by R Weir
He grabbed his flashlight, turning it on to help him see. The light at the gate illuminated a small area at the entrance, but everywhere else was dark even with the moonlit sky, the ground uneven in spots and easy to roll an ankle on. He moved up and down the solid stone wall, expecting not to find anything, when he heard a crunching noise above the silence that filled the darkness, startling him for a moment. He pivoted, and walked back to the opening slowly, eyes with the help of his flashlight beam scanning for any movement, cautious for any type of trouble. It was an animal, he told himself—likely a rabbit—as there were many hopping around the property. Still proceeding forward, careful with each step, he could feel his heartrate increase when his light flashed on a person, Ryan flinching at the sight. Their breathing clearly heard, his light now pointed to see a woman there, a confused expression filling her face. Ryan unsnapped his holster, the 9mm now available for quick access, mostly because he was a cautious man by nature, no matter how unassuming the woman appeared.
“Oh, thank goodness someone is here,” wailed the woman out of breath. “My car broke down and I don’t seem to have a cell signal to call someone. I saw the light and headed this way hoping there was a phone I could use.”
Ryan moved closer, his nerves on edge, shining the light on the woman’s face, spotting the rosy cheeks under her long black hair which she kept sweeping out of her eyes, the wind whipping it around. It seemed odd to him, her being this far up the hill, this late at night. Part of his training was to expect the unexpected, which he planned to fall back on.
“Do you mind,” she grumbled, her left hand lifting up to shield her from the glow. “Your light is hurting my eyes.”
Ryan progressed closer, the gate still between them. He carefully lowered the light as he could see her better, his eyes adjusting. She appeared to be shaking from the cold, the brown leather coat and tight blue jeans with manufactured tears in them, not keeping her warm enough. She appeared innocent enough, as he relaxed his stance, his gun hand no longer hovering over his sidearm.
“Thank you. Now I can see you better.” She put on a warm smile, her arms crossing her chest, her body shivering. “Can you let me in so I can make a call to get help?”
Ryan was surprised about her phone not working. “Unusual you don’t have a cell signal,” he remarked, while pulling out his over-sized Android phone. “Service here is normally great.” He looked at his phone after unlocking it, shaking it a couple times, as if that would help. “Strange I show no service myself.”
“I know. It’s as if the tower in the area isn’t working.” She feigned innocence at the trouble, even though she knew better.
“I’ll have to call into the house before I can let you in,” proclaimed Ryan, while grabbing the two-way radio on his belt.
“That won’t be necessary,” announced the woman.
Ryan looked at her, a tranquillizer gun now in her hand which she had pulled from inside her jacket. She fired, the dart hitting him in the neck, his reflex not fast enough to deflect it. Ryan quickly went for his gun, but the effects of the drug were immediate. He stumbled forward, his hand on the dart, pulling it free. He was now on his knees, his body movements out of his control, as he leaned up against the gate, out cold.
“Sweet dreams young man,” Valerie said, waving to the four-man team waiting within the trees out of sight.
She got to her knees, reaching through the bars searching the officer. It took a few minutes before she found the magnetic card which was used to open the gate. She handed the plastic to Pablo who went to the box, swiping the card the gate slowly opening. Dirk stepped through, dragging Ryan with him before tucking him away in his police car. After relieving him of his weapons, walkie talkie and cell phone, in case the sedative wore off, Dirk joined his crew.
“Good job, Valerie,” announced Zackery, who was decked out in all gray military type fatigues.
“Hopefully I can be more than a distraction next time,” she replied, agitated she wasn't more involved
“It’s the first time you worked with us. This was a test. Next time you’ll be more involved. For now, go back to the van and head to the cabin and wait to hear from us.”
She wasn’t thrilled with her small part, but handed him the tranquillizer gun, strolling away. Zackery watched her, enjoying the view, knowing she still had to prove herself in time. She displayed all the skills he required—gun training and hand to hand combat. Now it was a matter of integrating her with the rest of the team and creating trust. That was going to be hard though as two on his team didn’t care much for her after their initial meeting.
