Blood and Ashes

Chapter 24

Gant was seething.

What should have been a simple forced entry to an unguarded house, a quick in-and-out mission, had turned to shit. Things didn’t look like they were going to get any better, either.

He’d thought about the men accompanying him as being disposable, but now that wasn’t the case. He wished that they were all back, hale and hearty and ready to lay down their lives all over again.

‘Who the fuck is out there?’ he yelled into his radio as he tried to staunch the flow of blood from his damaged ear.

‘Fuckin’ Rambo, you ask me,’ came back Darley’s whining tone.

‘I don’t mean him. I’m talking about our people. Sound off… one at a time.’

‘Won’t take much doing,’ Darley said. ‘There’s only me and Holland still kicking.’

‘Jesus…’

Gant pushed into the front of a cabin, shutting the door behind him with his foot. There he toyed with the oozing wound in his ear. ‘You sure that’s all there is, Dar?’

‘I ain’t heard much from Dillman since we last heard him shout out. I’m taking it that the bad-ass took him out.’

‘Yeah,’ Gant said touching his ear again. The bad-ass had come close to finishing him, too. Chances were that a hopeless cretin like Dillman wouldn’t have fared better. He felt little regret. Dillman wouldn’t be too much of a miss; the useless idiot had allowed Vince to get away. ‘Holland, you still out there?’

‘I’m here,’ Holland said.

‘Where?’

‘Ass-end of the camp. Just spotted the minivan, but I can’t get to it. Don Griffiths has me pinned down with a machine-gun.’

‘You’ve found their vehicle? Tell me where.’

‘Like I said, I’m at the ass-end of the camp.’

‘That’s a real help, Holland. This whole place is the fuckin’ ass-end of the world.’

Darley cut into the conversation. ‘Boss, I see the minivan. It’s under a lean-to next to the last cabin on the right.’

‘Can you get to it, Dar?’ Gant asked.

‘Will do.’

Holland said, ‘I’d rather you gave me cover, Darley. Griffiths is getting too close for my liking.’

‘So kill the bastard,’ Gant snapped.

‘You sure, boss? I thought you wanted to be the one to-’

‘Things have changed, Holland. Or haven’t you noticed? Just kill the bastard so we can get the fuck outa here.’

‘With you, boss,’ Holland said.

A machine-gun rattled in the distance.

‘What about the other guy?’ Darley asked.

‘We see him, we kill him. Otherwise he’s not our priority just now. Get to the minivan, Dar, and tell me what you find.’

Gant pinched his ear, trying to stop the flow of blood. Waste of time that was. He flicked scarlet drops on the walls, thinking about what he’d just said. Not a priority, my ass! If I see that piece of shit I’m gonna make it my life’s work to put him in a grave.

Two machine-guns competed further up the camp. Gant opened the door of the cabin and peered out. A small figure sprinted through the haze of drizzle and gunsmoke, Darley heading for the lean-to. There was muzzle flash from where Holland was hunkered down behind an old flat-bed trailer abandoned when the last logging company truck rolled out. Gant added up his chances of getting round behind Griffiths and blasting the man, but discarded the idea. A far better plan was finding the kids and using them as a shield. He could then force Griffiths and whoever the fuck the other guy was into the open, where he could riddle them full of bullets with little fear of them shooting back.

‘Van’s empty, boss!’

Gant thumbed his radio up to his good ear.

‘Say again, Dar.’

‘The minivan’s empty. What now?’

‘Start checking the buildings next to it, I’m gonna make my way to you.’

He checked his assault rifle and it was almost empty. He dumped the depleted magazine then fished a fresh one out of his jacket pocket and slammed it in place.

As an afterthought, he called Holland.

‘You get him yet?’

‘Don’t know, Gant. He’s gone quiet all of a sudden.’

‘So maybe you killed him, you fool.’

‘Maybe that’s what he wants me to think and he’s waiting for me to come outa hiding.’

Holland had a point, but that meant nothing to Gant.

‘Get your pussy ass in gear, Holland. Go check, now.’

‘I’m going, OK?’

Gant waited, listening.

There was a single burp of an assault rifle.

‘You get him, Holland? Holland?’ Gant frowned at the radio, then sighed, ‘Aah, shit.’

‘Looks like it’s down to me an’ you, boss man,’ Darley said a few seconds later.

Gant didn’t bother answering. If he reckoned things had gone to shit before, now was much worse.

So it’s time to turn things in our favour again, he thought, as he rushed out of the cabin and towards the next one in line.