Abe: A Remaining Universe Novel by D.J. Molles

Author:D.J. Molles [Molles, D.J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: D.J. Molles Books
Published: 2024-05-07T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 14

Crouched at the base of a tree, with my rifle braced against its trunk, I hold my reticle on the man in the bell tower. It’s hard to tell in the darkness, with a hundred yards between us, but it seems like the guy is looking right at me.

My team is utterly still.

I breathe very slowly, but my mind races—is he actually looking at me? At us? Or is he just looking in our direction?

No. His body language isn’t alerted. He’s just staring off into the dark. He has no idea that four rifles are staring right back at him.

At least, that’s what I tell myself to keep my heartrate from bumping my reticle too much.

Ten, long seconds pass.

Shit. People don’t usually stare at one point for that long…

Then he pivots and looks off to my left. His posture is loose and bored.

“Get ready,” I breathe out, quieter than the gentle breeze that cools my sweat-soaked skin.

Another few seconds, and then the guy in the bell tower turns and faces away from us, looking out over the declining slope of the mountain and the dark vineyards beneath.

“Move,” I whisper.

With barely more than a rustle of fabric and leaves, Lucky and Menendez ease out of position behind me and slip quietly down the side of the mountain. There’s a half-moon tonight, and mostly clear skies, and I see their shadowy shapes snaking through the trees. Then they’re swallowed up in black as they slide into the shadows at the base of the compound’s wall.

It’s 0330 hours, and according to Branch, we’re gonna hit the sweet spot between the guard shifts. Apparently, they swap out at midday and midnight. Which means we’re heading in on their fourth hour of pacing the darkness in agonizing boredom. They’ll be as complacent as we’ll ever catch them.

I wait for the guy in the bell tower to make another full turn, which takes about five minutes. The next time he faces away, the rest of us move, taking the same path that Lucky and Menendez took, down to the base of the wall.

I’m keeping my sights on the bell tower the whole time, ready to tell everyone to freeze if he happens to turn around again. He doesn’t.

At the wall, we hang a right where Lucky and Menendez had gone left. EZ leads us. Our progress is slow and methodical to keep the noise down. We halt often to look, listen, and smell.

“Team One,” Branch’s voice shushes in our earpieces. “You’re twenty yards from your entry point. No hostiles nearby.”

We stay quiet, but pick up the pace.

“Team Two,” Branch says to Lucky and Menendez. “Go quiet. Two guards on the other side of the wall from you. Otherwise, you’re right where you need to be, so hold there.”

Our team reaches a section of thick brush, and EZ goes onto his belly, squirming through a narrow opening beneath the branches. I let Marty go through after him, but hold my position outside.

“Alright, Team Two. Guards have passed.

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