by Steven Bird
Nearly tripping on a rock formation beneath her feet, she snapped back into the moment and focused with renewed resolve to do whatever it took to escape this living hell, and to see the light of day once again.
Chapter Seventeen
Working their way through the woods at a relentless pace, the six men of the group, which included Jessie, Q, Sam, Carl, Tyrone, and Daryl, pressed on despite their fatigue.
“How long before sunrise?” Sam asked, breaking the group’s silence.
Reflecting the moonlight off his faithful old wind-up watch, Q responded, “About three and a half hours.” Turning to Jessie, he asked, “How much farther?”
Thinking things over for a moment, Jessie said, “There’s a valley between this ridge and the one to our north. Nate is on the northern side of the next ridge, down near the base of the mountain. We can either cut through the valley and up and over the next ridge, or we can stay on this ridge, which eventually meets up with the other where they form a box canyon. We can then cross over and descend, without having to descend and ascend an extra time. I think that would be best for our making good time.
“I’ve not been on that route beyond this. I had previously worked my way through the valley with Hank. It’s a lot darker down there, though, with the moonlight being obscured by the terrain in many places.”
“If you’re sure you can get us there without having to make those extra climbs and descents, I think that would be the best way to go. If we’re dealing with night-vision-equipped threats, I’d prefer to have all the moonlight we can.”
“Agreed,” interjected Sam. “Jessie,” he asked, “How much longer until we’re there?”
“Two hours, maybe three. If we can keep up the pace, that is,” he answered.
“I’m good,” offered Tyrone. “Let’s push on.”
“I need the exercise, anyway,” added Daryl. “Having Linda’s horses at my disposal back home is making me lazy.”
“It looks like her cooking is taking its toll, too,” teased Carl, gesturing to Daryl’s belly.
“She won’t let me starve to death, that’s for sure,” Daryl chuckled.
Speaking up, Q said, “Well, if no one needs to rest, let’s push on. Since we know what we’re up against, let’s move forward as a proper patrol.” Turning to Jessie, he suggested, “You know the way and are familiar with who we’re up against, so if you wouldn’t mind taking point?
“Of course,” Jessie quickly agreed.
“Here,” Q offered while reaching out his hand. “Take this. It’s the FLIR thermal game tracker. Scan the area as you go. There’s no reason to stumble into something avoidable.”
“Sam, you bring up the rear. Keep back a little farther than normal. Make sure you occasionally hold your position and observe. Keep an eye out for the possible movement of those creepy bastards, then bound ahead and catch up. We’ll rotate through the rear position when you need a break to ensure the man in that position stays as fresh as possible, since we’ll be moving at a pretty good pace. When you bound forward, make yourself known via our standard protocol.
“We’ll distribute our three radios between Jessie at point, me in the center of the patrol, and the other with Sam or whoever ends up in the rear after rotations.
“Maintain silence, using vibrate patterns to check in when prompted by two vibes from me. If you feel the need to request the status of the rest of us, use your own position identifier. Jessie, you’re the point man, so you’re first in the column. That makes you one pulse. I’m two pulses, being the second radio back, and Sam is three pulses. Transmit your vibes by order of point, center, and rear to eliminate confusion.
“If you need to report something verbally, vibe in with five pulses and wait for a verbal ‘go’ from me. We don’t want anyone speaking up when someone else may be in a potential contact situation. Understood?” Q asked, ensuring Jessie was familiar with their standard patrol comms procedures.
“Simple enough,” Jessie replied with a nod.
“If we seem a bit non-standard to the tactics and procedures you may have seen in your past, it’s because we aren’t following some published field manual. We aren’t going by someone’s military experience, although we have plenty. We use what has worked for us, based on our own experiences, and the diversity of personnel we have in our group. Not everyone here has the same background. Often, not even close. We need a farmer and an experienced combat veteran to be able to work together with minimal training. We keep things simple, but effective, changing as our environment around us changes.”
Handing Jessie the radio, Q looked at him with a serious expression, and warned, “I don’t mean to sound rude, but if you cross us, we’ll kill you. No question. We’ve lost too many good men and women already to infiltrators. Treason against us is suicide for the traitor.”
Taken aback by Q’s sudden cold turn, Jessie remarked, “I get it, but you don’t have a thing to worry about from me. Just keep your eyes, and especially your ears, open and focused on what’s around you. The real threats here lie in the darkness, not in deception. Are you sure you trust me with your only game tracker?”
“Yes, and no,” Q replied. “My gut says I can trust you. My gut says you’re a good man with Nate’s best interests at heart. But my heart has been broken by traitors too many times to trust anyone completely. Except of course for the folks like these guys here, who’ve proven themselves time and time again.”
Nodding, Jessie said, “I guess we’d better get going.”
Giving the signal, Q ordered the group forward. Jessie took the point position as directed, Tyrone fell in behind him, Daryl followed along behind Tyrone, Q fell in at the center, Carl dropped in behind him, and Sam took up a bounding rear guard as directed.
~~~~
Working his way through the darkness with only the moonlight to guide his way. Jessie occasionally paused to scan the area ahead of him with the thermal game tracker. Seeing only the heat signatures of nocturnal wildlife, mostly small game, rodents, and birds, Jessie kept up the pace.
