6 - A Good Defense

I saw a Humvee that was bellowing smoke from it's engine and flying down a mountain road closely pursued by a black SUV. The Humvee suddenly overturned and came to rest upside down in the valley. A man and a woman climbed out of the wreckage… …We discovered the body of a man laying there inside the opened gate. He appeared to have been shot multiple times. The back fence had fallen over outwards as if something had burst through. We then concentrated our focus on the barn. We wheeled the door to the side. Another two bodies laid in the middle of the barn, shot through their chests. The documents seemed to be written in code, with instructions, plans, and seemingly negotiation terms... …I gathered the remaining documents, folded them up, and placed them in my coat pocket... Before me stood a woman holding a bloody axe, posed to strike if I made the wrong move… …The circular shape of blood that soaked through her bandaged leg betrayed a gunshot wound. Her name was Rachel and the bandits were searching relentlessly for her…

Several days ago

The windowless room shone with blinding sunlight when the door opened. Jack Smith, a man well known for his integrity and courage, entered the room and closed the door behind him. This was probably the most secluded room in the entire sanctuary city of Olsha. The walls were a dingy white and stained with rust colored lines from water that leaked through ceiling. A slight smell of mildew lingered in the air. A medium sized, dark wood conference table sat in the middle of the room with candles and lanterns lining the center for light. General Meader, a tall broad man with a beard that reminded Jack of a Viking chief, stood leaning over the table scanning several papers at once. Though the city operated under a council, the people trusted the General so intently that he was, for all intents and purposes, the king of Olsha. The General motioned Jack over to the table.
“This city has stood tall and proud through the few years of this epidemic. Our walls have kept the infected at bay and our strength in numbers and weapons have kept the bandits at arms length,” General Meader declared, “No one clan is powerful enough to defeat us.”
He paused momentarily and slid a sheet of paper over to Jack. The paper appeared to be a report from one of the supply teams. Jack skimmed the report.
General Meader continued, “Our team stumbled upon a bandit plot while on a supply run. Several of the clans are uniting with the intention of attacking Olsha. With their combined strength, they might be able to win.”
“I’m assuming you have a plan, General.”
“Indeed. This morning, the council approved a daring mission,” General Meader announced, “We’ve learned the time and location of a drop where the clans will exchange supplies and orders. You and your team will infiltrate the location and recover their orders.”
“Where will the drop take place?”
“The location is a small homestead just outside the city of Cherno. You and your team leave in the morning.”

