’t lock it. I could see the door was half an inch ajar and knew that if we were going to escape, then I’d have to come up with the goods soon or we’d be captured.

  “They aren’t doing a deal with him,” Jerry said out of the blue.

  I didn’t answer. I was still going for my restraints like a Rottweiler at a pup. Shame I didn’t have one of those that I could fight off the lions with.

  “They are going to bomb this place. There is no way they are doing a deal with the farmer.”

  I finally turned my head to face Jerry’s. Even though it was dark in the barn, I could see his eye whites and the seriousness that rested within them.

  “What are you talking about? Didn’t you just hear him? He said the deal is done. We are as good as dead,” I insisted.

  “That’s where I agree with you, Abel. We are as good as dead. You see, for all the time I worked for the German Empire in the Reich, I walked away knowing three things. One: Germans don’t pay for shit. They take it by force. Two: when picking up POWs and other people of interest from the battlefield, they use helicopters, not a damn plane. The farmer must be brain dead, because he can’t see what’s in front of him. Where the hell would they land? On the damn roof? They are bringing planes, but I’m afraid they are the kind that drop bombs, not pick up passengers and fly them off to execution.”

  I couldn’t help but be a little slack-jawed. That asshole Jerry was right. It made sense. They would kill two birds with one stone — three if you included the farmer. They wouldn’t need to own up to there being another Jew, because I would have perished. They’d kill Jerry and his three things he knows, get rid of the potential information he would hold, and get rid of the farmer who tried to double-cross them. The perfect plan, really.

  “What was the other thing you know?” I asked.

  “What? What are you talking about? Can’t you see we ar
e in danger? You should be cutting, not asking questions.”

  “You said that you walked away knowing three things. What was the third?”

  That was when Jerry’s face became more than eye whites in the dark. I could now see some teeth, and they were beaming a smile at me.

  “Oh, that’s a secret that I’ll share when we are out of here. But I’ll say one thing — it’s going to hurt the Germans. It’s going to hurt them real fucking bad.”

  I smiled back at him and got to cutting the rope behind me with the razor. This time I was hitting my mark. The rope around my hands started to feel a little lax.

  “It’s working!” I said.

  “Good, now we can think about getting out of here before we get bombed worse than the British.”

  Chapter Nine

  “ETA fifteen minutes, sir,” the logistics officer said as he keyed some numbers into the big-screen touch pad. Overlooking his shoulder was Commander Klaus as he cracked his fingers in delight. He knew what this could mean for the Germania Empire. He knew the actions that were about to unfold on that day could cement his place at the top of command. Maybe even get him into the top ranks in the German Reich. He was only a commander, but he knew he could be so much more. Maybe even bigger than the Empire itself. Maybe.

  “How many planes are on their way?” he asked, still cracking his fingers under the intense pressure of the moment. He could feel the sweat dripping slightly down his neck.

  “Two stealth bombers, sir, fitted with five missiles.”

  A smile crept across the Commander’s face. He stopped feeling so tense and relaxed a little. “What is the projected damage?” he asked.

  “They are not nuclear, so minimal spread on the explosion. Regarding fatalities, anyone in a mile radius of the farm could get hit by debris from the impact, but the team are going in strong and hitting the middle mark. We are aiming for the canter of the farm,” the logistics man said as he keyed in some more numbers.

  The somber atmosphere of the room blanked the already partial light that was making its way through the ventilation systems on the walls. A slight breeze brought calmness to Commander Klaus. It had been a very long time since he felt that serene. He welcomed it like a long-lost friend or a meal after days of hunger. He was hungry for what was going to happen. It was gnawing at his innards like a tapeworm feeding on scraps. He was ready for the attack on the farm. He was ready to show his dominance.

  “What’s in the center of the farm, exactly? Can we be sure we’ll hit the Jew and the traitor?”

  The logistics man swiped his hand across the screen and brought up a live satellite feed. It showed the farm from a drone, flying above in a circular motion. It did a few laps of the farm and showed its near emptiness. This angered the Commander.

  “What the hell is this? Where are the targets?” he asked.

  “Wait a second, sir. I’m just hitting the optics now,” he said, pressing a button on the side of the control panel. Suddenly the satellite uplink changed color and showed infrared heat signatures on the screen. It revealed the barn and a wide array of heat signatures that resembled a mesh of heat in one big block of light.

  “That right there, sir, is body heat from organic life forms. Those small heat signatures are from animals, most likely from the farmer’s pet lions,” the logistics man said.

  “Crazy bastard,” Commander Klaus found himself muttering under his breath.

  “And those larger heat signatures in the shape of a silhouette are human. I count three in the vicinity.”

  There was a long pause as the computers in the room droned on and the air conditioning wound down. A smile was etched into the Commander’s face. He was a very happy man. The plan was going to work. All that was needed was a little time, and before anyone on the farm knew it, they’d be charred beyond recognition. The nightmare that the Empire had been enduring would finally be over.

  “Three heat signatures. One Jew. One Reich’s man, and one farmer,” the logistics man said, turning around to face his happy commanding officer.

  “No, that’s where you’re wrong — it’s one DEAD Jew, one DEAD traitor, and a DEAD idiot who tried to screw the Empire.”

