AMIRA

by Matthew Betley

  Her first objective was simple – enter the compound, move as quietly as possible under the cover of darkness, and eliminate all patrols. Considering the size of the estimated enemy force, she figured there were no more than a handful of men on duty. Once she cleared the exterior, she’d tackle the larger problem of freeing the hostages. One thing at a time.

  Dressed in a skin-tight, black, long-sleeve compression shirt, black tactical pants, black Oakley hiking shoes, and a black neoprene balaclava that covered her head, her figure was nothing more than a lean, muscular shadow that moved through the darkness.

  She reached her infiltration point and kept moving, the absence of a perimeter wall another tactical advantage. The maze of pipelines stretched out towards the east side of the compound, several hundred meters away. Using the pipes as additional concealment, she quickly and quietly crept towards the middle of the facility. The enormous tanks lay to her right, blocking out the sky. Just keep moving. There have to be men out here somewhere. Not even a rag-tag bunch of rebels would leave the compound completely unguarded at night.

  Thirty seconds and another one hundred meters later, and two voices engaged in conversation reached her neoprene-covered ears. Amira froze and waited, her ears automatically zeroing in on the two men. Their voices grew slightly quieter, and Amira moved towards the space between the first and second storage tanks. They’re just around the curve, moving away. You’ll catch them from behind.

  Shrouded in darkness since the architects had failed to have the foresight to install lighting at the base of the tanks, she crossed the open space between the pipes and the tanks. The sound of her footfalls barely reached her own ears, which reassured her that the two men would never detect her approach.

  The voices grew louder, and she realized the two men had stopped moving, just out of sight. What now? Her internal inquiry was answered with the flick of a lighter. Perfect. They’re holding their cigarettes and not their weapons. Go now.

  A black stiletto in each hand, fingers wrapped around each grip with each blade pointing down, Amira stalked her prey, her feet moving swiftly across the dirt. She rounded the wall of the tank, the two men finally coming into repose fixed to the ground less than ten feet away. A force of nature that had been trained as one of the CIA’s most lethal assassins, she struck the two rebels in a blinding flash of dark speed and fury.

  Her final steps as she reached them alerted the two men, but by then, it was too late. Attacking from the left side of the rebel closest to her, she plunged the left stiletto into the side of the man’s neck, lowered her center of gravity, and spun completely around to her right across the front of the mortally wounded man. She exited her spin directly in front of the second guard, who only had time to drop his cigarette, and plunged the right-hand stiletto into his chest just below his breastbone, piercing his heart. Both men collapsed to the ground, unconscious in their final death throes.

  Their bodies stopped twitching, and Amira crouched motionless, waiting for the sounds of reinforcement. A minute ticked by, and then another. Good. No alarms. Two down. Keep moving.

  On the south side of the huge tanks that towered above her, she moved east towards the single-story operations center, intent on her objective.

  A low growl that grew in length and rose in pitch – ending in a solid note that reminded her of a whale and not a land predator – rose from outside the facility. Amira ceased her motion. A second growl-yelp joined the first. Wonderful. Hyenas. The aggressive animals were notorious night-time hunters. In a pack, they were apex predators, powerful killers, and mortal enemies of lions. A single adult spotted hyena could individually take down a wildebeest, even though the social animals preferred strength in numbers. A third growl-yelp joined the first two. Definitely a pack.

  The three animals went silent, but Amira remained motionless. Thirty seconds later, the night calls started again, still south of the facility but closer to the perimeter near the east side. They’re hunting something. And then it hit her, and Amira broke from her location, stretching her legs into a run.

  She’d planned to create a diversion, but the Wild Kingdom event unfolding before her was better than anything she’d thought of to this point. Trevor Emerson’s voice in her head approvingly said, The greatest skill as an operator is to use the unknown to your advantage. If you can harness unforeseen events to suit your purpose, your enemy will never have a chance. She thought he’d be especially pleased with what Mother Nature had thrown in her path.

  Amira covered the open ground south of the tanks and reached the eastern man-made barrier of pipes that ran from north to south. Smaller buildings connected to the pipes up and down the line. Past the barrier, erected floodlights illuminated the operations center and the barracks building just south of it.

  More growls erupted to her right, only a few hundred meters away and close enough to raise the hairs on the back of her neck and arms. Christ. How many are there? She discerned at least five, but their cries increased in intensity, mixing as their animal instincts escalated into a heightened sense of carnal thirst. Their prey is close.

  Amira sheathed her two stilettos and unholstered the suppressed SIGSAUER P229. Not going up against large killer canines with knives. Do or die. Time to move, she thought, and ran from beneath the cover of the pipelines.

  Chapter 9

  Asim stood outside the door to the operations center, a long rectangular building that ran south to north. He’d returned from his walk at the sound of the first carnal cry. The hyenas had alerted the patrolling guards, and four of his men gathered in a group thirty meters in front of him, moving along the side of the barracks building where the hostages slept.

  Asim knew the African animals were dangerous, especially at night. When he’d been a boy, a pack had infiltrated his village and killed two children who’d decided to sleep outside their hut. After the attack, the adults had established guards, and two nights later, they’d managed to kill two of the animals with machetes and AK-47s. He’d wondered at the time why the men had Russian assault rifles in a remote African village, but now, as an adult, he knew why: violence and conflict were the ways of Africa. And until something changes, they always will be.

