by Edgar, C. P.
Rainer had stepped up to the corner of the building and began firing immediately when he caught sight of the infected pouring over the walls. There was no doubt who or what they were. They were throwing themselves over the wall with reckless abandon, and most looked crazed and feral.
Some of the infected wore militant style clothes, and any other time Rainer would have thought he was being assaulted by a rebel force or similar but almost none of these infected carried weapons of any kind. They themselves were the weapon. They just didn’t know it. More than one hit the ground screaming upon impact to announce their presence within the killing fields, and scurried into the dark recesses of the rear perimeter.
He fixed on a naked woman that had just hit the ground. She had landed on her leg wrong but managed to find her feet. She took a step and fell, her leg cracking and bending at an odd angle. Still, she once again pushed herself up and began crawling on her hands and knees for the rear of the building. Rainer hit her in the right shoulder with a round, knocking her to the ground like a bike having its kickstand swept out from underneath.
Miller called out, “Reloading!”
Rainer covered him with an increase in firing rate but it dawned on him that they were being sucked into this fight. When Miller announced he was up, Rainer stopped and looked to the other side of the building. Daggan and Kef were similarly engaged from their position, firing rapidly toward the rear of the compound.
Einberg was shouting at Rainer from the door threshold. Odd, Rainer had been looking right passed him and hadn’t noticed him yelling before. He was yelling at him but the words hadn’t been carrying this far over the sounds of the battle. It was like Einberg was in some strange silent movie, with his mouth moving but no noise emitting.
Rainer focused and the sound of Einberg’s words broke through the chaos, “They’re in the house!”
“Compromise! Compromise!” Rainer called out with his hands around his mouth like a bullhorn.
He made sure everyone started moving toward the truck before he refocused on engaging targets. He saw Einberg pushing Merissa toward the trucks, with Helechek in the lead. She had her head low like she could duck under the death and mayhem. There must have been targets coming in from the other side of the trucks because Chek was shooting as he pressed forward.
Past them at the other corner, Kef was pulling Daggan using a handful of shirt. Daggan was feverishly firing as he skillfully walked backwards with the aid of Kef.
Rainer turned his attention to Miller and their sector. The infected continued to throw themselves over the wall. Additionally, groups of infected had made it to the rear of the building and they were peaking around the corner at Miller and Rainer with disturbing looks of intention.
More than one issued a scream and started headlong down the side of the building at them only to be dropped from the force of the rounds impacting their vital areas. Dead bodies were piling up all over the hard dirt packed grounds.
Miller yelled, “Last mag!” Rainer tapped him on the shoulder and the two changed places. Miller grabbed Rainer by the back of his shirt and began leading him toward the trucks which were now already occupied by the rest of the team. Rainer took down two or three infected that had tried to rush them from the corner they had just given up. He could also see faces appearing in the doorway from the interior of the building. Just as soon as a face materialized it would burst into a cloud of flesh and shards of bone.
Chek had made it to the trucks and was kneeling in the back of the Toyota dealing out rounds as Rainer and Miller continued toward them. Rainer ran dry, the bolt of his MP7 announcing it was starved of bullets. They both turned and ran for the closest truck.
Rainer hadn’t even closed the door before Einberg mashed the accelerator. Just as they made it to the opening in the compound wall Chek yelled out, “Incoming!”
Rainer turned in his seat just in time to see the Hind making a strafing run heading in the opposite direction from its previous course. It dispensed a series of S-8 high-explosive fragmentation rockets from its rocket pod each slamming into the back of the compound where the infected had been gathered. The structure burst at the seams, as the force of each rocket’s explosive overpowered the integrity of the construction. Flames and debris laden smoke reached out in all directions.
The Mi-24 Hind continued firing as it passed through the smoke plume rising above the compound. Its rotors pushing the smoke back down to the ground creating a thick blanket of darkness. It lumbered forward and passed directly overhead of the trucks. The Gatling gun under the pilot cockpit whirred and blazed furiously, spitting its tongue of fire. It was only meters above at rooftop level. Hot brass rained down from the gun showering the trucks.
The back of Rainer’s truck had been lifted by the force of the rocket explosions and was slammed hard back down to the ground. Chek had been thrown forward into the truck’s rear glass, shattering it upon impact. Rainer couldn’t see him through the spiderwebbed glass as they turned hard onto the dirt road and sped away from the compound.
“Miller, knock that window out and make sure Chek is ok,” he yelled over the scream of the Toyota’s engine. Miller was in the backseat behind Einberg. Sitting next to him was Merissa. She was low in the seat and was using her arms to brace herself in place as the truck careened over ruts in the roadway.
Miller got up and pulled Merissa away from the window. He smashed the back glass out with the collapsible stock of his MP7, glass showering down both inside and out. “You ok back there?” he yelled into the darkness.
Chek lifted his hand into view with a thumb up. “I’ll live,” he groaned out.
Miller turned smiling, “He’s taking a nap boss but looks ok.”
