Part 7

"I'll be gone for a few days, nothing particular."

"Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, just some things I have to sort out. It shouldn’t be too much."

A brief conversation between himself and Katya.

In the freezing cold, that was the memory that came to him as he tried to bundle up to keep himself warm as he leaned behind a tree that was facing the sleek snow-covered road.

A couple of minutes ago, they got the radio call from squad two that the target was driving down the road that they were on, so now the six men in squad two were waiting.

With the intense white snow falling down the road, something caught his eye.

Two circular, bright white lights were getting closer.

Squinting his eyes, he was slowly able to make out the vehicle.

It was nothing special—a vehicle beyond its years, with a few dents on the doors and hood. There was a heavy sound that came from the engine that could be heard over fierce winds.

A white four-door car with slightly dark windows.

At the sight of the vehicle, Pavel's voice came on the radio.

[Squad one, the vehicle is approaching; nobody moves until I give the signal.]

Anatoli inhaled deeply as he mentally prepared himself.

"Moroz." (Russian transl. Frost) Anatoli said under his breath.

The three knives began to glow as the white vehicle approached.

He knew that he needed to time this right.

Too early, the driver of the car would see the spell and would either stop or avoid it all together.

Too late, and he would miss the window for a surprise attack.

He was watching the car closely.

The car got closer to the knives.

A few feet

A few inches.

The hood passed over the knives.

Anatoli gulped.

The front wheels were mere centimeters away from the knives.

He needed to time this right.

With the vehicle's current speed, if he was lucky, he would be able to hit all four wheels in one go.

Now.

With a soft exhale, he whispered.

“Ledyanoy khrebet shipov” (Russian transl. Frozen Ridges of Thorns)

From the ground, small icicles emerged in the shape of a wide spike stripe that spread across the road.

It hit.

There was a faint sound as the tires popped, striking the spikes. The sudden action caused the vehicle to swerve across the road, crossing lanes.

Anatoli watched as the car drove past him, trying to maintain control, but it was all for naught.

-Just fall back on your training-

There was a soft exhale from Anatoli as he swiftly closed his eyes.

After a few seconds of silence in the blistering winds, there was a crashing sound.

The young man opened his eyes.

Several dozen feet down the road, the car had driven off the road, crashing into a tree.

Everything was quiet as he watched on.

[Squad two, move. I repeat, move. I repeat, move] That was the signal.

This was it.

Like a dog on command, without thinking, his body moved, running, his feet stomping into the inches of snow.

Behind him, Pavel clasps his hands.

Black chains emerged from the ground around the car, wrapping around the roof and hood of the car, holding it firmly in place.

In a mad dash, Anatoli got closer to the vehicle, his panting breath getting heavy.

One step

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He just needed to apprehend this individual, someone who was designated as a threat.

Another step.

Then this whole ordeal...

Now, a full-on sprint towards the vehicle.

There was no reaction from inside the car.

(Whatever reason you have, let that be the reason you return home alive.)

... would be over.

Anatoli ran up to the driver's side door, placing his back against the left rear passenger door.

With a grunt, the young man raised his right arm and slammed his elbow into the glass window, creating an opening in the glass.

-Just remember your training-

In a quick motion, he stuck his hand through the opening, trying to find the lock on the door.

"Come on," Anatoli mumbled under his breath. "Come o-" With his fingers finding the lock, Anatoli quickly pulled it upward.

At the sound of a light click, he quickly pulled his hand from the window, his jacket scraping against the glass. He then used his left hand to open the door.

He let his left hand fall free as the door swung open.

-Just remember your training-

Using both hands, he lifted his weapon in front of his body, pointing it at the would-be driver.

-Maintain your situational awareness-

He calmed his breathing with a final exhale, and he shouted out in a shaky, muffled voice.

"FREEZE!!" He shouted out, his voice breaking through the heavy winds.

-Do not waiver-

He froze.

His shoulders lowered.

In the driver seat was a male who was slumped over the steering wheel.

There was a slight groan that was coming from his bloodied nose and lips.

Anatoli pushed the man back into his seat with his left hand.

Wincing and lightly gasping for air., the driver slowly opened his eyes.

Silver eyes.

Anatoli's eyes began to focus as the driver’s brown hair began to part from his face.

There was something about this man at first glance.

The driver looked familiar.

(N....no.)

There was a large scar that traveled the side of his face from his eyebrow to his chin.

(This can't be....)

Slowly, Anatoli's eyes opened at the realization of the identity of the driver.

The headmaster of the orphanage he resided at as a child.

Staring at the man, the driver's mouth moved as if he were trying to say something, but nothing came out.

Through the blistering winds, Anatoli heard several small whimpers in the backseat of the car.

The sound caused the man to peek at the back row.

It was just for an instance, but when he saw what was back there, his heart sank.

