The steel camouflage painted door looked more like a hatch on a Navy ship. It was oblong with a small circular window at head level. A long metal lever lowered to open the door. The hatch was inside a little cut-out hidden by replanted and replaced trees and boulders. A small hand-sized opening revealed the keypad inside.
“This seems like something only a few people would have known about. How did your family get to know so much about this place.”
“As I said, we had people working on the inside. When it was time for the engineers and other professionals to go home, our agents followed them to their home countries. We assume since most of these professionals only worked on specific parts, no one could piece together the whole thing. They all signed non-disclosure contracts. They all understood that their lives and family’s lives were under threat if they said anything.” She glanced over Al's shoulder. Tom and Mike were out in the open talking. She couldn’t hear what they were saying. “Many of these construction workers came from places like the Philippines and Malaysia. It's not surprising how motivating money can be, even considering the consequences. Nearly everyone we talked to agreed to tell us everything they knew for the right price. There were also several different engineers and a lead architect construction engineer. His name was Alex.”
Al caught the halting way she said, Alex. “Uh oh.”
She lifted her head. “Exactly. We knew who he was through several of the workers inside. He was an Englishman born and bred in Hong Kong. He would periodically travel back and forth to Hong Kong to check in with his firm. Later we found out Hotak owned the firm. I went to Hong Kong to gather any information I could from him. One thing led to another, and we fell in love. When he returned from his final trip here, we were going to marry and stay in Hong Kong. The engineers never left. They knew too much, I guess. All of them died in a plane crash except for Alex. He was killed in an auto accident in Hong Kong.” She paused, dropping her head. “That's what the world knew. Hotak took a chance with a hundred and fifty workers who knew only so much. That many people disappearing, who all had something in common, would have got messy. But, five engineers and an architect, that’s a lot easier to explain, and he could always hire more for whatever was next.”
Al looked back. He’d also seen Tom and Mike talking in low tones. There were no angry faces, no jabbing fingers. It was a conversation between friends. Julia and Randall stood beyond them, watching the path they’d come down moments before.
Al suddenly looked up, searching the inside of the hollowed out earth. “It occurs to me that there might be a camera or two observing the door and path.”
“None that I’m aware of.”
Al did a three-sixty, his head up. When he faced Niki again, he scratched his chin. “I don’t see anything, but…”
“Alex showed me the plans. He pointed out this door, the tunnel beyond, and where it goes. I never saw a camera, and he never mentioned it.”
He looked back. Mike walked back to Julia and Randall. “Why didn’t your dad ever send a bunch of his men up here, use this, and get Hotak?’
“Trust me. I wanted him to do it. He considered it several times, but it never happened for one reason or another.”
Mike and the others walked up behind them.
“What’s up.”
“Niki was telling me about the tunnel.”
Mike turned to her.
“Through the door is a tunnel about three hundred meters long. It’s an upward sloping tunnel that leads to a set of stairs. The stairs switch back up until they reach a shorter tunnel level. At the far end will be another door like this one.” She pointed at the hatch. “On the other side of that door is Hotak’s private residence.”
Julia stepped up. “Whether he’s in there is anyone's guess.”
“He is or isn’t, but it’s a good place to start. Maybe we’ll find what Randall needs there.” Mike put his hand on Al’s shoulder. “Order of march, you’re point. I’m next, Tom, Julia, and Randall, and Niki are in the back. Questions?”
“Niki told me there are no cameras. I’ve looked, but you know how small they are. Several could be watching us now, and we wouldn’t know it.”
Mike nodded. If anyone was watching them, that wasn’t good. “Change of plans.” He smiled broadly more for any cameras than for the people around him. “If they’re watching, they can see us standing around, so don’t do anything. When I say now, we move into position. Julia, Randall, and Niki move back and out of the way. Al and I will open the door about six inches. It pulls toward us. We’ll brace it if anyone is on the other side and tries to bum rush it. Tom, you’ll drop to your back and shove the machine gun barrel through the opening we make. Questions.”
