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Watching the attack from the safety of the other house, Zain was forced to hit the ground when a blast of weapon fire exited the bedroom window. The shooter was hidden behind a white sheet hanging in front of the window. Glass and tattered bits of cloth flew into the yard as bullets chattered along the exterior wall of the home where Zain and his squad had hunkered down.
Zain and Kornev sought refuge on the floor. Zain screamed, “How many are in there?”
“I already told you. It’s just the woman.”
“And I suppose her arms are long enough to fire weapons from opposite sides of the home simultaneously? You are lying to me! How many?”
The Russian didn’t change his tune, however he did offer, “I don’t know how she is doing it, but there is only one person in the home, unless...” The arms dealer’s words were cut short by another barrage of rifle fire coming from the other home’s bedroom window.
“Unless, what?” Zain asked.
“Unless more men have snuck in through the tunnel and have joined her.”
Not really expecting to hit anything, Zain popped up to fire his Steyr AUG assault rifle in the direction from which the rifle had fired its last volley.
“How is that possible?” Zain yelled.
Now the rest of Zain’s men were on their knees and firing into the opposite home.
Back on the floor, Zain crawled next to Kornev so the Russian could hear him clearly. Zain said in a defiant tone, “I have my men down in the tunnel. They are securing it. There is no way to get past them.”
“Unless...” the Russian began to say, but he was cut short again.
Zain popped up onto his knees and fired a quick volley at the other home.
Once he was done, he returned to Kornev and asked, “Unless what?”
Kornev was laying on his side, doing his best to make eye contact with the terrorist. “You need to send down some more men to check on them.”
Zain said, “Not only am I going to send them down, I’m going to tell them to breach the opening in that place. Enough of this foolishness.”
Kornev imperceptibly shook his head. With all the skirmishes Shallah had been involved in with his father, Kornev assumed the man would be better at tactical planning, but on the other hand, these weren’t his men. The ragtag army was comprised of destitute farmers and thugs who, for a few rupees a month, agreed to join, hoping they would never be called into action. This local militia had been assembled by the inspector, so Kornev knew Shallah didn’t care if they lived or died. These men meant nothing to him.
Kornev watched Zain activate his radio and give the orders.