Page 8 of Hayes (Voodoo Guardians #37)

Hayes and his team trudged through the desolate mountain terrain. They’d been asked to infiltrate a rebel camp, kill their leader, and scatter the other men, or kill them.

They’d found the group of rebels, disposed of their leader and fifteen other men, watching as the remainder ran into the mountains. Now, they had to get back off the mountain.

“Treetop one, we’re ready for pickup,” said Hayes into the comms device.

“ Roger that. Headed to the extraction point now.”

The men simply nodded, walking higher and higher up the rocky face of the mountain terrain. His lieutenant was near the top and looked back down at the team.

“Make sure there are no tangoes hidden behind the rocks. I don’t want anyone dying on this mountain.”

Hayes, at the rear as always to maintain comms, nodded, then looked more closely at the rocky, ragged terrain around them. As they reached the flat surface from which they’d be picked up, Hayes noticed a small crevice in the mountainside.

“Hey, are you guys seeing what I’m seeing?” he whispered to the men beside and in front of him.

They all followed his eyes and immediately drew their weapons. It wasn’t very big, but it was damn sure big enough for a small man or child to fit through. The four men slowly began moving toward the crevice, Hayes remaining in the clear for comms.

In the distance, Hayes could see their chopper coming for them. He didn’t hold him back, not yet. One of the men pointed the rifle at the crevice, calling for anyone to come out with their hands raised.

Hayes stared at the crevice, then back at the chopper headed toward them. They heard a small voice, and suddenly, a young boy walked out, his hands raised. But none of that mattered. None of it mattered when they saw what was taped to his little body.

“Fuck!” cursed Hayes. “Treetop one, treetop one, hold your position. We’ve got a child with explosives.”

“Say again?”

“Stay where you…”

It was all Hayes got out as the boy cried out for his mother, then disappeared in an explosion of noise, rock, and bodies.

He watched his teammates flying through the air, as if in slow motion.

He didn’t even recognize that his own body was falling down the side of the mountain, sliding against the sharp rock face.

When his body finally stopped sliding, he looked up at the mountaintop where his team had been. Except there was no longer a mountaintop, nor was there a team. They were gone. All of them were gone.

He reached for the comms device on his body to call for the chopper, but his arms refused to move. Nothing seemed to connect with his brain. Then it was dark except for one blurry figure.

Hayes awoke to find himself in total darkness. No, that wasn’t right. He wasn’t in total darkness. He awoke in the middle of the night. Still lying on the small shelf of rock that he’d landed on, he wasn’t sure whether to move or not.

Carefully, he pushed himself toward the rock face, crawling to sit up. He wanted to scream in agony, realizing that his shoulder was dislocated and his wrist broken.

Leaning against the rock, he reached for his comms device only to find that it was crushed. It would take him hours to fix it, and even then, he wasn’t sure it would work. Removing his pack, he pulled out a t-shirt and bound his arm to his body.

Inside the medical pack, he swallowed the powdered pain medication and then took a big swig of water from his canteen.

“Think, Hayes,” he muttered. “Think.”

He dared to stand and look up the mountain where his team had once been. They were all gone. All of them. He was on a mountain in the driest climate on earth with only a few days’ worth of water, at most, and, no doubt, the rebels coming straight for him.

Injured, it would take tremendous effort to get off the mountain and walk for help. That’s when he realized he had another option. Another form of communication that would work, as long as it was still operable.

Tapping his own comms device for VG, he prayed it wasn’t damaged. Like everyone on the VG team, it was an implant behind his ear, but the explosion had caused him to hit his head multiple times as he rolled down the mountain.

In the distance, he could see that the sun was beginning to rise, which meant he would be exposed. Remembering that they’d passed a number of small openings, crevices, and caves coming up the mountain, he slid down on his bottom, hoping to find one for shelter.

When he found the first one, he easily fit inside, happy to see that he was alone. Standing with great effort, he leaned against the opening and tapped his comms several times. When he got no reply, he dug out his VG communication device.

His eyes blurred, a headache overwhelming him. No doubt he was concussed, and the effects were hitting him hard. The screen blurred before him, but he tapped out the message he needed.

Need help at location ASAP. Only one alive.

“What in the world?” whispered Victoria. She texted back.

Is this a joke, Hayes? Are you trying to get me to leave the property?

There was no reply, and Victoria’s stomach bottomed out. She tracked his comms device, hoping that he had turned it back on.

“No. No, this can’t be,” she whispered. Grabbing the tablet and her phone, she ran from the building and found the small skiff. She’d race to Trak or Angel’s and ask them to come with her.

Then she remembered that they were in Chicago. Shit!

It didn’t matter. None of it mattered any longer. She docked the skiff, ran to her cottage, and gathered her things in a backpack. Rushing back to the cafeteria, she realized that everyone was already gone. It was late, and they’d returned to their own homes.

If she asked them to help, they would force her to stay on the property in spite of her overwhelming desire to help Hayes.

Frantic, unsure of what to do, she saw the SUV and decided to take her chance. She’d never driven so fast in all her life. When she arrived at the airport, she approached the international counter, slid the location across the counter, and simply said.

“I need to get here as fast as I can.”