“Why’s Tom dropping to the ground?” Julia said.
“If someone is on the other side, they’ll expect someone to standing. Their rifle barrel will be pointed at chest height this will give Tom the half-second he’ll need. He’ll drop to his back to manipulate the machine gun more effectively at this range.”
Mike looked around and got several nods, but no more questions. He approached the door and grabbed the long lever with both hands. “Al, you enter the combo on the keypad.”
“Now.”
Julia, Randall, and Niki swiftly stepped back, getting out of direct sight of the hatch.
Al rushed the door and entered the code.
Tom dropped, the barrel pointed diagonally upward.
Mike slammed the lever down and opened the door six inches. He and Al put their shoulders into the door setting their feet on the ground.
Tom’s snapped eyes open wide. He rammed half the gun through the opening and fired.
His finger didn’t let off the trigger. Most of the ear-splitting noise of the gunfire was inside, but it leaked out. Expended brass and black links ejected from the machine gun. Some bounced off, hitting Mike's legs. Most of it hit the dirt and rock wall and settled into a pile next to Tom. The continuous automatic fire pounded tremendously on their eardrums.
Tom’s face turned red with effort. He fought the gun. Someone tried to wrestle away control of the weapon from the other side. Tom couldn’t find purchase and moved left and right on the loose dirt floor. The muscles in his arms bulged with effort. The someone on the other side tried to jerk and pull the barrel. The trigger stayed depressed, spraying bullets inside the tunnel, most into the ceiling.
An AK-47 muzzle pushed out the opening. Mike kept both hands on the hatch bracing with one foot and kicked the AK’s barrel up. It disappeared inside.
Mike braced himself, arms extended, feet firm on the ground. His body was at a right angle to the door and ground. He waited, ready for the next attempt.
A hand slid out under the machine gun and dropped a grenade under Mike's feet. The spoon flew over Tom, hit the wall, and fell to the ground. The hatch pulled back, but the wedged in machine gun prevented the hatch from closing. His breath caught at the site of the grenade. He felt his sphincter shut tighter than a preacher’s dick in a cat’s ass.
He dropped to his knees, grabbed the grenade, and shoved it back through the door.
Tom rolled up, shielding himself with the door.
The explosion made a tremendous, piercing sound. Mike felt more than heard shrapnel hitting the other side of the hatch. Smoke rolled out of the space between the door and the frame.
Mike stood. Al and Tom stood too. Their ears were ringing from the intense blast.
Al raised his voice. “Second time lucky with a grenade.”
Tom pulled the machine gun from the door, slammed the hatch shut with his feet, and held the gun up. “Third times the charm,” he shouted back. “Some asshole in there had his back against the wall and was pushing the gun with his foot trying not to get shot.” The blast bent the muzzle and the front of the barrel looked shredded. The wooden hand stock had disintegrated in the explosion. The grenade had done its work on the machine gun. “This thing’s fucked.”
Mike opened the hatch wide enough to peek inside. He slammed it and rammed the lever up. “Gun.” He took the machine gun from Tom and placed the muzzle tight under the lever mechanism. Then he kicked the butt of the machine gun closer to the door to get a tight fit. More or less satisfied the gun was firmly in place between the door and the ground he spun around.
“Niki,” he shouted.
She held her hand up. “We’re not all deaf.”
He walked up to her. “The ringing will go away in a little while.”
Al and Tom came up behind.
Facing around, he glanced at the machine gun, ensuring it was set in place and wouldn’t move. “We killed about five, from what I could tell. At the stairs at the end of the tunnel, I saw more bad guys coming. I don’t know how many, but a lot.” He dropped his head, catching Niki’s eyes. “How far to the first cache site? Can you find it, and what’s in it?”
She swallowed. “The first one is about two miles from here. The rest are separated at five mile increments.”
Al glanced up. “Fffuuu… How long is this trail?”
“Close to eighteen miles, part in Afghanistan, across a river, the rest in Pakistan.”
“Not good,” Tom said.
“The cache?”
