by KJ Dahlen
One night, the two of them were on duty and Bullet was bragging about how easy it would be to end this, take out the trash with a few bullets. He figured all that would have to be done is take out the leaders and the fighting would be over. He even went so far as to brag he could do the job in a few hours then he laughed and said, ‘what fun would that be?’ He would rather stay and take out as many of the enemy as possible.
When Wolf asked, didn’t it bother him to kill a man?
Adam looked at him and said ‘fuck no, their lives didn’t matter. They didn’t matter. They were just targets to him and he wouldn’t stop until the targets were taken out. This corner of the world wouldn’t miss them.’
After they had been rescued, Wolf also known to the military as Angus Grant, had gone to his Captain and reported what they had talked about. He was nervous that Adam Bateman was missing. Captain Savage hadn’t believed him at first, not until the men on his side of the line started dying.
Over the next few weeks, they found a disturbing pattern of events that was unfolding. High profile men were dying on both sides of the enemy lines. They didn’t know about the enemy but the men on their side who ended up dead would receive a headstone, usually made of wood with their name carved on it, three days before each man was executed. At first, the headstone had been dismissed and it wasn’t until the third man got one when they took the threat seriously. When the third man got a headstone, they protected him the best they could. The man himself didn’t really think the threat was real. Then before dawn on the third day, he was found dead.
Then as suddenly as the killings started—they stopped. The sniper had taken out seven men altogether before he was stopped, if indeed he had been stopped at all. No one ever found him at least, that’s what they were told.
But in the last few days, Wolf had been getting a creepy feeling. Just like the one, he’d gotten in the days, leading to the ambush, twelve years ago. The disturbing feeling where the fine hairs on the back of his neck would stand straight up. The feeling he got when his stomach rolled and his subconscious haunted his dreams. He hadn’t slept for the last two nights now. He hadn’t had the all too familiar nightmares he usually had, but he just hadn’t been able to sleep.
Right now, his skin felt like it was crawling with invisible spiders and he was on high alert. Something was coming for him. He could feel it. He jumped when another chair at his table was pulled back and Shade sat down next to him.
Shade was one of the men who’d been with him over in the sand box. He had missed the ambush but had gone through the days following their rescue. He studied Wolf and sat back while nodding, “You feel it too, don’t you?” he asked quietly.
Wolf quickly glanced over at the other man. “Feel what? That trouble is coming? Oh, yeah. I fucking feel it.” He snorted. “I’m surprised you feel it.”
“That place affected us all, not just you,” Shade reminded him. “The whole camp was under attack at the time,” he pointed out. “His next victim could have been any one of us. And that bastard took out seven of our own.”
Wolf nodded. “That, plus many more of the enemy.”
“Yeah, but he was widely condemned for taking out his own. And most of those he killed were the ones who gave the commands.”
“Yeah, Bateman never did like authority.”
“You really think its Adam Bateman?” Shade wanted to know.
Wolf just stared at him. “I know it’s Adam Bateman.”
“So where has he been the last twelve years?”
“That’s the real question isn’t it?” Wolf muttered, “Why did the killings stop as quickly as they started back then? Was he captured? Was he killed? No one seems to know.”
“Maybe they just didn’t want to know. Did you ever think of that?”
Wolf nodded. “I did and I think you’re right. They didn’t want to admit it could be one of their own, because then, they would have to admit making a mistake.”
“What mistake?” Shade frowned.
Wolf shrugged. “Bateman never was right in the head and the military should have caught on to that fact. All they could see was a, A-plus sniper, they never looked into what made him so good.”
“You said this killer was Adam Bateman... what’s his story then? Why would he turn on his country the way he did?” Shade wanted to know.
“Bateman thinks he’s the best of the best,” Wolf explained carefully. “He thinks there’s no one else out there that can ever stop him.” He shrugged. “He was top of his class and he knew his job. But its going to be his own arrogance that brings him to his knees. He used to talk about becoming the most proficient sniper in the world. He always said then he could command his own price. You see, killing people never bothered him. He didn’t care about taking someone out. He never cared he was shattering families with his hits, he just wanted the glory. Every hit for him is just another notch on his belt.”
“Then again, I ask, where the hell has he been for the last twelve years?”
Wolf shrugged. “I have no idea but I wonder if it would be possible to trace him using his trademark?”
“What trademark?”
“He always leaves a wooden headstone with his victim’s name on it three days before he makes his kill. At least that’s what he did over in the sandbox.”
Shade frowned then thought for a moment. “You know, that very thing has been mentioned online in the last few weeks.”
Wolf frowned and sat up. “What the hell are you talking about?” His voice caught the attention of a few of the others and they looked over at his table.
Jackal looked over at them as well. He recognized something in Wolf and he got to his feet and walked over to the other table. “Wolf, you okay?”
Wolf slowly turned his head and stared at his president. “Have any of you heard about any military personal getting a wooden headstone with their names on it then dying three days later?”
Jackal just stared at him for a moment then he nodded. “Actually, I have. There have been at least two killings in the scuttle butt recently.”
