AFTERSHOCK - Part 3.
Aiden's muscles tensed. All the energy within his body was ready to release in deadly vengeance against the jihadists. The area where he was about to ambush them was confined, so he decided against using his AK. He unhooked it from the strap and cautiously pulled a bayonet out of its scabbard. Then he unholstered his sidearm, a Beretta FS 92. He was a master of hand to hand combat, and he knew that he had the element of surprise to his advantage.
He chose the moment perfectly. The jihadists were catching their breath, and the one who appeared to be their leader said something to the others, which Aiden judged by the tone was an order to move on. The man holding the leash was positioned with his back toward Aiden and barked an order to the girl as he yanked the tether.
She stared in horror, unable to move. A creature that must have come from the underworld explosively, and with a demonic roar, rose from the ground. Suddenly, the tip of a blade emerged from her captor's neck. His blood spurted all over her as he gargled in agony, falling to the wet ground with his last dying breaths.
The thunder smothered the sound of the first gunshot. Just as the 9mm bullet hit the leader of the pack right between the eyes, Aiden pivoted toward the third jihadist. Before he could even react to the sudden attack, three bullets hit the jihadist mid-chest, and his body dropped to the earth.
She saw the remaining two jihadists raising their weapons and screamed a warning to the apparition that had ambushed them. She was terrified of the demon, but she was more afraid of the men who were dragging her into the unknown. Lightning flashed with a brilliant shock. It seemed to her as if the Ancient Roman Gods in their realm were waging war with the Nordic Gods. Perhaps Diana's arrow had missed its target, hitting the mountainside, which released heavy rocks as a result.
Aiden caught their movements with the corner of his eye. He dropped onto his knees. Adrenaline rushed through his veins, emphasizing all his senses. He visualized the flight path of the bayonet even before it hit the target. The jihadist dropped with only the handle of the bayonet sticking from his skull. In the deathly spasm, his finger had pulled the trigger, and the burst from the Kalashnikov rang into the stormy night. At the same time as his knife was flying toward its target, Aiden's gun came up and leveled with the other man's chest. They fired almost simultaneously. However, Aiden was faster by a fraction of a second, and the impact of his bullets threw the jihadist's aim off.
She saw the unidentified man-demon fall with a grunt, his handgun cluttering on the rocks right beside him. She rushed to him even though she did not know if he was friend or foe and reasoned that the fact she was still breathing was a good sign. She could hear him groan as he shifted on the ground, alive. She breathed a sigh of relief.
"Son of a bitch that hurts," he muttered as he glanced at the girl in the breaking thunderlight. The storm was overhead, and in another bright flash, he looked at her more intently. "Are you all right?" he grumbled, his eyes focused on her.
She breathed easier as his words assured her that he was not about to die and that he was, in fact, of this world. "I am fine. You are hurt. Where are you hit?" she inquired, her voice taut.
The first thing he noticed about her was her accent, and he couldn't quite put his finger on it. British with a hint of Scottish, maybe. He didn't offer her a response and instead, attempted to get up. His legs faltered, his body weakened from mild dizziness.
"Sit for a minute. Let me check the wound," she suggested, tenderly helping him to sit down.
Aiden gazed at her as she removed his hat with soft, adroit hands. His head was pounding. He then unhooked his flashlight from his belt and gave it to the girl so that she could examine the wound.
"It's not that bad, I think. The bullet just grazed your head," she said and sighed in relief.
"We have to move," he replied, not missing a beat. He tried to stand up again, and this time, with her help, succeeded. He pressed his free hand against his throbbing skull.
"What's the time?" she asked anxiously.
Aiden turned to her, puzzled at the question. He paused without answering and studied her face for a moment. It was as if she hadn't even registered the carnage that just took place.
He checked his wristwatch. "It's approaching midnight. Why?"
"We have to go now." She grabbed his arm and started urgently yanking him toward the mountain. "Do you have a radio, something to communicate with?"
Aiden cocked his head back in surprise. "What the hell is wrong with you, lady?" he grumbled as he pulled his arm out of her grip.