“It’s identified by a boulder at the side of the trail. A second rock half its size is in front of it, and a third rock is in front of it, half its size. From there, move off the trail perpendicular to the trail two hundred meters. Can I find it? Maybe. What’s in it? I don’t know.”
“Here’s the deal.” Mike made sure they were all paying attention. “They’re going to get through that door. We could ambush them here, but I’m sure there’s another group following the trail we took here. Soon enough, we’ll be stuck between a rock and a hard place. We’re going to have to move fast and stay ahead of them. Now that I think about it, we won’t have time to hit the cache.”
He moved forward and faced the small cut with the hidden door inside. "We’re going to take the trail to Pakistan.”
Al Pointed down the dirt path behind them. “That trail? Eighteen miles of hard packed dirt, rock, roots, and a river in the middle of it. That trail?”
“Yeah, that trail. Straight into Pakistan to that compound Hotak has.”
“Oh, Okay.” Al's head nodded to the right, a smile on his lips. “I was just checking.”
“We’re going to have to move fast if we want to survive this.” He stepped out of the way. “Same order of movement. Tom, you’re point, Al and Niki, Randall, Julia, and me. Al, sing out when you need someone to take over.”
“What about…”
Before Randall could say another word, Mike broke in. “No more talk. Let’s move.”
“There it is.” Niki’s arm shot over his shoulder, pointing at the three rocks in a row. The boulder was a brown, smooth rock that went up to Tom’s chest and was twice as wide. The other two were gray and half the size and half again. Pine trees thickly grew out from both sides of the trail. Between the trees dark dirt, pine straw, and in spots where the sun reached the ground green grass grew in patches.
Mike moved up to the rock and let Niki slide off his back. “Al you got Niki duty. Tom pace off two hundred meters through the trees and wait for the rest of us.”
Randall looked off into the trees. “I thought you said?”
“Changed my mind.”
Without acknowledging Tom faced perpendicular to the trail and started.
Mike faced the rest of the patrol. “Stay directly on Tom’s trail, walk in his steps if you can.” He pointed toward where Tom had left the hard packed trail. Al acknowledged, picked up Niki, and followed. Mike put his palm out fingers in the direction of travel. Randall and Julia left the trail.
He searched the trail as it curved left and right and disappeared in the trees. No signs of life. Although he still had a slight ringing in his ears, he was able to hear the gentle gusts of wind passing through the pine branches. There were no sounds of animals or humans to be heard.
He found a pine branch and walked back down the trail a hundred meters. Turning around he swished the branch back and forth wherever he saw a footprint. When he reached the three rocks, he repeated the same action on their tracks into the woods. Behind him, Tom and the rest had disappeared out of sight. He should have been able to see them. The forest floor dropped down, it had to have, but he couldn't tell where. If it was a man-made or natural depression, Mike couldn’t tell. But from his vantage and no doubt from the trail, it looked like the ground was a continuous flat plain.
Throwing the stick away, he continued to walk backward through the trees. Pine trees obstructed most of his vision of the trail, but the large rock with its two sidekicks stood out. They also gave him a reference point.
His hearing was getting back to normal, but when the first Afghani walked past the rock, he didn’t hear a thing. Mike dropped and pushed his body backward feet first into the low ground. Another man walked passed the rock, then another. They appeared from behind the trees, moved past the rock, and disappeared again. They were quiet, no talking, no rattle of equipment. They all wore sandals, cotton pants, long shirts, vests, and the wool rolled-up hats common among Afghan men. Their clothing was a mixture of black, brown, and beige. Most had AK’s with chest rigs for their spare magazines a few had RGP’s. More men silently walked through the opening in the trees. His eyes widened in hate. The Giant walked by. More men followed him.
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He remained prone as far down into the trench as he could be and still see the rock. Something tapped the bottom of his boot. Mike turned his head. Tom's crouching form waited expectantly. Mike brought up two fingers to his eyes. His next motion was a gun signal turned upside down, finger pointing at the trail. Enemy.
Tom nodded, found Al’s eyes on him, put his finger to his lips, and gave the same signal for enemy.
