Days Of Perdition: Voodoo Plague Book 6 Page 23
In frustration I grabbed the knob and tugged, surprised when I felt the door shift slightly. I pulled a couple more times, watching the whole frame move when I did. Glad that shoddy workmanship was alive and well, I drew my Ka-Bar and inserted the blade into a narrow gap between the doorframe and the bulkhead’s wood framing and started working it around the perimeter.
It didn’t take long for me to figure out that when the door had been set it had been held in place with small, temporary screws. Someone should have come along and installed the big, heavy lag bolts that were almost certainly required for a security door, but they hadn’t. And I wasn’t complaining.
Pausing after I started to apply leverage with my Ka-Bar, I looked over my shoulder at the dead pilot. He most likely had a smaller survival knife on him that I could use and not risk breaking a knife I might need. Sheathing mine I strode to the body and found a six inch, fixed blade knife strapped to his flight vest.
Twenty minutes later I had one screw to go when Zemeck’s baritone sounded in my ear.
“Got a few more infected arriving in the area.” It was just an update and he didn’t expect an answer.
I kept working in silence, finally breaking through and the door coming free. The top began to tilt out towards me and I let it move enough to grasp each side and lift it free. Shuffling sideways I set it down then carefully lowered the top until it was flat on the roof. I had managed to work very quietly and was confident that unless someone had been right on the other side of the door they wouldn’t have heard me.
The lights were on inside the casino revealing a red-carpeted flight of stairs that led down. Rifle up I began descending, treading lightly and listening hard for any indication that I’d been detected. The area was quiet and when I reached the bottom of the stairs I found myself in what looked like a VIP area. That made sense, as anyone who had a helicopter on the roof would have almost certainly been a VIP.
Looking around I spotted a row of switches and started pressing them until the lights in the room went out. I had to open a door to move into the main area of the casino and I didn’t know if it was lit or not. Either way I didn’t want the room I was coming out of to be brightly lit and visible to anyone who happened to be looking in my direction.
Cracking the door open half an inch I pressed an eye to the gap and peered through. The main area was lit, but only with dim lights set far apart in the ceiling far overhead. There were lots of shadows along the walls and large pools of darkness spaced out into the distance. Row upon row of slot machines stretched away, none of them powered up.
I stood still for several minutes, watching and listening, but didn’t detect any movement. Rifle gripped with my right hand I slowly pulled the door farther open with my left. Poking my head out I took a quick look in each direction and still seeing nothing of concern I swiftly stepped through the opening, softly closed the door behind me and moved into the closest spot that was dark.
Still clear of danger I ran to the nearest bank of slots, rifle up and scanning in sync with my eyes. Pausing behind the eight foot tall row of machines I checked behind me before continuing on deeper into the room. I passed through two areas lit from above before pulling up in the shelter of a giant Wheel Of Fortune slot machine.
Crouching in the dark I caught my breath when I heard a quiet cough from the adjacent row. Remaining stock still I listened for a moment then checked behind me again before continuing deeper into the building. I kept moving like that, dash and pause, dash and pause, until I was approaching the area where the majority of the blobs had shown on the thermal image.
No more dashing from this point. Slow, cautious, steady movement. I could hear the faint sounds of conversations and smell cigarettes being smoked. The aroma of food cooking threatened to start my stomach rumbling. I was surprised as it was the middle of the night and I’d expected most of the people that weren’t on sentry duty to be asleep, but that didn’t seem to be the case.
Working my way forward I stopped in a shadowy area at the end of a bank of large slots and listened for a moment. A couple of low conversations and faint sounds of pots and pans being banged around. Flattening my body to the floor I slowly poked my head around the base of the machine, the legs of a stool providing some camouflage.
I was near the far end of the casino from where I’d entered and the area along the wall was better lit than the main gambling floor I’d just crossed. A guard carrying an AK47 rifle was walking away from my position, presumably continuing on a set patrol. He didn’t look particularly alert and was focused more on the carpeted floor in front of his feet than he was on the surroundings. That was not unexpected and was also good for me. They felt secure, and even though they had posted men to patrol the building the sentries were bored and not really doing their job.
Three men lounged around a low, felt topped table, and this was one of the conversations I was hearing. Two of them were smoking and there was a half empty whiskey bottle on the table, a shot glass resting in front of each man. I could just make out what they were saying and listened intently for a couple of minutes.
They were discussing organizing a fight and trying to decide what form of payment they would accept for an entry fee; food or ammunition. They settled on ammunition, then moved on to women. This part of the conversation didn’t make as much sense at first as they seemed to be debating which woman was the best. Then, as I continued to eavesdrop, I got a sick feeling in my gut when I realized they were talking about women they were holding captive.
Raising my head slightly I made note of their weapons then pulled back around the corner into the dark. I started moving again, further along the row of slot machines, sticking to the darkness and spotting and cataloging different members of the group. Quietly moving past a couple of large poker rooms with glass walls I could see a lot of people sacked out in sleeping bags in each room.
