by HJ Lawson
“Group one, the police and the target shooters, will enter first, using the darkness to their advantage to get into the nearby high-rises. Then, if all hell breaks loose, they can take the soldiers down,” Gérard explains. “We take others as hostages, say we found them hiding in one of the houses. Then we take them over to the building where everyone is being held. Then get the others out.”
Everyone nods in agreement with his plan.
“What about him?” one of the men in our group asks, pointing at the nearly nude and terrified soldier.
“Let’s put him in here… you have anything to tie him up with?” I point over to the gate house.
“Good idea,” Gérard and the Chief say in unison. I can feel my cheeks blushing with pride.
*****
“Let’s do this,” Gérard orders. The first group has already disappeared into the darkness. Now our time has come.
Gérard and I will lead ten prisoners right into the middle of hell.
“You ready?” Gérard asks.
“Born ready,” I say back.
“Don’t be a hero… in and out.” Gérard made it clear that our mission is to get Faith and Kyra out. Then get to a vehicle and leave. They are our mission and no one else.
“I will stick with the plan.”
“Mask on,” Gérard instructs, and I follow his orders. As I breathe in and out, I feel and sound like Darth Vader.
Gérard leads the group out into the open; I wait for them all to pass us. Ali waits back with me, and then we follow the others with our guns firmly in place. I'm ready for whatever the world has planned for me.
My heart thumps with every step I take, and my mouth begins to dry out. You can do this, my father’s voice plays through my head.
The group moves faster as the adrenaline runs through our veins. The street becomes lighter the closer we get to the town.
We are out in the open, and I can feel the tension coming from our hostages. The group begins to slow down, but we cannot. I gently push one of the guys in back. He turns toward me and looks at me with a mix of fear and disgust.
“Keep moving,” I tell him, with my new Darth Vader voice.
“Stop!” a voice orders from the side of us. Everyone holds in position. We are so close to the main building… we almost made it free and clear. Almost.
“What’s going on?” The voice gets louder the closer it gets. It is another solider.
“We found them hiding,” Gérard explains.
“Very good.” The soldier nods. “Take them to be with the others. We will be leaving soon.”
Gérard waves his hand to the group, and we keep moving as instructed. The soldier moves back to the others he was standing with.
We trudge along the road of the once-busy town that is now empty except for soldiers and army trucks. I have counted around thirty soldiers standing guard. They glance at us for a moment and then carry on with their work patrolling the location. God only knows how many are inside the building we are heading for, and what is waiting for us when we get there.
Chapter 44
Peaceful Reunion.
ETHAN
“Who is Junayd?” I ask, but get no response.
I look around as the solider leads me through the town. It has been overrun by soldiers, who are quickly moving around as though they are getting ready to leave. I should leave soon as well. The radiation will be here soon.
The man opens the door to a large office building; it looks like their headquarters.
“Where is Junayd?” he asks a soldier at a desk.
“Third floor.”
I follow the solider up the stairs. By the way he holds the gun, I can tell it's new to him. It looks new to all of them. I may be outnumbered, but that is my advantage.
Bang… bang… The sounds of gunfire fills the night sky. I peer out of the stairway window.
What the hell is going on?
Soldiers drop to the ground. I look up toward the tops of the buildings and see there are snipers. I pull my pistol from the back of my pants and shoot the solider before he can even reach for his gun. His body slumps to the ground, and I grab his weapon.
“Junayd!” I yell, as I open the door to the third level.
A man freezes and looks at me. It’s him.
I shoot at the soldiers next to him; one after another they drop to the ground, and Junayd raises his hands.
“Stop, stop,” he yells, as all of his soldiers lie around him. I stop, but the sound of gunfire continues outside.
“Are you Junayd?” I ask. Unlike the others, he has nothing to hide his face, like he is proud of who he is.
“Yes,” he says firmly.
“Your soldiers told me to see you.”
“Well, that’s quite an entrance,” he says, smiling.
I smile back, as I wave my hands. “Apologies, but he didn’t tell me who you are. I don’t like surprises.”
“So you killed my men?” Junayd asks.
“Yes.”
“I’m Junayd Reef, leader of this platoon,” he says proudly. “Who are you?”
Good question… who am I?
“I am Mohammad.”
“Mohammad who?”
“Mohammad Abulafia. I am here to see my father,” I say firmly.
Junayd’s eyes widen. He knows who I am. His eyes move down toward my gun… he knows I’m meant to be dead.
He falls silent; his mouth begins to gasp in surprise. I focus on him. In the silence I can hear the gunfight outside. And something else… the sound of sobbing.
“Who else is here?” I ask, as I raise my gun. Junayd lifts up his wobbling hands in response. Then he moves his finger toward an office dividing wall.
I fix my eyes firmly on Junayd, and he backs away from me as I get closer to him and the wall.
I glance behind the partition and see it is a group of frightened women huddled together, sobbing in fear.
