Revenge

Judgement Day

The last smiling image of his mother returns suddenly. She was so proud of him, taking on his predestined role. She had raised him, prepared him with the knowledge that he will have to be unwavering in his decisions. That his moral compass will have to be adjusted from time to time. Just like it has to, now. Will this act of vengeance make him a better man? Probably not. Will it change the past? Definitely not. Will it bring hope to his people? Absolutely.

The coppery tang of blood suddenly fills his mouth and Armond spits out the mauled match stick, stained by the blood of his own tongue; bitten in an absent moment. He cannot afford to lose focus like this. One unfocused second can cost them their vengeance. The mere thought of failure is enough to make him feel the bile rising again. Failure is not an option. They must succeed. If they die in the process? Well that would be unfortunate, but hes left capable men behind. Men who could see to the rebuilding of their community and their future.

The flash of sunlight as the metal detectors are returned to the respective vehicles, signal the beginning of the end for General Scarlets convoy.

The time has come.

The images of the women in his family return to the forefront. Armond has to hold on to the smiling faces of his mother and sisters rather than the bloodied mess of skin, bone and scorched flesh, still etched on his eyelids. Those are the images he returns to every time he closes his eyes, the images which have driven him to this place and this act. There is no greater show of love and admiration than this. To lay your life down for the safety of others, or in this case to avenge the wrong done to those he loved.

As the first vehicle of the convoy starts its engine, Armond is ready to complete the mission. There is little that can now go wrong for them, just like there is little that can now go right for the butcher and his men. As he connects and double checks the last of the cables and wires, he gives a nod to the man who has been watching him this whole time. The signal man who is co-ordinating this ambush. In turn he gives the all clear to every other man, who is watching him in turn, waiting for the beginning of Judgement Day.

As the first and last vehicles in the convoy pass their specifically measured landmarks, Armond slams his palm on the detonator and blows up the last part of the bridge directly in front of the convoy and the hillside directly behind them. At the same time, the snipers start the assassination of the drivers of specific vehicles. This, essentially, blocks any escape route for General Scarlets vehicle, leaving him no choice but to watch his men being taken out one by one. While it may seem as if the targets are randomly selected, the drivers and some soldiers are being spared the indignity of having to wait for the inevitable, because they were not part of or instrumental in the massacre of his people. Scarlet, however, will have to wait for last. He will have to stand by and watch as his protection detail shrinks, leaving him vulnerable.

As the dust clears, the chaos below is clearly visible. The men are scrambling to find shelter from the bullets just to find they are hiding on the wrong side as someone next to them falls prey to another bullet. There is a poetic kind of justice to the scene unfolding before him, Armond muses as he puts a new match stick in his mouth before starting to make his way to the bloodbath below. To face the man who violated the safety of his people.