Rainer reached forward and grabbed the radio. “Ok, listen up. Head straight to the hangar at Malakal Airport. We’ll refuel the trucks at the halfway point in Talodi. We need to get out of this country before it is locked down or worse.” He dropped the mic and turned around to face Merissa who was looking more uncomfortable now that the back window was gone and the outside air was spilling in on her.
“Merissa, I want to get the information we learned from Brewster to the people that can use it to stop this from spreading out of control. We can’t let this virus spread unchecked and I have a feeling that the scientists could use any and all help combating it. I mean hell, they probably don’t even know what is going on yet.”
“Probably not,” she agreed.
“Ok, so we need to notify someone, but it has to be done my way. We were responsible for allowing this to happen. We played a role in releasing it. It is our burden to shoulder, but if we stay here we’ll probably be arrested or killed.” He reached out and touched her arm.
“I know someone who can help us. Are you with us or do I need to cut you loose somewhere safe in Malakal. It’s ok if that’s your decision Merissa. It’s your call.” He turned back looking out the front windshield at the rear of the lead Toyota.
Merissa was surprised that he had given her the option. She had thought through her precarious situation earlier, when the men were extracting information from Mr. Trecato. She had tried to see it from Rainer’s perspective and she had concluded that she was in a bad predicament. If she was Rainer, she wouldn’t have let her go. They had the option to just kill her, and the blame for releasing this contagion at the refugee camp would die with her.
She looked at Miller. He was reloading his magazines with more rounds. A large box of ammunition was sitting on the floor of the truck between his boots. He looked at her briefly giving her a quick wink and smile before going back to his chore. He wouldn’t hurt her she realized, none of these guys would.
“I’m with you. What’s the plan?”
***
CHAPTER FOUR
One week prior to the Pilgrimage.
Washington, D.C.
David sat there motionless. He was rereading the situation report yet again. “Massive rise in violence across much of North and South Sudan.
” He had already expanded the content and had studied the data. He felt slightly nauseous.
“Fighting has broken out throughout both North and South Sudan. Fractured reporting from NGO sources cites warring parties sparked by refugee revolt in South Kurdufan. United Nations (UN) Monitors are reporting pitched battles being fought in Khartoum, Nyala, Kassala, Malakal, and Juba; and estimates heavy civilian losses. Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) reporting heavy losses near Khartoum and have requested assistance from African Union members. Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) flying sorties into South Sudan to push back rebel forces trying to cross the border en masse. The World Health Organization (WHO) advises of a humanitarian crisis and implementation of genocide watch procedures; issues warning of unusual use of tactics including mutilations and cannibalism by rebel forces.”
A soft knock on his door brought him out of his panic.
“David, do you have a moment?”
“Yes sir, come on in.” David said rising to move some loose folders and papers from the single chair situated in front of his desk. He never really had company in his office, for the most part he and the other analysts met in one of the three main conference rooms.
H. William Carver stood in the doorway for a moment while David busied himself cleaning his office. After David retreated to his chair he quietly moved into the room and took the newly freed seat.
Will Carver, as he was generally referred to, was quickly approaching his seventieth birthday. He was a tall man with grey hair appearing to be resistant to recession. He was thin but had the build of a man that had seen hundreds upon hundreds of running miles. He had slowed down some recently, finally succumbing slightly to his age.
David watched Will sitting in apparent contemplation. He had his hands in his lap, his legs crossed like a gentleman. He was absently spinning the Citadel ring still proudly displayed on his finger. This was his style. He rarely spoke unless it was well thought out, saving impulsive talk to the younger and less wise.
“When was the last time you heard from Merissa?” he asked softly.
This is exactly what David hypothesized he had come to inquire about. David felt a little lightheaded. Does he know something that I don’t? Has he come to deliver some awful news?
“It’s been several days sir. The last time we spoke she was preparing for a large vaccination campaign at the refugee camp in South Kurdufan. I expected she would be busy for a couple of days and that she would call me when she could, but she is well overdue and her satellite phone is no longer receiving it seems. Now with this reporting…” David said shaking his head. He was clearly worried.
“I’ve put in some calls to some of my contacts. The WHO is saying unofficially that they’ve lost contact with their operations in Sudan. They’ve been trying to send people both south from Egypt and east from Chad, but Sudan is locked down. Nothing is going in.” He looked to David just to make sure that last point sunk in. He knew David and he knew his past. He had personally recruited him.
“Sir, I’m not going to Sudan,” David said sighing. He would of course if he felt like he needed to or he could help Merissa in some way, but he knew better than to rush headlong into a situation without knowing the facts, the intelligence. He had thought about it already though.
“David, I’ve heard some troubling things about the situation there. One of my sources says they had to pull some of their special purpose teams from the region due to the fighting. During debriefings, one of the teams reported remotely observing a battle near Al Fashir in Western Sudan. They said the people fought mostly hand-to-hand. They did a post-battle assessment and reported mutilations beyond anything they had ever encountered before.” He could see David becoming visibly upset by the news.