Mike waited another minute and slid down.
“How bad?” Tom whispered.
Mike shook his head. “It’s not good. I counted twenty-five AKs and a few RPGs.”
“We’re not going to make it to Pakistan now are we?” Randall adjusted his glasses, glancing around.
“We were never going to Pakistan. I said that for the camera in case someone could read lips.”
Al looked up and down the length of the trench. “How long till they figure it out and start backtracking looking for us?”
Mike inhaled through his nose. “I tried to cover any tracks we made. I figure they’ll figure it out in a couple of miles or so. We got half an hour, an hour at best.”
Niki sat on a rock and rubbed her ankle.
“The cache?”
Al spoke before Niki could inhale. “There.” He pointed to one end of the trench. Three rocks rested in the middle of the depression the smallest facing them.
“Al.” Mike lifted his head toward the rise in the trench. “You got security.” He stepped off toward the rocks. “Everyone else, let’s find that cache.”
“I don’t know where to look.” Niki hobbled behind them. Her ankle was acting up.
They looked in all directions around the three rocks. The biggest was about the size of a basketball.
The rocks sat in the open, no bushes or trees nearby.
“From the looks of it, buried would be my guess.” Tom found a sharp stick.
“It's going to be next to or under the rocks. Anyone leaving the mountain would be in a hurry and wouldn’t have a lot of time to search.”
“I’ll start digging behind the big rock,” Tom said. “Randall give me a hand.”
“I’ll take the front then.” Mike grabbed the rocks and flung them out of the way. With a stick to dig with, he dropped to his knees. Julia found her own stick to help.
The soft black earth was easy to dig and pull out. The dirt came up quickly. He pulled several more times then used his hands to get the doughy earth out of the hole and into a pile. A rich moist dirt smell hit rose up from the ground.
The pile of dirt steadily grew to about a two-foot high two feet long sized mound of soft rich earth.
“Found it.”
Mike jumped up and saw the top of a plastic case. More dirt was cleared exposing the black, thick plastic lid and sides of a black plastic case. Julia dropped down and helped. They pulled dirt from around the sides revealing the latches that kept the case sealed.
Finished the three of them undid the seven latches and opened the box. The case was about the size of a footlocker about three feet long, two feet wide and a foot and half deep.
Mike smiled when he saw the inside of the box.
Tom handed him two pristine AKS-74Us wrapped in wax paper. Next up were two ammo vests holding four full magazines of ammo. He put the vests aside in time for Tom to hand him two claymores. The anti-personnel mines were in their original carrying bags. One side held the mine. The other held the clacker and a spool of wire. Mike checked and found tripwire in both bags.
Tom couldn't contain his grin. “Hungry?” Inside the box were twelve MRE’s, a two-gallon plastic clear bag full of water, and plastic cups.
Mike brought his wrist up his watch indicated only a few minutes had passed. He looked at Al.
Al gave him the thumbs up.
“We haven’t eaten or drank anything in forever. Five minutes is all we’re taking, eat and drink as much as you need, this will probably be the last meal we get in a while.” He grinned he was hungry too, but more interested in the contents of the wax paper package. He ripped the wax paper off the new AKS. Inside was a fifth loaded magazine. He unfolded the metal stock of the airborne troops' version of the weapon. The magazine slid home, and he jacked a round in the chamber. He smiled at the familiar feeling of the weapons stock in his hands. He found one, in air quotes, on a mission during his last deployment. It was one of his favorite guns in the world. The rifle was shorter than the AK. With the metal stock folded against the side of the weapon, it was far more maneuverable in tight spaces. It fired a smaller 5.56 mm round same as ammunition used by NATO troops. The Ak-47 shot the larger 7.62 bullet. “I’ll relieve Al now, Tom when you’re done relieve me.”
Tom nodded, his mouth already full of food.
“You get the other AKS. Give Randall your AK and spare mags.” Mike handed Julia his AK and mags.
“I get the weapons,” Julia said. “Running for your life you may need a gun to fight with, maybe food even, but why the claymores?”
