by Shawn Keys
They had all shifted over to the same ‘tactical’ gear they had bought in bulk: tight black tops over dark-denim jeans and rugged hiking boots. Kyle couldn’t help but smile as he looked around. The near-uniform really made them look like a team.
Laura was near the back, hugging the sling-bag covering the rifle she had borrowed from her father. Danielle was crouched next to her, carrying a small back-pack with a spotting scope she had borrowed from her father. As much as they always were, they were a team.
Yvette was sitting with her back to the driver’s seat, perhaps unconsciously seeking to be close to Megan. She had a laptop on her thighs, and was scrawling through the email server notes they had stolen on a constant search for anything useful. They didn’t expect to find anything, but she refused to sit around and do nothing.
That left Dazz laying on her stomach, peering into her own laptop. Her display was filled with a zoomed-in camera at a very high angle. Her hands were on a small set of controls. Every now and then, her fingers would twitch or nudge the small joystick and power levers on the console. On the screen, the drone flying high over the acreage compound would answer her commands, tilting left or right as she tried to get a better camera angle.
Kyle whispered, “You’re sure they won’t be able to hear it?”
Dazz shook her head. “Nah, I’m up high. Probably too high. I haven’t worked with this model very much, so I guess I’m being too careful. If I go too much higher, I won’t be able to see anything.”
“Careful is good.”
Dazz grimaced. “Not if I miss what we want to see. I used all the money we had for this to buy something that wouldn’t get blown away on the wind. But the camera on it isn’t as good as I would like.” She made a sound of mild triumph. “There! The SUV parked by the house is moving.”
“Are they both inside?”
“I think so. It was half-hidden under the car-port awning, but I saw the passenger side door. Someone opened it and got in. Unless they climbed over the console to get behind the wheel, then there has to be a second person driving.”
Kyle humphed in satisfaction. “Good enough. Tell us when they’re on the road and heading for the city, Dazz.” He looked at Laura and Danielle. “You’re up. From what Dazz can pick out, there are two more of these agents walking around the house. One is always standing out front. They swap out, but they never leave the front unguarded. The other one walks the perimeter before coming back around to relieve his partner. You two need to get through the woods, creep up close enough, and do what you need to do.” He met Laura’s eyes, knowing she was the one who was going to take the shot. “OK?”
The red-head was perhaps the feistiest, flightiest, most emotional of them all, but this was something else. This was hunting. And they had pissed her off. She gave him a firm nod. “Think they can smack me around? This is what they call ‘payback with interest’.”
Kyle gave a grim nod. Then, he looked to the others. “While you’re doing that, I’ll sneak up toward the front of the house. Once I’m close, Megan drive up the path. As soon as she does that, we take our shots. Megan brings the car to the front door, we get our people out, and she drives them to the other cars. Anyone who wants a shot at the other agents stays behind. Megan will drop off the others, then come back for us. You’ll wait here until we call you in, alright? Don’t drive into a gun fight.” He took a deep breath, not quite believing he was talking about this. “Keep your phones on their conference mode and don’t let them die off. We’re not used to doing this and I don’t want to lose track of any of you.”
He unzipped his own sling-bag and took out the second rifle, this one provided by Danielle’s father. While Laura’s was a .308 Winchester hunting rifle, this was a 5.56 LWRC M6H, the latest assault rifle variant used by the Särskilda Skyddsgruppen. He had almost refused it; it was oiled and maintained like a weapon that was well-loved.
But Danielle had insisted this was a gift from her father. Apparently, he approved of what they were doing. It made Kyle wonder what his last words had been to Danielle. She looked committed, as if she no longer had to worry about what her father thought about this. She knew.
With nothing more to say, Kyle slipped from the van and went through the process of loading the rifle. Normally, he had only shot smaller rifles, but it hadn’t taken him long to figure out the differences to this. He resolved to keep it on the semi-auto setting, not ready to fire off automatic bursts.
Laura and Danielle got out through the trunk, gave one last wave, and vanished into the woods on the far side of the street.