She picked up his gun and handed it to him, motioning with her head that they needed to move forward. He holstered his weapon and forced the bayonet from the dead man's eye socket. He wiped it clean before sliding it into its sheath. Without looking at her, he walked with a slow gait toward the hiding place where he had left his weapons. He slung his sniper rifle onto his back and attached his AK to the strap. He lost his footing from sudden vertigo, and if she hadn't caught him, he would have fallen to his knees.
"There's no time. I need the firkin radio if you have one. Now!" she asserted with a ferocity that startled Aiden.
He silently handed her the radio. She frantically fumbled with the buttons, and amid the thunderous flashes that were growing in intensity with each strike, he could see her enchanting face frowning in great anxiety. What was most striking were her dark magenta eyes.
"Andromea, come in. Ensign Eriska reporting. Battleship Andromea, come in!" Aiden stared at her in bewilderment.
"This is Battleship Andromea here," the monotone voice of the communications officer responded. Eriska and Aiden looked to each other, listening as the voice continued with a cold precision. "Transporters are still inoperative. Transport on standby to pick up your away team. We have your location. Make your way to higher ground. T-minus twenty to zero hour."
"Copy that," Eriska confirmed, mirroring a controlled tone.
Aiden raised a brow in silent inquiry, but he knew that whatever was going on, it was not the time for questions. His head was pulsing with blood, but he ignored the pain radiating from his injury. He redirected his focus to the situation and beat her to the punch before she could get the first word.
"I heard, move your arse!" he ordered as he slid the radio back into its pocket and nudged her in the direction he had come from. As she made a step forward, she yelped in pain and fell on her ass.
"For crying out loud, are you all right?" he asked, agitated.
"I think I hurt my ankle," she replied in desperation. "We must get to higher ground so that we can be picked up…or else we will die here." She looked to Aiden with burning, watery eyes.
"Son of a bitch. Come on." He took her arm and helped her to stand. Then he scooped her up and slung her over his shoulder.
She cried out in surprise. "What are you doing?!"
"I am fucking exercising. Damn you are light," he grumbled as he started running up the gorge.
Barreling through his own pain, her comfort wasn't a top concern. He tightened his grip as her body bounced hard against his shoulder. He suspected that the girl wasn't really a member of Red Cross as his squad had initially assessed.
The intermittent bolts of lightning illuminated his way, saving his ankles from being sprained or broken. Then, Eriska incited Aidan to pick up the pace with a bouncy voice. "Can. You. Possibly. Run. Faster. If. We. Do. Not. Escape. The. Nuclear. Blast. Will. Obliterate. Us."
"What the fuck!" he swore. Her voice left no room for doubt, and he felt it in his gut that he better haul ass.
"How much open space do we need for the transport?" Aiden asked between sharp breaths as they arrived at the bridge he had used to cross the river earlier. He gently put her down from his shoulder and held her as she stood on one foot.
"This should do! We're running out of time!" she yelled over the cacophony of the thrashing river and the whip-like cracks of the thunder.
"Who the hell is coming to pick us up in this damn weather!? Nothing can fly in this shitstorm!" Eriska disregarded his comments and stared into the turbulent sky without feeling the cold, even though she was soaked to the bare skin.
Aiden followed her gaze and suddenly, as she pointed at the sky she slipped. She would have fallen if Aiden hadn't secured his hold on her with his arm. He saw lights penetrating through the tempestuous clouds when a shape started to form. At first, he thought that his eyes deceived him.
"What the hell is this? Some experimental craft?" he shouted. His curiosity was piqued despite the peril they were both in. He pressed the receiver on his radio. "Steiner, come in! This is Ghost."
A crackling reply came back moments later. "This is Steiner. Where the fuck are you?"
"Get into the cover! Nuclear blast imminent!" Aiden commanded, cutting his Sargent Mayor off.
"What the fuck are you talking about, Ghost?"
"Just do what I am fucking telling you! Get into goddamn cover, Steiner!"
There was a shift in the wind, and Aiden turned his gaze to the approaching transport that was mere feet away. What he saw made him lose his words, and with wide, alert eyes, he hurriedly looked to the girl for answers.
To be continued,