*****

The Humvee bounced and rattled down the road as if it would disintegrate at any moment. Rachel sat in the back seat, sick to her stomach from the mountain road. Jack sat in the passenger seat joking on with Samuel, the driver. Amanda sat beside Rachel making small talk trying to take her mind off the nausea.
“Alright, team. Listen up!” Jack said enthusiastically, “We are nearing our departure zone. To recap, the bandits are planning something nasty for Olsha, our home. Our mission is to prevent their plan from becoming a reality. To accomplish this, we will need to break into the bandit homestead and recover the orders of the clans and any supplies we can carry. Is that clear?”
He pointed to Samuel, the driver. Samuel nodded his head in affirmation. Jack looked to Amanda in the back seat, then to Rachel who both nodded their heads to confirm they were ready. Samuel took the Humvee off the road behind a patch of trees. The four dawned their equipment and exited the vehicle. They entered the forest in a spread formation and approached the target homestead. They reached the top of a hill and hid behind the shrubs and brush while they peered into the homestead. It was gated by a small wooden fence homemade with timber. A small white house with it’s paint beginning to peel sat directly in front of them. To the side was a small shed with a wall that had already crumbled to the ground. The third structure was a rickety old barn barely able to bear it’s own weight. Two men guarded the entrance of the barn. Using a pair of binoculars, Jack scanned the area looking for any others.
Amanda spoke first, “Just two men? That’s hard to believe.”
“As far as they’re concerned, no one else knows about this place,” Samuel responded.
“There could be more inside the house or the barn,” Rachel offered.
“That’s all possible,” Jack said, “To be safe, Samuel, you and Amanda position yourselves at the sides of the barn. Rachel and I will check out the house and cover the front. Stay quiet. We don’t need to draw in any unwanted attention or the infected.”
The four nodded in agreement and set out to complete their assignments. Jack and Rachel converged on the dingy house. They quietly entered and searched for any others that may have resided within. When they determined the house was empty, they moved to the windows facing the barn. Jack watched from the shadows of the window as Samuel and Amanda appeared on the sides of the barn. Jack and Rachel then raised their  weapons to the windows and aimed at the guards. Jack counted down in a whisper. On his signal, He and Rachel both fired once. A loud shot emerged from the weapons and the window glass cracked around the two bullet holes. The shots hit the guards leaving two small blood spatters on the barn wall behind them. Samuel and Amanda moved forward to breech the barn door. Samuel opened the door as Amanda gazed inside with her weapon raised. The barn was clear as well. They dragged the two dead bandits inside as Jack and Rachel joined them.
“Great work, team,” Jack congratulated, “Amanda. Samuel. Head back for the Humvee. Rachel and I will prepare to load up the supplies and find the documents.”
Jack and Rachel retreated to the barn as the others ran back for the Humvee. They were amazed by the amount of weapons, ammunition, gold, and even drugs that were stashed away in the barn. They began rummaging through the containers to locate the orders of the bandit clans and readied a few containers for transport. A few the infected were attracted by the shots and gathered behind the barn.
“We have several party crashers,” Rachel informed, “I’ll take care of them.”
She unsheathed a machete from her belt and left the barn as Amanda and Samuel returned with the Humvee. They backed it in front of the barn door to ease the loading. She hopped the fence behind the barn and spotted her first target. She raised her machete and thrashed it down upon the infected man's head. Blood spurted out as she yanked her blade out of its skull. She raised her blade and continued her spree.
Amanda entered the barn to assist Jack as Samuel turned his attention to several of the infected assembling at the gate.
“Ah ha!” Jack exclaimed, “Mission accomplished!”
Amanda responded, “You found their orders?”
“Indeed, I did,” Jack said as he opened the file folder and scanned its contents, “My Russian isn’t what it used to be but it appears as though their plan is in it’s infancy stage. Only the two major clans have joined together thus far. The rest is in code.”
Jack scratched his head as he examined the documents further. Suddenly, shots sounded off from outside the barn. Jack dropped the documents on a container, grabbed his weapon, and bolted for the door. Amanda was already ferociously returning fire. Samuel crouched at the gate firing off short bursts from the opening in the gate while slowly retreating toward the Humvee. A black SUV followed by a rusted pick up truck advanced on their position with automatic weapons extruding from the windows laying down suppression fire on the homestead. The bullets tore through the old barn sending wood chips and dust flying in all directions. The rifle shook vigorously as Jack discharged several deafening shots toward their attackers. The SUV must have been an armored military vehicle like their Humvee as their bullets did very little damage. Several shots ripped through Samuel's torso. He fell over in a pool of blood. Rachel was no where to be found. Fighting the vengeful urges of seeing their companion murdered and missing their fourth, Jack and Amanda swiftly leapt into the Humvee. Jack fired up the engine and with great urgency, he turned to the left and slammed the petal to the floor, drifted into a U-turn, and burst through the back fence. While speeding by, they scoured the area where Rachel had last been seen but she was no where to be seen. The bandits responded in kind, pursuing with the black SUV leaving them no choice but to flee the area. The pickup truck remained at the homestead.