“Two cases?” Wolf sat back in his chair stunned. “When? When did this happen?”
Jackal looked around the room. Wolf was drawing the attention of everyone but Jackal didn’t know why. “I’m not sure why? Do you know anything about this?”
“Did any of the reports say if the men who were killed received a wooden headstone with their names on it three days before they died?” Wolf asked in a monotone voice.
Jackal looked around the room. “Actually, the reports didn’t but I heard a rumor that’s what happened. How, did you know about it? That was something the brass wouldn’t let just everyone know.”
“Because I was there twelve years ago, in the sandbox when the crazy fucker began his career as an assassin.” He turned his head slowly to stare at his president. “He went on a spree over there then disappeared for twelve years. Now, he’s back and he’s killing again.”
Chapter Two
“Who is ‘he’?” Beast wanted to know.
“His name is Adam Bateman. His call sign is Bullet and he thinks he’s the best sniper that ever lived. He murdered seven upper members of the United States military and countless members of the enemy after our squad was ambushed on a mission. We left four dead and five of us were taken prisoner and held for two weeks before we were rescued by Jackal and his squad. That was when we found out they only found three bodies not four, left in the sand.”
“You think its that crazy bastard?” Jackal swore as he ran his hands over the back of his head. “I had forgotten about that fucker.”
“You know this prick, boss?” Shade asked.
Jackal nodded slightly. “Yeah, the last few months before we were discharged, we had to rescue a squad that had been ambushed. We followed their trail easy enough. The enemy made no effort to hide where they had taken them.” He shrugged. “Maybe they figured after two weeks, there was no reason to hide where they were. We came into that
camp and just shot everyone in sight that wasn’t American. We got our men back. They were all wounded, weak from hunger and had been tortured but we didn’t leave them behind.” He motioned at Wolf, “He asked about the four men they lost and I had to tell him, we only recovered three bodies. He kept insisting there were four men down.” Jackal shook his head. “Wolf was right, they had a man missing, and his name was—”
“Adam Bateman,” Wolf supplied his name. “My CO was Ben Savage and he gave Command all the info on Bateman and they began to look for him. Then one day, the camp commander found a piece of wood with his name on it and the date, three days out. He didn’t think anything of it. In fact, I think he threw it in the trash. Then three days later, they found him dead. A bullet had pierced his skull from a distance. It was the first of seven hits altogether that rocked that camp. He hit the enemies camp even harder, took out twenty of them before he stopped.”
“Anybody know why he stopped?” Shade asked.
Wolf shook his head. “Nope, as soon as he started, he quit.” He looked over at Jackal. “He’s been quiet for the last twelve years. What brought him out of hiding now, I wonder?”
Jackal looked troubled. “I have no idea but your boy is upping his game.”
“What do you mean?” Wolf stared at him.
“This time, he not only took out a retired General and a Captain but he took out their wives as well,” Jackal announced quietly.
Wolf shook his head slowly. “Yes, but what you don’t realize is after we came back, he must have found a way to follow us home. Within months of returning, he had visited the families of the men he killed over there he murdered them too. I didn’t catch it right off but eventually, I began to track his victims. It took him months if not years to find them and do it, but he finally got them all. I tried to warn the military but they wouldn’t listen. They just thought I was crazy. Bateman got them all though. If that boy is anything... he’s patient. He isn’t going to stop until he takes out the whole fucking family too.”
Jackal stared at Wolf for a long moment then turned to look at the faces of the other men. “Are you absolutely sure about this?”
“Yes sir, I am,” Wolf said. “He quit killing well over nine years ago. At least as far as the families of the military men he’d executed over there. No one else made the connection but I did. I tracked that fucker for years. I have times and dates of his other killings. But who did he hit this time?”
“Baker and Brash.”
Wolf felt a cold dread growing inside his body. “He’s going after the rest of his squad.”
“That means he’s after you Angus and who else?” Jackal looked back at him.
“Our Captain, Ben Savage, and another grunt, Apollo King,” Wolf replied. “The five of us were taken prisoner and held for two weeks before you got to us.”
“Pres,” Cyber, the club’s IT called out. “I can check with a buddy of mine still in the military and see if there is any truth to what he’s saying. Although, I don’t doubt him, we need to make sure.”
Jackal nodded. “Yeah, check it out. Fucking hell, I thought we left it all behind us.” He ran his hands over the back of his head and glared at Wolf. “We might need more help than we got available here.” He turned to Wolf. “When is Cobra due back?”
Wolf sighed. “I don’t really know.”
“Damn, we need all the help we can get and he’s a damn good at getting in and out of places with no trace that he’d ever been there. Plus he’s damn good in battle.”
“He is, but he won’t leave his mom’s side right now.”
“I get it. I do. Family is important.” Jackal nodded “I would never ask him to either. Hmm...” He seemed to be deep in thought.
“So do you know someone that can get in and out without being traced?” Wolf asked.
“I might have a person,” Jackal admitted. “Grab your research and I’ll see what I can do.”
