by Steven Bird
Hearing a long blast from a horn in the distance, Daryl said, “Damn it to hell, I wish they would just get the hell on with it.”
“Get on with what?” Tyrone asked.
“Whatever those creepy bastards are up to. The wait, the unknown, it’s killing me.”
Raising an eyebrow at Daryl’s statement, Q said, “I appreciate your enthusiasm, Daryl, but the waiting is not literally killing you. When they strike, at that point, they may be literally killing you. Let’s not wish such things into being.”
“Sorry, boss. I’m just tweaked by those bastards. I can look at a UF soldier and know exactly what I’m facing and can mentally deal with it like it’s all business. But this… it’s like a weird ass-movie. A weird-ass movie that would have me yelling at the screen, throwing my popcorn.”
“Jessie,” Q whispered, getting Jessie’s attention.
“Yeah,” Jessie replied softly.
“Considering the fact that we’re facing threats from two foes, let’s work in two-man teams, maybe twenty meters apart. That’s close enough to act and communicate, but far enough away for one team to react and provide cover fire if the other team is hit. In each two-man team, one man monitors the movement of the UF guys, and the other searches the area around us from threats from your troglodyte buddies.”
“Roger that,” Jessie concurred.
Turning to Daryl, Jessie asked, “Which do you want? Commie bastards or troglodytes?”
“I’ll keep an eye out for those troglowhatevers—the cavemen. You just keep doing your thing.”
With a nod from Q, Jessie and Daryl worked their way forward, giving Q and Tyrone the spacing they desired.
After hand-railing the UF hunter patrol’s path of travel for approximately twenty minutes, Jessie noticed they seemed to have ceased forward movement. “Hold up,” he whispered to Daryl.
Turning back to Q and Tyrone, Jessie gave them the signal to hold their position while he observed. Unable to see exactly what was going on due to the thickness of the trees between them and the hunter patrol, Jessie explained, “Wait here. I’m gonna get a little closer and try to see what’s going on.”
“Roger that,” Daryl affirmed. “I’ll boogie back to Q and Tyrone and brief them.
Patting Jessie on the shoulder, Daryl warned, “Hey, be careful, man. Like Q said, those guys can shoot. They earn their place on these teams. They aren’t just assigned. Those aren’t your average convoy escorts or grunts.”
Nodding, Jessie smiled and slipped off into the trees, disappearing in an instant.
Working his way back to Q and Tyrone, Daryl whispered, “The patrol seems to have stopped. Jessie is going in for a closer look.”
“I hope he doesn’t give us away,” Tyrone grumbled.
“Naw, I’ve been watching him work,” Q assured them. “He’s not like an experienced special ops vet or anything, but the man’s head is on straight, and he moves through the woods easier than most. He’ll be fine.”
Within what seemed like ten or fifteen minutes, Jessie reappeared and joined up with Q and the others.
“What do we have?” Q asked, anxious for an update.
“We were right; there are seven. They have an officer with them. Is that normal?”
“An officer?” Q asked. “Are you sure? I’ve never heard of anyone senior to a master sergeant being on a hunter team, and it’s usually a senior sergeant that fills the lead role.”
“I’m more familiar with the Russian Federation’s Ratnik gear than I’d like to be,” Jessie explained. “None of them are wearing any logos, patches, or insignia, which is to be expected during an operation such as this, well out of view from the public’s eye. All but one of them are wearing no insignia, that is. One of them has three small stars in the shape of a triangle on his bump helmet.”
“Small stars? That’s a senior lieutenant in Russki ranks if I remember correctly,” Q noted.
“Yep, and he’s acting the part. I’d imagine the rest of his team aren’t too happy having him along. One guy, in particular, stands out. He’s apparently got guard duty over their prisoners, Nate and Britney.”
“What makes that guy stand out, other than having the bitch job?” Q asked.
“The lieutenant looks at him differently. I can’t put my finger on it, but something’s just not right.”
