Cursed Days

by J. M. LeDuc

Smiling a confused smile of one who did not understand such customs, Red said, “I don’t understand, but you will explain later.” Looking at his watch, he said, “Right now I am very big hurry to catch plane, so if we could just see what we came to see?”

  “I’m sorry, I don’t think I caught your name, I’m Jody Newman, the bank manager.”

  “It is I who must apologize, my name is Father Timothy Reilly and I am a second cousin of Chloe’s husband, Brent. I have been compiling a family tree and I have come to meet my long lost relatives. Brent has told me about the family treasures that are stored in the bank vault and I was hoping to see them before I had to leave and fly back to the Vatican.”

  Impressed with Red’s words and even more so with his accent, Jody said, “Well I wouldn’t want to be the one to come between you and your tree, so if you would like to accompany Chloe and Maddie, I will escort you to the safety deposit box that you are so anxious to see.”

  CHAPTER 59

  As soon as the all clear from Fitz was sounded, the squad went into action.

  “On three, Scarlet,” Jefferson radioed.

  “On your command,” Scarlet said, pulling back the arrow to full tension.

  On Jefferson’s mark, Scarlet let loose the arrow. Seconds later, it sliced the gunman’s hand completely off at the wrist. A sound never had a chance to leave his throat, before Jefferson’s arrow spit his brain in two. He fell to the side without making a sound.

  They took out the outside sentries as they were drinking their morning coffee.

  Fitz dropped the two men guarding the front perimeter as they walked their pattern away from the doors.

  Flanked by Fitzpatrick up in the Fichus, Joseph made his way toward the front door. He opened the door, smiled and waved at Mike, the security guard. Feigning tripping over the area rug, Joe went down, making a move to his left side as he fell. Before he even felt the impact of his fall, he drew his weapon and shot the guard with a kill shot.

  Jefferson and Scarlet were making their way toward the tunnel entrance into headquarters when Jefferson received an encrypted message from Brent.

  Scarlet saw the confusion on his face as he read it. “What is it? Is everyone okay?”

  Jefferson nodded and ordered Scarlet to lead the way to the entrance.

  Malcolm grabbed some plastique from his pack and attached it to the solenoid above the steel door. He set the detonation device to activate with the next opening or when triggered by remote access.

  Scarlet looked confused. “What’s that all about?”

  “Just following orders from the Colonel.”

  Once on the inside, Malcolm flipped the breaker, closing off the entrance.

  Five minutes and ten dead later, Scarlet and Jefferson were standing in the presence of Seven. At least they thought it was Seven.

  “It’s a little late for Halloween,” Malcolm snickered.

  “One more word from you, Sergeant and I’ll see to it that you lose a stripe on your uniform. Don’t forget we’re mid-mission and who is in charge.” Seven’s eyes never left Jefferson’s as he spit into a coffee cup ten feet away.

  Joan’s voice entered the room before she did. “That goes double for me. I will make you regret any comment for the rest of your natural days.” She stepped into the room dressed in the uniform of one of Red’s men. Disguise complete with facial makeup to make her look more masculine.

  It took every bit of self-control for Scarlet and Malcolm not to burst out in laughter.

  Seven looked at Joan and smiled. “But damn, that is funny.”

  “I will castrate you in your sleep if you say anything else,” an embarrassed Joan fumed.

  Knowing she could probably make good on her threat, Seven swallowed his tobacco. Taking a swig of cold coffee, he looked at his depleted squad. “Joan, light up HQ and see if we’ve missed any targets.”

  She went to her desk and pushed a button turning on all the security cameras inside the building. Screen after screen showed no human life.

  “Where’s Fitz? Is he hurt? Why isn’t he. . . ”

  “He’s fine, just following different orders,” Seven interjected. “Keep your mind on your part of this mission.”

  He hated not telling them the truth. Tommy was a traitor. And would be dealt with in time.

  “Now that SIA is back under our control, what is our mission?” Scarlet asked.