Wolf turned his research over to Jackal. Jackal then went into his office and made a call. He didn’t tell anyone who he was calling or what he hoped the results would be.
Everyone could feel the tension growing the rest of the day. At breakfast the next morning, the conversation turned to the situation and Adam Bateman.
Jackal stood up and called a Church meeting. The men filed into the room. He had Cyber set up a conference call via skype to the Hell’s Fire Riders Compound. When it connected, Pappy and Dewey came on the screen.
Jackal greeted the two men and asked, “Were you able to find anything on the data I sent you?”
Pappy nodded. “Yeah, our girl found plenty. She was able to track your man back to the desert twelve, almost thirteen years ago. And you were right, Adam Bateman did fail his psyche testing. He never should have worn a military uniform, let alone carried a gun. The Marines made him the perfect killing machine.”
Wolf let out a sigh. “That’s what I was afraid of.”
“And you should have been afraid,” Dewey told him. “Uncle Sam fucked this one up, not that they’ll ever admit it, but this is on them.”
“We know when he started and the names on the list you gave us were only the beginning, I afraid,” Pappy acknowledged. “He shot seven members of our own military in that camp then went over and shot twenty more in the enemy camp. Then as you suspected, he came home, hunted down the family members of the seven men, and took them out too. But your boy got smart. He took his time and changed up his methods, so he thought no one would put them together. It took him three years to finish what he started and then he sort of disappeared.”
“What does that mean?” Jackal asked, “Sort of disappeared?”
Dewey’s wife Trudy came online. “He went underground for a while. Your buddy Adam has what the headshrinkers call an obsessive personality. That, along with his OCD, makes him a dangerous man. He dislikes being told what to do but when he gets it in his head to do something, he goes way off the charts as far as how he does it. The Marines gave him sniper training and hand to hand training but he took it further yet. He’s built up his own arsenal and his own weapons collection. It wasn’t hard to track his purchases. He didn’t even bother to hide his trail.” Shaking her head she said, “I don’t know if he thinks that no one cares enough to check on him or not but from what I was able to find, he’s all set for world war three.”
“Did you find anything else?” Jackal asked.
“He did exactly what he said he would do,” she replied. “He became an assassin. For the last eight years, he’s been killing people for a profit. According to what I’ve been able to dig up, he’s done quite well for himself too. It’s only recently that he turned his attention back to the men he served with again. He hit Carl Baker and his family two weeks ago in what the police are labeling a home invasion. He wiped out Carl’s family in one fell swoop. The police found the headstone the next day buried in the tall grass around the garage area. They don’t know if Carl or any one of his family ever saw it or not.”
“And Orland Brash?” Wolf asked. “How did he die?”
Trudy glared at the men through the monitor. “He set up a place in the barn. He threw a rope over the beam and put a chair in front of it. Then he made the wife and two year old daughter kneel in front of the chair. The bastard made Brash put the noose around his own neck and then he made him watch while he shot the wife and daughter in the head. Your man then kicked the chair out from underneath him.”
“How do you know all this?” Beast asked.
“I hacked into the local police station and I found the video he left. Adam Bateman also left a message for his next victim. He left a list of men he intended to kill. Ben Savage, Angus Grant and Apollo King.”
There was silence from the Advocate church for a moment them Pappy asked, “Any clue why he’s doing this? Any idea what triggered this latest spree of going after the men in his squad?”
Wolf looked up at the screen. “I think maybe one man would know. Ben Savage. He was our Captain over there.
He was the only one that could control Bateman. He was also the one man that rode him the hardest at times.”
“So, he was the one man Bateman hated the most right?” Pappy suggested.
Wolf nodded. “That would be about right. Bateman would enjoy killing him the most, I’m thinking.” Then he frowned. “But Savage has a daughter. He used to show off her picture all the time. Her name was Eija, I think. She ws just a kid back then, maybe fourteen, fifteen years old. She’d be full grown by this time.”
Shade spoke up, “We need to find her before Bateman does and try to bring her in, where we can protect her then.”
“I could try to find her,” Trudy offered. “You guys try to find Savage and get a warning to him.”
“Can you also try to get us a run down on his life?” Jackal asked. “I know it’s a lot to ask but the more we know about this man the better off we are. We might find a way to stop him for good.”
She nodded. “All I can do is try.” She turned away then came back, “I’ll try and find Apollo King as well. The more we know about his intended victims the more chance we have to stop him.”
Pappy got back on the screen and suggested, “You guys be careful. If he’s coming for Wolf, he isn’t going to let any of you get in his way of his objective.”
When the screen went dark, the men shifted in their seats and waited for Jackal to say something.
Jackal did, he turned to Wolf and said, “You’d better reach out to Savage and let him know what’s going on. He has a daughter to protect.”
Wolf nodded. “Apollo only had an elderly mother back home, at the time anyway.”
“Well, his circumstances might have changed in the last dozen years or so too,” Shade stated. “You never know.”
Chapter Three
“Let me call Savage and find out if he knows anything about this.” Wolf reached for his phone. He put the call on speaker and waited for the call to be answered.