“You’re running for your life, you set these up on the trail behind you. Your pursuers trip one, after that they’re not in such a big hurry to catch you.”
Julia tore open a package and stuffed something brown into her mouth. “Hmm, makes sense,” she said between chewing and swallowing.
“Right.” He walked down the trench and relieved Al.
Their reaction was sudden and the same. They all turned at the noise. None of them could see anything of the explosion as it echoed down the trail. It was too far away, and the trees blocked their vision beyond a few meters. It wasn’t loud due to the distance, but the blast from the claymore was expected, and they’d been waiting for it.
Mike glanced at his watch. “Sooner than I expected. They must have been moving fast after they figured we’d doubled back.”
Tom’s lips formed into a tight smile. “That will slow them down.”
Al nodded his head once. “Got what they deserved.”
Mike caught both men's stares. “You know the plan. The door to the escape tunnel is just ahead.” He knelt, and Niki climbed off his back. “We rush the door, enter the code, and get to the end of the tunnel as fast as possible. If anyone is monitoring the camera, they’ll see us for sure. Save something in the tank to get up the stairs and into Hotak’s office. There’ll be guards somewhere in the place, but hopefully, most of them are out here looking for us. I doubt anyone will be on guard outside the door. If there are, blast them.”
Mike stepped to the front behind Tom and Al. Julia and Randall would follow helping Niki. As plans went, he thought, this wasn’t the worst plan ever. It certainly wasn't the best. But, as his old Ranger instructor had said, improvise, adapt, and overcome. Or something like that.
He faced forward. Once he rounded the bend in the trail, he’d be able to see the cut in the side of the mountain. The trees wouldn’t protect them from sight anymore.
Three, two, one, go. He leaned forward and began a slow run toward the bend in the trail. He held his AKS close muzzle pointed down the metal stock close to his shoulder. As he rounded the corner and increased his speed. The gun barrel lifted ready to fire.
The sight in front of him almost made him fire his weapon. Bodies lay on the ground to the side of the hatch. He dropped the barrel after he recognized the blood. Someone had pulled the bodies out of the tunnel. The grenade had done a number on them their clothes and flesh were shredded. The severity of how bad depended on where they’d stood when the grenade went off. As he got closer, he noticed some of the wounds had been pretty gruesome.
Mike ran to the keypad. Al dropped to a knee weapon pointed at the closed door. Tom grabbed the lever ready to pull down. He was breathing too hard and made an effort to control it by inhaling and exhaling through his nose.
He entered the code. The sound of metal on metal came from the latch. Tom pulled the lever and yanked the door open.
“Clear.” Al Jumped up and ran into the tunnel. Mike followed. Tom left the door open for the others and stepped in over the bottom of the metal frame.
At the end of the tunnel, Al turned the first corner weapon up and climbed two stairs at a time. The stairway was set up the same as the stairs they’d used earlier in the complex. Go up a set of stairs hit a landing, up, more stairs, another landing, only this time there were no intervening floors.
At the last landing, they stood in a short hallway a metal door facing them.
Mike took a deep breath and held it then let it out in a whoosh. Al and Tom were breathing just as heavily as he was. They weren’t young anymore. No matter how much martial arts training and other workouts he did it was never enough. Father Time was always trying to pull him down. He wasn’t ready for Father Time or Hotak's door, but he couldn’t wait any longer. The air escaped his nose and he started forward. He took the door handle, twisted it, and pulled. The door flew open. Mike moved right, around the door frame weapon up and ready his front sight searching for a target. He walked down the side of the wall to the corner.
He knew Al would go left since he’d gone right. He heard Al moving to his corner. Tom moved left outside the door and remained near the doorway his weapon searching.
Mike got to his corner and scanned the room. He saw Tom and Al out of the corner of his eye. They were scanning, searching for any threat.
“Clear.”
