by Mike Ryan
“What are we going to do?”
“We’re just gonna run back into the woods there,” Lamb said, pointing at the trees behind them. “We’ll find a good tree, or some bushes or something, and just sit tight until that FBI agent arrives.”
“How much longer?”
“For what?”
“Until she gets here.”
“Oh. Should only be another ten minutes or so.”
“OK.”
“You ready?”
“Yeah. Should I stay behind you?” Brooke asked, seeing as how that was the usual direction.
“No. Just run as fast as you can.”
“You’re coming, right?”
“I’ll be right behind you.”
“Are you going to make it?” she asked, looking at his injuries.
Lamb smiled. “I’ll make it. Might be a little slower now, but I’ll make it. Let me just make sure the coast is clear, first.”
“Where should I run to?”
“Just start running. We’ll find something.”
“OK.”
Lamb stood up again, looking past the boxes at the direction the car was sitting. The two men were still standing in the same spot, one of whom appeared to be talking on a phone. The two men turned to each other, giving him the perfect opportunity to send Brooke on her way, while the pair wasn’t looking.
“Now, go!” Lamb said.
Brooke took off, quickly going down the slight hill that led to the trees and bushes. Lamb waited until she was completely out of sight before leaving himself. With the men still talking to each other, Lamb limped his way down the hill. Luckily for him in his present condition, it was not a deep slope, otherwise it would have put more pressure on his injured leg. About half way down the hill, Brooke stopped by a good-sized bush and ducked behind it. Lamb saw her and also ran over to it. As they ducked down, Lamb took a look behind them and saw that there was a major highway that ran at the bottom of the hill. He studied it for a few seconds, just to see if it was an option for them. It didn’t look like it was, though. Even under the most perfect of conditions, it would have been near impossible. There was a large wall along the side of the road and it didn’t seem like scaling it could be done.
Lamb took his eyes off the highway and looked back through the bushes, staying focused to the area at the top of the hill. He also periodically looked to the left and right, just to make sure nobody was coming at them from the side. He looked at the time. It was going to be a long ten minutes.
11
Five minutes elapsed without the slightest hint of trouble. Lamb was starting to think they just might make it without incident, though he was trying not to get ahead of himself. There was still a lot that could happen in five minutes. Five minutes. That was assuming that Dunn would find them easily. He didn’t exactly give her the clearest of directions.
“Maybe it wasn’t them,” Brooke said of the two guys by the car. “Maybe they were just here for something else.”
“Possible. Let’s not get too excited about the thought.”
They kept their eyes open, still expecting the worse. After a few more seconds, Lamb snapped his head to the left, thinking he heard something. It sounded like it might have been a branch snapping. Though he couldn’t see anything yet, he thought he detected a few other sounds, indicating someone was in the area. It sounded like the crunching of leaves and twigs underneath someone’s foot. Brooke looked over at Lamb, thinking she heard something as well. She didn’t say anything, but she didn’t have to, the look of horror on her face said it all.
Lamb put his finger in front of his mouth, letting her know to stay quiet. He peeked his head over the top of the bush to see if he could get a look at what was coming. Just because something may have been there, didn’t necessarily mean it was something bad, or someone who was looking to do them harm. Lamb knew it wasn’t Dunn yet, but it could’ve been an animal, or it could’ve just been another person walking around.
His questions were quickly answered, and his worst fears confirmed, when he saw a rugged looking man roaming around. He could see a piece of the barrel of a gun tucked inside the man’s pants, which told Lamb all he needed to know. If he assumed it was one of them who they saw standing near the car, then Lamb knew there was another one out there somewhere. He tried to look around as best he could without giving himself away completely and making himself visible, but couldn’t locate the other guy. He also thought it was possible that it was someone different than the other two guys. Maybe they’d brought in some help. Whatever the case, Lamb knew they weren’t getting out of there unscathed or without a fight.
He thought about whether it would be better to lie in wait there amongst the bushes and wait for the man to come near them, with Lamb getting the drop on him. Or whether it would be better for Lamb to step out of the bushes and head toward the man. He thought staying there and hoping that the man would miss them completely was the better option, Lamb was also trying to keep as much of the fighting away from Brooke as possible. Before doing anything, though, he thought of Dunn’s wishes, to let her know if something was going down before she got there. Lamb gently removed his phone from the pocket of his pants and dialed the FBI agent’s number.
“Hey,” Dunn said, picking up immediately.
“How far away are you?”
“Should be there in less than five minutes. Why?”
“Looks like we got company,” Lamb said, talking quietly.
“How many?”
“Not sure. At least one that I see. I’d be surprised if there weren’t more.”
“Well, can you move away?”
“I dunno. Maybe.”
Though Dunn could’ve left what else she had to say a surprise, letting Lamb find out when she got there, her subconscious was tugging at her to reveal it now. At least then she’d know whether Lamb would start shooting it out with her when she arrived.
“OK, well, try avoiding trouble if you can,” Dunn said. “Keep moving. I’ll find you.”
“All right. I don’t know how far I can get with my limitations at the moment.”