Steeling his will, Kyle crept into the forest closer to the driveway path. Knowing he had time since the other pair had longer to go, he took each step with care. One after the other. He couldn’t afford to break even a single twig. They were only going to get one chance at this.
He got his first peek at the front of the house a hundred feet later. Then, after another fifty painful feet advancing in a deep crouch, he caught sight of the guard-agent standing out in front. The man looked young, and maybe a little bored. Once in a while, he would talk into a clipped radio microphone on his jacket. He looked like he was wearing a black flak-jacket over his suit.
Kyle whispered into his own microphone. “Front Guard in sight.”
Three minutes later, Danielle spoke as well. “Rover Guard in sight. Setting up.”
Megan added over the net. “Engine started. Ready to move.”
Two minutes later, Danielle spoke again, “In sight. Ready. Guard will walk out of sight in about five minutes if he keeps going. Now’s the time.”
Kyle knew this was it. No going back. For the first time in his life, he was going to risk his life for real. He never would have guessed it would be in this way. All the other roller coasters, surfing, cave exploring, and every other thrill-seeking he had ever done in his life didn’t even compare with looking out into the driveway area and seeing the service rifle hanging from the strap on the agent… and knowing that it might be shooting at him soon.
Summoning all the courage he had, he said, “Start coming in, Megan.”
It wasn’t long after that he heard the engine. Megan wasn’t trying to be subtle. That wasn’t the point. She used a lower gear than needed and revved the engine to climb the hill, doing all she could to summon the guard’s attention.
It worked. The guard-agent spoke into his mic, loud enough that Kyle could hear. “Car coming in.” His focus was totally on the roadway.
Then, a shot rang out over the trees. The delayed cccrracck! reverberated loudly through the air, muted only by the distance.
The guard-agent spun around, trying to figure out where it had come from. He called into his mic, “Mueller! Mueller? Did you hear that?” He kept hold of his rifle, tracking it back and forth between the house and the roadway, still hearing the advancing engine.
Kyle was settled in against a log, waiting for him to stop moving long enough to…
The guard-agent paused with his chest exposed in Kyle’s direction.
Kyle sighted right at the wedge between his collar bones, just above where the vest ended and below where his throat began. The distance was only 50 feet. He pulled the trigger, and his own ccrracckkk! split the air. The guard-agent crumpled onto the ground like a puppet with his strings cut.
Kyle exhaled, blinking hard against the slight haze of doubt. He kept staring at the downed agent, expecting him to bounce up again. Too many damned video games with health bars? Probably. Or maybe just lots and lots of paranoia.
The minivan rounded the corner and headed for the front of the house. Knowing he couldn’t delay any further, Kyle advanced out of the bushes and came up to the guard-agent. Using his foot, he pushed the man over onto his back.
He was dead. Absolutely. His chest below his neck was a bloody mess. Open eyes. Foul stench on the air.
Kyle fought down his gorge, not about to lose it now. He’d done it. And he was probably going to do it again. It was them or the ones he
cared about. Simple as that. And he wasn’t going to let his family, his friends, or his lovers die for these bastards.
Turning away, he managed to keep control. He plucked the guard-agent’s rifle off the ground along the way, not feeling comfortable leaving it behind. Slinging it over his shoulder, he marched toward the house and got to the door at the same time as Lily. Megan and Dazz stayed in the car, both intent on driving their own vehicles. Yvette remained at her computer.
Kyle spoke into his mic, “Everything good back there, Danielle?”
“Yes. The guard hasn’t moved since Laura shot him. We’ll keep watching.”
“Thanks. We’re going inside now. Shouldn’t take long.” He shouldered against the door softly, but it didn’t budge. He wasn’t about to go get the key off the dead guard-agent. He didn’t have the willpower to go ‘looting bodies’ like in a game. Besides, this door wasn’t that thick.
