Abomination

by E. E. Borton

  “As soon as I’m done here, I’m back on that plane,” said Derek. “Do both of you understand?”

  “We do,” said Ryan. “The plane doesn’t leave the runway unless you’re on it.”

  “Okay,” said Derek, “I’m all yours.”

  Ryan and Derek had to walk by nearly every man on the assault team. They had heard about his abilities, and each tried to size him up as he walked past. Derek didn’t make eye contact with any of them. He was focused on doing the job as quickly as possible and getting back to Atlanta before sunrise. He was already starting to worry he had made a mistake leaving Jennifer.

  *****

  As soon as the sun went down, Joshua was on the move. He didn’t waste any time in returning to the woods behind Jennifer’s house. Cloaked in darkness, he made his way to the foxhole Derek had created as a place to watch and protect her. He climbed inside and pulled the camouflaged tarp over his head. He saw her shadow through the curtains as she moved from the kitchen to the living room. He felt a sense of urgency to kill her, bury the body, and get back to the safe house as soon as possible.

  He knew they’d be leaving for Maine in less than twelve hours. Joshua was already devising plans to postpone their return to Georgia indefinitely. He’d keep them on the move so Derek wouldn’t be able to easily check on Jennifer. He figured after a few weeks, or possibly even a few months, Derek’s connection to his girlfriend would become weaker. But in the off chance he discovered she had been killed, he already had a story created that would point the finger of blame at Ryan and the feds.

  After lying in wait for nearly an hour, she opened the back door and began to light the Tiki torches and candles. She turned on the music and sat down with a cocktail. Joshua breathed deeply, taking in the moment during his favorite phase of the hunt. He enjoyed knowing what they didn’t. He enjoyed knowing he would soon be taking his prey from a peaceful night on the deck into an unimaginable nightmare. He reveled in the silence before his attack. It was as if he were allowing them to have a few more moments of serenity before he would introduce sheer terror into their world. A world they’d no longer be a part of when he finished. He gave her the moment and then slowly climbed out of his hole.

  ******

  Ryan finished giving Derek the details of the assault on the lab. He’d be going in with the Alpha team consisting of Ryan, Dallas, and Steve. Their mission was to quickly get to Alex and engage him with maximum violence. Two other four-man teams would breach the lab at separate locations and converge at the highly secured Didache section of the building. Their assignment was to take out any security forces they encountered along the way and seal off possible exits the Colonel could use to escape.

  They had four hours until the assault. Ryan took Derek to the small office Dallas was using as a bunk room to grab a few hours of sleep. Dallas didn’t budge as Derek spread a few blankets on the floor in a corner of the room. He was nearly asleep before Ryan killed the lamp and closed the door. He found Steve talking to some of his men who were re-checking their gear.

  “He may be as strong as four men, but he went down like a baby when I turned out the lights,” said Ryan, motioning Steve to join him at a nearby table.

  “I’m guessing he’s had a busy couple of days as well,” said Steve, walking with Ryan. “But I’m actually a little surprised he can sleep as uptight as he is about leaving Jennifer.”

  “Yeah, he didn’t seem too confident in our ability to protect her,” said Ryan, taking a seat beside his longtime friend.

  “Like I said, I don’t really blame him with our track record,” said Steve.

  “It’s a little different now,” said Ryan. “I’m not playing by their rules anymore.”

  “Speaking of which,” said Steve, “Are you ready for this?”

  “Of course I’m ready.”

  “No, you know what I mean. Are you ready to cross the line? You’re not going in there serving a warrant and identifying yourself as a federal agent. You’re going in there looking for revenge.”

  “Aren’t you?”

  “Fuck yes, I am. But my situation is considerably different from yours. I’m already on the other side you’re looking to join. I know what the consequences are going to be of my actions tonight. You have no idea how you’re going to react when we finish this. And to be perfectly honest, I’m a little concerned you may hesitate to pull the trigger without the usual warrant or without identifying yourself.”