To Mike’s left was Hotak’s desk. On it were the things, you’d expect to find on an executive’s desk. A computer, calendar, and assorted other knick-knacks littered the expensive looking monstrosity. Behind the desk was the oversized window overlooking the valley. Expensive art hung from the walls. Small wooden tables lined the perimeter of the room. On each were miniature sculptures, figurines, and small picture frames holding black and white photos. On a table of its own, a jewel-encrusted scabbard with a gold and jewel knife handle rested on a gold stand. In the middle of the room was a large ornately carved wooden conference-style table. Matching chairs with thick blue cushions, one at each end and three to either side waited for someone to pull them out and sit in them. Persian rugs littered the floor of the room.
A dark stained elaborately carved door was across the room from Tom. “Check it.” AKS in his shoulder Mike shifted the muzzle. Another closed door was on the opposite wall of the window. Al moved to it. That door was also a dark brown, but it was metal. The reinforced door and frame locked shut with two sliding bars. One was high one low. They were ready to slide across the entrance into locking clamps.
Tom opened his door a crack. “Leads into a living room with more doors, three across and one to the right.” He left the door partially open to keep watch.
“Keep an eye out.” There’s too many ways in Mike thought. He kept watch down the escape tunnel waiting for the other three to come up. “Al check the other door.”
Al opened the door and smiled. “Hallway leading to a double stairway. Looks like an elevator halfway down.” A chuckle escaped his lips. “It stinks like jet fuel.”
“Outstanding.” Mike’s mouth formed a wicked smile.
Tom laughed.
“The other three will be here in a few, and we’ll get started.” Started with what he wasn’t sure, probably with the desk. At some point, someone would be up here to ruin their fun. He tugged the claymore bag around his back for the hundredth time. The thin cloth strap cut into his sweaty shoulder no matter how he wore it. He aimed the AKS down the tunnel until he saw the three stragglers. “I got them.”
“Roger,” Al said.
Niki hung onto Julia. He noted her bum ankle now had less of a limp and more of a limp drag as they made their way forward. Randall stood at the top of the stairs looking down. Mike thought he must have been listening. He made no reaction other than to turn and follow the women. Mike caught his eye. He lifted his shoulders and shook his head.
The two women walked by. “Take her to the desk and sit her down. Randall, get on the computer, rummage around through the drawers, and find something we can use.”
He threw the claymore bag onto the desk. It was getting annoying. He had a red mark on his neck. “If it’s not in English have Niki help you.”
Tom snapped his fingers twice and put his hand back on the pistol grip of his AKS.
Tom was intent on something on the other side of his door.
Hotak? Mike joined him. He caught Al’s attention and pointed at the escape tunnel.
Al pushed the two bars shut, locked them, and jogged over to the open door to the tunnel.
Julia raised her eyebrows.
He motioned for her to stay with Al.
“I got noise in one of the rooms.”
Mike moved around him and peeked inside. “Too many entrances. Too big.” The living room had a huge television on the same wall as the window in the office. A game console sat on a table in front of the TV an off-white leather couch faced the table and the TV. Behind it was an L shaped couch of the same color a couple of comfortable looking chairs. They took up the rest of the space between a handmade coffee table and the couch. Along the wall near them was a long bar. Spread around the room were Persian carpets, art, and other paraphernalia of the super-rich.
“Which door?”
“Not sure.”
He raised his hand, pointed to Julia, and used his finger to motion her over.
“See that door?” He nodded to the lone door opposite the television.
“Huh huh.”
“Tom and I are going to check those three doors.” His barrel swung across the opposite wall. “You are going to stay here and cover that lone door. If it opens, anyone who tries to come out blast it. No hesitation.”
“Got it.”
Tom tapped him on the arm. “How do you want to handle this.”
Mike looked into the vast wide open room. “Door on the left we’ll work our way right.”
“Loud or quiet?”
He glanced at Julia. Her eyes stayed focused on the door. Either way, they were probably screwed. There were too few of them, too many doors, and bad guys coming. “Take my lead. Each door I’ll go left you go right.”
“Roger.”
Mike led, his rifle centered on the leftmost door he knew Tom was watching the other two doors as they moved.
