Dusk till Dawn.[ON HOLD]

Chapter 02. Íroas.

It was over forty minutes and more than seven kilometers that they had trudged carefully through the dark thicket. The Night Vision Device attached to their headgear was the only source of light apart from the fleeting moonlight and the only sound heard was of the leaves scrunching under their boots.

The special force team of Indian Army, was trained in such a way that they could not even hear the inhale or exhale of their counterparts. Thirty commandos moved in a beeline, lead by their mission commander who happened to be their base commander as well.

The soldiers working with him knew what they were signing up for if they had to follow his lead.

Ambush and direct assault were his field of expertise. He manifested strategy before action. At desperate times the soldiers had to up their game, to not only cease the enemies but also to dodge the bullet aimed at their lives for the sake of their leader, who had to keep his record of no casualties during combat.

But truth being told, their phenom commander valued their lives more than his.

After the long tramp he raised a gloved fist, signaling everyone to stop. Prior to commanding further he assessed his surroundings and eventually opened his fist before turning his palm in opposite directions which meant for the group to divide into half, and take cover positions to his right and left. When everyone followed, he called for his number two.

"Karan."

Captain Karan Rawat stepped ahead and swinging the rifle on his shoulder took out a pair of binoculars to spot the targets.

"All the ophidians, as reported by the intelligence are here, Major." Karan stated using the allotted code words.

"Their positions?"

He looked around every visible nook and corner so as to not miss out on any one.

"The Boas is in the weaponry located at your 2 o'clock, the Mambas in your straight line of vision and the Taipan at your 9 o'clock, behind the barracks. The vipers are spread around. They are double the number we expected." Karan did no attempt to hide his shock while disclosing the last part.

"Any suggestions?"

"Can we wait for team B? I suppose they are on their way."

The Captain wasn't petrified with the situation but the odds against them were high. The surprise of finding increased number of militants then reported was bothering so he had mouthed off his concerns.

The commander was calculating. He knew waiting for backup meant loosing the element of surprise, along with their lives if by chance the militants happen to spot them. Hence considering Karan's suggestion signified more cons then the pros. His gut screamed to start the frontal attack on the grounds that, it was the only way to cause more damage to the opposite party.

"Waiting will lead us to lack of discretion. So let's start with one on one."

"Okay." Karan wasn't one bit surprised when his suggestion was declined, for he knew the word waiting held no much importance for the other man.

"We don't know if there is an exit for them to escape, so with 10 snipers make an outer parameter. Take positions in right angles and shoot the ones attacking at our blind sides. I along with the storm troopers will lead the head on attacks. Copy?"

"Copy."

"Best of luck boys!"

The Captain nodded at others who had heard the leader through their earpiece. The snipers followed, laying down on their fronts and aiming their carbines to shoot. When everyone was on standby, the commander motioned the Bazooka to begin.