A cold empty room only filled with the sight of disheveled young girls and women, a few measly mattresses, and a couple of buckets.
Hassan is a fucking monster.
As we scan the hostages I notice three look like adults and the other two are much younger, most likely minors. I would guess 15 and 9.
Disgusting.
"Farah," Ghost says softly and starts approaching the group of women.
Out of fear, they scoot backward.
"G-Ghost?" Farah slowly stands to her feet.
She looks terrible, wearing nothing but a worn-out cloth dress, bruises covering her body.
"A-are you real?" Farah's voice cracks and tears fill her eyes.
"Very real," Ghost says, nodding.
Without hesitating Farah runs up to Ghost and hugs him.
"We're here to rescue you and the others." Ghost looks at me, insinuating that I introduce myself.
"Sergeant Breanna Roberts." I approach Farah, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.
Without saying anything she puts her hand on top of mine, softly squeezing it, a gives me a half-broken smile.
My heart pangs.
The other women and girls sit there confused and scared. Farah explains to the other hostages in Persian who we are and why we're here: to rescue them.
One of the older women starts panicking, too afraid of what could happen if we're caught escaping.
It takes some time to encourage the hostages but we eventually end up convincing them that we'll be able to protect them and get them out of here in one piece.
I look at the 9-year-old who is sitting on the floor with her knees to her chest, crying, and ask her in Persian, "Are you alright, sweetheart?".
She wipes her tears, nods her head, and tells me her name is Darya.
She looks disheveled, broken, sickly.
I lift Darya and carry her on my back. The other women and girls stand to follow us.
Ghost tells Farah to translate something to the girls, seemingly not wanting to speak to them and risk putting them on edge again after they finally calmed down.
After being trafficked, any man—especially a large one with a skull mask—can be terrifying.
Farah translates, "Stick close to me. Never stop moving. Never."
Ghost hands Farah the X30 Auto he picked up earlier.
"Do we have a solid plan here, Ghost?" I ask him, stress coursing through my veins.
"Yeah, we shoot our way out," he deadpans.
Simpleton.
"That's great and all, Einstein but what about evac?"
He sighs and pauses to think.
I continue, "Because we can shoot our way out of Hassan's residence, but then there are the guards directly outside, and then there are the guards working the check-in at the gate entrance to the property. After that, we'll need to escape and regroup with 141."
Ghost nods.
"We'll have to take a car then," he deadpans once again.
Is he feeling alright? He doesn't seem concerned but maybe he's placed his emotions aside so he can focus on the mission.
YOU ARE READING
A Ghost Encounter: My Time with Simon "Ghost" Riley
FanfictionBreanna, an army Sergeant, has never been the easiest to get along with and has struggled to get close to people due to some past traumas. With a chip on her shoulder, Breanna ensured that everyone is kept at arms distance. She's been able to stand...
