Two (Countdown Book 5)

Chapter 5

I awoke to the familiar sound of helicopter rotors. I didn't know what the Hunters liked so much about them, but they always seemed to have a helicopter ready to cut us down. 

Anyway, at the house in Norfolk, helicopters were coming and going all the time, dropping supplies and new recruits and picking up people for meetings. So, when I noticed the black silhouette of an armoured helicopter travelling through the sky towards the house, I didn't think anything of it. 

I went back to sleep. 

Nearly ten minutes later, I was awoken again, by the sound of gunfire. I looked out of the window, and saw a dozen or so men pouring out of the helicopter, dressed in black with assault rifles raised. I saw two dead bodies of guards near the front gates of the house. 

The house was huge, more like a mansion. It was surrounded by a brick wall topped with razor-sharp barbed wire. There were no breaks in the brick wall except for the single entrance that was manned by two guards and a barrier. There were three pairs of patrol guards walking the compound, each with an Alsatian on a lead. All vehicles going in and out were thoroughly checked and by the two guards and  a sniffer dog. 

As the men approached, they shot the dog dead. 

I finally got up, shaking. Then, someone burst through my door, staggering into the room. I raised my fists defensively, but it was only Vasim. For a moment, I smiled, relieved. I then realised that something was wrong. 

Vasim's face was pale, and covered in a shiny sheen of sweat. His grey pyjama top was covered in blood, coming from a wound in his chest. He reached out two bloody hands to me, clawing desperately at my top. 

"R-Rene." Vasim stuttered, his voice weak and full of desperation.

"Rene?" I asked. "What's going on? Who are those people? What happened to you?"

"Get... Rene." Vasim said weakly. "They... they're here for... for you..." 

"Why do I need Rene?" I said scaredly. "You're here. You'll look after me, right?" Vasim shook his head, sinking to the floor. "You're going to be okay, Ivan."

"Don't... call me... that..." he muttered. "Sir... to you..." 

I held his hand firmly in my own, and pressed down hard on the chest wound, trying to stem the bleeding. He coughed, and flinched in pain. "Yes, Sir." I said, my mind finally catching up with the events I'd seen. We were under attack. And the attackers were here for me. 

"G-get the... the AK... 47..." he gasped, his eyes glazing over. "You can... you can do it..."

"Yes, Sir." I said again, my eyes watering despite all that Vasim had put me through in the last few days. Vasim's gaze settled on the ceiling, and he didn't move again. I wiped my bloody hands on my pyjama bottoms, and then I left my room, feeling more determined than ever before. 

I went down to the firing range, encountering no trouble. I figured our assailants would still be preoccupied with the guards. After searching the racks, I found the AK47, the only gun there I'd had any success with. I checked the clip, which was full. I had just thirty bullets. 

As I climbed up the stairs to the main building, I saw the first assailant. He was dressed from head to toe in black and had a helmet and a gun. His combat boots made hardly a sound as he stepped carefully along the corridor. He was heading in my direction. 

Before I could lose my nerve, I raised the assault rifle and fired a short, four-round burst. The guy staggered backwards, then made a loud thud as he hit the ground. I wasn't worried about noise, though; the AK 47 had made enough noise when I'd used it just a second go.