“You know what do,” he said to the other three. “No mistakes this time. Failure isn’t an option.”
The four men spread out, faces concealed, each clearly with their task in mind, ready for the carefully planned assault on the Hawkins home.
***
When the lights went out, Scanlon immediately got on the walkie-talkie to contact Ryan at the gate but got no response. Knowing the job at hand he could have been asleep, but Scanlon didn’t believe that to be the case, concern crawling across his skin. He then pulled out his cell phone, finding a “No Service” notification at the top. With the combination of the dog’s reaction, the lights going out and the cell service now gone, he knew danger was coming their way.
“Damn no cell service,” declared Scanlon, while noting the time as 4:18 a.m. “Same as their attack on the limo, where they used cell jammers from what Lance told us. The bad guys are making their move. Looks like we’re on our own.”
“You’re in charge,” proclaimed Athena. “What do you want me to do?”
Scanlon thought it over for a quick second. He knew there remained little time.
“Head upstairs, get the Hawkins’ family stashed away in that large walk-in closet and don’t let anyone take them. I’ll do what I can down here. And take the dog with you. I don’t want him getting shot.”
When the two cleared the room and headed upstairs, Scanlon pulled his gun, when he heard glass breaking behind him, followed by the sound of hollow metal hitting the ground. He ducked to find cover but couldn’t get there fast enough as the stun grenade went off, the flash blinding him, the deafening sound ringing in his ears. He was confused, disorientated, and staggering to stand, running into the center island, uncertain where he was. He was trying to get his bearings, gun raised to shoot if he could focus on a target. The kitchen door burst open, and in came two men, one right after the other, dressed for battle, flashlights attached to their weapons directing them at him.
Kyle, the lead man saw Scanlon struggling to see, eyes squinted, gun pointed at nothing. He walked up to him from the side and jabbed a tranquilizer dart in his neck. The sedative doing short work, Scanlon on the floor. Kyle grabbed the detective’s gun and walkie-talkie before moving on. He and his partner Zackery, who was the leader of the group, made their way to the stairwell to head upstairs. With the knowledge the other two men had made entry through the front, to secure the downstairs.
With solid inside information they knew the layout of the house, and where everyone slept. At the top of the stairs was the parents’ bedroom, then next to them Olivia, followed by Deion. There were two other bedrooms unused for guests. Their information said there was one police officer covering the outside and another inside. They had both been removed from the equation. Now it was only the parents they needed to disable to get access to the kids.
When the lead man, Kyle, hit the top landing, he was surprised to see what appeared to be a woman, moving from the parents’ room, heading towards Olivia’s. Reacting to the movement he raised his gun, ready to hit the target figuring it was the mother.
“Don’t move,” he called out, before finding out it wasn’t who he thought.
***
Athena had run up the stairs with the dog when she heard the noise of glass breaking and the loud bang and flash. Pepper broke loose and ran, away from the noise to who knows where. She worked quickly
to get the family to somewhere safe, about to get the kids when she heard a noise and a male voice call out.
Athena reacted, her eyes adjusting to the darkness enough to see a man with a lighted gun pointed at her. She raised her gun and fired two shots, aiming for center mass. A smile spread across her face when she hit the target, the man groaning as he was struck, the force knocking him backward to the floor.
Athena turned to get to Olivia’s room when she felt a sharp object hitting her in the right shoulder. She reached for it, removing the dart quickly, the pain subsiding, thoughts of wondering what had hit her. Her arm immediately went numb, the sedative soon paralyzing her right side, causing her knees to buckle, her body slumping to the floor. Nausea and exhaustion overwhelmed her, a first thought of survival to somehow overcome this obstacle. She tried to switch the gun to her other hand, but a second man was upon her, knocking it away. She could see him glaring at her through his goggles, uncertainty ruling his expression.