He lined up with it again and smashed it a little harder. This time it gave way, splintering on its frame and letting him in. Kyle remembered the smooth way Agents Lawson and Niles had cleared rooms in Dazz’s house. Even though they had been taken by surprise, they had looked like they knew what they were doing. Kyle wasn’t nearly at that level. He gestured for Lily to stay at the door until he called. Then, he advanced carefully forward. He checked the corridor, then peeked into the dining room. Then a closet. Oops.
Finally, he ducked his head around the corner into the living room.
There, in the center, the thick wooden coffee table had been turned over and made into a shield. There was a huddle of bodies behind it. The wood wasn’t big enough to cover them all. It was meagre protection, but it was making the best of a bad situation since they didn’t have anything else. They had probably all ducked down at the sound of the first gun shot.
Kyle called out, “Mom? You in there?”
Amanda’s head popped out, “Kyle?” She sounded as stunned as she should be.
Immediately, she was hauled back out of sight. A frantic voice that sounded like Nathan said, “You can’t just stick your head out, Mrs. Hutchings!”
Kyle chuckled, then relaxed a little. “You can if there are only the good guys left, Nathan. Do you know? I haven’t checked the whole house yet.”
Nathan blurted back, “Kyle? Dude, is that really you? Oh, hell yes! Umm, how many have you seen so far?”
“Two. Both are… well, both are taken care of.”
Then it was Nathan’s turn to kneel up straighter, pumping the air. “Yes! Those are the only two left! You got them!” He grabbed Riley off the floor and hugged him tight. “I knew this was all fucked up!” He took a look at Kyle in his tactical clothing and slinging the special forces rifle, and then laughed. “Seriously fucked up!”
Then Amanda was clambering over the table and flinging herself into her son’s arms. “Kyle! You’re here! But… what is going on? I don’t understand! They’ve been telling us the most horrid stories!”
Steve crept out next. “Your mother didn’t believe a word of them, but that doesn’t mean we knew anything else.”
Then, unexpectedly, Chloe emerged. She fired Kyle an annoyed look. “So, you really are the reason I’ve been terrified out of my mind for the last day?”
Kyle hugged his Mom close, doing his best to apologize over her shoulder. “Chloe? They dragged you into this, too? But…” He flushed a little with embarrassment. “I mean, they can’t have really thought there was…”
Chloe smirked at him. “Couldn’t have thought there was anything between us that you would risk your life over?”
Kyle grew even more embarrassed. “I mean, I would.” He stopped, knowing that sounded overly macho. There didn’t seem to be a safe thing to say. “What I mean is, you’d be worth saving, but we haven’t…” He faded off, then sighed in defeat.
Choe rescued him. “I know. I think they scooped me up to keep Nathan calm. They were playing this game like we were here ‘for our own safety’. That couldn’t make sense if they left me back at the house where the ‘big bad Dazz and her evil friends’ were going to come kill us all.”
“Ahh, that’s why. Alright.” Kyle shook his head. “Everything has been turned on its ear. There is way too much to say and not enough time for any of it.” He called over his other shoulder. “Lily?”
The nurse slipped into the room. “Is anyone hurt? I’m a nurse. Were any of you injured? Are all of you here?”
They all answered with nods. Riley said, “They were actually treating us decently enough. They were right-pricks about it all, but acted like they didn’t want to send us back home with broken noses and bruises. We gave them enough reason at times.”
Nathan kicked a water-bottle on the floor. “Worst part was that they didn’t give us much to eat. Some crap they bought from a corner store and some water. I’m starving.”
Not believing them at their word, Lily went around the room, checking them one after the other.
Meanwhile, Amanda continued to hug her son close. “After they took my phone, I was so, sooo scared. They wouldn’t let us talk to you.”
“Things have gotten pretty weird, Mom. And we’re not out of the woods, yet. They are trying to kill me. Or sterilize me at least. But I don’t think that’s going to do it for them. Not anymore, for sure. I know, I know. It’s a lot to take in. Let’s just say I don’t fit into someone’s grand plan, and they aren’t willing to let me walk away.”
Nathan asked, “So what next?”