Quickly I look back at Junayd. “Hostages,” he says. He shows no remorse… only pleasure, if anything
I take another look. Not all of them are crying, and some aren’t moving. They are dead.
“What did they do?” I ask.
Junayd looks confused, and so am I. Why do I care? All the people I’ve killed weren’t innocent. Unlike the people he’s holding.
I let out a laugh. Oh yeah… except for the millions I just dropped the bomb on.
“Your father ordered it,” Junayd informs me.
Chapter 45
We Are At War.
JADA
“Ali, run!” I yell, as I sprint toward the building… toward the gunfire and Gérard, but away from being an open target.
Whizzing sounds ring by my ears as the bullets fly over us. I force myself not to look back and just get to the door. The sound of shattered glass exploding on the ground follows.
From the corner of my eye, I can see others standing and turning to fire back at the soldiers.
The gunshots get louder as we reach the building. Taking a deep breath, I peek my head up and look through a freshly shattered window… Gérard is still alive. Alive and strong. I need to get in and help him.
“You ready?” I blurt out to Ali.
“Yeah.”
I raise my finger. One… two… three…
Ali and I pop our heads up at the same time and begin firing at the soldiers. A few other guys had the same idea, and we fire at them until there is no one left to shoot. The bodies lie on the ground, seeping with blood. No time for regard or emotions. We are at war.
“Get inside!” I yell as the firing stops.
I follow my own orders and run in through the door, stamping down on the shattered glass. The sound of the gunfight outside hasn’t stopped. I glance over my shoulder; the police and others are holding them off… I just hope they can hold them off for long enough.
I rush toward Gérard and he wraps his arms around me. “Jada, God, I’m glad to see you,” he says as he rips off his mask. I do the same.
“This way…” Gérard runs toward a door with the sign for stairs on it.
He swiftly opens the door, then looks up to check if anyone is there. Then he hand-signals for us to come.
I instantly follow Gérard, with Ali and the others close behind us. We run up the stairs two at time. I can faintly hear the gunfire still happening outside.
“You guys take this floor. Get anyone you can out through the back door,” Gérard yells down to the men at the back of the group.
“Thank God. Don’t think I could take anymore stairs,” one of the men mumbles as he tries to catch his breath.
Gérard stops for a moment. “How many levels are there?” he asks the guy who used to work here.
“Six floors,” he replies.
“Okay, we will check on every other floor,” Gérard announces.
We wait as the first group goes in, in case they need back up. The men disappear onto their level, and silence follows instead of gunfire. They are safe for now. The silence worries me… why is no one following us up the stairs?
We continue up the stairs until there are just Gérard, Ali, and me left. We are at the top level.
“Stay with me,” Gérard says as he reaches out for the silver handle and slowly pushes down on it.
The door awkwardly creaks open… the sound alone might reveal us. Gérard freezes, not pushing the door anymore, and the creaking stops. We stand silently, waiting for the sound of feet, but there is nothing.
I was wrong… they are not on this floor, I think to myself. Gérard pushes the door open wider, giving us a clear view of the office, which is just rows of cubicles.
“We will do a quick sweep of the office, then down to the next floor,” Gérard orders. He enters the floor, and other than the gunfire outside, it is silent.
“Maybe they moved the hostages. It's just too quiet,” I say.
“I think you’re right,” Gérard states somberly.
“How long do we have left to find them?”
Gérard looks down at his watch. “We could already be out of time. The radiation is due to get here in thirty mines. But if the winds have changed it's already too late. Fuck!” He runs over toward the window, and Ali and I follow.
I press my hands against the pane as I look out; the soldiers are using the hostages as human shields. They are heading for the trucks.
“We need to get down there before they leave,” Gérard announces.
“Wait,” Ali says. “Look.”
“Kid, I’ve seen enough.”
“No. It's all men,” Ali states. I wipe the steam off the window and look back down again.
“Gérard, he’s right. There are no females down there. Look at their hair.” We all push our faces against the glass.
“They must still be in the building,” he says as he looks up at me, then around the room. “Come on!”
We run back to the stairway, and I jump from one step to the next, almost losing my footing. We are moving too quickly to be quiet.
Bang… bang…! The bullets rattle past us; they are on the level below us. I slam my body against the wall, away from the open stairwell.
The firing continues, bouncing off the walls. We freeze for a moment. It sounds as though they are standing by the door and using it as a shield. I drop down to the ground, edging my body and gun forward.
Placing my pistol between the stair railings, I take a deep breath and pull the trigger.
“Arh!” the soldier screams out as he drops his gun to the floor. I shot him in the hand.
Gérard runs into the door and knocks the man on the ground and swiftly shoots him. He’s not getting back up.
Bang… bang… Gérard continues firing his gun as he walks into the office, with Ali and me at his side, reacting before they can.
I dive behind a wall, dragging Ali with me. We are easy prey if we stand out there. Gérard does the same behind another wall.
We took a few soldiers down, but there are a handful of soldiers left… Where are the hostages? Where are Kyra and Faith?
The sounds of the bullets intensify. They are moving closer.