Jack maneuvered the Humvee onto the main road and sped ahead toward the mountains. The SUV pursued in the distance. He studied the road looking for an exit or anything that could be used as an escape. After rounding several corners, the SUV was out of sight. Jack thought they had lost their pursuers but was disrupted shortly after when a large horde of infected crossed onto the road. The Humvee squealed to a stop as Jack slammed on the brakes. Amanda spotted a side road partially overgrown by weeds. The horde cost them the precious seconds they needed to escape. The bandits reappeared in their rearview mirror as they pulled onto the side road. The passenger window on the SUV opened and a rifle jutted outward. As they got closer, the weapon opened fire sending sparks flying from the Humvee. The SUV skirted around the corner onto the side road and continued to fire. The bullets pinged and ricocheted off the armored hull. Dirt kicked up on the side of the road from the bullets that missed. Jack became even more worried when smoke began pouring out of the engine. A short distance ahead came a sharp turn to the right that overlooked a valley. He warned Amanda to hold on tight as he prepared to take the turn. The Humvee suddenly jolted as if a tired had blown out, or rather, been shot out. The decaying state of the mountain road prevented Jack from stabilizing the vehicle. He lost control and smashed through the guard rails that protected against crashing in the valley. Even still, Jack valiantly tried to remain in control but the Humvee didn’t cooperate. It overturned near the bottom of the steep hill and crashed into the valley in a heap of twisted steel. A moment later, Jack coughed heavily from the dust and dirt that had risen in the cabin.
“Amanda!” He grunted in pain, “Are you alright?”
“Yes, I think so. I think I’ve twisted my leg,” she responded weakly.
“Come on, we need to leave,” he said, “It won’t take long until they find a way into the valley.”
Jack pulled his way out of the window. He was more or less uninjured despite the blood that trickled down his face. He helped pull Amanda out. She screamed in intense pain.
“I think my leg is broken,” she yelped.
“I’m not leaving you here, “Jack insisted, “I will carry you if I have to.”
He gazed up and noticed the SUV had discovered a safe path into the valley. He released a loud grunt as rage overtook him.
“This isn’t over yet,” He said as pulled an automatic rifle from the wreckage and pulled back on the charging handle. Using the Humvee as cover, he released an angry volley on the bandits, firing off rounds as quickly as the weapon would allow. Sparks flew from the hull of the Humvee as the bandits commenced firing once again. He did well until a shot pierced his arm. Three more rounds bore through his chest and he fell to the ground. Dazed and confused from the pain and blood loss, Amanda looked at him horrified as she strived in vain to retrieve her side arm. Two bandits sprang from the stopped SUV and ran over to Jack with weapons drawn. One fired a shot into his head to be sure he didn’t rise again. The two then gripped Amanda by the arms and kneeled her before their leader. The leader kneeled face to face with her in an arrogant fashion.
“Did you really think that you could hinder our progress?” The bandit leader gloated waving his pistol at her, “Nothing will stop us from taking your precious sanctuary in Olsha. Do you really think you deserve to live in peace while the rest of the world burns?”
He paused for a moment to collect his thoughts.
“Your people, all of them, will die, your walls will fall, your city will burn to the ground. I only regret that you will not be alive to see our glorious victory.”
The bandit leader stepped back and raised his pistol to her forehead.
“Goodbye,” he stated.
Before he could pull the trigger, a high powered shot rang out from the distance. Blood sprayed from the bandit's chest as he slumped to the ground. The two bandits that held Amanda released their grip and ran to the SUV for cover. Another shot sprang out from above the valley somewhere catching a second bandit in the back. He fell over the SUV's hood then crumbled to the ground. The remaining bandits blindly fired in the general direction of the shots hoping to kill the unknown sniper. At this point, Amanda faded out. The only thing she felt was pain from her leg and the sorrow of losing her team. She looked over at Jack with tears streaming down her face. Everything became deafeningly silent. The gunfight was over. She tried to prop herself up against the Humvee. She screamed in pain from her broken leg. Her head began to spin and her stomach felt extremely woozy. She saw a man sprinting toward her at full speed yelling at her. Her delirious mind conjured several extreme scenarios of capture and torture to retrieve information about Olsha. She pondered on her people back at the city. She knew what she had to do to protect them. The mysterious man had turned his back to search the body of the bandit leader. She unholstered her side arm, pulled back on the hammer, and raised it to her head. With the last once of strength she had left, she pulled the trigger.