  “What are you saying, Steve?”

  “Look, I’m not questioning your ability or courage. You know that. But what I am saying is, you may want to hang back until we secure the facility. Derek can do the job of a four-man team by himself. He’s got everything to lose if he doesn’t go in there like a bat out of hell. I say we turn him loose, follow the bodies after they hit the floor, and watch his back. I’ll make sure we put the Colonel on ice and wait for you. That way you don’t get your hands dirty. Well, too dirty.”

  “I’m leading Alpha team inside with you, Derek, and Dallas behind me,” said Ryan, narrowing his eyes at Steve. “I’m staying on point until we clear the building and reach the Colonel. Am I clear?”

  “Okay, okay,” said Steve, holding up his hands and backing down. “I just feel like I’m turning a boy scout into a pirate. I’m not exactly comfortable sitting idly by and watching you flush your career down the toilet. But I’ll respect your wishes and I won’t bring it up again, okay?”

  “Thank you.”

  *****

  He silently slithered down to the creek bordering the edge of Jennifer’s backyard. The normally ankle deep water was up to his waist after a series of afternoon thunderstorms. Even with his enormous strength, Joshua had to concentrate on his footing or be swept downstream. When he made it to the bank on the other side, a solitary bolt of lightning flashed its warning of another storm beginning to form in the pitch black summer sky.

  Joshua slowly raised his head above the creek wall, expecting to see her scrambling to extinguish the candles and return to the false safety of the house. Instead, she sat motionless as if in a daydream. He imagined her thoughts were of the future with Derek. He knew she was the one filling his head with lies about a return to normalcy. He grew angry at the audacity of her believing she had more power and control over Derek than he did. It was time for Joshua to cut the ties that bound him to her. He scanned the backyard one last time, making sure they would be alone when he took her.

  He lowered himself from the steep bank and took two steps back to the water’s edge. The six-foot muddy wall was slippery, and he needed room to launch himself to the grassy yard above. Joshua knelt by the torrent as another bolt of lightning lit up the night sky. A sharp clap of thunder indicated the fast growing storm was also preparing to unleash chaos onto her world.

  He took a deep breath as the transformation caused every nerve in his body to electrify. He opened his mouth wide to allow the fangs to push through his gums. The rustling trees masked the sound of the bones cracking and popping in his fingers as they grew into hideous claws. His face turned pale, and the blue veins under his skin pulsated with each accelerated heartbeat. As another bolt flashed in the sky, he uncoiled from his kneeling position and cleared the bank with several feet to spare. Joshua landed on the grass at the edge of the backyard and prepared to hurl himself at top speed toward her. He still had over thirty yards to cover before he reached the deck. As he planted his back foot like an Olympic sprinter ready to fire off the line, he slipped.

  He assumed the ground was waterlogged from the earlier storm as a large divot of grass flew into the air behind him from under his boot. He looked up to see her still unaware and undisturbed sitting in her chair staring into the darkness. The building storm was helping him remain concealed from his prey. In the slippery yard, he wouldn’t be able to reach his top speed of forty miles per hour as he started running to close the distance between him and the first stair of the deck.

  Joshua was only able to propel himsel
f less than twenty feet before she launched out of her chair, dropped to one knee, and raised her weapon at her confused attacker – It was Michelle. As he planted his foot to stop his advance and maneuver out of her line of fire, he quickly realized the water soaked yard had not been created by an earlier storm. The team had effectively eliminated his advantage of inhuman speed and agility.

  At that point, Joshua wasn’t terribly concerned with his inability to maneuver at full capacity. He knew she would probably miss her first shot as he pulled his weapon, knowing he wouldn’t miss his. But before he was able to level his gun sights, the entire backyard was bathed in intense white light. The team had also effectively eliminated his advantage of inhuman accuracy and rate of fire with a weapon. At that point, Joshua became concerned.