After an hour of steady movement, Jessie felt two vibrating pulses from the radio carried in his left hand. That’s a request from Q to report, I believe.
Responding with one vibratory pulse, Jessie felt two more pulses, followed by a slight pause and then three pulses. I guess that’s it, he thought as he continued moving forward.
Realizing they were nearing the point where the two ridgelines converged, Jessie knew they’d be in the heart of hostile territory at any minute—that is, if they weren’t already. Coming to a stop at the ridge facing down into the area where he had left Nate to seek help, Jessie scanned the area with the thermal, and then clicked his vibratory alert button five times to request verbal comms.
“Go,” Q replied softly after receiving the message and verifying it was safe with the others.
Whispering into the radio, Jessie explained, “Okay, I’m at the point where we start descending toward Nate’s location.”
“How much farther?” Q asked. “To Nate, that is.”
“Maybe a mile or two. It’s downhill though, so we should make good time unless we make contact,” Jessie responded.
“Everyone good?” transmitted Q.
Receiving the appropriate response vibes, he then commanded, “Let’s move.”
As they worked their way down the hill, Jessie felt a cold chill run up his spine. Halting his advance, he raised the thermal game tracker up to his eye and began scanning the area. Where are you, you filthy bastards? I know you’re out there hiding in the darkness like animals. C’mon. Show yourselves.
~~~~
Trailing the group and covering their six, Sam stood atop the rocky ridgeline and watched as the others worked their way down the hill, disappearing from the faint moonlight of the night as they entered the thick vegetation below.
Turning around and scanning the area behind them before joining his brothers in arms in their descent, Sam caught a momentary glint of light. Fo
cusing on the area just behind and to the left where he’d seen the flicker, Sam flipped his M4 from safe to semi and slowly raised the rifle to the high-ready position. Lowering himself behind a rocky outcrop, he reached for the radio clipped to his belt as he heard a thwack, followed by a heavy, bone-jarring impact to his right side.
Dropping the radio, Sam instinctively reached for the intense pain on his right side and found the shaft of an arrow, embedded deeply between his ribs.
As he fell to the ground, unable to breathe, Sam used his last ounce of energy to reach over and pick up the radio, holding down the vibratory alert key as the moonlight highlighted the silhouette of a large, dark figure standing above him.
The figure heaved an axe high above its head, swinging it down violently onto Sam’s arm that held the radio, severing it at the elbow.
Sam attempted to scream to no avail. His lungs simply would not push any more air. As the figure raised the axe once again to deal what Sam knew would be the final blow, he was rescued from the hell of his current world by the sweet, silent loss of consciousness, and death.
~~~~
Feeling the vibration from the radio, Jessie unclipped it from his belt and hunkered down behind a cluster of trees. Waiting for further guidance, he felt the report pattern. Jessie quickly rogered up with his single vibratory pulse, followed by Q’s two pulses, and then…nothing.
His heart sank while he anxiously awaited Sam’s check-in, but it never came.
Feeling the report pattern vibrate through the radio once again, Jessie replied with his tone, again heard Q’s, then nothing. Damn it to hell, they’re here.
Chapter Eighteen
Arriving at a flooded section of the cave, Yuri looked down to see wear on the soft limestone surface from what appeared to have been a flat-bottomed boat. “I knew I was on boat,” he whispered.
Looking into the darkness across the water with the night vision monocular, he added, “It go very far.”
“What is it?” Britney asked. “Is it like an underground river or something?”
“No. More like flooded cave. Makes good natural barrier,” he explained.
Looking around at the general structure of the flooded chamber, Yuri noted the steep slope of the walls that descended into the water. “Unless filled with stones, water looks deep. We find different way. Boat must be on other side. They may come back while we are in water. If they find us swimming, we would be unable to fight or flee.”
“Whatever you think,” she whispered.
“We go this way,” he decided, working his way toward an area where the cave branched off into several chambers and tunnels.
Leading Britney by the hand, Yuri would quietly give her notice of changes in her footing to help her navigate the varied geology of the subterranean maze. “Watch head,” he cautioned, placing his hand on her head, forcing her to squat down. “Object extending from ceiling. Sharp points.”
Holding on tightly to Yuri, following his every move, Britney felt him come to a sudden stop. “What is it?” she asked.
Feeling him squeeze her hand, she heard him say in a grim voice, “Bones.”
“Bones?” she asked, fearing his answer.
“Bones of many people,” he replied. “Is horrible. Bones sorted and stacked in piles. Some bones broken or cut, like they were chopped off. Many teeth missing from skulls.”
“Skulls?! she shrieked, squeezing his hand tightly. “Let’s go. Please, let’s not stay here any longer.”
Doing as she asked, Yuri carefully led Britney around the piles and stacks of bones toward the far side of the chamber where there appeared to be a gap.
Reaching the opening, Yuri whispered, “Stay here. I go see.”
“No!” she insisted. “Please! Please don’t leave me in the dark alone.”
“Is okay, we go,” he conceded, leading her forward.