*****

Rachel’s head pounded with a terrible headache as she awoke and looked around. Blood stained the side of her face and dirt fell from her hair. Her memories flooded back. The last thing she remembered was dispatching several infected when she heard gunfire emerging from the homestead. Upon her return, she noticed a man aiming a weapon at her. As he fired, she leapt for protection behind a tree. She deduced that she must have slipped and hit her head in her haste. Presently, the firefight was over and she feared the results. She stood to her feet carefully to avoid feinting. The area was quiet except for a strong breeze that blew through the leaves. The cool gusts were calming to her tattered nerves. The sky had blackened, allowing very little sunlight to penetrate the clouds casting a sinister glow on the land. She slowly made her way to the homestead worried about what she might find. She ducked behind the barn when voices trickled from the front. She noticed several of the infected lingering in the direction she came from. Through the cracks in the old barn, she noticed a pickup truck parked out front as three men stood around it gloating about the battle. She noticed Samuel’s body laying near the gate surrounded by dried blood. Horrified, she cupped her hands over her mouth to stifle a cry. Tears seeped through her eyes and dripped down her cheeks. She took a second to regain her composer then buried her emotions out of reach. She knew she couldn’t survive in the mountains, especially with a possible storm approaching so she decided to make the short hike to the coastal city of Cherno. There would plenty of supplies there as well as shelter from the elements and the bandits. She spotted the tree line that lead to Cherno. Keeping an eye on the barn, she retreated to the forest. An infected man snuck up on her and tried to make a meal of her. She applied a martial arts move to flip the man onto the ground then plunged her combat knife into his skull. She retrained her eyes on the barn as a man patrolling the area came into view. She froze and hoped he didn’t see her. She tilted her head and squinted in a worrisome pose. Her fear was confirmed as the bandit pointed directly at her and called for his companions. Before he turned back to face her, she vanished into the forest. The bandits gave chase but had a difficult time finding her in the low light from the dark clouds. The gusts of wind grew ever stronger. The trees swayed violently and a soft crack of thunder peeled in the distance. The storm helped to cover the noise of Rachel’s heavy running. She made it to the edge of the city undetected. As she exited the forest, her view unveiled to a black sky. The area had become increasingly dark as if it were midnight. A drop of rain bounced off her skin as a lightning bolt kissed the coast line with a thunderous clap. She sprinted to the city line and leaned against a wall to catch her breath. A gunshot whipped past her. She peered behind her to see the first bandit breech the forest. He took another few shots before she ducked into the closest building. She grabbed her side arm from her leg and readied it for battle. A short moment later, the bandit appeared in the store’s window with his weapon raised. He turned and spotted her. They fired simultaneously at each other. Rachel’s round dug itself in the bandit's heart while the bandit's shot rested in her leg. She fell to the ground with a gasping scream. She pulled herself up and hobbled on one foot. The bandit lay lifeless on the ground. Satisfied, Rachel limped through the back door of the store. Her escape transformed into a game of hide and seek; a deadly game of hide and seek. The approaching storm took another turn for the worst. The rain poured down in heavy sheets as it washed over the city. The lightning illuminated every inch of her surroundings followed immediately by the pounding of thunder. Before the rain, Rachel found herself in a school facility where she figured there would be first aid supplies. As the storm intensified, she painstakingly removed the bullet from her leg. She cleaned the wound and wrapped it in a bandage. She grabbed the remaining medical supplies and took shelter in a storage closet where she manipulated several cabinets and shelves to forge a hiding place. Using her jacket as a pillow on the concrete floor, sleep overtook her at the persuasion of the storm.