  Michelle squeezed the trigger, and as he suspected, her first shot missed but only by a few inches. What Joshua didn’t know was the first shot was a signal. Before he could regain his footing and return fire, every window on the back side of the house exploded outward as the large caliber bullets cleared a path to their target. The first projectile traveling at 3,000 feet per second to impact Joshua was fired from Tom’s sniper rifle. The .50 caliber round tore through his hip, nearly severing his left leg from his torso.

  Two three-man teams concealed in the hedges flanking Jennifer’s house added to the chorus of bullets. Joshua fell to the ground, stunned, while firing blindly into the white light. The wet ground around him erupted into dozens of tiny volcanoes as all twelve guns aimed at the same man delivered their payload.

  Earlier in the day when Michelle and Tom received word from Derek that Joshua had returned to the hideout, they started setting the trap. They’d been working on a plan for days, trying to figure out how to even the playing field. Joshua’s strength wasn’t as much a factor as his speed, agility, and accuracy with a weapon.

  Jennifer had been put on a plane two days earlier and was resting comfortably with Steve’s wife and children at an undisclosed tropical location. They knew Michelle would pass as Jennifer at a distance with a wig transforming her brunette hair to red. What they didn’t know when they started working on the trap was how to slow him down. The answer came with the first storm. As Tom was walking through the backyard mapping out firing positions, he noticed there was little traction in the slippery grass. He realized the house was built on a flood plain and was one more downpour away from becoming a marsh. He immediately dropped two hoses in the middle of the yard and left them running for hours.

  Dallas came up with the idea of installing high-powered floodlights with the purpose of instantly blinding Joshua when the shooting began. Tom covered nearly every window on the back side of the house with a tinted film which would allow Steve’s men to see out, but would obstruct Joshua from seeing in. It gave them the advantage of taking their time lining up gun sights on the target. Each man was behind a heavy weapon mounted on a tripod for stability and increased accuracy. As a backup, two teams were concealed in positions flanking the house and would advance on Joshua during the attack. They’d also give chase in the unlikely event he survived the first round of fire and attempted to escape through the woods. As insurance, a third team was stationed along the path leading to Jennifer’s backyard as insurance which cut off his only way out.

  Joshua managed to roll away from the initial hail of bullets but didn’t get far before Tom fired another round from the sniper rifle. The huge bullet ripped a large hole through his abdomen, flipping him onto his back. The only movements afterward were his arms extending up to the sky as if he was reaching out for something to help him get back on his feet. Several more shots were fired into him before his arms dropped and he lay motionless in the middle of the yard. As if on some kind of celestial queue, the sky answered by releasing a heavy downpour of rain. The order to cease fire was broadcast over their radios. The two teams stationed at the sides of the house cautiously approached the downed killer. They stopped less than ten feet away from him.

  “He’s still alive,” said the lead shooter, hearing the gurgling sounds emanating from his wrecked body. “I don’t know how, but this piece of shit is still alive.”

  Michelle coolly walked up to Joshua who was spitting up blood with every agonized breath. He slowly opened his eyes and stared blankly at her as she removed her wig. He narrowed his gaze and managed a slight smile as he coughed. She calmly raised her gun and put the front sight between his eyes.

  “The only regret I have is that I can’t make this hurt more,” said Michelle. “But I’m glad the last thing you’ll ever feel is a woman killing you.”

  She stared back into his eyes for a brief moment before gently squeezing the trigger and ending him.

  *****

  “Rise and shine,” said Ryan, waking Dallas and Derek. “Time to go to work.”

  “Five more minutes, mom,” yawned Dallas, rolling away from the light.

  “Derek,” said Ryan, “Steve’s holding a phone call for you. You’re going to want to take it.”

  Dallas, hearing Derek’s name, nearly snapped his own neck flipping back over to face him.

  “Is Jennifer okay?” asked Derek, quickly getting to his feet.

  “She’s fine. Steve’s outside in the hangar,” said Ryan.

  Derek left the small room and Dallas stood motionless, glaring at Ryan.

  “What?”

