49

Forced at gunpoint to kneel, Connor, Henri and Zuzu joined Amber on the floor slick with Gunner’s blood. The ranger’s breathing was now labored and rasping. He’d fallen unconscious with the pain but was clinging to life. Connor’s mind was racing, trying desperately to think of some way out of their predicament. But No Mercy kept his AK-47 trained on them, and Connor knew that at the first sign of resistance he’d simply shoot them dead.

Blaze unsheathed his machete and caressed the razor-edged blade with a finger. “This is my weapon of choice,” he said with a sadistic grin. “I can cut, cleave, slice, hack, chop or behead you with one stroke of this beauty.”

The rebel paced slowly in front of them, drawing out the tension as he casually swung the blade.

He jutted his chin at Zuzu. “I’ll leave you for last, Batwa,” he spat with contempt. “Then you can know of the suffering that awaits you.”

Understanding the threat but not the words, Zuzu shrank away, but her eyes remained fixated on No Mercy.

Blaze prodded the tip of his machete into Henri’s chest. “You, I’ll skin like a rabbit. Hang your hide out to dry in the hot sun.”

Confronted by his tormentor once more, Henri began to sob and tremble uncontrollably.

Blaze laughed. “Pathetic!”

Leaving the boy quivering at the thought of his impending gruesome demise, Blaze crouched before Amber. He pushed aside a lock of her hair with his machete, then rattled his macabre necklace in front of her face.

“Perhaps I’ll add one of your teeth to my necklace,” he said, leering at her.

“I hope you burn in hell,” she said, her eyes fierce and defiant.

Blaze blew her a mocking kiss. “And I hope I meet you there.”

Connor shook with fury. Powerless to do anything, he could only watch as Blaze tormented each of them in turn. Grimly aware that it was now a stark matter of life and death, Connor resolved to die trying to save Amber and Henri. He still had his father’s knife tucked on his hip. He wondered if Zuzu was thinking the same thing. She hadn’t taken her eyes off the boy soldier and his gun. Perhaps if he made a move to tackle Blaze, she’d go for No Mercy and try to wrestle the weapon from him.

The rebel regarded Connor. “I know what you’re thinking, but if I see you even twitch, I promise to make your girl truly suffer.”

Connor glared up at Blaze. “I’ll tear you limb from limb if you dare lay a finger on Amber or Henri.”

Blaze smirked. “It’s me who’s going to enjoy taking you apart, piece by piece. But who should go first? Eeny, meeny, miney, moe,” he said in a singsong voice, the tip of the blade swinging from Connor to Amber to Henri and back again. “Catch a lion by the nose. If he roars, let him go. Eeny, meeny, miney, moe.”

The machete came to a stop in front of Connor. Blaze grinned. With a violent sweep of the blade, he cleared one of the lounge’s coffee tables, scattering the candles and place mats onto the floor. Then he grabbed Connor by the hair and held the blade to his throat.

“So, what will it be—long or short sleeves?”

Connor stared up at him, at once baffled and petrified by the question.

“No Mercy, hold out his arm,” Blaze ordered.

Suddenly it dawned on Connor what the rebel had in mind. He struggled wildly, but Blaze pressed the machete harder into his neck, drawing a thin line of blood.

“Don’t fret. It only hurts after I cut your arm off,” explained Blaze as No Mercy slung his AK-47 over his shoulder and seized Connor’s wrist. With surprising strength, he pinned Connor’s arm down on the coffee table.

“Deo?” uttered Zuzu, staring at No Mercy.

The boy soldier didn’t react.

“Deo! C’est ta sœur!”

No Mercy looked at her uncomprehendingly.

Zuzu became more frantic. “Deo! Mon frère! S’il te plaît, ne lui fais pas de mal! Je t’en prie.”

“Tais-toi!” barked Blaze, striking her with the back of his hand.

The blow was so violent that Zuzu was flung against the bar, her head cracking against the mahogany panel.

No Mercy frowned, still holding Connor’s arm, but his attention was now on Zuzu. Her lip bleeding, tears rolling down her cheeks, she continued to beg the boy soldier to listen to her. Connor couldn’t understand a word. His heart thudded in his chest as the blood rushed through his ears. A paralyzing wave of panic overwhelmed him, and his limbs refused to respond as Blaze took up position to hack off his right arm.

“Don’t close your eyes. You need to see this,” said Blaze, licking his lips in anticipation. “I promise you’ll remember this for the rest of your life.”

The machete came slicing down toward its target.

Amber screamed and Henri covered his eyes. Zuzu’s shouting grew louder. Connor fought to break his paralysis, scrabbling for his knife. At the last second No Mercy let go of his wrist and Connor snatched back his arm, the blade embedding itself deep into the wooden table.

Blaze glared in furious outrage at No Mercy. “You idiot! Why did you let go?” he roared.

As he tried to yank the machete out of the table, No Mercy picked up the discarded spear. Before Blaze knew what was happening, the boy soldier had buried the iron tip deep in his back. Blaze let out an agonized howl as the spear pierced his heart and burst out through his rib cage.

No Mercy twisted the shaft one last time and Blaze slumped to the floor. “That’s for making me believe my family were all dead!”