Back at the farm
“Sir, we have company,” a soldier interrupted Commander Burger from where he was fiddling with the satellite equipment at the large dining table.
“How many? What are their positions?” He fired off two questions as he abruptly got up and cocked the gun in his hand.
“We’re not a hundred percent certain but it seems we’re outnumbered Sir. There are at least eight in the field behind the house and we spotted about ten more hostiles out front. They’re approaching fast.”
“Get the squad in position.” The commander walked over to where Sam sat playing a game of cards with Ethan and Roy in the sitting room.
“We have company guys. Arm up, we’re going to need all hands on deck if we’re going to survive this attack.”
Sam and the two reporters promptly did as ordered and followed the commander into the kitchen.
“Do you have any more weapons in the house Van?”
Van, who was having a cup of coffee with Elaine at the kitchen table, startled at the commander’s sudden entrance and spilled his coffee across the tabletop.
“You bet. Follow me,” leading the commander down into the bunker.
“What’s going on dearies?” Elaine asked anxiously as they all gathered around the table.
“We have some untimely visitors. It’s perhaps best you and Thembi take shelter in the basement. You’d be safe there. Come, hurry!” Sam pulled Elaine up by her arm where she sat frozen at the table and nudged the two females toward the bunker.
“Where are Angus and Glen?” The commander asked upon his return plonking a large brown trunk on the kitchen table.
“I think they were playing a game of chess in the study. I’ll go get them,” Roy volunteered.
“Do we know how many there are?” Sam asked as he watched the commander unpack the arsenal from the trunk onto the table.
“We’re surrounded. My men reported at least twenty hostiles along the perimeter of the house. There’s no time to waste, they’re closing in fast.”
“What’s happening?” Angus and Glen barged through the kitchen door with Roy on their heels.
“Have any of you fired a gun before?” The commander questioned the group of men around the table; urgency lacing his voice.
“Licensed and trained,” Sam said first. Although I’m at a bit of a deficit with my broken wrist, but I’ll find a way around it.
“Can’t say I have,” Angus admitted sheepishly.
“Me neither,” Glen followed.
“We’ve had a couple of lessons at the shooting range yes,” Ethan answered for both him and Roy.
“Van, I think your answer is evident. I’m not even going to ask how you got your hands on this much ammunition.”
Van shrugged his shoulders without answering.
“Right, listen up. The weapons are all loaded and ready to shoot. Take your pick, and take up positions by the windows and doors. Stay out of sight and wait for my order. Do not shoot and do not come out of hiding until I say so! Got it?”
The men did as the commander instructed and hastily took up their positions behind the window dressings, inside cupboards and behind the couches. On the wooden porch outside the house the shuffling of feet alerted them to the fact that their attackers were on the doorstep and about to access the house. The commander silently signaled to his soldiers, one of whom stuck a tiny optic cable through a hole between the wooden planks at one of the windows. He signaled back that he had eyes on four hostiles. Ready and with their fingers on the triggers, the group of men anticipated the impending attack on the house. Sam’s left hand was clammy against the handle of his gun as the barrel rested on his broken wrist. He secretly prayed it provided sufficient stability and that his aim wouldn’t be off by too much. Glen and Angus hid behind the drapery on either side of a window; their faces ashen with fear.
The handle on the front door turned slowly, sending ripples of fear through the charged atmosphere in the house. More feet scuffled on the porch outside and Glen jumped when the latch on the window next to him rattled. It became evident that they were completely surrounded and outnumbered by the approaching assailants. Van fought the urge to blast his gun off through the door from behind the couch. Anger overwhelmed his usually composed demeanor. As if he could read his mind the commander shook his head at Van and held up his hand for him to be patient and wait. The front door rattled against another attempt by the attackers to open it. It was locked. Moments later an axe sliced through the wood of the front door, followed by several more strikes. Two hostiles barged through the door. They were entirely oblivious to the fact that the house was occupied by the commander and his army of men. From where they stood they could not see any of the soldiers or the relief members hiding out.
The two hostile men stood in the middle of the foyer and took in the quiet dark surroundings of the farm house. Satisfied it seemed unoccupied the leader finally spoke in his native language and one by one his men entered the house through the front door behind them. Their postures relaxed as they moved through the house and eventually reported back to their leader that there was no one inside the house except them. Loud cheers echoed through the house as they foolishly celebrated their luck.
And when they least expected it, Commander Burger signaled his men to deploy from their places of hiding. The soldiers opened fire at the posse of eighteen surprised men who had assembled in the middle of the kitchen.