  “We sit and wait to hear from the Colonel,” Seven replied. “There’s food in Maddie’s office. Get a bite while you can.” Turning to Joan, he said, “Put all eyes on the bank vault and tunnel cameras. That’s where any action will come from.”

  CHAPTER 60

  Chloe stared at the door of the vault at the bottom of the stairs. She lifted the cross from around her neck and kissed it gently. Maddie did the same.

  Placing their crosses, which were the keys to the vault into their perspective holes, the girls turned them clockwise in unison. Red heard the locking mechanism release from the door. With a lecherous smile ,he watched the ancient dial on the steel door begin to turn. When it stopped, the door was slightly ajar. A light drizzled in from the crack between the door and the wall.

  Chloe put her shoulder to the door and pushed it inward, allowing them to walk into the Endowment vault.

  Red pushed them out of the way as he hurried into the room. Sitting on an antique table were the two arks he sought. Looking at them and then at the girls, his smile turned evil.

  “I don’t really need the two of you anymore, now do I,” he said as he raised his gun. Cocking the trigger, he held it on his captives as he ran his hands over the arks. Electricity shot through him as soon as he touched the first. “What the hell.” The pain forced him to pull his hand away. “If this is some sort of trick, I’ll blow the two of you away, where you stand.”

  He looked at his hand. His fingers were burned at the tip.

  “You,” he waived Chloe over. “Touch the ark.”

  She stood. Shocked at what she witnessed. He grabbed her by the shirt and pulled her to the table. “Put your damn hand on the box,” he growled.

  Afraid to move, he reached and roughly clenched her wrist. He placed his Ruger .45 caliber pistol in his waistband and pulled out his knife. He pressed it against her belly. “Do as I say or I’ll gut your little girl like a fish.”

  Her hand trembled as she placed it on the ark, ready to pull away at the first sensation of shock. She began to pull away, but realized all she felt was the cold of the gold sheath that wrapped the ark. With confidence, she placed her other hand on top. Nothing. No shock, no current, no burning sensation.

  Red’s anger and confusion grew as he grabbed the smaller ark. Again, electric heat shot through his fingers.

  “Arh,” he winced, again pulling away. Again his hand was burned with his first touch.

  Pulling Maddie over he shoved her against the box expecting her to be electrocuted. She just stood there leaning against the ark. No sensation of pain or heat touched her skin.

  Red stumbled back against the wall of the vault. Gun again, aimed at his prey. Confused, he thought aloud. “Why would this be? I am the rightful keeper of the arks. I was raised and trained for this moment. To reunite all three. . .”

  A smile adorned his hellish expression. “Of course. The three are not yet united. My powers have not yet matured. It looks like the two of you will be carrying the Arks out of this vault of horrors.”

  “There is no way to bring them out,” Maddie said. “In case you haven’t noticed, the door we came through isn’t wide enough for the larger one to pass through.”

  Standing in front of Maddie, he placed the cold steel of the gun barrel under her chin and raised her head. Peering into her jade green eyes, he spat the words into her face. “Do you take me as a fool? They were brought here. There must be a way to get them out.”

&nbs
p; He reached his other hand into his waist band and took out the stun gun.

  Without warning he shot the voltage into Chloe’s abdomen. As she dropped to the floor in convulsions, he seethed with anger. “I’m done screwing around with you two. Get us out of here or I’ll kill both mother and child.”

  Chloe slowly recovered and she placed her hand on her stomach. Thank God, she could still feel her child’s movements. The look of fear on the girls faces brought him renewed confidence.

  “I’ll see you in hell for what you just did,” Maddie had the look of a demon.

  Through gritted teeth, she said reached for the breaker. The vault momentarily went black before a light shined from the back wall of the vault. The wall slid open to reveal the tunnel.

  Red grabbed the girls and pushed them towards the arks. “Since I cannot carry the arks back to headquarters, it seems you will. Pick them up. We have no time to spare.”