Wood paneled doors with small, oval windows set head height led to the kitchen where the cooking smells were coming from, next to them a man seated in front of another door that had a discreet sign on it marked “PRIVATE”. He looked like he was guarding whatever was in the room, a shotgun resting in his lap. He was dozing, his head repeatedly tipping forward until he jerked himself back awake for a few moments.
My count was at fifty-five. I hadn’t been able to approach and look into the kitchen, but I made the assumption there was only one person cooking, so I upped the number to fifty-six. Eleven more bodies to find, and presumably two of those would be Katie and Roach, though I hadn’t seen either of them yet. Continuing my cautious recon I upped my count to fifty-seven when I spotted the next guard that was sitting in front of another glass walled poker room.
This one was well lit and it took me a moment to realize what I was looking at. Here were the women the men had been discussing. Six of them. All dressed in lingerie typically only seen in a strip club or Victoria’s Secret catalog. Where the hell had they found the clothing? Chastising myself for letting my mind wander to a topic that was unimportant, I adjusted my position to get a better view into the room.
The women were stretched out on the carpeted floor, sleeping. They hadn’t been provided sleeping bags or even blankets and just lay with their arms folded under their heads for pillows. My breath caught when I spotted one with long, wavy red hair. She was lying with her back to me, legs pulled up towards her body, as she was most likely chilled from wearing next to nothing. Between the distinctive hair and the small tattoo I could see on her right hip, revealed by the white thong she was wearing, I had no doubt. It was Katie.
43
“We’re in the building.” I heard Zemeck’s voice over my earpiece.
I was working my way back to the far end of the casino after spotting Katie and spending some time locating as many more members of the group that was occupying the building as I could find. Roach and two others were still unaccounted for, my final count four short of the sixty-seven that had been spotted on thermal.
There was
any number of reasons for the discrepancy. The satellite image was several hours old and people could have left. There were also a lot of private rooms and offices that I hadn’t been able to approach and check without risking being spotted by a sentry. I was thinking about all of these as I heard the radio call and looked up to find a location to tell Zemeck to meet me.
Each of the large banks of slot machines I was moving through was numbered. Large signs stuck up from the top of each group so that they were easily visible and identifiable to the casino staff from anywhere on the floor. Spotting one a few rows deeper into the casino I activated my radio.
“Meet at 42. Four two.” I said in a very quiet voice.
“Four two. Copy.” He replied then the radio went silent again.
Changing directions I began working my way to the rendezvous point. I was far enough away from the concentration of people that I was once again moving quickly from shadow to shadow, pausing every so often to listen. Nearing my destination I dashed to a dark area, shadowed by a row of video poker machines labeled 38, and froze when I heard the sound of a match being struck from the far side of area 37.
Reaching up to my vest I pressed the manual transmit button on my radio two times in quick succession. This would send two clicks to Zemeck, telling him there was a problem and he needed to go still and silent until I gave the all clear. A moment later there were two answering clicks in my earpiece as he acknowledged my message.
I could smell cigarette smoke now as well as see it drifting up into the faint light above the 37 sign. Scanning the area I didn’t see anything other than quiet machines so I moved to the end of the bank with my short rifle up and ready. When I came to a stop I was close enough to hear the burning of the tobacco as what I presumed was a sentry took a drag, a moment later the soft sigh of his exhale clear to my ears in the quiet.
Risking a quick look I leaned out; rifle aimed and finger moving onto the trigger. The man was seated at the far end of the row, four machines away from where I stood. His back was to me as he stared towards the far end of the casino. Not wanting to make any noise I lowered the rifle to the end of its sling and silently drew my Ka-Bar.
When I’d first entered the building I’d not been in a hurry to start engaging the occupants. They could have been survivors who sought refuge from the infected in the security of the big casino. They could have been employees who had just hunkered down. But when I’d found my wife, obviously being held against her will and forced to dress like she was, any hesitation to kill on my part had been removed.
Ka-Bar gripped tightly in my right hand, I took two long, quiet strides and clapped my hand over the man’s mouth as I thrust the blade into his kidney. A deep strike to the kidneys will send the human body into immediate shock, rendering it unable to fight or flee. Pulling the knife free I stabbed in from the side, the eight inch blade slipping between his ribs and piercing his heart.
Maintaining my hand over his mouth I twisted the Ka-Bar to ensure an instant kill then pulled it out and lowered the corpse to the floor. After wiping the blade clean on his clothing and re-sheathing the knife I took a moment to pull the stools away from the slot machines, roll the body against their base, then put the stools back in a neat row. Anyone walking by would easily see the dead man, but from a few yards away, in the shadows, he wouldn’t be readily apparent.
Raising the rifle I scanned the area but came up clear. Two slow clicks on the radio let Zemeck know he was OK to move again and I turned and headed for the 42 sign. I arrived a few minutes ahead of them and took the time to check two rows on either side of the location. Both were clear of any guards and when I moved back to the bank of machines I spotted Zemeck leading Rachel, Martinez and Dog.
“Why’d you come inside?” I asked quietly after Dog calmed down and quit insisting that I pet him.