*****

Her eyes cracked to the warmth of the sun shining through the barred window of the storage closet that had become her overnight home. She rubbed her eyes in an attempt to fully wake herself. Her entire body was filled with the sense of soreness and her wounded leg ached with a dull pain. She looked at her watch to discover that she had slept through the entire stormy evening, night, and the majority of the next day. She gulped the water from her canteen and scarfed down a trail mix bar given to her before she left Olsha. She was about to change the bandage on her leg when gunshots erupted close by. Her nervousness shot to exceedingly high levels. The shots meant that one of the bandits was nearby. The gunshots continued outside the school. She rummaged around trying to find her pistol with no success. Suddenly, a man burst through the storage closet door and slammed it shut. He didn’t see her so she remained silent. He didn’t look like a bandit and he was unarmed. In fact, he was as dirty as she was with dried mud, blood, and sweat covering his clothes and even boasted a gunshot wound to his side. Perhaps the bandit was chasing him. He discovered that the lock on the door was broken and hid behind it. The bandit was right behind him confirming her theory. The door creaked open and the barrel of the gun poked through the door. The mysterious man fought back and knocked the gun from the bandit's hand. Their fight landed them on the floor after knocking over several shelves. The bandit climbed on top of him and began choking him. Rachel noticed an axe that had fallen from the shelf but was out of reach for the mysterious man. She had a choice, both of them a gamble. If she did nothing, she would certainly perish once the bandit searched the room and discovered her makeshift haven. She decided that a fifty percent chance of living with the man was better than surely dead with the bandit. With their attention fully engaged on each other, she grabbed the axe and plunged it into the bandit's head. She removed the axe and the man shoved him aside while coughing strenuously. He paused then outstretched his hands in a nonthreatening motion and said with a rasp in his voice, “I have no desire to hurt you. I wish to thank you.”
He stood up slowly with arms still out and continued normally, “Hello, my name is Michael Howe.”

5 - Den of Bandits

“You will tell me what I wish to know one way or another,” I threatened in a slowed deepened voice as I caressed the sharp blade of the axe with my finger. “Now, shall we begin?”

Worry and concern kept every notion of sleep from my grasp. I haven’t slept at all in over two days; I didn’t want to sleep. I propped my feet on a table while Rachel laid on the bed. Her slight breathing was all that pierced the deafening silence. I wasn’t at all surprised by her unconscious state. Though, as she neared 48 hours, I grew more concerned that she may not awake at all. The bandits gave her quite the beating. Though the town seemed quiet, I made sure that any infected or bandit that dared to attempt entry into our refuge would be met with disaster. An automatic rifle lay on the table next to me, ready to be fired at a moments notice to ensure our safety. In the meantime, I battled the pressing desire to sleep with beef jerky and some magazines I found at the local grocer. Who’s who, tabloid gossip, the hottest celebrities, local news; it all seemed so trivial now. My eyes grew ever more heavy just before sleep washed over my body. The events of our escape that I so desperately wished to forget came flooding into my mind before my eyes fully shut.

******

Blood flowed from his nose as a result of the punches I landed trying to obtain the information I desired. I tied his hands using some zip ties I found on his companion's dead body. His resistance only served to fuel my anger. His quivering body led me to believe that he was about to crack. He was surprisingly strong for a coward.
“Tell me!!” I shouted as I slammed another fist into his abdomen.
He released a violent cough and spit some blood as he slumped to the church floor. A light whimper escaped his lips. My anger slipped into rage. An infected man heard my shout and began to bang on the closed church doors, injecting a new idea into my mind. With clenched teeth, I yanked him to his knees and spoke in a slow angered tone, “You leave me no choice but to feed you inch by agonizing inch to that infected man outside the doors unless you tell me what I need to know.”
Though he continued his whimper, he remained silent.
“So be it,” I said as I wrenched him to his feet and threw him against the door. The infected man intensified his attempt to enter the church.
“Come on!” I loudly threatened.
“Stop!” he screamed through labored breathing before breaking down into a sob. “Prigor. They took her to Prigor.”
I peeled him from the door and let him fall to the floor. I glared at him and motioned for him to continue.
“Our camp is located at Prigor, 3 miles North East of Cherno.”
The rest of the information flowed out like a broken garden hose. There were fifteen bandits in total, twelve after the two I killed and the one I captured. I leapt to my feet and began rummaging through the equipment for anything I could use. While I searched, the bandit decided to share his life story. Though annoyed, I listened anyway. His name was Ben, Ben Reid. The bandits had taken him and his wife captive. When she refused to join their cause, they beat her to death. Out of fear of receiving a similar treatment, he joined them. He rambled on about regret toward cowardice and wishing he could go back and make a different decision. Abigail's many words on redemption echoed throughout my head. She always could see the good in people. I released a mournful sigh at her memory and mustered up a small inspirational speech about redemption and atonement, in her honor. She would have been proud. My speech, to my surprise, actually convinced him to help me. I hated trusting a bandit but I couldn’t rescue Rachel on my own. Twelve to one aren’t the best odds, however, the two of us, a plan, and the element of surprise could very well win us this battle. Two communication units, military grade remote detonated explosive devices, ammunition, and their weapons were all that I had to work with. As I surveyed the equipment, my rescue plan formed into a beautiful masterpiece. Using the vehicle left behind for the bandit's return to the Prigor base, Ben would drive right into their fenced base, with me in the trunk, and park in an inconspicuous area. After leaving the trunk unseen, I would then place the remote detonated explosive devices underneath any other vehicles to prevent their pursuit. Ben would distract the other bandits while I found Rachel and set her free. The three of us would escape in the car and detonate the explosives after leaving the area, thus destroying their capability of pursuing as well as drawing in every infected nearby for them to deal with. We set the plan in motion. I only hoped it could be accomplished as easily as it sounded.