  Red radioed Caleb to call in the re-enforcements and meet him back at headquarters.

  Everything that happened was seen and heard back at HQ and by Brent in the tunnel. It took all of his fortitude to squelch his emotions and stay on task.

  CHAPTER 61

  Brent told Bishop Jessup to go back to the old stone church and pray. His work was done. He was about to argue until he saw the look in Brent’s eyes. There would be no changing his mind. Reluctantly he did as he was told.

  Alone, Brent was in deep thought. If he was not to use the Sword of Truth, he needed another plan.

  “Lord, you have taken me this far. I know where my destiny lies, but I don’t know how to get there. I will follow blindly where you lead until you show me the way. Please keep all your children safe. Amen.”

  Brent thought for a moment and took off running toward another branch of the tunnel. He knew Red and the girls would have to pass that way. He slowed as he closed in on his destination. Seven had already been through here. He left behind what Brent was looking for.

  Crouching in a dark corner, he closed his eyes to block out his sense of sight. He needed his hearing to be as sharp as possible and that was one way to do so.

  His heart beat slowed and his pulse weakened. He would not allow himself to go into a meditative state. He only needed to stay relaxed and ready to make his next move.

  He could hear the footsteps, before he could hear the voices. Muscles taught, he waited.

  The girls turned the corner and came face to face with a brick wall.

  “What the hell is this?” Red shouted.

  Maddie thought fast. “With everything that has happened,” she said, “I forgot that the tunnel back to headquarters collapsed a couple of months ago. We are going to have to go by way of the airfield to get to HQ.”

  “Do you take me as a fool?” Red yelled, waiving his gun at them.

  “There is no other way to get from the bank to HQ. We either go by way of the airfield or we don’t get there.”

  Red’s face turned the color of his name. Cocking his pistol, he placed it against the back of Chloe’s head. “If you are lying, she and her child will be the first to die.”

  Maddie’s eyes grew smaller as her anger caused them to close part way. “I wouldn’t put my best friend’s life in danger. Do you think I want to carry this ‘box’ any further than I have to? It weighs a ton.”

  Looking for a reaction and not getting one, she was about to continue when Red’s phone rang.

  “Yes,” he said, depressing the talk button. An evil smile crawled crossed his vile mouth. “That is good news. I knew they were no match for the Brotherhood. Are they all dead?” Listening to the voice on the other end, he said. “Good, I want to watch that one die with my own eyes.”

  Hanging up, he stood inches from Maddie. “It seems your team has made it back from the hunt. They tried to stage an ambush on SIA after we left this morning.”

  Maddie and Chloe stopped breathing as they listened to his words. Their greatest fears loomed in their heads.

  “An unsuccessful one,” Red said. “All are dead except for the one who was not brave enough to show his face.” He stalled his words, building the anticipation. Chloe opened her mouth to speak when he continued. “The one you call the Ambassador still lives. . . for now.”

  Looking back at Maddie, he spat, “All others are DEAD.”

  Red’s laughter drowned out the tears of the girls. The more they cried, the more he laughed. Grabbing Maddie by the hair, he scowled.

  “Pick up the ark and move. Soon there will be no stopping the Brotherhood of Gaza from world domination.”

  Arms trembling, Maddie’s mind could not wrap itself around the fact that Seven was dead. Although her heart told her different, it still broke as she picked up the Ark. Weak with emotion, she stumbled and fell into the wall, almost dropping the Ark of the Endowment.

  “You fool,” Red yelled. “If that breaks or accidently opens, I will kill you both where you stand.”

  Maddie regained her composure, righted her balance and slowly walked toward their destination.

  Red’s step quickened as he pushed Chloe forward. The cold steel of his gun never left the back of her head. As they walked past Brent’s hiding place, every cell in his being wanted to put a bullet in Red’s head, but he knew by the way Red was holding the gun, it could cause his wife’s death as well as his.