  Chapter Ten

  Danni Mendez and her team of rebel fighters were still marching down the winding road. They were not that far off from their destination. The leaves in the trees were rustling from the heavy winds that were hitting them. The branches creaked, and the ground at their feet was laced with fallen leaves. Some were yellow, while others remained green. All of them had a crunchy texture to them as they fizzled under the heavy boots of the rebel soldiers. Spirits were high among the group. The joking and laughing had helped them forget about the horrors of the day. For Danni at least, she was far from happy. She couldn’t stop thinking about the horrors, even if her group of men could.

  “Half a click off our mark,” Baston said as he walked beside her. He could tell she was feeling the pressure. “There was nothing you could do, ay. You did your best, Danni. Most women would crumble at such an obstacle. Heck, most men would. I told you once and I’ll tell you again, you are stronger than you think,” Baston comforted her, looking at his leader with caring compassion. Danni’s beauty was untarnished despite her dirty appearance. She had been through a lot, but that didn’t stop the special aura that usually surrounded her. For Baston at least, he found her a rock in the muddy waters that was his reality of living, and for the rest of the team, they found her a sturdy lead when times got tough. But for Danni herself, she found her inner conflicts arose to torment her at times like these. She didn’t want to crumble, but she wasn’t sure as to how much more she could handle. She didn’t know if she could take it anymore, let alone dish it out.

  “I feel like I have let everyone down. A lot of good men died today, and a lot more will die tomorrow and the next day. How can we possibly carry on fighting? We aren’t accomplishing anything. The only thing we have managed to do is die. And we can’t even do that properly. We end up killing each other before we take a bullet from the enemy. It just doesn’t seem right.”

  Baston nodded his head in agreement. “Ay, you are right. It is tough but so are we,” he said.

  Danni nodded but couldn’t face looking at him. She was too caught up in the turmoil of her feelings. The rebels behind her were too engrossed in their laughter to hear the rustling in the trees. This time the Germans managed to attack them without much resistance.

  Shots echoed through the forest, and a few rebels hit the ground. They were dead before their bodies knew of their fate. Gunshots to the head. Blood escaping their skulls, melting into the dry ground below them.

  “The Germans, take cover!” Baston screamed, shielding Danni from the attack.

  At that very second, seven German soldiers came rushing out of the trees. They had been following them since the rebels shot their three scouts earlier that day, on that same winding road. They had already called for backup, but they wanted the kill so badly. Even though they were matched in firepower, and manpower, they felt getting the jump on the rebels from the bushes would be enough to thin them out completely. They weren’t counting on the resolve of the rebels. They weren’t counting on the presence of Baston.

  “Danni, hand me your pistol,” he said. She complied. Before the seven Germans gained much ground on them from the back, Baston had fired three shots in a split second, clocking two of them in the head and one in the arm. A few more Germans died, but not before all that remained were Danni and Baston. The rest of the rebels had perished alongside the Germans. Baston had finished off the job. The trees were still dropping dead leaves on the ground, and after a few hours, most of the dead bodies that lay on the dusty road were half covered in the deathly fall of nature.

  Danni and Baston weren’t dead, though. They were far from it. They had a mission to complete and they were determined to do it, no matter what the Germans put in front of them.

  Chapter Eleven

  I noticed the sweat form
ing on my palms as I tried my best to cut the last couple of strands on my restraints. Jerry was looking on in anticipation. I could see the urgency he was expressing through his eyes. They were darting from left to right as I strained my hardest to get the rope cut.

  “Come on, Abel, you can do it!” he said, cheering me on in a sense. He didn’t exactly exude much confidence in me. I could tell he had his doubts as to whether or not I’d be able to free myself. It seemed as if everything was against me. I could feel time ticking down, like an inevitable hurdle that wouldn’t stop for anything. I could feel the blade slipping out of my hand. I knew I only had a few seconds left until I dropped the damn thing and we were done for.

  “Man, I don’t know if I can do it. I can feel it slipping!” I said, struggling for breath as I focused on the task at hand. It was harder than I’d thought it would be. Granted, I was aware that being hog-tied wouldn’t help in my movement and it was designed to stop any attempt at escape, but I didn’t know it would hurt that much. I could literally feel every muscle in my body tense up and rip as I tugged away at the ropes around my wrists. Then they finally broke, releasing my wrists and feet from bondage in one mighty snap. I was free. I fell forward onto my front, the force of the rope breaking like an elastic band. I hit my head hard on the floor, nearly knocking myself clean out.

  “Abel, you okay, buddy? Can you hear me?” I heard Jerry say. I was in a complete daze. And then I heard a roar.

  “Shit, one of the lions woke up!” Jerry said.

  I forced myself upright and got to my feet. I couldn’t stand all the way up because of the low ceiling on the cage. I saw Jerry’s expressive eyes once again. This time I saw more than hope in them. This time I saw pride. I don’t know if he was proud of me or himself. Maybe he saw his coaching as the reason I’d gotten out of my restraints. Either way, I didn’t care. I just wanted out of that cage faster than you could say “Nazi.” I went for the door. It was locked from the outside. Some sort of chain.