******

The engine of this old jalopy hummed with a sputter. It was difficult to hear anything over the loud engine and the enclosed trunk in which I resided offered an increased feeling of claustrophobia. My mind raced with regret and my chest weighed heavily as if every dark possibility of betrayal and/or failure I could imagine was already in progress. Our speed decreased as we rounded a corner. The many scenarios rolled through my brain. Would he betray me? Where might this plan go wrong? How will I die tonight? Will I be tortured instead? I didn’t much care for pain. Our speed decreased into a stop with a soft squeal of the brakes. My nervousness peaked when Ben lowered the window to speak. The scenarios I imagined flooded back to me. Their speech was muffled due to my being in the trunk. An eternity of a moment later, we began to move again into their base. Ben parked and exited the vehicle. Five minutes past before I even dared to move. Using a safety latch, I opened the trunk ever so slightly to see several men gathered around Ben, welcoming him home. Apparently, they thought him to be dead. I had to give him credit, though. He knew how to draw a crowd. They followed him off to a point I could no longer see. I carefully lifted the trunk and slowly climbed out, trying desperately to remain silent. The noisy old shocks on the car were not my friend. Finally outside, I grabbed my AK rifle, utility belt, and lightly closed the trunk and surveyed the camp. The night critters were loud in song; almost deafeningly loud. The darkness of night enveloped the entire area, casting many shades of black and grey across the landscape. Though full, even the moon had difficulty illuminating the earth. The soft moonlight glow gave me enough light to distinguish the looming shadows of the few buildings within the fences. Behind me stood several tents that appeared to be supply tents. They had parked their vehicles in the center of the enclosed area. Opposite of me stood a house with a guard tower on top, though it was not occupied. A small military barracks laid to the right of the house. Several silhouettes marked the windows of the lit barracks that cast a slight glow on the surrounding area. I noticed a second gate to the rear of the base as I past by the vehicles. I took a deep breath to calm my nerves as I tip-toed my way to the house keeping an eye out for any guards I may have missed. I placed a few of the explosive charges underneath the vehicles on the way. I snuck around the left side of the house to avoid the soft light from the barracks. I gazed through the two windows. One lead to a dark room with several stacked shelves and containers.  The second window showed a larger room. The flickering glow from a fireplace fire eerily illuminated the room. Two people stood inside. I also noticed a rope hanging from the ceiling and tied around a pair of handcuffs. I saw a person in those handcuffs. Though slouched, the person was nearly dangled in an upright position due to the rope and cuffs. Unless the bandits made a habit of taking people, the person in the cuffs was Rachel. I peered around the corner of the house to see a man standing guard at the front door. I turned to inspect the windows for openings or weaknesses. I chose the window to the room full of shelves. It was old and difficult but I was able to spread the bottom window from the top just enough to slide the combat knife from my belt to unlatch the lock that held the bottom window closed. It took some work but, finally, I was able to raise the old window and carefully place my rifle inside. Next, I climbed through the window as well. It wasn’t as easy as I remembered so many years ago when I would sneak out of the house when my parents grounded me. Once inside, I made my way to the door and cracked it open. Down the short hallway, the two men were listening to some type of Russian music. Suddenly, the window squeaked. I cringed in fear and tried to catch the window before it slammed shut. I failed. The music suddenly lowered in volume followed by the hushed tones of the nervous men. The floorboards creaked as one of them neared my door. I grabbed my rifle, hid myself behind the door, and grabbed my combat knife from my belt once again. The door slowly creaked open and a flashlight beam pierced the darkness of the small room. He entered, carefully scanning with the beam.