  The pack suddenly grew quiet, and the four armed men stopped moving, having reached the far end of the barracks. A row of trees had been planted just beyond the billeting in an attempt to provide a respite of outdoor shade to the workers who lived inside. Unfortunately for Asim and his men, the trees concealed the roaming pack of predators on the hunt.

  The African night stood still, as if waiting for an invisible force to give the command to commence what Asim knew was coming. With the rebel attacks he’d led with Omar, it was always the quiet before the slaughter that was the most unnerving for him. The fact that a pack of hyenas had selected his men as prey only made it more chilling.

  A single low growl emanated from just beyond the trees. It’s the female. She’s giving the command to attack. Asim knew the matriarch of the clan was the largest and most dangerous predator in the group, and he strengthened his grip on his AK-47.

  Two sleek forms thirty feet apart exploded from the tree line, powerful legs and feet moving towards the men. Like bullets of animal fury, they covered the distance to the men in less than two seconds.

  The man on the far left of the group managed to pull the trigger of his AK-47, but the bullets kicked up puffs of dirt as the first of the three-foot tall animals barreled into his chest, knocking him to the ground. The large animal dug its powerful jaws and head into his stomach, tearing at the soft flesh in an attempt to disembowel him.

  The second man from the left froze in terror at the swiftness of the attack on his friend, and the second hyena leapt at him, even as two more hyenas emerged from the tree line, their rough paws propelling them across the dirt. The second monstrous beast tore into the man’s upper leg, snarling and growling as it bit deeper into the flesh, blood pouring over its bristly muzzle.

  Asim watched in ho
rror as his remaining two men fired their weapons at the new shapes from the tree line. At least one of the beasts was hit, and its forward momentum was violently halted, tumbling end over end into the ground. The fourth hyena struck the man on the far right, sinking its teeth into the wrist of his trigger hand. The jaws crushed close, pulverizing the man’s wrist into tiny pieces of bone and eliciting a shriek of horror from the rebel.

  The remaining man on his feet turned to assist his friend, which exposed his back to the second hyena that had attacked and ripped apart the upper leg of the second rebel. The first two of his friends had already lapsed into unconsciousness from the sudden blood loss and shock. Death would follow soon.

  The second hyena crashed into his back as he pulled the trigger on the AK-47, which caused the rifle of the weapon to lift, and bullets strafed across the back of his friend that he’d intended to help. The hyena scrambled up his back as the rebel’s chest hit the dirt, and he felt powerful jaws clamp down on the back of his neck. He heard a crunch as the terror overwhelmed him, and then he felt nothing as the wild animal crushed his spinal cord.

  Asim’s mind fought to process the swiftness with which four of his men had just been literally torn to shreds. From beyond the three hyenas that continued to bite and tear into his friends, Asim saw two more shapes emerge from the trees. One was significantly taller than the other, with a larger and broader head. God have mercy. The matriarch. She stood at least four-feet tall and made the other hyenas in her pack seem like playful puppies compared to the menace that oozed from her muscular form. He raised his weapon to fire at the pack leader when a blur of black shadow appeared from his right.

  His AK-47 still aimed at the hyenas, he turned his head and saw a figure clad in all black sprint across the dirt between him and the hyenas, moving rapidly towards the barracks building. That’s not one of ours. And then his male mind registered the way she moved, the lean physique, the gracefulness. It’s a woman, was his last thought as she extended her right arm towards him and opened fire with the pistol he hadn’t spotted until she’d pointed it in his direction.

  Fortunately for Asim, the suppressed shots struck the corrugated steel of the operations center behind him, and he ducked and turned in retreat. He moved towards the short stairs that led to the door to the center. I have to warn Omar. We’re under attack.

  Chapter 10

  Assaulting an enemy position with a pack of hyenas as a diversion hadn’t been covered at the Farm during her tactical training, but Amira didn’t care. Her only concern was for the hostages in the barracks ahead of her.

  Her approach had been shrouded in darkness, and since the rebels’ attention had been fixed on the tree line and the snarling threat hidden beyond, she knew they’d never detect her until it was too late. The only variable had been the sole rebel near the entrance to the command center, but once the bloody hyena attack had started, he’d been transfixed on the horrifying fate of his men. It was the perfect moment amidst her own fear of the wild animals to commence her own assault.

  Now, as she sprinted for the barracks building, she maintained a path at least thirty feet away from the four men who lay dying as they were devoured alive. The only one still screaming was the man who’d had his wrist crushed into tiny fragments, but his suffering would be short-lived as another hyena left its fresh kill to help its packmate finish him.

  As she ran, she spotted the large female and smaller male nonchalantly move towards the hyena kill zone. She’s big and no doubt she’s mean. Steer clear. While she considered herself an apex predator in the jungle of her career field, Amira had no intention of tangling with the matriarch.

  With her SIGSAUER held to her chest, her right elbow bent as she ran, she turned back to the sole rebel still alive and discovered he’d finally spotted her, fifty feet from the barracks and the door on its end. Six dead hostiles. Let’s make him number seven.