Three rapid-fire gunshots cracked from behind them. Wood splintered and a high-pitched scream emanated from the other side of the door Julia guarded.
Julia’s rifle stuck out from the doorway she stood behind. The door she was guarding had three holes in it.
A second muffled scream came from the room. The scream became crying. A woman? If they didn't clear the three rooms first anyone in them could come out behind them. Whoever it was could have been bleeding out. Dammit.
“You! Come out of there with your hands up!”
He watched the door. Nothing.
“Come out!”
“Julia, maintain control of that door.”
Tom nudged him.
Mike looked back and nodded. He raised three fingers and counted down. His hand formed a fist, grabbed the door handle, and pulled it open. He button-hooked around the opening Tom behind him. It was a child's bedroom. There was a Persian flare to the room same as the office and living room. Western toys lay scattered on the floor, a computer sat on a desk in the corner of the room. They checked for anyone hiding. Empty. The next two rooms were bedrooms one a child's and one an adult’s room both empty.
They stacked at the bullet-pockmarked door, Julia had her weapon raised but still aimed at the door.
“You in the room come out now!”
“No! If you come in here, I’ll kill you.”
Mike heard the fear in the half scream half cry.
“If you don’t come out I’ll throw a grenade in there.”
Another voice whispered inside the room.
Mike snatched a small metal figurine off a table. Tom’s face was grim. He nodded.
Mike counted down to a fist, pull the door open, and threw the figurine into the room. It slammed to the floor, bounced forward, kicked off a chair leg, and settled to the right. Two muffled screams followed the bouncing object. Mike stormed in, turned to the right Tom to the left.
Two kids lay on the floor. The bigger kid was curled in the fetal position. The younger one kneeled over the top of him trying to protect his brother from the men entering the room. Next to the boys was a man in a well-tailored suit. A bullet had torn out his throat. Red covered the front of his suit and the floor around him. His mouth and eyes were wide in disbelief.
Mike bent at the waist for a closer look. It wasn’t Hotak.
“Clear.”
The room was as big as the living room and more ostentatious. Everything a rich asshole could shove into an oversized room was there. A bed as big house, rugs covered the floor, and several covered parts of the walls. All the furniture looked handmade the art looked old and priceless. Pictures of battles hung from all four walls. They depicted Afghans fighting anyone who had the poor sense to invade their land. Mike recognized some of the invaders, the British, Alexander’s Greeks, and the Soviets. Others he had no clue. Outsiders have tried to rule Afghanistan for thousands of years and proved over and over, they're nobodies punching bag.
The boys looked to be around eight or nine. They could have been younger or older. He wasn't good at telling kid’s ages.
“Julia get in here.”
Julia stopped at the doorway. Her eyes turned red. She almost leaped toward the kids.
“Stop.”
She froze.
“Tom, check the little one.”
Tom pulled the boy off his brother as he did a knife came from his shirt sleeve. The blade darted forward and stabbed at Tom.
“Ahh.” Tom threw the kid halfway across the room into a black leather chair. The momentum of the throw caused the high-backed chair to fall backward. It balanced on its rear two legs, then drop spilling the boy out on the other side.
“Almost killed by a fucking three-year-old.” He bent down and picked up an expensive European-made knife. “Little bastard stabbed me in my rifle.” There was a gash in the plastic forearm.
“I’ll check the other boy.” Mike put the end of his rifle on the boy’s neck. “Roll over onto your back.” He pressed down with the rifle. “Do it.”
The boy rolled over. Splinters from the door stuck out of his cheek and neck. The blood on his face mixed with his tears. He wiped the diluted red streaks with his sleeve as his hand slid into the opposite sleeve.
“Stop. Pull your hand out and whatever weapon you have.” The younger boy jumped up and rushed at Mike. Tom reached out, snatched the front of the boy’s man dress, and threw him past the upset chair onto the bed.
The boy on the floor pulled his hand out dropping his knife. Another expensive one. Mike kicked it away.
“Mike.” He’d heard that tone from Al before. “We got company.”