“Who have we here?” Zackery uttered. “You don’t appear to be someone we expected. You surely aren’t the mother with that powerful gun you are wielding.”
Athena tried to speak, but she was too weak, and soon gave into the sedative, closing her eyes.
From out of the bedroom came Jose, ready to fight. He jumped on Zackery from behind, trying to put him in a bear hug. Zackery twisted him off, flinging him into the wall, knocking several pictures to the ground. He then took the butt end of his AR15 and hit him in the side of the head, knocking the father out. Zackery’s anger got the best of him and he aimed the AR15, threatening to shoot.
“Stop it,” yelled Paige, seeing what had happened. She fell to her husband’s side to shield him.
Zackery regained his composure. “I won’t hurt him anymore, but you need to stop fighting us and hand over your kids right now before more people get hurt.”
Horror graced Paige’s face, hoping to plead for mercy. She’d never felt immediate terror like this in her entire life. Her pulse going a mile minute, the feeling her heart was about to jump out of her chest.
“Please you can’t take them from us,” begged Paige. “Surely you have kids of your own and can understand why.”
Zackery did have kids but couldn’t let those thoughts stop him. It was the job he’d taken, and if he didn’t complete it, his own life would be forfeited. He must complete the mission, or his own children would be fatherless.
“Children come out now or your parents are dead,” he yelled. “I won’t ask a second time and I will put a bullet in your father’s head.” It was an empty threat, but they didn’t know that.
Cautiously, from out of the two rooms came Olivia and Deion. Each dressed in their pajama’s, stark terror on their faces, but with little choice on what to do. Zackery pushed aside any emotions he may have encountered about taking them away from their parents. It was only a job, he kept telling himself. Large stacks of cash that awaited him overruling any parental emotions.
“Please don’t hurt them,” pleaded Olivia, a tremor in her tone.
“Shoes and coats now,” demanded Zackery. “And be quick about it. I have an itchy trigger finger.”
“Our stuff is downstairs,” declared Olivia.
“Let’s go.”
“Please don’t do this,” pleaded Paige again, tears on her face.
Zackery pulled out a gun and shot her, the screams of her kids filling the hallway.
“It’s only a tranquilizer dart,” he yelled over their screams. “She will be fine. Now move or else it will be more permanent. And stop whimpering.”
Olivia threw her arm around her brother and started walking to the stairwell. Both were startled when a figure on the ground started to move. It was Kyle, the man Athena had shot, slowly getting to his feet, moaning, but alive. A Kevlar vest was responsible for saving his life from her excellent aim, though he was not without some painful bruising and a possible cracked rib.
“Damn, my chest hurts,” he declared.
“Good thing you had the vest on,” replied Zackery. “Better than being dead.”
“Who the hell shot me?” wondered Kyle rubbing his chest.
Zackery looked back at Athena on the floor. “Must be a new security person we didn’t know about.”
“Then our inside info wasn’t accurate.”
“So it would seem.”
Kyle started to descend the stairs slowly, raising his gun, ready for any other resistance.
“Kids follow him,” ordered Zackery, who then pulled out his radio. “We are set, is the first floor secure.”
“Yes, it is,” came the reply from Dirk.
“Call in the chopper and let’s get the hell out of here.”
Chapter 12
It was about 4:40a.m. when the car driven by Hunter, with his two passengers, arrived at the front gate. He expected to be challenged by the police officer guarding the entrance, but nothing happened. His concern grew when he couldn’t see any lights on outside, which should have been on always. Pulling out the magnetic card provided for him, the gate slowly opened allowing them to drive through. Getting out to check on the officer, angry at the thought he had fell asleep, Hunter opened the car door and tried to wake him with no success.
“Come on officer, snap out of it,” Hunter yelled, slapping his face but still not getting a response.
It was then Hunter noticed his gun and walkie talkie was missing, and soon saw a small trickle of blood running down his neck. Concerned the man was dead he checked for a pulse, finding it, before glancing up in the sky at lights approaching, the sounds of a helicopter heading towards the house, getting ready to land.
