"Looks like the Taliban are already there," said Ben.
Smoke was coming from the compound, which was still nearly a mile away. They had stopped the Humvees when they heard the explosion.
"What do we do now?" said Jones.
"We wait for further instructions,” Morelli said. “I just sent word back to base. I'm hoping the Taliban doesn’t know we’re here. I need clearance before we can proceed."
"I say we should just go," said Ben. He knew Morelli was a good leader, but sometimes Ben wished the guy would lead with his gut instead of always going by the book. "Every minute we wait is another minute Maria is in danger. They may have her by now."
"Rushing in to get her isn't going to help us or her. And in case you haven't noticed, there are only ten of us," said Morelli.
The radio on Morelli's shoulder came to life. The words coming through it were garbled.
Ben knew what was coming. They would be told to wait, to stand by for air support. That would be a mistake. By the time air support arrived, Maria could be dead or gone, taking with her the only possible clues that could Ben to Lena. Fuck that.
"With all due respect, sir, we need to do this now," said Ben. "Regs say that if you don't hear otherwise, you're supposed to proceed with the mission. Besides, if we wait, we might as well turn around and sign Maria's death warrant. We can do this. We're fucking Recon Marines. Those assholes won't stand a chance."
Morelli looked hard at Ben. Then he looked over at Jones, who shrugged.
"I'd rather cut off my trigger finger than admit that a bunch of nearsighted farmers can outshoot me," said Jones, glancing at Ben.
That's my boy, Ben thought. Always got my back.
"Fine, let's move,” said Morelli.
He informed the Humvee behind him of the change of plan. As Private Hanson drove to the designated parking spot, a surge of adrenaline rushed through Ben. Two of the men would stay with the vehicles while the others jumped out into the fight. They were going in dangerous and hot, with only a vague idea of how many Taliban might be in the area.
Truth was, it was sort of stupid even to risk it, mostly because this was the kind of stuff that was best left to the Navy SEALS. But there was no time to call them, and it was critical that they rescue Maria. Ben knew in his gut that she would be able to tell him what had happened to Lena. Or, at least, to give him a clue that might lead him to her.
Please let Maria still be alive, he thought as he locked and loaded his rifle. He took a deep breath and pulled down his combat eye gear.
###
Amir raised his rifle and rushed through the hole that was blasted into the wall of the compound. Nearly tripping in his haste to get inside the building, he looked down and saw that he had stepped on a body. Most likely, it was one of the guards.
He kept his sunglasses on, not wanting the dust to get in his eyes. Behind him, several of the other Talibs rolled in. Two of them checked the room to be sure it was clear, but the other one rushed straight out into the hall.
"Clear the hall first,” Amir shouted, but it was futile.
Shots rang out and the Talib fell right back inside.
Amir rolled his eyes. Would these idiots ever learn? He gripped his rifle and moved to the side of the wall. Then he kicked the door fully open and fired into the dust.
When he heard a slumping sound, he knew he had gotten his man. He peeked out, making sure the hall was clear before stepping out. It was at times like this—in the heat of the battle, the bullets whizzing by his head—that Amir felt happy. To spit in death’s face and to live! It was an incredible rush, to which he had grown addicted. He knew this was not normal. Actually, it was insane, but he didn't care. This propensity made him a great warrior, and would some day (hopefully soon) make him a great general.
First things first. Now it was time for the hunt, and he was the predator. And he would get his prey.
He heard screaming in another part of the house. Women's voices. Seeing the flash of a muzzle, he dove behind an overturned table.
Who the hell was that? Marines? No way. A grenade would have been down the hall by now.
One, two, three. He turned and readied himself to fire upon the position. Then he saw that it was Resa.
"You idiot, it's me," Amir shouted.
"Sorry, sir," said Resa.
Amir got up and came out. He fought the urge to shoot Resa where he stood. He could easily get away with it. Around them, chaos ensued. Once again, Asa's men were running around like chickens with their heads cut off. However, despite his intense dislike for the man, now was not the time to indulge in hobbies.
"Move towards the cries," he instructed Resa. "Don't kill the translator. I want her alive."
###
Maria's ears were ringing. Her fingers traced the grooves of a stone that lay near her face.
Why was she on the ground? Warm liquid flowed from her shirt. Had she been taking a bath? Why were her ears ringing, and why did she feel so tired?
Then she remembered the noise. Most likely it was a bomb. She did not think the Marines would use a bomb to get into the house, so that would mean one of two possibilities.
The first was that the Taliban had launched an attack. The second was that it was the Marines, but they had accidentally dropped a bomb on the house. It had happened before. Maria had been tasked to go with a unit to speak to the relatives of the house that had been destroyed. Three kids had died in that house, and the mother cursed Maria and called her a traitor for working with the Marines. Maria ignored the insult and did her job, translating for the Marine colonel who had personally gone to the site to apologize. That night, Maria cried herself to sleep.