  “You left me in here unconscious and alone with him? Are you nuts? He could’ve drained me in my sleep.”

  “He’s on our side, remember?”

  “For now, but who knows when that’ll change again. I can’t believe you did that to me!”

  “Calm down, Nancy. You’re not his type,” said Ryan with a smile as he left the room. He walked over to Steve who was putting the phone call for Derek on speaker.

  “Are you sure?” asked Derek.

  “Very,” said Michelle. “I’m standing over him right now. I thought you’d want to know as soon as we got him.”

  “Could you do me one more favor?”

  “Sure.”

  “Shoot him again,” said Derek. “As a matter of fact, if you have any bullets left, use them all on him now.”

  “Okay, Derek. We’ll take care of it. Listen, we handled our end of the bargain. It’s time for you to handle yours. Good luck to you.”

  “For what it’s worth, thank you,” said Derek.

  “You’re welcome. Piece of cake.”

  Steve ended the call as Derek dropped his head and exhaled. “I’ve got to tell you, Ryan, I didn’t think you guys could pull it off. He was one truly evil sonofabitch.”

  “You can thank this guy for that part of the plan,” said Ryan, putting his arm around Dallas, who was still groggy and irritated.

  “I can’t thank you enough,” said Derek, holding out his hand. “It’s like I can breathe again for the first time in months. I owe you a big one. All of you.”

  “My pleasure,” replied Dallas, shaking his hand. “Thanks for not chewing my face off in my sleep.”

  “Don’t mention it,” said Derek, laughing. “I’m starving. Is there any grub around here?”

  “Yeah, I’ll get you set up over there,” said Dallas, walking away with Derek.

  “I take back all those things I said about you not being able to cross the line,” said Steve. “Nice work on Joshua.”

  “It’s easier for me than you think, Steve.”

  “Apparently, but why do I have this funny feeling killing Joshua was the easy part?”

  “I’m not sure, buddy. But I have the same feeling.”

  25

  Options

  Very little was said as the men mounted the vehicles that would take them to the Michaels Laboratory. Their destination was a forty-five minute ride. It was Ryan’s last chance to change his mind and find another way to stop Colonel Brown and his super soldier hitman Alex Tifton. But aborting the mission was the furthest thing from Ryan’s mind. He’d been lied to, manipulated, and used by men who believed th
ey were untouchable. After Kristina’s murder, he was more than ready to reach out and touch everyone involved.

  The vehicles pulled into a wooded area bordering the west side of the lab. From the cover of the trees, it was only a short distance to the ten-foot chain link fence around the perimeter of the complex. Cameras and motion detectors covered every inch of the large campus. The men exited the vehicles and checked their radios and gear for the last time before the assault. When everyone was set, they took a knee and waited for Ryan’s command. He was already positioned with Steve, Dallas, and Derek in a shallow ditch along the deserted road.

  Inside the lab, Paul, leader of Red Team, made his way to the security hub. It was a small room located just outside of the entrance to the Didache Project section of the large four-story building. In the hub, two men monitored the electronic sensors and remotely controlled access to every gate outside and every door inside.

  Around the perimeter of the campus, there were three entry points along the fence. Each was manned by two heavily armed security personnel from Paul’s Red Team. Four more of his men were stationed at the main entrance to the building. Two-man teams guarded the three other access points. All of the security personnel in position to be the first to respond to an assault were under Paul’s command.

  The Blue Team consisted of twenty men. They were assigned to internal building security. The men inside the security hub were from Blue Team as well as the six on station inside the Didache section. Four others were split into two patrols which constantly roved through the entire complex. The remaining ten were in their bunks and would relive other team members in the morning. Alex was asleep in his room, which was two doors down from the Colonel’s office and sleeping quarters. Both were located within the tightly secured Didache section.

  “Good morning, troops,” greeted Paul, walking into the security hub.” This sure beats walking around outside sweating my ass off and getting sucked dry by the mosquitoes. When is the last time it got above ninety around here?”