Dead Silent

Dead Silent - Chapter Eleven

It had been days.

"Esther! Don't move! Act dead!"

There were grey and red military trucks passing by on the dirt road. They didn't see us, but they stopped. I heard footsteps, and they were getting louder. Louder and louder, until they were right in my ear. I heard my AK-47 being picked up. "I earned that." I said firmly.

"Wha-" He started.

I got up and socked him in the nose with my palm. He was on the ground, I took my gun back and unloaded on the other soldiers. Bullets flew passed by my skull. Any second now, one of these will claim me, but it will be for a good reason. Everything was quiet except the groaning of the soldier on the ground. I kicked his face and knocked him out. Esther was in shock again. The soldiers were all dead, I had to take advantage of that. I gave Esther the pistol, "If something like that happens again, you have to be ready, okay?"

She nodded, still shocked. I walked toward the truck and a soldier came from around the front, and pointed his rifle at me and pulled the trigger. He missed. I had to reload. This is it. The soldier was shot. I turned around to see Esther holding the gun, shaking, with the barrel smoking. I heard static coming from the truck. "...ship...Allen...help is...needs supplies...can...this channel..."

I searched, and searched but couldn't find it. Then, I saw a black duffel bag. That was where it was coming from. I took out the walky-talky and started answering, " Yes, yes, hello? We need help!"

"...can't...that well...are you...to give...position..."

My position, "My position is a dirt road, sun to my right-"

"...Henry..."

"How did you- James?"

"...me...on a boat...Russians are...stole it...captain...chopper...to get me... get you...you said...road and the sun...right..."

"Yes. And there may be a Russian facility neardby because we saw-" The static was getting worse.

"...a what...saw..." Then it went silent.

"James, James!" I shouted loudly, "We need your help!"

Esther chimed in, "James? Where is he? Let me speak to him!"

"He's gone, Esther. The static took over."

"No, no it hasn't. No!" She took the walky-talky, "James? I'm here! It's Esther, talk to me!"

"He's gone," I put my hand on her shoulder and gently took it out of her cold hands, "He must be going the opposite direction from us."

"...turned around...boat may be...getting closer to you. Can you hear me, Henry? Henry? I heard Esther."

Eather's eyes widened, "Yes! I'm here, James, I'm here!"

"Okay, I want you and Henry to stay where you are and wait for me...have a chopper coming for me, and I can get you. Now, you said you were near a Russian facility?"

I answered, "We saw Russian trucks, so I'm guessing yes."

He didn't say anything for a moment. I thought we lost him again. "I can hear the chopper, it's here. I'll try to find the facility and then you."

"Hurry James, we may be safe now, but that was only a few of the bastards."

"I'm coming." He said.

I kept the walky- talky in my pocket and the gun on my back. I also picked up another pistol for a back up. I sat in the driver's seat of the truck, Esther in the passenger seat. "We have to wait." She said.

"I know." I admitted.

Hours went by and I was almost to the point of setting up sticks for target practice. Almost. I heard the chopper. "Is that you, James?" I started waving my arms and jumping.

"I see you, old man!"

"Esther, Esther! Where are you?" I looked at the back of the truck. She was jumping and waving.

The chopper landed. James jumped out and grabbed onto Esther. I could tell they were about to have a moment, so I walked up to the pilot and shook his hand. "Thanks for coming, Henry, and that's Esther. I'm assuming you know James."

"Chester." He introduced himself, "It's what we want to do. We want to help people who are between a rock and hard place. Or in James' instance, a soldier and a cold ocean." It wasn't funny, but I laughed anyway.

After a few minutes went by, we heard more truck tires. "Do they ever stop?" James complained.

We all piled into the chopper and Chester started it up. We heard clinks and clanks. They were bullets hitting us.

Switching to James

Esther and I were sitting near the left side door of the chopper, it was wide open. I was holding tightly onto Esther, who was on my right. Beep! Beep! Beep!  Beep! The chopper was hit in a critical spot. So was Henry. He was holding onto his arm, and was about to fall out. The chopper was smoking. I leaped out of my seat on the left all the way to the right side, and grabbed onto Henry's left arm. He'd been shot in his right arm. I couldn't hold much longer. "Let go! Let go, you have to!" Chester shouted, "It's too much weight, I'm sorry!"

The chopper was diving right into a hill side. I didn't have time to think. I took a pistol out of his jeans, "James." He mumbled.

"You were a great man, and an even better father." I meant this about him watching over Esther, "Thank you so much."

I put the pistol up the the back of his head. And pulled the trigger. His body fell to the ground and the trucks ran him over as they were chasing after us. "No!" Esther hit me.

"I didn't want to. It was either him, or all of us!" I assured her.

The chopper lifted up over the hill and we were out of the soldiers' site.