“What was it?” one man called from the other room.
“There’s nothing back here but old shelves.”
“Good, get back here. My fishin' story ain't gonna wait forever!”
The man shook his head and started to back out. Before he could, I launched myself from behind the door and clamped my hand tightly around his mouth. I then drove my knife into his throat and pushed outward. He struggled in pain and to be released. I continued my strong grip on him as I carried him to the ground, preventing a loud noise when he finally died. His thrashing ended and I pulled his body from view behind some shelves. I caught a glimpse of my hands in the dim light. They were drenched in blood.
“Hey! Where you go?! You ain't gettin' out of my story that easily, punk!”
He gave up waiting and walked down the hall to the room. A simple repeat of the previous method ensured a quick and quiet death for the second bandit. I searched their pockets and recovered the keys to the handcuffs. I grabbed my rifle and quickly yet quietly ran down the hall toward Rachel. It was a grotesque scene that appeared even worse in the firelight. She looked quite terrible and bloody, as if she had been tortured. Why they wanted to capture her; torture her, I couldn’t figure out. I unlocked the cuffs and cradled her in my arms as she slumped to the floor. She was delirious from the events of her capture.
“Please… I beg you… Stop. Just kill me,” she whimpered softly.
“Rachel, it’s me. Michael, from Cherno,” I responded, “I’m going to get you out of here. I need you to stay with me.”
I placed one arm under her shoulder to help her stand. I discovered a back door I didn’t notice from the outside. I unlocked the door and we left the house. Almost to the car, a loud shout emerged from the house. The guard from the outside must have gone in and discovered the dead bodies and missing prisoner. The barracks suddenly turned into a frenzy as the door burst open and several men poured outside, scrambling toward the house. The last man out headed toward us. I raised my rifle expecting to have to use it. Just before I fired on him, he revealed himself to be Ben. He helped me load Rachel into the back seat of our jalopy. We looked up as one of the bandits spotted us, called out, and began heading toward us with his rifle extended outward.
“You are a good man, Michael, better than I,” Ben said as he tossed me the keys, “Your mission here is complete, mine is not. Now go!”
He grabbed the detonator, raised his rifle, and began spraying bullets toward the house. The other bandits joined in the fight as bullets pinged off of the bodies of the vehicles with a metallic twang. I fell into the driver seat of the old car, fired up the engine, and took off, bursting through the rear gate as bullets hit the car's body. Suddenly, a large explosion rocked the countryside with a piercing sound as the light of a hundred fireplaces lit the landscape in every direction. I couldn’t help but feel remorse for Ben. He was a hero in his own right, although, he didn’t know it.

*****

I awoke from my slumber, disoriented. I held my hand up to block the sunlight that trickled warmly through the boarded window. My eyes took a moment to adjust from the darkness of sleep. I took a death breath of stale cabin air and sat upright, running my fingers across my eyes. Rachel began to cough as her eyes opened for the first time in two days. She eyed her surroundings carefully then let loose a slight grunt as she turned her head to face me and asked with a weakened voice, “What happened?”