Chasing a Ghost

Chapter Sixteen

Author's Note: 

I'm not going to lie to you all. This is the longest fanfic I have ever written and at times I'm struggling to figure out how to keep it moving forward. 

I have every intention of finishing this story. I have 3-4 more chapters currently written after this one, I just wait to post them so I have time to think back on what I've written and if I need to change anything.

Sometimes you might be able to tell I'm not sure where to go next. In the future, after I finish this one, I have plans to write another fanfiction that will hopefully be better than this one. I started this one with no intention of ever posting it, until I got like 8 chapters in and realized I might actually finish it. 

So thank you for sticking around to read this much so far! I'm sorry updates have slowed down and sorry that sometimes I'm grasping at where to take the characters next.

----

Your boots crunched unceremoniously once again on the cold Russian ground.

You huffed out a breath of chilly air and watched the vapor emit from your mouth into the atmosphere. You'd had enough cold and snow for the rest of your life at this point. You'd taken Price's advice and brought along extra warmth although it nearly doubled the size of your backpack. Soap teased that you looked like a hermit crab who'd taken up its home in too big of a shell.

You and your team had begun the trek to yet another remote village nestled within the icy countryside. You didn't have far to go this time, the team having opted for a closer drop off due to the ambush from the last go around. None of you spoke much as you all moved along, the only sounds being the crisp foliage that crunched beneath your boots. Everyone was on guard, looking around into the trees and keeping eyes peeled for possible attackers.

Finally the little village came into view. You saw squat homes lined up along a couple of twisting and turning dirt pathways, adorned by dogs, horses, and chickens milling about. Some people were doing daily work as well, carrying around buckets and baskets while children played in the dirt or chased puppies. It looked very quaint - you would never suspect the activities that were associated with the place.

As it turns out, those people down in the village were mostly the family members of the notorious terrorist organization. They had all been moved here to live a quiet, remote life by their sons committing some of the most gruesome war crimes of the world. You weren't sure if the families were even aware of the heinous acts their children were committing.

Thankfully, every organization has its defectors.

You wondered how Price and Laswell always managed to pull these strings. They had it good with many people behind closed doors - people you didn't even know existed. It had always sort of haunted you, the way top-secret information slowly trickled down from a long line of faceless people until it was finally doled out to the team with heaps of information redacted. Whether it was redacted for your safety or the safety of the faceless, you didn't know. All that mattered to you and the rest of the team was getting the job done.

The group finally made it to the rendezvous point that overlooked the entirety of the little village, stood atop a large hill overlooking a valley with the small community nestled at the bottom. It was nearly time for Gaz and Drake to break off from the team. The insider was hidden somewhere in the village awaiting a meeting with Drake, and Gaz was to tag along to ensure nothing went awry.

As they split off from the group and headed on down the hill, you, Soap, Price and Ghost all settled in to watch their descent. Each of you were equipped with a pair of binoculars to keep an eye on your mates. The four of you watched intently. No one else seemed nervous or on edge, the way you felt. Every time a gust of wind blew by and shook the branches of the trees your head snapped around to search for an ambush.