“A little inner turmoil may work to our benefit when the time comes. Especially if the team is stressed or thrown off by having a staff jerk along.”
“They may be tired of having their hunter teams go missing,” Jessie explained. “I mean, they’ve taken their share of lumps lately. This guy may be along for that reason. He may be along to personally supervise a team and bring back some information for the brass back at the UF regional outpost.”
“Whatever it is, having a mismatched cog in the machine may just work to our advantage,” Q predicted with a crooked grin. “What’s their current setup?”
Drawing on the ground with a twig, Jessie explained, “Nate and Britney are here, seated with their backs against a tree. Nate’s got his head on Britney’s shoulder. He doesn’t look well. The odd man out is standing watch over them, here,” he said, drawing an X in the dirt to show the man’s position.
Continuing, Jessie explained, “They have a perimeter set up with men here, here, here, here, and here,” he detailed, forming a circle around the group, “with the lieutenant and what I assume to be a senior NCO-type, probably the senior or master sergeant you spoke of, closely liaising with each other. The lieutenant seems to be the bossy, authoritative type, but for some reason can’t leave this guy’s side.”
Scratching his chin, Q speculated, “What if Tyrone and I move in from this direction, and you and Daryl work your way around to the other side. Four simultaneous shots would bring the odds in our favor quick.”
“How can we synchronize four shots without radios? Didn’t you lose yours?” asked Jessie.
“We’ll give everyone time to get into position, Tyrone and I will call out our two targets on our side, and you and Daryl do the same. Hold your sights on target until the crack of my rifle. As soon as you hear my report, drop your man and move in. Tyrone and I will focus on the two senior men, while you take out the sad sack with guard duty. If it doesn’t go down exactly as planned, we’ll still have the element of surprise, because they clearly don’t know we’re here. Hopefully, that will bring our numbers into the advantage column on the scoresheet rather quickly.”
“Well… that sounds like a good plan. Now, let’s go see what really happens,” Jessie said with a smile.
“Exactly,” Q replied. “But ya gotta start somewhere.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
“Sergeant Kovalenko,” Britney said with contempt in her voice.
Feeling like he’d been punched in the gut by her disdain, Yuri replied, “Yes. What can I do for you, Britney?”
“Nate here is very sick. Can you get me a cold, wet cloth of some sort?”
Nodding in reply, Yuri turned to Master Sergeant Popov, the team’s senior NCO, and when on a routine patrol, the team leader, and asked, “Master Sergeant, may I borrow a hand towel? My gear was lost when taken captive.”
Looking to Nate and Britney, Popov answered, “You are not prisoner’s servant. You are prisoner’s guard. What has happened to you, Junior Sergeant Kovalenko? I knew your team leader well. Senior Sergeant Vasiliev was a fine soldier. He ran an outstanding and very successful hunter team. If not up to task, you would not have met his standard for superior NCO’s and would have been replaced… or simply left behind. He had ways of avoiding hassles of administration.”
Nodding, Yuri replied, “I am good, Master Sergeant. Just shaken from losing team.”
Yuri returned to Nate and Britney and said, “I am sorry. There are none to be spared,” before turned and walked back to an old log where he took a seat to watch them from a distance, unable to stand for long periods of time due to his weakened and injured state.
&
nbsp; “Five more minutes and we move,” Senior Lieutenant Romanoff proclaimed. “If the prisoner does not have strength to walk, we will dispose of him. I will not jeopardize my team for insurgent.”
Squeezing Nate’s hand tightly, Britney said, “You’re going to make it. I’ll help. Don’t worry.”
With a chuckle, Nate said, “It’s a long walk out of these woods. Don’t worry if anything happens to me. Just take care of yourself. You’ll make it out of here and be okay. I can feel it.”
As she leaned in and rested her head on his shoulder, Nate asked, “So, what’s with that UF guy, Kovalenko? How did you end up with him, and why do you seem so hurt? It’s like your puppy died or something.”
