Hounds of Justice

Brothers in Arms

Pockets of the city sustained a degree of normalcy that allowed its residents to continue their lives as usual. Thousands drove their kids to school everyday and hugging them tight before getting back into the car to fight traffic to drive into the inner city to continue their normal work routine without the fear of that being the last time that they saw their loved ones. The reality for most had become a living nightmare. Basic necessities had become scarce for the rural villages devastated by the local radical groups. A cloud of thick tan smoke filled the air in the wake of air missiles reducing multistory buildings to rubble. Make shift safe houses and refugee camps had become a beacon of hope for those fighting to survive. They provided resources for residents to contact family members to update them.

Tara stood in her bed room with the tv on as she folded clothes. She hummed to herself as she started to feel warm. She put her long, curly black hair up in a messy bun just as a breaking news report interrupted the show. "In world news tonight, suicide bombers are responsible for the death of over 300 innocent people who were worshipping at religious center and we have received word th-" Tara's heart sunk to the floor as the news reporter continued to release the graphic details of the senseless loss of human lives at the hands of the violent groups. As grainy video came across the screen, tears filled her eyes as she watched the people run in fear clutching their children in their arms trying to escape the rubble.

"I brought my son in today to pray for the masses of people in our country that have suffered at the hands of these cruel people. He looked up at me with true sincerity in his eyes and innocence that only a child could possess. He asked to pray for safety of those coming to provide help and for those impacted throughout the country by these senseless crimes. I brought him to the worship service to grant that wish and halfway through the service we heard a deafening boom, my heart sank as the cloud of thick white smoke filled the area. Then the screams, the screams spread throughout the room as people were injured or seeking their loved ones. The piercing shrieks and sobbing ripped through my heart as I looked around for my own son-" the man became overwhelmed with grief as he sobbed loudly. Blood stained his hands and clothing from his attempts to search through the rubble to find his son. He was covered in a thick layer of dust while his hair was matted with blood from a superficial laceration of his scalp.

The news reporter struggled to regain her composure as she appeared back on the screen. She cleared her throat as she began to speak," It is believed that the same group has taken an American journalist as footage was released of 5 masked men demanding that American troops be withdrawn from the area immediately. In the footage the men declare that they are the group that will restore balance to the nation without the help of the United States and are using the hostage as leverage to strong-arm the US to pull out." The woman continues to carry on with the newscast as regularly scheduled. Tara quickly turned the tv off as the segment played in her mind once more. She rubbed her large stomach as she felt sporadic movements. She took a few deep breaths as she moaned while the baby kicked and tinges of pain spread over her stomach. "I know baby, I know. Daddy, daddy is gonna be okay. He's gonna make it back home to us. I'm still worried too, love." She whispered as she waddled over to the nearest chair. She rubbed her lower back with her other hand before she carefully lowered herself into the seat. "Please protect him," she pleaded as tears streamed down her cheeks, "protect them all Father,"she continued to mumble a prayer softly to herself. She wasn't sure exactly where her boyfriend, Roman, was deployed but prayed for him and his unit.

Several thousand miles away, the three men that jokingly called themselves "The Hounds of Justice", had been in frequent contact with the command center for updates on the hostage situation and how to safely extract the journalist. Seth had been awake, for what felt like the entire night, reviewing strategy and analyzing the best way to go about retrieving the journalist. He ran his hands through his hair as he racked his brain to ensure that his men make it back home safely. He jotted down notes before he put his pencil down and he rubbed his face gently with his calloused hands. His hands were pricked slightly by his beard,"I need a break." He murmured to himself as he got up and stretched his arms. Once he leaned back to deepen the stretch, he heard a subtle popping sound. A slight moan escaped his lips as he felt the tension decrease. The glare from the computer illuminated the room a bit to light his path into the next room. He leaned against the door frame of the bunker and let down his dark wavy hair from the loose bun. Seth looked at Roman while he stared up at the ceiling in silence. His eyelids hung low over his tired eyes. There was enough light in the room to draw Seth's attention to the puffiness under his eyes. Roman blinked a few times as he tried to force them to stay open. He sighed as his eyes met Seth's. "I'm- I want to be at home. This has been the most exhausting and physically draining deployments ever. We have done quite a few of these but this one is the hardest. I haven't seen Tara, I haven't heard from her at all- I'm worried, man. She's pregnant and she's due pretty soon. I just want to make it back to be there. I don't want my boy born with me there. I can't miss that." He sighed heavily ran his hands through his hair. Tormented by the pain of not being around for her throughout the pregnancy, he glared over at Dean. "I don't know how he sleeps so peacefully." His snoring filled the room as he continued sleeping soundly. Roman chunked the pillow at him,"Wake your ass up! We have shit to do man!" Dean woke up completely disheveled. "The plan better be good man! I was just about to nail that hot blonde from Canada! I haven't had action in- never mind that! Seth, you better get us home man, I want to get back to home. I'm craving pie right now. Im tired of these MRE's, I swear if I have to eat another mystery meat combo, I just may start gnawing off my own arm." Dean said as he rolled over. "Way to add on the pressure guys, its not like I wasn't stressed out enough. Look, we have one more job to do before we can board that plane and get the hell out of here. Let's just get it over with, alright? If neither of you can sleep, let's go over the plan. They sent over the location where they think he has the hostage for us to check out." Seth stated as shifted his weight, Roman pulled back the covers with a nod as he sat up and got out of bed. "Alright, I'm in. Might as well be productive, right?" He asked as slapped Seth's shoulder before heading into the other room. "Dean, care to join us?" Dean pulled back the sheets aggressively as he raked his hands through his short, messy red hair. "Might as well if you two insist on ruining my night with Canada." He said as he got to his feet. He sighed heavily as Seth squinted with confusion. "All I know is that you need to wash your hands before you touch anything, you filthy animal." He followed Roman into the next room after he freshened up.