“That’s right, I forgot about your problems.”
“Wish I could.”
“Before you go, I have something else to tell you,” Dunn said, hoping he wouldn’t get angry and hang up on her.
“What is it?”
“I’m not alone.”
“What?” Lamb asked, though he understood her reference.
“I’m by myself right now, but I have a backup team directly behind me.”
Lamb was quiet for a second, thinking about his response. Another time, another place, and he probably would be fuming about her going back on their agreement. But under the circumstances, he couldn’t really blame her. And looking at Brooke, it was for her benefit, and probably for the best. Hearing nothing but silence for a few seconds, Dunn thought she better try to explain herself to avoid Lamb splitting the scene for good.
“Listen, I know it wasn’t the deal, but I have no idea what I’m dealing with right now,” Dunn said. “I could be walking into a hornet’s nest.”
“It’s fine,” Lamb said, trying to quell her fears.
“It’s only one team, two other agents, and they’re there to provide support and take out whoever else is in our way so I can get Brooke. They are not there for you. I haven’t even told them about you.”
“Stacy, it’s fine. Really. I can’t afford to get upset about anything right now. I’m barely making it right now as it is.”
“OK. I’m almost there.”
“Wait, if you got a backup team you might wanna tell them to go to the end of the alley,” Lamb said. “There was a car sitting there with two men hanging around the back bumper. Don’t know if they’re still there, don’t know if they’re done here looking for me, don’t know if they’re even involved in this at all. But you might wanna check them out.”
“All right, will do.”
As soon as Lamb put the phone away, Br
ooke started asking questions. “Is she almost here?”
“Just about,” Lamb answered. “Couple minutes.”
Lamb peeked his head out of the bushes again to see exactly where the man was now. He wasn’t really any closer and appeared to be going away from them. It wasn’t very reassuring, though, as Lamb was sure he’d head back in their direction eventually after not finding anything the other way.
“We’re gonna go,” Lamb said.
“Go where? Is that agent here?”
“Not yet.”
“Then why are we leaving?”
“Because I can’t guarantee that this guy won’t find us before she does. Or that he doesn’t have more friends out here. Don’t worry, she’ll still find us. Just try to be as quiet as possible. Don’t step on any big branches or anything.”
“I’ll try.”
Lamb peeked his head out again, making sure it was safe to leave. Seeing that the man had his back to them, he sent Brooke on her way. He then quickly followed her. Once again, he made himself the target by being directly in back of her. That way, if bullets flew in their direction, he’d get hit before she did. Brooke shuffled along, Lamb doing his best to keep up with her. After a minute, he told her to duck back behind a large tree, not wanting to stay out in the open for very long. If they stuck to moving periodically, then taking cover behind something, they might be able to put some real distance between them and their pursuers.
They seemed to be moving at a good pace, dancing from tree to tree without being spotted. But it only lasted for so long. The wooded area wasn’t very deep, but it seemed to go on for a long distance as Lamb couldn’t even see where it ended. Just as they reached another tree, a piece of the bark chipped off from the bullet that just pierced it. After sitting tight for a moment, Lamb peeked his head around, only to have another piece of the tree fly off in his face, some of the wood dust getting in his eyes. A few more bullets hit the tree, and he heard a few more whiz past them. Lamb looked ahead of them, seeing how far away the next tree or bush was.
“OK, you see that bush there to the left?” Lamb said.
“Yeah.”
“As soon as I move, I’m gonna fire a couple shots back at him. When I do that, you get to that bush as quick as you can.”
Brooke nodded that she understood. Lamb took a couple deep breaths, then jumped away from the tree. As soon as he did, Brooke took off for the bush. Lamb had to quickly find his target before his target found him. Just as a few bullets found nearby trees, Lamb found his target and unloaded several rounds in the man’s direction. The man took cover from the incoming fire as Lamb kept shooting at his location. Lamb took a quick look back at Brooke and wanted her to keep moving while he had the man off-guard.
“Keep going, keep going,” Lamb said.
As Brooke took off for another tree, Lamb kept walking backwards, firing at the other man’s location, trying to keep him at bay. He never even saw the other man coming toward them. They were being cut off from the other side. They were trapped as the men closed in on both sides to keep them from leaving. Brooke saw another armed man coming toward them, pointing his gun at them, and screamed. Lamb didn’t even need to see what it was to know it was bad news. In one swift motion, he turned around and fired. Seeing the outline of the man, they both fired simultaneously. And they both went down.
Lamb knew he didn’t have time to just lie around and wallow in his pain. Especially not knowing whether he hit the other man or not, and if he did, whether the man was still alive or if he was incapacitated. He somehow mustered the energy to stumble back to his feet. He started moving toward the man, making the mistake of completely forgetting about the man now behind him. He didn’t forget him for long, though, as another shot rang out, hitting Lamb in the back. He went down again, quickly rolling over and getting back to his feet again, before the pain had a chance to settle in. He located his target once more and carefully aimed, making sure he finally connected on his shot. He pulled the trigger a couple of times, hitting the man in the chest as he advanced toward him.