In a matter of minutes the frenzied shootout subsided and dead bodies covered the kitchen floor.
“Clear!” one of the soldiers reported followed by two more reports that the enemy had been taken down.
“I need a Scotch,” Angus said as he flopped down on the couch in the sitting room.
“You might need to change your pants first, mate,” Glen said behind his hand nodding his head towards the dark patch across Angus’ groin area.
“Ah bugger,” the Scotsman replied embarrassed.
“Happens to the toughest of men, Angus. All in a day’s work,” Sam replied in an attempt to brush it away.
Angus disappeared down the passage to the bedroom.
When Elaine emerged from the bunker and lay eyes on the bloodbath in her self-claimed kitchen, she shrieked and buried her head in Glen’s shoulder.
“There, there my dear, it’s all over now. Why don’t you take a seat in the sitting room instead? We’ll clean up this mess.” Glen ushered her toward the lounge before turning back to the kitchen.
Elaine’s piercing screams followed by a muffled moan filled the house. The commander charged to where he met two armed black men in the lounge. They had their arms around Angus and Elaine’s necks from behind and their guns pointed at their heads.
Shielded by Angus and Elaine’s tensed bodies, the two black men shouted panicked orders in their language at the commander. The commander had his gun pointed back at them; his arm sturdy in front of his face.
The one man shouted at him again, this time pushing the barrel of his gun hard against Elaine’s temple. She flinched and then broke out into an anguished sob. It angered the man and he pulled his arm tighter around her neck. Her body quaked with terror. The man shouted at the commander again. This time the army leader responded.
“English; speak English!”
The attacker spat onto the floor in front of Elaine causing her face to twist into a grimace to one side. The man scowled and muttered obscenities at the commander before pushing his gun hard against Elaine’s cheek.
“Let them go,” the commander chanced.
Three soldiers sneaked in behind the two hostage keepers who were unaware of their presence. It was only when they spotted the red laser beams on the floor in front of them that the one who held Elaine captive caught on.
“You can’t win here, let them go,” the commander warned again.
The man’s nostrils flared as he nervously looked back to see the commander’s men standing firm in a shooting stance behind them. He was trapped and outnumbered, and even if he shot and killed both Elaine and Angus, it meant the end for them too. The sobering thought didn’t stop him. Instead, it angered him further and he mumbled something to his partner under his breath. The two men instantly reacted by turning their backs to each other, all the while holding Angus and Elaine firmly in a tight grip in front of each of them. If the soldiers shot from either angle now they would certainly also kill Angus and Elaine and possibly each other.
The soldiers were not prepared for the clever maneuver on their enemies’ part and remained in position. Back to back the two attackers shuffled their hostages toward the front door.
Helpless the commander watched them drag Angus and Elaine out onto the porch. Contrary to Elaine’s panicked sobs, Angus clung in submissive silence to his assailant’s arm that choked him across his chest. With his men next to him in the house, there was nothing the commander could do at this point apart from allowing it to play out.
When the hostage keepers shuffled their way out onto the porch and down the steps, still with their hostages shielding their bodies, a single gunshot exploded through the air. Elaine fell to her knees and before anyone could react, a second shot was fired and Angus fell to the ground.
The commander and his men charged forward to where Van stood over the two dead kidnappers’ bodies; smoking gun in hand.
Elaine didn’t move until she felt the warm thick liquid run down the side of her face and a drop of blood splattered onto the dirt in front of her. She screamed the most anguished scream imaginable; fully under the impression she had been shot. It was only when the soldiers helped her and Angus to their feet that she noticed the blood drenched bodies behind her and she realized the blood wasn’t hers. A moment later she fainted.
Van held two fingers over his brow as he saluted the commander. He wasn’t mocking him. Instead, he was thanking him; grateful that he had the opportunity to take revenge while simultaneously pleading his patriotism to a country he loved so much. Killing wasn’t something he was proud of even though he had saved the lives of two innocent people. But he was faced with unsurmountable odds that left him with no other option.
“The first time is always the hardest,” the commander spoke as he saluted Van back. “You’ll never get over it but you can stand proud that you fought for what was right. If you hadn’t intervened both Angus and Elaine would have been dead. That much I can tell you for certain. You saved them, Van. What you did was extremely brave.”
Van nodded and rubbed the sweat from his bald head. “I hope I never have to do this again, my friend.”
And with that the two men disappeared into the safety of the farmhouse.