I lower my head and take off running down the sides of the cubicles, with Ali behind me. Looking over my shoulder I can see them standing where we were hiding a few moments ago.
Rising up, I start to shoot them in the back, and Ali and Gérard do the same. “Over there!” one of the soldiers yells. Bullets whiz over my head. Instantly my body reacts, and I drop back down. A cloud of gray dust comes down from the walls, and the chalky smell has returned once again.
Is this how I die? My heart fills with dread.
Black boots are standing in front of me. “Stop!” a soldier screams out.
I know that voice… it is Mansur.
Chapter 46
Fallen Into The Devil's Den.
ANNABEL
We quickly scramble up the homeless shelter’s stairs… a little too quickly. I stumble on the final step. My hands land on the floor, protecting my face from smashing on the cold stone tile.
I raise my head to see a pair of shoes in front of me… my eyes trail upwards.
Jamie!
Leaping up, I fling my arms around her. She hugs me back.
“I’m so sorry, I never thought I would see you again,” I tell her, as tears pour down my face. I’m beyond exhausted from today's events.
“You have to get out of here!” she cries.
“What? Why?”
“He's here... Troy’s here.”
My stomach drops. Of all the places, he had to come here. I pull my hand across my face; we are the reason he’s here. This is the easiest place to sell drugs… it's like being the store owner of a supermarket. Everyone is a customer. If we hadn’t stolen his money, he wouldn’t be here. I let out a sigh.
“Annabel, I can't run anymore,” Brandon informs me.
Jamie stares at us; it's clear that we look like we have been to hell and back.
“You can hide in here—” she points to the office. “There aren’t any workers here; it is just us homeless people. Everyone is going crazy. People are throwing up everywhere and stealing from one another."
“I’m really sorry, Jamie,” I tell her as we enter the room. Brandon slumps into a chair and rests his head on a desk.
“I know, I have to go before he realizes I’m not there.” Jamie reaches over to hug me, then takes a quick step back, frowning.
“Yeah, we stink,” I smile.
“Before who realizes?” a male voice sounds behind me. I don’t need to turn around… I know it's Troy. I step to the side, out of his range, and toward Brandon.
Troy slams the office door closed and locks it. “Betraying me again,” he says, gritting his teeth.
He swings his fist across Jamie's swollen face, which is already bruised from the beating he gave her this morning… because of us. Her body falls to the ground, and he raises his foot toward her as though he's about to kick her.
She instantly curls her body up into the fetal position. Troy stomps his foot on the ground and laughs.
“Finally. You are learning,” he says, as he looks down at a crying Jamie. Then he looks at us and waves his hand in front of his nose. “What have you two been up to? You stink…”
“Troy, please leave us alone.” I beg.
Troy lowers his hand. “I'm confused… what happened to the Annabel I love to hate?”
“Troy, cut the crap; there is a war out there. We don't need to fight in here,” Brandon says.
“You started our war,” Troy says, with a menacing scowl.
Brandon stands tall, no longer looking weak and in pain. Even though I know he is.
“You ready for round two?” Troy asks, raising an eyebrow. “Wait… it looks like someone already gave you a second beating,” he says, and laughs.
Brandon steps toward the door.
“I don't think so.” Troy pushes Brandon on the chest, knockin
g him back.
“Oh... this is going to be fun,” Troy smiles. He swings his arm toward Brandon, connecting with his jaw. Brandon's legs wobble under his weight, then he falls down to the ground, unconscious.
I grab the gun from the back of my pants and hold it up at Troy with a trembling hand.
“What are you going to do with that?” Troy smirks, as he looks down at the gun.
“What your mother should’ve done long ago, when she found out she was pregnant. Abort you.” I point it at his face.
Troy stares at me. Daring me. “Go on then…” He takes hold of the gun, and pushes it into his mouth. I want to throw up. I can feel my eyes welling, and I wipe the back of my hand across my nose as it starts to run.
“Annabel, no, don't...” Jamie pleads.
Troy places his hands over mine and squeezes.
I'm dead if I don't...
Bang.
Chapter 47
Pure Evil Reflections.
ETHAN
“Where is my father?” I ask Junayd.
I can hear soldiers' heavy boots approaching.
“You will see him soon,” Junayd says, as he quickly moves to the back of the room. Before I can reach him, his soldiers are here.
I drop my gun to the floor and raise my hands once again.
I will not win this fight with bullets.
Junayd smiles as one of the soldiers passes him a gun.
“Kneel,” Junayd orders. I drop to my knees. “Tie his hands up.”
One of the soldiers does as requested. I don’t argue… I don’t move. My hands are bound behind my back.
Why are my Uncle Sams never this helpful?
Junayd and I stare at each other, and emptiness fills his eyes. This soldier is rotten to the core. I have stared many demons in the eyes… he is pure evil.
I smile at him—he smiles back. We can both see the same thing.
“What next?” I ask.
“I have admired your work for many years, and especially today. Well done on your greatest day,” he praises me.