“Eric!” Brooke shouted.
Lamb quickly turned around, figuring the first man he shot had gotten back to his feet. Either that, or they had more men on the ground. It was the first man, though, who’d also stumbled back to his feet. He was shot in the chest and had blood all over his shirt, but wasn’t down for the count yet. The man was still eager to complete his mission. Just as Lamb was eager to finish the man off. Both raised their guns at each other at the same time again, though this time, Lamb was just a hair of a second faster. He shot the man in the chest again, knocking him down for good this time.
With the man down, Lamb spun himself around, looking for a target and ready to shoot in any direction. With there not being another man in sight, Lamb’s injuries seemed to finally get the better of him, and he crumpled to the ground. Brooke screamed in horror at the sight of her bodyguard falling to the ground and rushed over to him.
“Please be OK,” Brooke said.
Lamb was breathing heavily and sweating profusely as he lay there, just looking at her. He could see that Brooke looked terrified of losing him.
“Please don’t die,” she said.
Lamb found a way to put a smile on his face. “I just need a few seconds to rest. I’ll be OK in a minute.”
In truth, he knew he was dying. It was just a matter of how much longer he could hold on for. The first shooter had nailed him in the hip and the bullet hadn’t exited his body. The second shooter hit him in the upper back, closer to his right shoulder blade. But he knew he wasn’t going to be able to move much faster than a snail’s pace. And he knew he was losing a good amount of blood. Even if it wasn’t fatal now, he knew it would be soon enough. He now had been shot five times. And he figured there was a good chance they weren’t done finding holes in him yet.
There was a piece of him that didn’t feel like moving, just wanting to lie there and eventually pass away peacefully, but he knew he couldn’t. He had to keep moving and fighting. For Brooke’s sake. Even if that meant for just a few more minutes until Dunn arrived. If it meant getting her in the agent’s car, and Lamb taking a hail of bullets to ensure them getting away safely, that’s what he’d have to do. Brooke looked at his bullet ridden body and saw he was covered in a lot more blood. She knew it wasn’t good.
“You need to get help,” Brooke said.
“I’m fine. I just need to get back to my feet and I’ll be all right.”
Lamb slowly rolled over and took a few seconds to get to his knees. He then steadied his legs as he forced his body to stand up. He took a few more deep breaths as he wobbled around before he found his balance. Brooke stayed by his side and put her arm around his waist, trying to help him stand up as much as she could. Lamb looked around one more time, just to make sure they had no more visitors to account for. His phone then started ringing again and he assumed it was Dunn. He tried moving his arm down to remove the phone from his pocket. Brooke could see he was in pain and struggling to move his arm and helped him out by reaching into his pocket for him. She removed the phone and accepted the phone call, putting it up to his ear so he could hear, holding the phone for him.
“Hey,” Lamb said.
From the sound of his voice, Dunn could easily tell something was wrong. It wasn’t the clear, strong voice that she heard earlier. Though she hoped that maybe it was just the reception, with all the trees getting in the way, but she knew it probably wasn’t.
“You OK?” Dunn asked.
“Just fine,” Lamb replied, slurring his words a little.
“You don’t sound it.
“Just tell me you’re here.”
“Yeah. I am. Where are you?”
“I don’t know. We moved to the east a little bit from where we were earlier.”
“Are you under fire?” the agent asked.
“Not right now.”
“How will I find you?”
Lamb thought for a second before figuring i
t out. He didn’t have the strength or energy to try anything else. He simply moved his gun to the right and fired two shots into the ground. “That’s me.”
“Easy enough. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
“Where’s your backup team?”
“Dealing with those men by the car that you told me about.”
“Oh.”
“Why? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I just shot two men down here,” Lamb replied. “I figured that was them.”
“It’s definitely not. They’re keeping the other agents at a standstill right now. They’re not giving any ground up.”
Lamb looked around for a second, something not seeming right to him. There was something about the men still being there that didn’t quite make sense to him. If they weren’t the ones down there after him, then they must’ve been the lookouts. But he found it peculiar that they would’ve still been up there having a standoff with the FBI agents. He would have assumed that they’d split or give up immediately, not wanting to engage in a shootout. The fact that they still were there led Lamb to believe something else was going on. That must have meant that their orders were to keep the heat off whatever was happening in those woods no matter what the cost. And that made Lamb think that maybe they weren’t as alone as he thought they were. Of course, maybe it was just the two men, and the two by the car were just waiting for them to finish the job and didn’t realize yet that Lamb had come out victorious against them. But it also could have meant there were a few more that Lamb just hadn’t met yet.
“All right, can you make your way back up?” Dunn asked.
Lamb cleared his throat, thinking it would probably take a lot longer than was really necessary. “It might be better if you came down here.”
“Why?”
“It’d probably be quicker,” Lamb answered.
“You’re hurt, aren’t you?”
Lamb tried to make light of the situation without really answering the question. “I have a feeling you’re never gonna get that second chance at me that you always dreamed about,” he said with a laugh.