  Showing himself at this moment could cause a fate for her that he didn’t want to think about. Couldn’t think about. Emotion could not, would not enter the plan. He had to stick to the script he had written if he wanted the girls unharmed.

  As Red turned towards the airfield, Maddie lagged behind. The weight of her heart and that of the Ark slowed her step. As she turned the corner she felt something cold against her waist. She gasped at the feeling and twisted her head toward the wall.

  Brent inched his way forward so she could see his blacked out face. He put his finger to his lips to quiet her. He whispered to her that what she heard was a lie, but before she could whisper a word, he turned and was gone. His footfalls were silent as he moved in the opposite direction.

  “I need a break,” Maddie said as she lowered the ark to the ground. Feeling behind her, she felt a gun that Brent had placed in the waistband of her jeans. She quickly pushed it further down and covered it with her shirt.

  Red made his way back to her. “The only break will be to your dear friend’s neck if you don’t pick that up now.”

  Maddie looked at him with disgust, stifled a cry and picked up the ark and walked on. Again, taking up the rear, she allowed herself the slightest of smiles.

  CHAPTER 62

  The fresh air and coastal breeze felt good to the girls as they waited for Caleb to arrive. Red had called ahead and told Caleb to leave everyone at their posts and to drive to where they were.

  Joan, Seven and the squad watched on the screen as the security cameras picked up Red’s men entering headquarters.

  “This should be fun,” Joan said as she sat back. Because of the thumb override Maddie used when disarming the system, all security measures were in order. “I’ve always wanted to see this baby in action.”

  Red’s men fanned out, taking different routes toward the inner-sanctum.

  “What I don’t understand is how they know their way around so well.”

  “The breach into SIA ran all the way to the top,” Seven seethed.

  Malcolm cocked his head to the side as his mind put the pieces of the puzzle together. “Fitz? No, that can’t be true. He is my brother, my best friend.”

  Seven spit tobacco into an empty cup. “Was,” he said.

  Jefferson grabbed Seven by the shoulders and turned him to face him. “Tell me I’m wrong. Tell me you’re wrong. Tommy has been a member of the squad for sixteen years. There must be a mistake.”

  Removing Malcolm’s giant mitts from his shoulders, his v
oice softened for a moment. He shook his head. “The colonel figured it out yesterday. He’s the reason the Brotherhood was always a step ahead. He was the inside man.”

  “But he is my broth. . . ”

  “Was,” Seven said with deep anger. “Now he is the enemy and will be treated as such when we find him.”

  Jefferson’s head dropped. His chin rested on his massive chest. “It can’t be,” he mumbled.

  “It can and it is,” Seven barked. “He is a jackal, the worst kind of animal. A traitor and that is how you will treat him. Is that understood, Sergeant?”

  Jefferson’s chest heaved, his fists clenched and his teeth gnawed. He looked up with utter hatred where there was once love. “Perfectly, sir.”

  “Good.”

  Seven wanted to tell him how sorry he was. That he felt the same way. But he didn’t. He couldn’t and wouldn’t let emotion creep into his psyche.

  Joan, flushed with anger, stared into the screen. “The first team has reached the third set of security doors.” She cracked her knuckles releasing some tension and smiled.

  CHAPTER 63

  Before everything with the Butcher exploded, Chloe had been excavating the tunnel system. She had found a vein that led to the back of the industrial complex which held headquarters. No one but Brent knew of it. There never had been time to brief the team on the new findings. He stood at the bottom of the stone steps, staring at the steel door, hoping it was in working order.

  The electrical breaker was rusted in the down position. He used the butt end of his pistol to shake loose the years of non-use. After a few good hits, he was able to wiggle his fingers in between the lever and the steel plate it was attached to. Once the switch was in his palm he was able to lift it from its hibernation, bringing the door to life. Breaker open, he moved to the side, stayed hidden and waited for the solenoid above the door to engage and for the door to slide open.

  The noise of metal scraping metal brought memories flashing through his mind.