In the back row was a mother, tightly hugging her daughter with her arms around the little girl's head.

The daughter's silver eyes peaked through the gaps of her mother’s arms, staring at Anatoli with tears in her eyes.

Anatoli turned to the mother, which caused her to flinch and shield her daughter tighter.

"Please, please don't hurt us," the mother cried out.

Anatoli took a step back, his left foot crunching into the snow.

This had to be a mistake.

The wrong car.

The wrong target.

Something.

All of it.

This all had to be a mistake.

Something had to be wrong.

He was trying to fall back on something to escape this situation.

But there was nothing.

"I.....I...." His words were muffled by his mask.

Life was nothing more than a matter of perspective and circumstance but-.

His muffled voice was shaky and dry.

His fingers slowly moved away from the trigger of the gun.

He was supposed to be a good guy.

Right now, dressed head to toe, his face covered by a mask resembling a skull, and with a gun pointed at a family, he was anything but.

Something was wrong.

This wasn’t right.

Something had to be wrong.

He attempted to locate Pavel.

He turned his head right and froze.

Around him and on the left side of the car are his squad members, including Pavel.

Two in front of the car.

One to his left.

Two to his right.

All with their guns pointing at the vehicle.

"Target acquired"

Anatoli could not tell where the empty, monotone voice came from, and he did not have any time to ask as several gunshots rang out around him.

The young man could only watch as the bullets ripped into the car.

If there were screams, they were drowned out by the bullets.

Blood splattered against the interior of the vehicle.

The seats.

The floor.

The cracked windows.

The man watched in horror as the bullets continued, with none of the men saying a word to each other.

The sounds became deafening to the young man, with each gunshot drowning into each other, causing him to look away.

Then suddenly-

One by one, the shooting stopped, not because the men decided to hold their fire but because they simply ran out of bullets.

It was silent.

Not a word was said as the blistering winds continued.

And then-

"Target has been eliminated." Pavel said in a calm tone as he lowered his weapon, prompting the others to do the same.

Eliminated.

That word twisted something inside of him.

Even after hearing and seeing the gunshots being fired into the car, he was hoping for a different outcome for the people inside.

He opened his eyes and slowly glanced at the vehicle.

Blood.

Something out of a gory snuff film.

The driver was riddled with bullets and covered in blood.

Dead.

His eyes were open, as if his body did not have time to react to the sudden assault.

His eyes glanced at the two in the back, and they did not fare any better.

Even more blood.

Something inside of him died as he saw the mother’s last and futile attempt to save her by shielding the daughter's body with her own, but it was all for nothing as the bullets ripped through both bodies.

Everything was dead inside the car.

In his feeling of emptiness, a white van approached, driving down the road, stopping a few feet from them.

There was an eerie silence as a group of six men came out, stepping into the snow.

Pavel walked up to squad two.

“The job is done?” one of the men asked.

Zero-Five.

Borislav Korolev.

“For the most part, our squad is done. That just leaves your squad.”

“I see.” Borislav reply.

"Listen up, Squad One; we will be tasked with burying the bodies; Squad Two, you will take care of the vehicle; leave nothing behind." Pavel commanded.

Borislav turned to the other men around him.

“Get the gasoline from the back.”

Everything seemed surreal to the young man.

(Is this….)

Anatoli turned his attention to Pavel, who was walking away from the car.

(..What you been doing all this time?)

Anatoli turned his attention back to the vehicle. watching as one of the men pulled the bloodied body of the daughter out of the car.

His body felt empty and void as he watched a bloodied teddy bear fall from her body onto the snow.

He was still in shock, watching everything unfold.

He raised his right hand to his face with his shaking fingers, touching his mask-covered face.

(This has to be.....)

The driver's side door opened behind him, causing him to slightly turn his body to see two men dragging the body of the driver out by his arms before tossing the body aside like a bag of potatoes.

(.....A joke.)

The body quietly fell into the snow, with its lifeless eyes staring at the young man.

Its blank stare, watching the man, silently judging him.

Anatoli started to feel nauseous.

(I see, so you will be a new addition to the children here....)

The headmaster's voice rang out in his head.

He started breathing rapidly.

(I know this is a lot to take in right now, given what happened to you.....)

He could not tell if it was his black goggles, but his vision started to get blurry.

He fell to his hands and knees, breathing heavily.

(If you need anything, do not be afraid to ask.....")

He quickly fumbled with the mask around his neck.

Taking his mask off, he vomited into the snow.

Realizing this, two other men ran up to him.

Coughing, Anatoli raised his head.

The snow and wind felt cold and stinging on his face, but not as cold as the blank stare he was receiving from the dead body of the driver, staring deep into him.

(We are here to help you....)

This.

Anatoli placed his hand on the side of his face.

This couldn’t be real.

Chapter 9: END