Do Or Die

Chapter 4

The other young girl of African descent had semi-transformed into a wolf. With her head that of a large werewolf, her body grew into an oversized human. She had run up behind her sister and latched onto the man's neck before spinning to a stop and spitting the head over the edge of the rooftop. She then transformed back into a small-sized human. 

Great, Viktor thought, as he absorbed the scene before him. Remnants of the blown chopper and body parts lay burnt, askew at their feet. The smell of burnt flesh and aviation fuel assailed their nostrils. Smoke from the blast also hung low about their ankles, held there by the cold night air. The rain would be pouring on them soon. Viktor advanced towards the entrance. No survivors from their entrance. He cursed.

"I recall you saying earlier that you needed some alive?" Darksmith stood behind him, looking into the shadowy stairwell.

"Not if direct fire doesn't allow it." But this was too much overkill, Viktor thought.

"Right then." Darksmith advanced into the corridor. Above the blaring sirens that called the men securing the property to arms, footsteps could be heard shuffling cautiously in their direction. Darksmith reached to his side and pulled out a bronze hammer, the head of which was shaped like a fist.  Darksmith grasped the hammer tightly with both hands, lifted it above and over his shoulder. Its handle length appeared to increase by way of magic. The fist opened into a palm, and Darksmith then swung the weapon onto the ground with a dull clang. The floor erupted with waves that were visible to the naked eye, and also what seemed to transport a blue, flickering electric pulse down the floor of the corridor, turning the corner, out of their sight.

A few moments after the disappearance of the wave, resounding screams of pain could be heard along the corridor. Viktor led the team round the bend to discover the bodies of men in bulletproof vests and grey security fatigues littering the floor.

"Kelly." Viktor crossed over the men walking further down the corridor. "Get to work."

* * *

Xin glanced up at the twin full moons in the sky. Ahh, he thought, always a comforting sight. Eyes closed, he breathed in the dewy, cold night air of the tropical jungle that surrounded him. The crackle of thunder overhead disrupted his musings and his eyes fluttered open on a heavy sigh.

The darkness of the jungle was no match for his natural, unimpaired night vision. He saw all, from the dark African violets more than fifty feet away behind him that grew in abundance round the white building that had come under Viktor's attack, to the colorful, very venomous red and yellow coral snake nest that lay hidden beneath some loose rocks a mile in front of him.

Crickets' chirping in Trinidad was different than most. It was long and hard, matching that of a whistle being blown for hours at a time. There were many crickets in the Aripo Mountains, their high-pitched screech competing with the warning alarm that was triggered by Viktor's crew blowing up the chopper.

Xin looked back up at the two-story building that stood carved into the cliff face on an embankment, smiling at the broken propeller of the helicopter that lay dangling off the side of the roof. The bloody, burnt, smoking arm of a dead man hung off one propeller, which threatened to fall off the side of the building. At the very least Audrianna would not be ensconced at a secondary location. She was as safe as she could be - for now.  

Xin turned and looked ahead at the thin, disappearing path before him. The path was crooked, with jagged rocks jutting out of the ground, slippery brown leaves en masse to tread upon - it was not the most convenient terrain to get a comfortable foothold.

The second-wave security team heading up the path to support the base operations staff could be heard two miles down the path. The sound of their feet trampling on soft forest mesh was amplified by Xin's were-hearing.

About twenty-three men, he deduced as he stepped back until his body was squarely hidden beneath some low-hanging palm leaves. He unsheathed his katana-gun. The moon beams' glare travelled up the blade's length as he brought the sword straight up, parallel to the centre of his body.  Xin grasped the hilt securely beneath the trigger guard. It was an uncommon attachment for a sword to sport. He quietly waited for the approach of the first combatant to the small clearing.

The clearing was further hidden by overhanging leaves, which blocked the mouth of the passage. Anyone arriving would have to remove the hanging palms from in front of them before coming directly before Xin. Boulders that were almost level to Xin's waist flanked each side of the passage. He brought his sword up and waited. His heart rate slowed and mellowed as his mind restrained his anxiety and shoved it into a recess of his mind that he would never acknowledge. Xin, eyes closed, braced his nerve with the will to react quickly to the first entry into his deadly trap. He kept himself quietly poised as he waited.

He listened as the first armed enemy brushed aside the low-hanging palm leaf. And he waited...and then...he heard the armed man's track into the clearing...Now!

Xin brought his sword down swiftly, with such deadly force that the blade cleanly severed the head of the first man at the top of his neck. The force of the blow tossed the head flying into the air. The man's body collapsed onto its knees as another man entered the clearing. Xin stepped forward further.  Facing the next man directly, he brought his katana sideways from left to right, effectively slicing the other opponent's neck. The head was sent flying, blood splattered in the air . Blood spewed from the gaping wound at the apex of the shoulders, gushing like a minor spring as that body collapsed upon the first.

Xin reeled backward, his left leg a shoulder's length in front of his right, his sword lowered, waiting for the other combatant to make his appearance.

The other man entered the clearing, looking down to assess the obstacle that he nearly tripped over.  He had no time to be surprised at the bodies at his feet before Xin brought his sword upward in a sweeping arc and the blade severed his neck.

A whip of lightning flashed across the black sky, illuminating the clearing in which Xin awaited the next man. His eyes closed, Xin swung his sword downward, expecting to feel the counter-pressure of the wall of flesh, but the blade met thin air instead. His eyes flew up to meet the shocked wild fear in the eyes of the fourth perpetrator, who assessed the bloody scene before reaching for his hand gun and firing off two shots in Xin's direction.

Xin straightened and pivoted on his right foot, dragging his left foot to his right side from behind. Facing away from the gunman, he pulled his katana forward above his head. The blade against his back, Xin steadfastly blocked each shot from entering his body – sight unseen. He then waited for a lapse in firing to quickly turn around, wielding his sword in a 360-degree turn, counter-clockwise, drawing the sword down heavily.

Shwoop; the blade slashed the flesh of the neck hard, sending the man's head spinning through the air. Blood splattered in an uneven spiral, and the rest of the man's body tumbled to the forest floor.  

Fuckin' shit!

Xin cursed silently. He coolly slashed the air beside him with the katana shaking off the blood and flesh with a vwip.  

Xin was vexed with himself for allowing the last man to get some shots at him. He had hoped to cut down more men at this stage, but because of the early release of gunfire it was already time for phase two. He could hear the other men speed up, advancing towards his point. Untroubled by the bloody cadavers at his feet, he sidestepped the slaughtered guards.

 Xin crouched down by the side of the path beyond the boulders and felt for the ropes he had tied into a heaving line knot and stashed beneath the dense carpet of wet leaves. The ropes were extended across the path at particular intervals, parallel to each other, and camouflaged by fallen leaves. Xin held the loop of the knot and waited as the footsteps of the men to come nearer and nearer. As feet of the front-line guards trampled on the hidden ropes, Xin stood, yanking on the heaving knot. The ropes rose, causing the men to collapse upon each other as they lost their balance. Xin then attacked the men where they lay. Coming upon them he proceeded to stab them on the ground in the jugular and heart. He gouged out their stomachs, moving quickly.  

Xin managed to slaughter nine more men before an armed gunman at the rear spotted him and opened fire. Xin then jumped over the boulders to his right and disappeared into the darkness of the night forest.