When they entered the chamber, the sound of running water could be heard off in the distance, as if it was trickling down the cave’s walls. Kneeling down to touch the floor, Yuri felt a shallow flow of cold water following a low, water-worn channel in the floor. Scooping up a handful of the ice-cold water, Yuri took a sip.
“Is good,” he declared. “Water running beneath our feet. Is good. Drink. You need to drink. You not get enough when in chains.”
Kneeling alongside Yuri, Britney began scooping up the fresh, flowing water with her hands, drinking handful after handful. “Oh, this is good,” she said, wiping the dripping water from her chin.
Just then, the sounds of the all-too-familiar horn echoed through the labyrinth of underground chambers and passages.
Britney’s heart sank as Yuri said, “They know. They know we are gone. Quickly, we must move.”
Leading her through the chamber, Yuri saw where a large, flat rock had fallen from the ceiling sometime in the past. The rock had created an obstacle to climb over to continue down that path, but it also presented them with an opportunity.
Looking down at their feet, Yuri was pleased to see that the small stream had kept the limestone floor free of sediment that would have otherwise highlighted their tracks.
Hearing movement coming from the passage behind them, Yuri pulled her hand and instructed, “Quickly. Climb rocks. Hold onto my belt. Do not lose me.”
Scurrying up the fifteen-foot-high wall of rubble, Yuri slipped between several of the larger jagged stones and into a gap in the rubble. “Come,” he whispered, taking her by the arm and leading her into the tight confines of the rock slide.
Several feet into the pile of fallen rocks, they found a void created by the debris that was approximately three feet across and four feet high.
“We hide here,” he whispered as the sounds of their pursuers could be heard entering the chamber.
Britney’s heart pounded in her chest because she knew if they were discovered, there would be no escaping again. They were pinned in with nowhere to go. Yuri had killed one of their own, and that was an act she was sure the barbarians would not let go without severe penalties. If the innocents in their grip suffered so greatly, what would they do to those they saw as having lashed out at them?
Yuri listened to their movements, but he heard no words from the figures in the chamber. He heard what sounded like smacking and pounding on one’s chest. Almost as if they were communicating by the rhythm and beat of their hands and fists.
The figures then went silent, as if they, too, were pausing to listen. Britney felt a tingle in her throat. She felt the urge to cough begin to overwhelm her. Please, God, no. Struggling to control herself, Britney held her breath, hoping the feeling would soon fade.
Just as the urge to cough became unbearable, she buried her face in Yuri’s chest to muffle the sound as the figures once again began to move about in the darkness, leaving the chamber, and departing in the direction from where they had come.
Gently coughing into Yuri’s chest, she felt him pat her on the back as if to reassure her everything would be okay. As she embraced him, she thought of the irony of having a man who she would have thought to be a monster, having been with the group that murdered her parents and so many others in cold blood, who was now her potential savior.
After waiting for what seemed like a half an hour or more, Yuri whispered, “We go now.”
Taking her by the hand once again, Yuri led Britney out of the rock pile and back down into the wet, damp chamber of the cave.
“We go this way,” he said, following the sound of the trickling water.
Chapter Nineteen
Joining up with Daryl, Q whispered, “Move up with Tyrone, and the two of you join up with Jessie. Try to establish a defensible position and wait for the rest of us to join up with you. Carl and I are gonna go back and check on Sam. He’s not responding after that odd vibe alert.”
“Roger that,” Daryl confirmed with a nod, and he immediately began moving forward toward Tyrone’s position.
Working his way back to Carl, Q asked, “When’s the last tim
e you laid eyes on Sam?”
“At the top of the ridge. When I went over and started down, it looked like he was keeping a watch on our six while the rest of us began the descent.”
“Was anything unusual going on?” Q asked.
“No. It all seemed to be business as usual. Why?”
“We got a long, steady vibe alert,” explained Q. “I pinged everyone for a response, and Sam’s radio has been silent ever since. Something’s up. I can feel it.”
“Have you tried voice comms?”
“No. I don’t want to give away his position if he’s in a bind and avoiding contact. Let’s work our way back up the hill. Be careful. According to Jessie, we’re getting close to where we'd expect to encounter those creepy bastards.”
“Roger that, Boss,” Carl said as he double-checked the condition of his rifle and began working his way up the hill toward the ridgeline.
~~~~
Using the game tracker, Jessie watched as two human figures approached from his rear. Look to be the size of Daryl and Tyrone, he thought.
“Jess,” he heard whispered in the darkness.
“Come on up,” he replied.
Once Daryl and Tyrone were at his position, Jessie asked, “What’s going on?”
“No response from Sam after that tone was received,” Daryl explained quietly. “Q sent us to join up with you. He said to get ourselves in a defensible position and wait on him and Carl to show back up with Sam.”
Looking around, Jessie said, “This is probably as good as it gets without moving farther away from our path of travel. This cluster of trees is pretty tight and gives us visual cover and makes for a good barrier from several directions. I’ll keep an eye out ahead, while you guys split the difference behind and beside us. I’ll pass the thermal around so we can each scan our areas systematically. We don’t want a friendly-fire accident, nor do we want to be snuck up on by those furry bastards.”