  Without breaking her stride since she wanted to get past the hyenas as quickly as possible, she fired several shots in his direction. She knew they’d missed when he crouched down and fled towards the steps that led to the command center. No worries. I’ll deal with you later.

  With the sounds of tearing flesh and snarling, ravenous hyenas behind her, she ran hard, eager to not be their next meal. She reached the northeast corner of the barracks, a single-story building with a door that opened directly at ground level. She glanced back at the command center but no longer had a line of sight to the entrance, as the command center was slightly offset to the left of the barracks.

  She crept forward, her pistol held in her right hand, her back near the wall but not touching it to avoid additional noise. The door lay less than ten feet in front of her. She wasn’t sure what the layout inside was, but she knew one thing which gave her the confidence required – she was a fast and lethal shot, especially when engaging multiple targets.

  The door flung outward, slammed into the wall less than three feet in front of her face, and bounced off, providing a small area of cover. Amira hid behind the door and waited. A rebel holding an AK-47 burst from the entrance, his assault rifle scanning the area for targets. He took two steps forward and stopped, and a second man emerged just behind him but froze instantly. Both men’s gazes were fixed on the opposite corner of the building. What is it?

  A low growl answered the question for her, which was the only cue she needed. She stepped out from behind the door, aimed her pistol at the back of the first man’s head, fired, transitioned to the second man – who’d begun to turn – and fired again. In less than a second, both men lay dead on the ground, but Amira ignored them and kept her eyes on the enormous female hyena that moved out of the shadows and into the cone of the flood light mounted over the door. She circled around the building. Clever beast.

  The beast was less than fifteen feet away from Amira, and her eyes glinted in the light like dark gems, staring at Amira. For the first time, Amira felt fear creep into her stomach. Her pistol was in the ready position, aimed at the dirt. She knew she had enough time to raise the barrel, fire, and hit the creature, but if she could avoid it, she would. She maintained eye contact and stood her ground.

  The monster chuffed, and spittle flew from her wide head. The beast took a single cautious step forward, assessing Amira. The stench of blood rose into the air between them. Amira moved to her left, slowly, but kept the pistol pointed in the direction of the matriarch in case she had to make a quick adjustment. A game of chicken with an African hyena. My dad won’t believe this one…if you survive to tell him.

  The monster took a second step forward, and Amira followed with another step to the left. The hyena continued to stare at her and moved its head up and down, as if in consultation with itself as to the threat Amira posed.

  Amira wondered if it knew that she was also a predator like the matriarch, a hunter of men. Can she sense that? If so, maybe she’ll respect it. She stayed calm and waited for the hyena to make a decision. She realized she’d been so focused on the beast in front of her that she’d forgotten about the hostages inside. Voices and shouts leaked out through the doorway.

  As if sensing her thoughts, the hyena took another step forward. Amira shuffled left one more time, but before she could react, the hyena aggressively bounded forwards…but not towards her.

  In three strides, the monster hyena disappeared through the doorway, leaving Amira to fend for herself outside. Oh no. The hostages.

  One of the original hyenas appeared from around the corner to Amira’s right, blood thick and dark on its muzzle. In his case, Amira never hesitated. She raised the pistol and fired three rapid shots that struck the predator in the head and neck, its yelps of pain a chilling reminder that she was taking the life of an animal whose only crime had been to act the way its nature dictated. The animal fell to the dirt, dead.

  She ejected the magazine, grabbed a spare from a pouch on her black web belt, inserted the near-empty magazine in its place, and slammed the fresh one into the well of the pisto
l. She pulled the locked-back slide just enough to release it forward and chamber a fresh round.

  Screams reached her ears and were followed immediately by gunfire. I can’t believe I’m about to do this. She moved through the doorway, the pistol up and ready to engage.

  Chapter 11

  The inside of the barracks was a scene of dimly-lit chaos and carnage. Someone had flipped a switch, but only two overhead lights illuminated the fifty-foot-long space. Several cots had been pushed up against the left side of the building, and a scattering of small tables and chairs marked the space on the right. Furniture aside, terror at the sight of the massive hyena had seized control of the scene, and her mind processed it all in a snapshot.

  One rebel lay just to the left of the door, his AK-47 in his lifeless arms as blood poured from his shredded neck. After her first kill, the hyena had turned her attention to two rebels on the left, who tried in their panic to bring their weapons up. She’s going for the ones with weapons first. Somehow, she knows they pose the most danger to her. Smart girl. Their line of sight had been blocked as the hostages scattered across the space in a mad dash towards the back of the building and a lone rebel who seemed frozen to the floor in fear. Two more rebels stood at one of the tables, AK-47s tracking the sprinting hyena. Two on the right. Clear line of sight.

  She fired the SIGSAUER twice with perfect accuracy, and both men fell, one striking the table and flipping it, while the other tumbled over a chair. Between her and the hyenas, eleven rebels were dead. Three more to go in here, and then you need to find the stragglers, including the one you chased back into the command center. Amidst the chaos, no one seemed to pay attention to the black-clad killer among their ranks.