Page 137 of Cry Havoc

The soldier beating Quinn pointed at Hiep and shouted something that Tom couldn’t understand at this distance, but it must have been an order to remove the blindfolds from Hiep and the Americans. The soldiers then forced the Americans to kneel.

The NVA leader was facing them, one foot on Quinn’s back. He was addressing the captives again. He then stepped back and aligned the butt of his rifle with Quinn’s head like he was judging the distance.

Fuck. They are going to kill him.

Tom’s finger went to the trigger.

As the soldier raised the rifle high over his head like an ax, Tom’s finger pressed back.

The bullet impacted the mud low and left.

Immediately the soldiers looked to the mountainside in confusion.

Adjust high and right.

Tom adjusted and put the next round into the soldier’s lower stomach.

Windage is good.

The soldier dropped his weapon and put both his hands to his midsection in disbelief.

Tom adjusted again and sent a third round that took the soldier in his upper chest.

He dropped to the ground on top of Quinn.

The compound erupted in pandemonium. Shouting in Vietnamese was followed by fully automatic fire from AKs aimed in Tom’s general direction, raking the hillside about 75 yards down and to the left of where he was hiding in the rocks.

They don’t know exactly where you are.

Yet.

You fire again, and they will pinpoint your position.

They kill you, then all this was for nothing.

What was that?

A tall white man with black hair in a khaki shirt and pants marched from a hut near the motor pool. He was pointing and shouting orders. He was carrying Quinn’s tomahawk.

Was he yelling in Russian?

It was impossible to tell over the gunfire.

A bullet hit the rock by Tom’s head, sending stone fragments into the left side of his face, a sliver lodging in his left eye.

Shit!

Tom blinked and brought this left hand to his eye to try and clear out any debris.

Was that a lucky shot?

Why don’t they have anything bigger than AKs down there?

You have got to move.

Tom squinted his left eye and focused on using his right.

Where was Quinn?