Chapter 94

CHAPTER 94

NO TIME TO think. Everything was reflex now. I took a position next to Kira and started firing with one of the poachers' AR-15s. I could see fighters approaching from about fifty yards away, darting and weaving as they came, rifles blasting. Rounds were hitting all around us.

Marley took a bullet to the shoulder and spun backward until he landed flat on his back. "Fuck this!" he shouted toward the sky. He threw down his rifle and rolled onto his knees. Then he started running in a low crouch toward a row of tents about twenty yards away. I never pegged Marley for a deserter, but then, I'd never seen him in a real firefight.

The attackers kept coming. I emptied one clip and loaded another. I aimed and pulled the trigger. The gun jammed! I reached for my other rifle, the antique Mauser. A shot ricocheted off the dumpster and tore a fresh hole in my shirt.

I saw Lial pick up Marley's rifle and start shooting. But within a few seconds, she was out of ammo.

I looked down the row and saw that Harper and Fenwick were out, too. That left me, Kira, Blodgett, and Tagaloa. Not enough firepower. The incoming rounds were pinning us down. It wouldn't be long before they overran us. I pulled out my cutlass in case it came to that.

Then, over the gunfire, I heard a wild shout from the other side of the dumpster. Suddenly, the whole battlefield lit up with flames. I crawled out between the dumpsters and saw Marley standing spread-legged with a flamethrower, driving the attackers back. Some of them dropped and squirmed on the ground, coated in fire. There was grimy smoke everywhere. It was hell on earth.

I kept firing, picking my shots. Then I saw Kira and Lial alongside me. "Get back, damnit!" I shouted. Lial was using a gun she must have gotten from one of the other guys, and Kira still had the .45. They were crouched side by side, covering our flanks while I focused on the field straight ahead. Marley's fuel tank was empty now and his fire was out. I saw a skinny attacker with a red bandana burst out of nowhere. Marley knocked him out cold with the handle of the flamethrower. With my last bullets, I took down two more coming straight at me.

And then it was over.

Kira and Lial held their fire.

The field in front of us was clear, except for a bunch of bodies, some of them still burning.

Marley dropped his flamethrower and knelt down in the dirt. The rest of our team emerged from the other side of the dumpsters. "Holy shit," said Tagaloa.

I dropped my rifle and went over to check Marley's shoulder. His entire right sleeve was soaked with blood. I ripped the shirt open and applied pressure to the wound. Marley grimaced with pain. It was messy, but there was no major damage. "You'll survive," I told him.

"Damn right," he said. "I haven't got paid yet."

I saw his eyes shift. I turned around. A figure staggered out of the haze. He had a pistol pointed at Kira. I heard Lial shout, "Abai! No!" She jumped between them as the man fired. I saw Lial spin backward as Kira fired back. The man dropped onto the ground.

I ran over. Kira was bent over Lial. I saw a dark-red hole in her shirt and a stream of blood oozing from her mouth. She looked up at Kira and spoke between gasps. "That's the last time… I'm saving you tonight." Kira pulled Lial to her chest and held her. We both saw the exit wound. Kira looked at me and shook her head. There was no chance.

Lial was still talking. "Bring me… his comms." She nodded toward the dead man on the ground. I grabbed the sat phone off his belt and handed it to her. I watched her hands tremble as she pressed a three-digit code. The speaker crackled and a male voice came through. He sounded anxious and excited. "Abai! What's the report?"

Lial held the phone close to her mouth. Her voice was weak, but clear. "Cal, it's Lial. I'm here… with Abai. The mine… is secure."

The phone cracked again, the voice rising. "Lial? You're there? What about Sunlight and Savage?"

Lial looked up at Kira, then over at me. "We found them," she said. "It's over. They went down together."

She cut off the transmission and let the phone drop. Kira lowered her gently back down onto the ground. "I'm sorry," said Kira. "It should have been me."

"It's okay," said Lial. "It feels good… to be free."

Her head drooped back. She was gone.