Don't fear the reaper - Captain John Price

XLVI

The thick fog covered everything around in its arms as another day fell onto the place. The intel on the location of Shadow company's base did not wait a long time before landing in the hands of the captain. Neither did Price wait on acting. Shepherd's death could raise the suspicion in the commander that he was the next on the list. Ever since the short trip to Las Almas Philip knew that his last name was written in red ink on the list of the enemies.

The steps of the team echoed in the darkness and silence of the woods. The base was hiding right in front of them, in the endless labyrinth of the forest, away from curious eyes. The PMS were in the low, shadows hiding in the shadows of the dead general who gave the company everything they needed. The surroundings were quiet. Not even a single vehicle entered or exited the facility for the last couple of hours as the eyes of the team were glued to the base. The guards were ending their day. Feeling nothing but the wish to touch the warm and soft mattresses in their units after a long day of duty.

"On me," Price looked at the watch on his wrist, the silent weapon was sitting in his hands as if it was the only place it could belong. The gaze of the blue eyes was covered by the night vision goggles. John was running out of patience, and as the attention span of tired guards would be at the minimum during the day, the man decided it was time.

"Rog, boss," Gaz's voice echoed in the comms, as they were taking one step after another towards the building. It was the beginning that had no way back.

The wooden sticks under the weight of the heavy gear were echoing through the forest, giving away some movements of the team. But, all the noises coming from the woods were taken by the guards as the activity of nature in the woods. Right until the bodies of the guards met up with the soft ground and the pools of red blood appeared underneath their heads. Unlike the last time in Las Almas, the team's entry was quiet. Not even one bullet flew towards them, as the alarm was silenced for the time being. The quietness of the night hid the worst nightmare of Commander Graves for a while. The target of the mission was known to everyone. Yet everyone knew that the last two people on the list wouldn't go down as easy as they wished to. The captain looked over the large territory of the base from the height of the watchtower, as he thought of the best ways to make the mission quick and sharp.

"Ghost give us undercover from the watchtower. Nothing in or out," The base didn't look as big as it was through the lenses of the binoculars as it looked on the map. Price used to trace all the buildings in front of his eyes on the paper with the ink. From one building to another, every little building felt so familiar but estranged at the same point.

"Roger, sir," Simon nodded, finding the place for the sniper rifle. The view from the watch tower let the team see the territory of the base from the bird-eye point of view. Unsuspecting anything that could happen in the next hour soldiers were walking from the main building to the barracks as the faraway stars were shining above them.

"I will check the main building," Price pointed out the biggest building at the base, knowing with his eyes closed where exactly on the map Graves's office was located. He took a moment, before shifting the binoculars to the east to the main building pointing to the armories. "Gaz and Lia check the armories."

"What about the training facility? It Is right next to the main building, he might escape through it," Amelia pointed to the north at the lonely building with no lights on. It was a late hour of the night, and the chance of having anyone inside the building was almost equal to zero. They can never rule out anything that could happen during the mission if the luck had turned its back on them.

"Ghost will let us know about any activity, officer," Price's jaw clenched, as he felt the gaze of the brown eyes on his face. It wasn't the time nor the place for arguments. The time was running out of their hands, and the captain never had the time for the empty conversations on his missions. Yet something other than common sense was taking over Amelia's mind.

"I can check the training facility. It's night time, it'll be deserted," A brunette kept her gaze on the man, standing on her ground. A woman wasn't planning on sitting back this time. A feeling of guilt over Soap's death still held a strong grip around her neck, so the last thing a woman wanted was to sit and wait while men did all the work.

"Are you insane, Lia?" John found himself almost whispering. The watchtower didn't give them any privacy away from their teammates. Riley couldn't give even two fucks about the conversations that were taking place in the background, as long as the mission was still going smoothly. But Gaz, on the other hand, watched the two with the misunderstanding written all over his face. Maybe the family arguments had to take place in the kitchens, and not at the base of one of their enemies.

"Are you doubting me, captain?' Knight was trying to convince herself and everyone around that she was capable of checking the empty building herself. The building where the foot of a soldier hadn't stepped in since dinner time. Unknowingly, she was taking the most precious resource they already did not have – the time.

"We'll talk later about the way you talk to your superiors, officer," Price glanced at the watch on his wrist, counting the time till the next shift of the guards pay them a visit. A wave of anger was burning in his veins, just in time to be saved up for the meeting with Graves.

"So do I join Gaz?' Amelia looked over the peaceful landscape. There was nothing around them except for the green peaks of the trees trying to touch the sky. The base was suspiciously quiet, but the team brushed it off due to the late hour of the night.

"Do I have to repeat myself?" The cigar touched the lips of the captain, as he inhaled the tobacco and let it leave the taste on the tip of his tongue. The edges of the hat on the man's head were hiding the tense forehead wrinkles from everyone around, as he wished the conversation to fade away more than anything else at that time. It seemed for a moment as if even a cigar didn't give him the used feeling of satisfaction before it fell down into the bushes.

"No, you don't. Let's hope he won't escape right under our noses once again," A brunette shook her shoulders, turning away from John and walking towards Kyle. She kept her gaze on the weapon in her hands, reloading the bullets and ready to meet up with the shadows on the ground.

"Check the training facility, and report anything suspicious right away. We clear?" The words of an officer hit at the right spot in Price's body. She knew most details of the mission in Las Almas from Soap, and of course, he couldn't miss such a detail on how they could miss Graves. John looked over the empty building again, suspecting no danger at the moment from its side. He knew she was right, and Amelia knew it as well when her words were escaping into the air.

"Yes, captain," A hint of a smile appeared on the woman's face as she nodded to the man. The tense look of his eyes was sitting on her figure for a while. It was her decision to run into the burning fire, not his. But if anything happened that night, John Price had no one else to blame except for his own self, just as it always was. He was responsible for every single move of his team on the ground of Graves's base, and the captain was carrying that responsibility on his shoulders along with the heavy gear.

The three figures hid in the darkness of the buildings at the base, as they split just like hunters. But first, they had to find the prey that knew how to hide away from them way too well.

Hello sunshines! Please let me know what you think about the story so far. Hope this week is kind to all of us so far