Now she wondered if this was payback from Allah, for ignoring the woman's curse. Who knew? What she did know was that she and Lula were in very serious danger.
Get up, Maria.
She didn't want to get up. By now, she could feel that something was seriously wrong. She could not feel her right leg. And the wetness in her shirt was spreading.
This was bad.
Do you want to die here? Because that's what's going to happen if you don't get up right now. Get up.
Using her hands, she pushed herself up from the ground. She scrambled around, trying to pull herself up. Her hand brushed over something sharp and she cried out. Her hearing must have started to return, because she’d heard the cry.
No—wait, that wasn't her. It must be Lula. But her cries sounded muffled.
"Lula!"
Get up, Maria. Get Lula. Get out of here.
Her right leg would not cooperate. It wasn't that it was painful—she couldn't feel it at all.
There was still a ringing in her ears but now she also heard gunfire. Her eyes were beginning to adjust. In the corner, a candle burned. In the dim light she was able to make out a chair.
Grunting, she pulled herself up, using the chair and the wall. She was able to stand up, but just barely. She didn't dare to look down at herself. She didn't want to see what she knew now was most likely blood. If she saw it, she might pass out and would probably die right there.
Her right leg started to tingle. Okay, good. Good. That meant it had only fallen asleep. It was just pins and needles, and nothing worse.
She needed to find a weapon. To get Lula, and make a run for it. If the Marines weren't here by now, she was on her own again. She would find another way to communicate to them soon.
She heard shouting. It was getting closer. She heard Lula again, but now she was gasping, as if she couldn't breathe. Where were Lmar Gul's guards? Was that who was firing?
She made a tentative attempt to move. Scattered all around her were chunks of plaster, shards of glass, and broken stuff. She grabbed the candle to help her see her way out. The door was blocked. That was both good and bad. There was a hole in the wall, and a pile of rubble next to it. In the dim light, Maria could see Lula lying nearby. A large rock was on top of her.
"Lula," she called out, scrambling over to her. "Can you move?"
"Maria! No! I’m trapped. I—I can’t breathe."
"Hold on!" Maria tried to push the debris aside, but it was too heavy for her.
How Lula could still be alive, she had no idea. The chunk of debris was right on top of Lula’s torso, cutting off her circulation. If she didn't get that thing off of her soon, Lula was going to die. Maria looked around for something she could use to lever the object. "Lula, I'm going to get help. "
"No! Please don't leave me. I'm scared."
"I know. But I can't move this object by myself. I promise I'll come back."
Maria pulled her phone out of her pocket. "Here," she said, handing it to Lula. "If I'm not back in fifteen minutes, call the numbers dialed into the phone. And say these words in English: Maria needs help. Say it."
Lula huffed out the words.
"Good. It'll be okay, Lula. I'm going to make this okay."
Lula nodded but said nothing. She clutched the phone.
Maria knew that getting out through the door was not an option. But if she could just climb through the wall, maybe she would find a Marine inside who could help her.
She had regained the sensation in her right leg, which felt like it was on fire. She lowered the candle so she could see it. There was a large gash. She was able to limp on it, and that was good enough for now.
She needed to figure out what was happening. She had no idea if the Marines had made it or if Taliban were swarming the place. She just knew she couldn't wait around in that room as Lula inched slowly closer to death. That would be cowardly, and Maria would not let a woman die in vain. After all, she had been the one to recruit Lula in the first place. Had she not talked with the woman, her daughter and sisters might still be alive and at peace.
She owed it to Lula to get help. As she climbed through the hole in the wall, Maria prayed that it was the Marines who were storming the compound.
###
The sound of gunfire had stopped for a moment. Ben heard screaming. He and the rest of the men ran quietly towards it. They all had radio headsets, but Morelli used hand signals to direct them.
When Ben got his order, he crept up the back wall of the compound. He and Morelli set a charge to blow a hole in the wall. Once that charge went off, the Taliban would be aware of their presence and it would be game time for sure.
Bring it, he thought as he and Jones moved to a safe enough distance away from the charge.
Then they set it off.
Hofstede, Swing and Roberts went in first, clearing the path for the others. Jones went in and Ben followed, rifle-up, ready to shoot anything with a weapon.
Just as they had rehearsed, Ben and Jones went in one direction, and Swing and Roberts in the other, while Hofstede kept watch at the breech. Morelli and Staff Sgt. Carter went in after them.
"Clear," called Jones, as he and Ben kicked open the door to the first room.
The compound was littered with debris, so they scanned the darkness carefully, looking out for the slightest movement. Out of the corner of his eye, Ben saw something move. He turned to see a man pointing an AK-47. The man shot at Ben, but missed. Ben kneeled down and returned fire before the man could squeeze out another round.
One down, he thought, as he and Jones took cover positions.
"There’s probably more where that came from," said Jones through his radio.
"Copy."
Just then, three armed men appeared. Ben could hear the bullets whizzing by his head. Jones laid down suppressive fire while Ben easily took down the three men.