“The horrors I faced in the cave are something I don’t care to relive,” she explained. “It was worse than any nightmare I could possibly imagine. It was a true horror movie. Two other captives…”
“There were more?” Nate asked.
“Yes, two young men were down there with me, at first. They didn’t make it, and their deaths were something that will haunt me for the rest of my life. Anyway, Yuri, or Sergeant Kovalenko, was captured after his unit was ambushed by…them. He was the sole survivor and was brought into the caves and held prisoner with me. I would have been next to go. They seemed to have an almost ritualistic method about how they did things.”
Pausing to regain her composure, she continued, “Anyway, Yuri fought one of them and killed him in the darkness. He could have left me. He could have made his escape much easier, but he didn’t. He freed me and led me out of that living hell, but not before facing more of them and being injured himself.
“Once we were free of the caves, he still didn’t leave me. He promised me he would not allow me to be sent back to the camps. Once the cave people found us, he fought and killed another of them, and while we were running from the others, we ran into this group and found you.”
“He seems to have lost his allegiance with you, now,” Nate speculated.
Shaking her head, Britney confessed, “I don’t know. It’s heartbreaking. I don’t know who to trust or believe anymore. You and Jessie were the only two people, other than my parents, that I’ve been able to trust without hesitation for as long as I can remember. I thought Yuri was one of those people as well. But…”
“It’s okay,” Nate interrupted, seeing that she was losing her composure. “You’ve still got me, and Jessie is out there somewhere. He won’t leave us.”
“I hope you’re right, but forgive me for questioning my faith,” Britney mumbled as she wiped her nose.
“I promise you…” Nate began to say before being interrupted by Senior Lieutenant Romanoff.
“Kovalenko, get the prisoners ready to move,” he ordered.
~~~~
Quietly working their way around to their assigned ambush location, Jessie and Daryl found a suitable spot behind thick briars and vegetation to provide visual cover, as well as a large, old tree stump to act as physical cover if they were to become pinned down. The stump was about forty meters from their targets and looked as if it were the gravestone for a tree that had once stood tall and proud, much larger than the trees that currently populated the area. This must have been logged long ago, Jessie thought.
Whispering to Daryl, Jessie said, “I’ll take the stocky fellow on the left. You take the tall guy on the right. Q and Tyrone will most likely take their counterparts on the far side.
Nodding in the affirmative, Daryl took aim, and held his sights on his chosen target, patiently awaiting Q’s initiation of their attack.
Doing the same, Jessie placed his sights on his man and thought to himself, Okay, Q. Any day now.
~~~~
Lying prone and taking cover behind an old, rotting log, Q turned to Tyrone and asked, “Who do you want?”
“The guy on the left, the one who looks like he’s carrying an RPK-74, looks like the best choice for me. That, and it takes out their light machine gun at the same time.”
“A fine choice, my friend,” Q acknowledged. “I’d like to smoke that lieutenant first, but our best bet would be the soldier with the mustache to the right. After we smoke these two, you go for the number two man, and I’ll take out the lieutenant.”
“Yes, sir,” Tyrone whispered as he placed his sights on his selected target. “I think I may just take that RPK back home with me,” he added, only half joking.
“Take whatever you want, my friend,” Q responded with a sly grin.
“Crap, it looks like they’re getting ready to pull chocks and move,” Q said grumbled as he saw the officer giving orders and pointing in their previous direction of travel.
Placing his sights on his target, and preparing to initiate the attack, Q slowly eased his finger into position only to see his man flinch and stumble backward.
What the…? he thought as he saw the man stagger and place his hands around an arrow sticking out of his chest.
The fatally wounded man’s plight went unnoticed by his comrades, and he fell forward and onto the arrow, shoving it through his body and out of his back.
Before Q could react, gunfire erupted from all around them.
Hearing hoofbeats through the woods behind them, Q and Tyrone looked over their shoulder to see a fur-clad man race past them on horseback, only to be taken off his horse by a barrage of automatic fire from the RPK-74.
