Outside, the Captain surveyed the building. He had been inside the warehouse a hundred times over the past few years, but had never given any thought to its structure. The Captain had taken an abandoned lot adjacent to the building as his Forward Base of Operation. The street running parallel to the west side of the warehouse was blocked at both ends and had the potential to become a kill-zone for the skilled guards inside. Fortunately the two remaining guards in the warehouse had not initiated an engagement. The area occupied by the Captain and his men was flanked on either side by two story buildings. The businesses that occupied them were closed for the holiday.
The fifty man squad of the GAFE Special Forces unit under the Captains command had cleared the streets surrounding the warehouse in under fifteen minutes. When they had first arrived some poor bastard had thought it a good idea to make a run for it. The Captain lamented the brutality with which he had been slaughtered, but took some comfort in knowing that there was now one less potential problem to address later.
Not long after that, the ‘supplemental’ forces had arrived. Most were ex-military turned mercenaries from the surrounding states, some from as far as El Salvador, had shown up and made sure their names had been added to the list. If you weren’t on the list, you weren’t getting paid and rumors abounded about the large amount of money to be made tonight.
If his partner held up his end, and if there were no complications, this would be over quickly.
“So in short, he’s hungry.” EggHead said, “and we should move back to the brighter area.” he concluded as if his original train of thought had never been interrupted.
“What’s the difference?” Fetus finally asked.
“Sitting in the dark that long…its eyes may never recover,” EggHead responded “but really I’m just guessing at this point.” he said.
Without a word, they all turned and began walking in unison and more quickly than they normally would toward the lighted area at the front of the semi-tractor.
“It’s three hours until dawn,” said the driver.
“So?” asked Alonzo.
“They won’t burn us out…” the driver said making a sweeping gesture around the warehouse “…and they won’t risk trying to shoot their way in either,”
“So we’re safe?” asked EggHead.
“Maybe they will wait until we starve or…” Leaf trailed off.
The off key chimes of the chain-link fence being rattled could be heard. The little group of four turned toward the sound. The guards who had been stationed above them in the lighted area of the warehouse could be heard running toward the sound and away from the light.
Each man utilized an available bucket or tire and took a seat in a semi-circle facing the darkened half of the depot. The office phone rang and startled everyone. They all looked toward the office then toward Alonzo. Alonzo threw an arm around Fetus’ neck and virtually jerked him to a standing position. He pointed the pistol toward the other three men. He used Fetus as a human shield and began dragging him toward the office and the ringing phone.
“Take me instead! Please.” Leaf implored.
“This is a bad idea compadre,” the driver offered.
Leaf and the driver looked at each other. The guards could be heard shouting from the far end of the warehouse as they tried to find the intruder of their sanctum. Fetus was too stunned at the turn of events to do anything but be stunned. Additionally the chokehold that Alonzo had on him kept him focused on not suffocating.
“I thought the phone was dead,” said a bewildered EggHead.
As his oxygen supply began to dwindle, Fetus saw the little black swimmers in his eyes and realization dawned him. No one had checked the phone after Alonzo had. No one would have even thought to question Alonzo. For all they knew, Boss Soberano was still alive and that meant Alonzo was in on the robbery.
“You two dumb fucks, this driver and his loco EggHead have ruined my plans,” Alonzo growled as he backed toward his office area, easily dragging Fetus. Alonzo was making a mockery of the lifeguard’s carry as his forearm constricted around Fetus’ windpipe.
“I may have a shot, but I can’t guarantee I won’t hit the boy.” the driver whispered so that only Leaf could hear.
Leaf simply held out his hand in a steadying motion as Alonzo dragged Fetus the final distance into his office and slammed the door. The office was a thoroughly fortified microstructure within the depot. The walls were two feet thick cinderblock on all sides, under a flat concrete roof and it resembled a World War II bunker. The door was a three inch reinforced steel hatch taken from a submarine. The north and south walls of the office had a two inch wide strip of bullet-proof glass running horizontally five feet above the floor so the person inside had a view of the outside.
Leaf and the driver heard Alonzo struggling to hold Fetus and shut the door behind him. That was followed by the clang of steel on steel as Alonzo cranked the old submarine hatch-wheel to the locked position.
“Can somebody tell me what’s going on?” asked EggHead.
“Alonzo sugared the generator and has crossed Boss Soberano,” said the driver as he sat down and began to look for a cigarette.
“He planned the whole thing,” Leaf said shaking his head as he sat down next to the driver. “His plan did not include us being here.”
“So?” asked the driver extending the newly found pack of cigarettes to Leaf.
“They can’t come in and they don’t think we can get out,” Leaf said and lit the gift smoke.
The driver looked around. All of the doors were chained or rusted shut with the exception of the hangar doors at each end and one was blocked by the semi trailer.
“They have several reasons for thinking that,” the driver said fighting the ironic grin forming on his face.
“Yeah like a million fucking guys with a million fucking guns and a million fucking bullets!” shouted EggHead as he pulled at his hair. The outburst caught the two men off guard. EggHead was showing signs of wear, even more than when Alonzo had threatened him with the machete.
“They only think that because they have all of the doors accounted for,” said Leaf as he stared blankly at the western wall.
The three turned and peered into the darkness as they heard something bump against something else in the dark end of the warehouse. That noise was followed by raspy coughing.
“If you have an idea amigo, now is the time.” said the driver.
Alonzo sat at his desk staring at the phone and thought. He considered the possibility that the crazy man in the warehouse might take care of all of his problems. Alonzo refused to believe anything EggHead had said about four-hundred year old mummies coming to life. He was certain that someone had gotten in, perhaps one of the loco homeless people.
Fetus sat on the filthy floor handcuffed to the plumbing behind a lidless toilet. Alonzo had missed the call and was agitated. Fetus didn’t make a sound because he didn’t want to draw Alonzo’s attention. It was one hour until light.
The men gathered outside of the warehouse were of two minds. The first group was wide awake. Stimulants were flowing freely among the men standing vigil around the warehouse. Most had arrived with thoughts of the money they stood to make. Rumors had been circulated about the potential millions in US dollars to be made if the warehouse could be taken without resistance. Although their bodies were tense, mental fatigue had begun to set in. Thoughts of a night wasted on an extremely risky venture began to find voices. Wild ideas such as flying over in a helicopter and repelling through the skylights like Navy SEALS or tunneling under, found homes among their already strained psyches. There was even the occasional whisper of burning the place and saving what could be saved of the cargo. The one common thread was frustration and that was giving way to anger.
The second group of men seemed to know better. They sat at rest whenever they could. These were part of the elite Federales, the ones who had lived long enough to start showing gray. These men knew the forces they were dealing with were Cartel Bosses. They recognized that no matter how this ended the stories of new cars and beautiful women drawn to new money were mostly motivational tools. They were certain they would be rewarded, but that was contingent on one, successfully taking the warehouse and two, living through the experience. These men sat with rifles at the ready, eyes half closed, relying on their hearing and sense of smell to alert them of danger. These men were not going to be the first to charge into the situation. These men planned to talk about this night for years to come.
The Captain knew that whatever was about to happen had to happen within the hour. He turned and began rousing his men.