"We need to get to the other house,” said Jones.
Ben nodded, and both men moved forward into the larger house.
###
Maria saw the Iranian before he saw her. She knew he was Iranian, because she heard his accent and he was a good foot taller than the rest of the men. She ducked out of sight behind a half-wall as he turned around. There was a small hole in the wall. Maria looked through it, trying to figure out if the man had seen her. It seemed that he hadn’t. He and another man went to the part of the house where the screaming was coming from. A few seconds later, there were gunshots. The screaming stopped.
At this point, Maria felt certain that they were Taliban. No one else killed in such a cold-blooded way. But why was an Iranian with them? Was he Taliban? Al Qaeda?
Maria was certain that they had come for her and Lula. She needed to get back into the room, and to get herself and Lula out of there. But if she got up from her hiding spot, she would be discovered.
Now the Iranian was coming towards her. Could he see her?
Hiding behind the overturned table, she held her breath, hoping and praying that he would pass her by. He didn't notice her, but what happened instead was worse. He headed down the hall to the room where Lula was.
Oh no. Please, Maria prayed, please do not let him get inside the door.
The door seemed to be jammed. After struggling with it for a few minutes, the Iranian busted it in. Both men walked inside.
Maria stood there, paralyzed, wondering what to do. Should she try to get back to Lula? Could she sneak past the men? She didn't think it was likely. Where were the Marines? Had they left her for dead? She tried to tell herself that they would not do that, but her hope was fading fast.
###
"The Americans are here. We need to get out now," shouted Asa through the phone.
Amir rolled his eyes. "I came to get the translator and the wife. I'm not leaving without them."
"No, that is not–“
Amir hung up before Asa could finish his sentence. He hadn't checked all the rooms, but this time he would. Asa and his cowardly men were always stopping Amir from achieving his goals, and he was sick of it. This time, he would not leave without one of those two women.
"Are the Americans here?" said Resa, fear rising in his eyes. “Was that Asa?"
"Everything is fine," said Amir. "We need to check the last room, just in case they are hiding."
He walked back out into the hall and up to the door. He tried to open it, but it would not budge.
"Help me with this door," he said to Resa.
Amir could hear gunfire outside. He could tell by the sound that those were M4 rifles, the kind Marines used. They were here. He didn't care. All he needed was a few more minutes. And he knew without a shadow of a doubt that the women were hiding somewhere in this house. It was just a matter of time until he found them.
He and Resa hit the door with their shoulders several more times. They managed to get it open wide enough for Amir to squeeze through. Debris from the explosion was everywhere. There was a hole in the wall from the door being cracked open. He looked around the room. The women weren’t there.
He let loose a string of curses. Where the hell where they? Had they escaped? If they had, he would personally string Asa up by his fat neck for being such an incompetent asshole. Had the Marines managed to sneak in and get them? It didn’t seem possible.
Just then, he heard a faint sound. He could barely make it out. It sounded like someone singing a song under their breath. He crept into the room, rifle up, his senses on full alert. The singing grew louder. He climbed over the debris and clicked on his flashlight.
There, underneath the rubble he found the source of the singing. It was a phone and it was in the hands of a woman.
Wait. He knew her face. This was the wife, Lula. She looked like she had been crushed. He kicked her to see if she was still alive. But she didn't move. Lucky for her.
He grabbed the phone from her hand and looked around the room for the translator, but he saw no evidence of another body.
Resa stood in the doorway, keeping guard. "We really need to go," he said, no longer bothering to disguise the fear in his voice.
"We will go when I say we go. If you leave that door, there will be consequences."
The phone stopped ringing. Amir cursed himself for not having answered it in time. He wanted to know who was calling. It could have been valuable intelligence on other traitors who were working for the Americans. Feeling frustrated, he was about to put the phone into his pocket when the voicemail symbol lit up.
Thank you, Allah, he mouthed silently, clicking to listen to the voicemail.
"Maria, it's me Lena, I hope everything went well. I just wanted to let you know that I left the house and I'm heading towards what I believe to be another rock formation. It looks like a big cluster, west of where I told you I was before. I think it might take me a few more hours to get there, but that's where I'll be hiding until the guys come and get me. I can't wait to see you again. I'm really hoping everything is okay. All right, I'm gonna shut off my phone again until like seven tonight, and then I'll try you again. Be brave. Bye."
Although the sound of gunfire was getting closer, Amir smiled to himself. His fortune had changed considerably. And his true prize was back in his sights.
_________________________________________________________________________
Dear Readers,
We are going to try something new starting with Chapter Nine. If you like the story, tell me in the comments for Chapter 9. Let me know what you think should happen next and maybe if I get enough response, I'll take the story in that direction. I have an idea of what's going to happen next, but hey, a good suggestion will change my mind.
Visit me at my blog by cutting and pasting this link into your web browser: http://goo.gl/TqXGHD
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Next Chapter coming soon....
Nicki