The Red Craft by Kingdom David

Author:Kingdom, David
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: David Kingdom
Published: 2024-01-11T00:00:00+00:00

24

The first two Foundation mercenaries arrived at the ridge. One of them, Farag, was sure he had seen something. He scanned the trees. He lowered his shemagh and spoke to his oppo, Brock.

“I was sure I saw someone moving up here, Brock.”

His oppo crouched down, looking for signs.

“Footprints are getting covered up as soon as they’re made. Can’t see much in the way of animal tracks either. I don’t want to have to explain to Venin how we went off on a big Bambi hunt.”

Farag lifted his tinted goggles, squinting against the wind and snow.

“It could have been a deer, maybe. But it was man-sized. In this snow, who can tell.”

Brock took a hipflask of vodka from inside his coat and took a sip. He passed the cannister to Farag.

“Don’t know what the hell they were trying to achieve coming up here anyway. We barely need to hunt them at all. They’ll freeze the further up they go.”

Farag took a sip and grimaced.

“They say the Foundation tried all sorts of gene therapy stuff on this guy in the early days. Who knows what he can survive.”

Farag scanned the windswept trees and then further up the path.

“This bastard, he’s killed about eleven of us already, between bombs and logs and bullets. All for this stupid fucking kid. I don’t want him freezing to death. Or her. I want to spend a bit of time with them up here, shoot their knees out, watch them crawl, you know?”

“I was thinking crack a few bones with some rocks, before we get proper started?”

Farag slapped his oppo on the back. They’d killed many people together, and often liked to have fun with them before the end.

“Good times, partner.”

Farag passed the hip flask back down to Brock, who was studying the snow at his feet.

“You know many deer that like cereal bars?”

“Hmmm?”

Farag followed his oppo’s gaze. Brock picked up a piece of plastic food wrapper, bright yellow and red. In the snow beside it were a few tell-tale crumbs. He looked up to the trees. Brock was already raising his carbine and pointing it off into the woods.

“Told you I saw something.”

Farag gestured behind him to their rear guard, who just arrived at the ridge. The third man moved in and crouched down beside the other two. Farag pointed into the trees.

“Kline. We think they’re in there, probably hiding out in that hollow. I want you to cut around and flank them, me and Brock will head straight up. We’ll have the high ground and we’ll cut them to ribbons.”

The new arrival, Kline, tucked his carbine into his shoulder and nodded, offering them a grin through his snow-encrusted blond beard. Farag spat into the snow and advanced.

“I’m gonna bring their heads back down the mountain to Venin. There’ll be medals in this for us, boys.”

The Foundation mercenaries crept through the snowdrift, using the trees to advance in stages. The three men arrived at the lip of the hollow, surrounded by big boulders, and fallen trees. Farage signalled for the other two to hold back.

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