Chapter 6

I stared at the man strapped to the chair, looking into his cold eyes.

I punched him. I was pissed everything I had worked for, and it felt like it was burning to the ground. Everything I had changed and worked into favor for these families has gone to shit because of this man.

“ Who sent you,”

He looked at me with calculating eyes and stayed silent. The more quiet he was, the more I got pissed.

Fine, he won't answer my questions. I will just have to make him. I grabbed the jumper cables and walked toward him. A slight smile creeped on my face.

Flash back

“ Commander Robins, I secured the target, obtained the answers we were looking for. I don’t think the target is of much use to us anymore. It looks as though he is touch and go. I had to use extreme measures to get the answers we sought. He was tight lipped for a while. The primary target is located in the middle of the Arctic, held up on one of the water rigs used for aquamarine sciences. He stated that the target has about 20 armed guards. 3 that follows him wherever he goes. We had schematics of the rig right here, sir.”

I pointed at the spot on the map to where the rig was located and pulled out blueprints of the rig. Commander Robins and I then went over each possibility at play. Ethan never cared for my methods of obtaining answers. He always stayed outside the room, claiming I had a sick mind. Yet the man trusted me with his life.

We snuck on to the rig from underwater. Pulling ourselves up the ladder, we climbed slowly. Commander Robins put his hand up, a signal to stop moving. I looked up, and there was an armed guard. I climbed slowly as commander Robins watched the guy turn around to look out.

“There's nothing here, Eagle one, Eagle 2 over and out”

“Copy Eagle 2, out.”

I listened as he clicked his radio off.

Perfect!!!

I climbed the rest of the way and grabbed him, giving him a quick snap to his neck and sliding him off the open side of the balcony.

Commander Robins, Lieutenant Hughes, looked at each other, then me.

“ We will talk about that later, Captain.”

“ Yes, sir.”

We walked through the narrow hallways, checking our 6, 4, and 12 each way that was open and possible.

One by one, we quietly took out each and every one of Estrada's men. We had been tracking him for years. He was a wanted terrorist. Our orders; Wanted, capture him if you can, or kill on sight.

For each guard we took out, it felt like 30 more appeared. The night was weighing on us.

Robins waved his hand forward, letting us know it was safe to move on. I took the first step, and there he was, Estrada sitting by a small grill lit fire, without a care in the world. Just as I was grabbing Estrada, a gunshot rang out, and a body dropped. The way it hit the ground so hard, and the silence that followed was deafening. By the time I turned around with Estrada in my arms, I saw it.

Hughes, glassy eyes, and quiet. Robins had his SIG MOSQUITO aimed, and the world went quiet.

“ Tell your man to stand down.”

I demanded into Estrada's ear.

“ TELL YOUR FUCKING MAN TO STAND DOWN!”

I yell.

“ Stand down Miguel.”

The man hesitated 1 second too long and Robins pulled the trigger.

Miguel stopped moving entirely. His body dropped and Estrada went crazy.

If it hadn't been that Robins was a step away, the fight between Estrada and I would have ended badly.

The SIG MOSQUITO found its way to the back of Estrada's head, and Robins commanded him not to move as I started tying up his hands.

“ Put the call to the command center for Exfil,”

“ Yes, commander.”

“ And let them know to bring the recovery team.”

With that we both looked over at Hughes.

Present time

I sat at the chair facing the computer screens and watched the families, the kids playing, the men laughing and the women on the side gossiping. I truly made something here, my name, will forever live amongst these families long after they have all lived and died.

I watched as the families went in for the evening, some of the teenagers sneaking out. This went on for days after I brought John here. Nothing was amiss.

I watched days and weeks of footage, everything seemed fine. The men would come and go for hunting trips and sometimes take the teenage boys with them to show them how to hunt.

Then I saw it. I saw a figure with clothing so blended in with the foliage, that I almost missed it. I looked at every camera, and couldn't see the face. It's like this person knew I had cameras set up.

Furious, I continued to look through footage until I saw Blaine leaving his house.

Then something caught my eye, someone inside lay unmoving. Fuck!! Another body!?!?! What the actual fuck!!

I stopped looking at the cameras and left the room. Walking up the basement steps I noticed it was breaking light outside. Shit, I had really been down there all night without sleep. Once I got upstairs I proceeded to leave the house and take in the families. One by one, they started to come out. All except one.

“ Mommy, where is Mrs. Davis? And where is Mr. Davis?”

I heard one of the little kids asking. All eyes looked in my direction, I shook my head side to side as if to the notion I had no idea.

“ I'll go and check, okay?.”

They all nodded their heads in understanding.

As I walked by all the families heading to the Davis house I had the biggest feeling of dread wash over me. I had left her, alone, alive. It's like whoever is doing this is watching me, my every move is being calculated.

I walked in, and took in what I saw. After I took her to bed I'd cleaned up. I washed our cups and placed them back in their spots in the cabinets.

What I saw was two additional cups.

What?!.

It's like she woke up and had company.

I studied the area. She lay disheveled by the dining table, her clothes from yesterday still on her. So she wasn't attacked, whoever did this, she let them in, she knew them. The only thing I could think of now, was that it was someone I brought here. I continued to study the area. Her cup was on its side, the contents gone, as if the other person cleaned it up, knowing I would be looking.

Now I'm pissed, because whoever is doing this. Is now doing this RIGHT under my nose! I sighed. Walked back to the door, and called out.

“ Mr. Garcia! Mr. Johnson! Mr. Brown! Can you all come over here please?.”

I watched each of them carefully, waiting to see if I could catch even the slightest recognition that they had finally been caught. Not one look faltered.

“ Can you come inside please?”

The men followed me inside and I led them to the adjoining living and dining rooms.

“OH my God!”

“Mrs. Davis!!”

I watched all of their reactions. All of them going shades of purple and green and pale. They were absolutely shocked.

“ Ms. Allison, what.. What happened to her?!? Why is she like that?. Didn’t you come home with her last night?.”

Mr. Johnson flew questions at me. I watched very closely. I wanted to see if they were going to crack the pressure was real.

“ Yes, I came home with her last night, but when I left I had taken her to bed and she was alive. I came back this morning to check on her while you and your families were crowding around outside this morning getting ready for breakfast,”

I paused and then let them resonate with the next sentence that would change their lives here.

“ It appears we have a killer here, and he's starting by taking you all one by one.”