“I’m not trying to scare you David, or throw fuel on an already burning fire. What I’m saying is: get in touch with Merissa however you think you can. I’m going to continue to reach out to my contacts to find out where she is. When we find her, you need to get her out of there. Take whatever time you need son. I know how you feel about her.” Will stood and extended his hand to David. He was touched by the old man’s concern. The two shook and Will departed.
David just sat there for a while. He really didn’t know what course of action to take. He turned back to his computer and opened his Internet search engine thinking that he would check open source reporting on the situation there. However, he changed his mind and logged off immediately instead.
He knew he was going to drive himself crazy by helplessly reading incomplete bulletins and feeding his growing paranoia. He grabbed his jacket off the back of his chair and his mobile phone off the desk and headed out for a walk.
Outside it was setting up to be a beautiful day. It was slightly colder than David had recalled the weather report had estimated. The sun was quickly rising high into the morning sky and there wasn’t a cloud to be seen. Somehow, the beauty and promise of the day was lost on him.
He turned down Crystal Drive toward the Crystal City Shops out of habit. His body tricked itself into believing this was just another walk for a cup of coffee. David, however, grabbed his mobile phone and found his brother Ed in his contact list and hit the send button. It rang a total of seven times before Ed finally answered.
“What’s the word little bro?” Ed asked in his typical upbeat fashion.
“I’ve got a problem Ed, I need your advice.”
“What’s going on?”
“I think Merissa is in trouble. You know she’s been in South Kurdufan for a while now. Have you been in the office yet today?” David knew it was evening in Afghanistan. He imagined Ed was back at the squad bay having a cold beer with his team.
“No man, you caught me traveling.”
“Ok, sorry about that. Well I don’t want to get into specifics, but when you get a chance try to get dialed in to the data coming out of there. When you do, maybe you can find out what’s going on in there and see if you know anyone near where she is located?”
“I’m not sure when I’ll be back in front of a terminal. I can make some calls, but why don’t you just stop being a pussy and tell me what’s up. Who cares if someone is monitoring this line? This is family business bro.”
“Sudan is on lockdown all of a sudden. Reporting from all over is that the place has gone to hell, and I’m not talking about regional flare-ups in Darfur. I’m talking heavy conflicts North and South in Sudan and elsewhere. The WHO is reporting that they’ve been cut off from all comms with their operations in the country.”
Ed broke in, “When was the last time you heard from her?”
“I haven’t talked to Merissa since last week. She told me about a vaccination campaign she was conducting at her camp, and that she was going to be really busy for a couple of days, but she is well beyond overdue now. Plus, her satellite phone is no longer receiving. I keep getting a unit unavailable notification.”
“If she is trying to evacuate out of there it might be a few days before she clears the area and can find a way to communicate. We’ve both been in those situations in the past. You know what it’s like to be running and gunning through these places.”
“Yeah, I know. There are two things that I saw today that has me real nervous though. First, the reporting indicated that the catalyst for this fighting started in a refugee camp in South Kurdufan.”
“Is that where she was?”
“Yeah. The second thing is that some of our teams were in the area and reported mass mutilations and possible cannibalism. What the hell is going on there Ed? These are probably your guys…”
“Yeah, easy buddy. I said don’t be a pussy, I didn’t say be stupid with your comsec.”
“Sorry. I’m really worried Ed. If I have to go there myself to find her I will.”
“I get it David. I’ll get on the horn and see what I can find out. In the meantime, don’t do anything. Just call it a day and head home. In fact, get your ass out of the city and head up to the family house. It will do you good to
get away. I will call you in a couple of hours. Everything will be fine. Roger?”
“Yeah, Roger.”
***
Kuwait City, Kuwait
Ed placed his telephone back into his jacket pocket after having taken a quick look at his other messages. He looked out marveling at the scenery. The sun had just set, turning the Kuwait Bay into a brilliant twilight. A breeze was kicking up helping to push the day’s heat from the streets.
Ed sat on a bench facing the ocean along the shop-filled waterfront. Cars crept along the Arabian Gulf Street behind him taking in the scenery. To his right front was the Burj Al-Hamam and the Seven Seas Restaurant. Behind his left shoulder was the Embassy of the Republic of Turkey. He watched as couples, mostly conservative Muslim men and women, prepared for a night out on the Kuwaiti city.
Ed wore a business suit void the tie. His button-down shirt open at the neck allowing the breeze some access. Checking his watch, he noted the time and then scratched absentmindedly at his beard.
A man approached from his right along the boardwalk, casually strolling. The man took a seat on the bench next to Ed.
“Beautiful night.”
“Cut the shit Rainer.”
“Good to see you too Ed, it’s been awhile.”
“Yeah, been too long my friend. Did you bring the whole team with you or just Daggan?”
Rainer looked at him wondering for a brief moment how Ed had made Daggan already and then stowed his thought. He just returned the question with a smile.
“You can’t hide that ogre here, he doesn’t blend.”
“Ed, I’ve got a problem and I need your help.”
“Yeah, I gathered that much from the cryptic telephone call. I’m here am I not? What’s up?”