“Oh shit,” Hunter yelled before running to the SUV, jumping in and taking off in a flash.
“What is going on?” inquired Keoki.
“I’m not certain. The Colorado Springs cop is unconscious and that appears to be a helicopter landing, which can’t be good. We better be prepared.”
Both Keoki and Shen nodded, Keoki pulling out his gun, while Shen prepared with his own martial arts weapons. Hunter turned off the headlights and drove the car to the front of the garage, where he pulled out his own gun. Each of the men jumped out, the plan to move around the front of the house towards the back, where the helicopter was about to land.
Passing the front, Hunter saw the door was ajar, the frame broken where it had been forced open, confirming what he expected. It was pitch dark in the house, no lights of any kind, matching the outside. It was no longer a matter of if the kidnappers had arrived, it was now a matter of if Hunter and his team had shown up in time to stop the children from being taken away.
“Keoki go in through the house and see if you can come at them from behind,” ordered Hunter. “Shen and I will move around and come at them from the side of the house. Keep an eye out for the children. We don’t need them getting caught in the crossfire.”
Keoki entered through the opening in the front, while Hunter and Shen continued forward slowly making their way towards the back of the house. The noise and lights from the helicopter were easy to track in the early morning darkness, the movement of the blades stirring up debris from the dried and dead grass. The two men made it to the back of the house, still using the structure as cover, surveying what was going on. They soon saw four men standing, surrounding the two kids as they waited for the helicopter to land.
“No time to waste,” yelled Hunter to Shen, so he could be heard over the noise. “We move now.”
Hunter led the charge with his gun held in front of him, Shen to his right side a few steps behind. Hunter fired off two warning shots, hitting the ground near one of the men, gaining their attention in the process. All four turned to face them, pointing their guns, ready to act.
***
In the house, Athena was still sitting on the floor, half out of it, the tranquilizer not taking full effect since it had struck her in the shoulder. Her eyes had been closed, but she was aware of what was going on around her—the father bein
g struck, the mother’s pleas not to hurt the kids and their eventual surrender to the men. She wanted to react, but couldn’t move, other than with a slight twitch. Anger swelling inside at not being able to assist. As they all walked away, she tried to scream for them to stop but couldn’t, and she felt an overwhelming helplessness.
After the men had left all she could hear was the pounding of what sounded like chopper blades, until she felt a presence on her face. It was wet and noisy, smelling of ham, attempting to bring her out of the funk. Her eyes now open, she did her best to focus and saw Pepper, lapping away and then nudging her to move. Her pal had come back, possibly hoping for more ham, but most likely egging her on to get up. A tingling sensation she felt in her right side gave her hope she was regaining some of her strength, albeit only a small portion.
She knew there wasn’t much she could do, but lying around didn’t appear to be an option. She knew she had to move and attempt any action she could muster. She could not let the men leave with the children. Her gun was gone and she didn’t have the time to look for it, using her left arm, she tried to pull herself to her feet, but couldn’t. She needed to leverage herself, but nothing was around for her to use. Athena started crawling, pulling herself forward with the parts of her body that were working until she reached the stairwell. She grabbed the railing and with all the strength she had at her disposal, she pulled herself to her feet, and then one step at a time began to descend. Several times she nearly lost her balance, using all the strength she could muster from her functional left side to stay upright. It took several minutes, the stairwell feeling larger than she remembered, but she finally reached the first floor, sweat rolling down her face and arms, her body exhausted from the effort.
Moving forward was a challenge. She tried to balance herself on her one good working leg, the feeling was starting to return to her right side, but she was still needing to drag the right leg. Fearing she wouldn’t be fast enough; she heard the sound and saw the lights of the helicopter approaching. A noise came from her left side, worry nagging at her they had come back for an unknown reason. Waiting at the stairwell, she readied herself to strike, when she heard a voice call out.