“Next? We get you all out of here. None of you need to be part of this. We have a minivan waiting outside. You are going to get in, and a couple of very nice ladies are going to take you to a safe spot not too far from here. They’ll tell you everything. Answer any questions you have. All of it. Once we’re done here, we’ll come meet up with you and talk about what we’re going to do next. You’ll understand more once you’ve heard the story.”
Amanda pulled back from him, instantly concerned. “What are you going to do here? There’s nothing here, love. This is an empty house. I don’t know what you intend to find, but they treated this like a hotel. I don’t think you’re going to find anything of value or clues.”
Kyle nodded. “I know, Mom. But we have some unfinished business with the other agents. They aren’t going to stop. We’re done with running.” His eye grew shadows. “They killed Gordon and Sally Simmons.”
Amanda’s face drooped. “Oh no! But… they said it was burglars!”
“That isn’t the only lie they’ve told. I was there, Mom. I witnessed it myself. Dazz isn’t going to let that go, and I’m not either. Don’t say we don’t have to do this. They know everything about me, and you’ve seen how far they are willing to go. They threatened to kill you if I didn’t turn myself in. They aren’t going to stop.”
Fear remained on Amanda’s face, but a little understanding began to replace it. “I’m not going to talk you out of this, am I?”
“No.”
She hugged him again. “I would say don’t do anything foolish, but…”
He chuckled. “Yeah.”
Pulling back, she gave him a hard look. “Do what you need to do. But be smart! I’m not losing you today.”
Kyle gave a final nod, then handed her off to Lily. “Check her in the car?”
The nurse scowled at him. “I’m staying here, Kyle. They’re fine. I’ll do one last check, but they’re all fine. I’m not sure you’re going to be. This is where I’m needed.” She hustled Amanda out the door toward the van.
Nathan and Riley came up to him next.
Riley glanced up and down Kyle’s attire, then smiled with his typical cool, never-excited, always graceful sort of manner. “Not my style, but you pull it off.”
Kyle smirked. “Thanks.”
Nathan asked, “Want me to stay? I could use a little payback on these assholes for lying their asses off.”
Kyle shrugged. “I wouldn’t insult you by saying no. But I know you, Dude. You haven’t shot anything outsid
e a screen your whole life. It’s your risk, but these bastards aren’t going to be firing paint-guns.”
Nathan nodded. “I know, I know. Dazz might not let me live it down, but all I would do is make you worry and give them another target. I’ll make sure your Mom stays calm.”
Kyle smiled. “She always liked you.”
Chloe stepped up a little nearer. She had a strange smirk on her face. “Never really thought I’d end up being the rescued damsel in distress. Always hated that schtick in the movies.”
Kyle couldn’t help a smile. Chloe had been pulled out of her house dressed in a hastily chosen camisole and pajama bottoms. No bra. And he had the faintest impression that underwear had not been on the menu either. All the chaos had rumpled her long hair enough to give the impression of her being dragged out of bed. That let his mind wander to all sorts of interesting places, especially with her gazing at him like her own personal rescuer. He managed to say, “Everyone needs a little help, sometimes.”
Nathan punched him in the arm.
Choking a little, Kyle said, “Right. I mean, you really need to get going. We have no idea how long those agents are going to be. They’re going to be seriously pissed off and will storm back here fast.”
Nathan grabbed hold of Chloe’s arm, half dragging her for the front door. They squabbled like typical siblings all the way out into the van.
Steve was the last. He lingered behind, then gestured at the other rifle slung over Kyle’s shoulder. “Anyone claim that yet?”
Kyle caught on. He rushed to say, “Steve, listen –”
His step-father broke in, “– no, I need to say this. You aren’t my son. I’m not trying to pretend I am. But you shouldn’t have to stand alone here. You are part of your Mom, and I love all of her. Which means keeping you safe.” His jaw clenched. “Remember, they dragged us out of our home. They might not have tried to kill us, but your Mom has been terrified this whole time. Broke my heart, and I felt helpless the whole time. I have my own reasons to make a point. Let’s do this together.”