Hearing a primal scream behind them, Q rolled quickly to his left to see one of the troglodytes running at him at full speed and wielding a spear. Unable to bring his gun around in time, Q heard a deafening shot ring out from beside him as Tyrone placed a round into the man’s lower torso.
When the large, fur-covered figure fell forward, still clutching the spear, it pierced the ground next to Q, grazing his side and opening a deep laceration in his flesh. The large man fell on top of him, knocking the wind out of him with his nearly two-hundred-pound body.
Unsure of the extent of his wounds, Q struggled to push the man off, then he felt Tyrone roll the body to the side.
“C’mon!” Tyrone shouted as he reached out his hand to help Q to his feet.
On the far side of their intended targets, Jessie and Daryl watched as a swarm of the cave dwellers ran through the woods toward the UF hunter patrol, Nate, and Britney.
“Holy hell! How many of them are there?!” Jessie shouted as he and Daryl scrambled to their feet, each of them engaging one of the attackers while they tried to get a mental grip on what was going on around them.
Jessie watched the UF soldiers fighting feverishly to repel the attack. Nate! he thought as his attention turned to the tree where Nate and Britney had been kept. “C’mon!” he shouted to Daryl, and they ran toward their captive friends.
When one of the attackers came rushing out of the woods to Daryl’s right with a large, Damascus-bladed knife, Daryl used the length of his .45-70 to his advantage and smashed the stock into his attacker’s face, knocking him backward. Swinging the large rifle back around, he gripped the rifle firmly and let one of the hotly-loaded 405-grain flat point bullets fly, smashing into the man’s face, exiting the back of his skull, and taking most of his head with it.
Seeing that the UF soldiers were busy fighting off their mysterious attackers, Jessie ran to the tree to find Nate laying on his side.
“Nate!” he shouted.
“I can’t get up!” Nate cried out, having succumbed further to his wounds.
Daryl ran up alongside Jessie, and Jessie shouted, “Grab an arm!” as they dragged Nate away from the melee.
Getting him a safe distance from the heat of the battle, they laid him back against a stump and Jessie said, “Hang in there, buddy.”
“What the hell is going on?” Nate asked, confused by Jessie’s arrival during the attack. “Daryl! Holy hell, Daryl!” Nate exclaimed with excitement when he recognized his friend. “Where are the rest of the guys?”
Turning to Daryl, Jessie shouted, “Get him a weapon!”
Doing as Jessie had a
sked, Daryl retrieved a pump-action shotgun from one of the dead attackers and placed it in Nate’s hands.
“Where is Britney?” Jessie asked.
“I told her to run and never look back. She went off in that direction,” Nate moaned, pointing. “We had no idea you were here. We thought it was just those bastards from the caves. I didn’t want her taken by them again.”
Patting Nate on the shoulder, Jessie assured him, “I’m gonna go after Britney. Daryl, you stay with Nate. Nate, Q and Tyrone are here also, so be careful who you shoot at.”
Nodding, Daryl said, “Take care, brother,” as Jessie turned and ran off into the woods in the direction Nate had pointed.
Daryl spun around to scan the area for attackers, but the attack seemed to be ending almost as quickly as it had begun. Hearing Q shout in the distance, Daryl looked to Nate and told him, “Q and Tyrone are still in the fight,” with excitement in his voice.
Hearing no reply, Daryl shook Nate but got no response. “Nate! Nate, buddy. Hang in there,” he pleaded, shaking his friend.
Checking Nate’s pulse, Daryl found it to be weak, but present. “I’ll be right back, buddy.
Working his way toward Q, Daryl shouted, “Friendly!” as he approached Q and Tyrone while they held their rifles on two of the surviving UF soldiers.
Looking around, Daryl saw several dead fur-clad attackers, along with the dead master sergeant and two other UF soldiers.
“We’ve got five here,” Q called to Daryl. “Where are the other two? Where are the lieutenant and the guard?”
“I don’t know,” Daryl responded, replaying the events that had just happened in a blur through his mind.
“Where are Jessie, Nate, and the girl?” Q then asked.