“Infected showed up,” Zemeck answered in an equally soft voice. We were talking in mumbles, not whispers. The sibilant sounds of a whisper carry much farther and are more easily detected by the human ear than a very quiet mumble. “Too many to fight without retreating, so we came up the rope.”
I turned and looked at Dog who thought my glance was an invitation for more petting.
“He’s a heavy bastard, but at least he knows to stay still.” Zemeck said with a grin. “So what’s the landscape?”
I filled him in on what I’d found, Rachel and Martinez pushing in close to hear what I had to say.
“No Roach?” Rachel asked.
“Not that I’ve seen.” I said. “He could be gone, could be in an area I couldn’t get to, or could be dead.”
She nodded and Zemeck spoke up. “So, what’s your plan?”
I pulled out the sketch Stephanie had drawn for me and spread it out on the floor. With Dog pushed out of the way everyone was able to lean in and see as I pointed out what I wanted to do. Zemeck asked a few questions, but kept nodding his head as I spoke.
“Rachel, will you get to Katie?” I asked, looking up at her. She looked back at me and smiled.
“Yes. I’ll make sure she gets out.” She said, meeting my eyes and still smiling.
“Thank you,” I said, reaching down, drawing my back up pistol and handing it to Rachel. “Hand her this when you get to her. She knows how to use it.”
Rachel nodded again and tucked the weapon into her waistband. We reviewed the plan one more time and when there were no more questions I looked at each of them and thanked them for their help. Zemeck and Martinez nodded, slightly embarrassed. Rachel looked back at me and I could tell she was holding back tears. Martinez noticed too and motioned Zemeck to come with her and give us a moment of privacy.
“I wouldn’t be here without you,” I said to Rachel. “I don’t know how to thank you or tell you how much you mean to me.”
She reached out and took my hand in hers, leaning in and kissing me. It was a slow, soft, deep kiss, but there was sadness behind it.
“Let’s go get your wife,” she said.
44
We moved single file, me on point with Dog at my side, Zemeck behind me with Rachel and Martinez watching our rear. First step was to take out the roving sentries. I’d already gotten one of them on the way to meet up with my group, but there were two more that I’d spotted. Both were armed with AKs and needed to be taken out before we began our rescue effort. Leaving guards running around behind you with automatic weapons is never a good idea.
I heard the first guard before I saw him. We had angled over to be close to the wall farthest from where Katie was being held and as the man walked he dragged the heel of each foot on the carpet. In the tomblike silence of the cavernous building it was easy to hear him coming. I signed for the group to stop, held a hand in front of Dog’s face to tell him to stay and moved forward to meet the man.
As I spotted him around the corner of a row of ATMs he was just pushing through a door into a men’s restroom. Padding silently, I ran up and pressed my ear to the door. I couldn’t hear well, but managed to pick out the sound of his zipper coming down, followed a moment later by the glassy tinkle of a urinal being used.
Raising my rifle I pushed the door open with my shoulder and stepped into the brightly lit room. The man stood with his back to me, legs spread apart and hands in front as he relieved himself. His rifle was leaned up in a corner, well out of his reach. He hadn’t heard me enter the room and died with a bullet in his head. The body collapsed to the floor with more noise than I liked, but overall it was a very quiet kill. The new Sig rifle was every bit as silent as Zemeck had made it out to be.
Exiting the restroom I formed back up with the group and we began hunting the other guard. I had observed them making full circles of the perimeter of the casino floor, so I knew he’d be coming along in the wake of the one I had just killed. We stayed one row in from the outside wall and moved forward to meet him.
Covering almost half the distance to the holding area I called a halt when I heard voices approaching from the front. Crawling laterall
y I took a peek down the perimeter row and was dismayed to see four men strolling towards us, all armed with AKs. This was not how they’d been patrolling when I’d been snooping around, and while I had no doubt that Zemeck and I could quickly take the whole group, I was afraid to risk one of them getting a shot off and alerting everyone in the building.
I pulled my group another row away from the wall and quickly told them what was coming our way.
“You need them distracted so you can get close,” Rachel said. “I’ll take care of that.”
Rachel was still wearing the extremely short shorts she had used to distract the Rangers at Tinker so we could escape, and now she reached up and peeled her vest and shirt off, leaving only a thin, nearly transparent tank top covering her bare breasts. Handing her clothes to Martinez she went down our row until she was past the approaching men. Zemeck and I moved to a corner at the perimeter row, rifles up and ready.
“What are you doing here?” We heard one of the men ask in surprise a moment later.
“I was lost and this looked like a good place to hide. Are you the Army?” Rachel was getting quite good at putting the right amount of ‘ingenuous’ in her voice.
“How did you get in?” The same man asked.
“That door right back there.”
That was our cue. I knew they were already facing away from us, looking at Rachel, but now she would be pointing at an area behind her and all of them would be looking for a door that they had somehow missed.
I was closest to the row, Zemeck tight against my back with his left hand on my shoulder. When I moved he came with me, both of us stepping into the open, rifles already up and ready. As one we fired, the two outside men dropping from headshots that killed them instantly. We adjusted aim and both fired again as the first set of bodies hit the floor, the remaining two dying instantly as well.