How I Met Your Mother Ch. 04

"Andrew, I'm a little..."

"Not Andrew," the voice sounded so loud, even over the tiny speaker in the earpiece. "Inno!"

"Inno, look, now isn't a good time..." Leah said.

"Da, Andrew told me," Inno replied. Leah paused for a minute. She could hear Inno chewing on something – probably a sandwich. "Listen, I might be able to help you with your...problem if you can assist me with a situation I am faced with."

"Okay," Leah said, intrigue getting the better of her.Or is it desperation? "What exactly did Andrew tell you?"

****

Page 167 ofInfection

"I can't fucking believe you did that!" Alex screamed as she hit Bruce in the face with her fist. He fell into the mud that lined the riverbank with a dull splat sound. "I can't believe you'd be that fucking selfish!" She kicked him in the side – the tip of her boot dug into his ribs.

"Alex, listen, we need to move..." Dan said, looking around nervously. "Let's just..."

"What? No! No – I am not going to leave this until later," Alex screamed. "This bastard almost killed my kids!" She turned to look at Bruce. "You sick, selfish fuck!" Her words were punctuated with more kicks being driven into Bruce's stomach as he lay on the floor in a foetal position. "How could you do that? How could you drive the car into the river with the girls in there with you?"

"Have you seen what's going on out here?" Bruce whined. "What's the point? What's the point to anything?"

"The point is that they're your kids as well you stupid son of a bitch!" The volume in Alex's voice was provoking interest from around Them. Dan turned around and watched the tree line – he could pick out the faint sounds of their approach coupled with a barely audible low moan. "You've done some fucked up things to me while we were together, but this is the worst..."

"Alex, we need to go now!" Dan said, grabbing her arm and twisting her to face him. "Look!" he pointed to the tree line.

She saw them – shambling husks of what were once living, breathing people, now twisted into some corrupt parody of themselves. Grey skin already beginning to hang from the bones, eyes recessed into their skulls, limbs bloated as the blood within them coagulated and began to harden. They lurched from the trees, attracted to the sound of the verbal conflict. One of them lunged for a bird that was eating at the carrion remains of a rabbit – the bird simply flapped its wings and avoided the grasp of those lifeless hands.

"If you care about your kids at all we have to get the fuck out of here now!" Dan's grip on Alex's arm was enough, combined with his tone, to convince her that he was right.

"What about...?" she gestured towards Bruce, now crying as he lay in the mud.

"Leave him," Dan said. "He made his choice when he drove the car into the river – if he's got a death wish then they," he pointed at the reanimated corpses moving ever closer. "will be more than happy to grant it to him." Dan released his grip on her arm. Alex looked over at the car – she could see the figures of her three daughters huddled together inside, soaking wet and wrapped in a blanket. She knew he was right – survival was their only goal and this was just stopping them from achieving it.

"Okay, one last thing..." Alex reached for the pistol wedged in the back of Dan's trousers. By the time he realised what she was doing, she was already pointing it at Bruce.

"Alex – don't!" A single gunshot rang out – followed by high-pitched screams. Dan looked down at Bruce – who was now clutching his knee, bloody pouring between his fingers. Alex handed the gun back to him. The undead were now in what could be described as reaching a fever-pitch, their moaning creating an unwelcome piece of background music to events.

"You didn't say I had to make it easy for him to get away from them did you?" She muttered as she walked towards the car.

Leah closed the draft copy of the book that Andrew had left for her and closed her eyes, trying to get some sleep. The flight would be landing in Dagestan in the next few hours and Inno would be waiting for her at the airport.

****

"What happens when we decide to have kids?" Leah's skin was tingling as she lay in Andrew's arms, basking in the post-coital glow. She thought about rolling away from him, but at that moment, there wasn't another place in the world she would rather have been. She looked at the wedding ring on her finger and the dress hanging on the back of the door.

"What do you mean?" She asked in response to his question.

"Well, how much maternity leave do you get? Oh, and I should warn you that twins run in my family."

"I don't know – I've never really looked into it," She replied. "I guess we'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

"The cake was nice," Andrew said. The sudden chance in topic threw Leah slightly.

"What? The wedding cake?"

"Yeah – what did you think I was talking about?"

"I don't know – you just caught me off guard." Leah took a deep breath. "You know, you've never asked me."

"Asked you what?"

"About what I'm going to do in the future."

"Okay, I'm going to seem incredibly thick now, but I have no clue what you're talking about." Andrew said, looking down at his wife as she rested her head on his chest.

"You've never asked me to give up my job."

"Why on earth would I do that?" Andrew sounded shocked. "You love your job and you're good at it."

"But, if we start a family..."

"Then we'll figure it out – you forget, I'm at home most of the time apart from the odd signing tour so I can look after the kids." He paused. "I'm actually looking forward to being a house husband."

"Seriously? You're not going to tell me to give up my job and do something less...dangerous?" Leah twisted her body around so she was looking up at him.

"Leah, I'm sure that there will come a time when you decide that you've had enough of what you do and you decide to walk away," Andrew was idly stroking her long brown hair. "But you have to make that decision for yourself, no one else can make it for you. If I roll up and say "You must resign" then it will just generate resentment between the pair of us. I didn't marry you because you're a doormat. You challenge me, you stand up to me – that's why we fit together so well – you put up with my crap and I put up with your crap."

"What?" Leah laughed. "That's how you view our relationship?"

"Yeah – in a nutshell." Andrew replied. "Now, do you want to go and get some breakfast?"

"Can we just stay in bed?"

The sensation of the plane landing jarred Leah back to the waking world, interrupting her dream. Once she had gathered her thoughts she made her way through customs and into the arrivals lounge. Just as he said he would, Innokenty Annenskij was waiting for her.

Nearly 75 now, he walked with a stick but his personality was just as vibrant as always. He hugged Leah enthusiastically – but there was a sombre look about his face.

"I hope this was worth three flights and sixteen hours travelling Inno," Leah said as they walked to the car waiting for them in the cold evening.

"I am hopeful that I will have something for you within twenty four hours," Inno replied. His business-like manner was unusual – Leah realised that this was the Inno she hadn't met before. The retired Colonel was being pushed to the fore in one last hurrah. "However, my matter must take precedence." He seemed tense as he handed over some pieces of paper to her. The car pulled away from the waiting area, carefully negotiating the traffic around the airport.

"A week ago my son in law was murdered, my daughter hospitalised and my granddaughter kidnapped," Leah looked at the photographs. "Sascha is recovering in hospital, however the authorities have failed to locate Irina yet."

"Inno, I don't want to sound harsh, but you know that she's probably..."

"No!" The big Russian barked at Leah. He was struggling to keep his emotions in check. "No – she is alive." He handed her another piece of paper – a photograph of a young girl holding a newspaper up. The date matched that of whatever time zone Leah now found herself in. Looking into that angelic face, Leah realised she could be looking at her own daughter. "They demanded a ransom, but I suspect this goes deeper than just this."

"You think this is some sort of reprisal for your book, right? Like in the hotel all those years ago?"

"Da. I have a jet standing by to take her and her mother away from all this." Inno picked up a bag that was sitting next to him. "I can't trust anyone else at the minute – Russian Mafia have their fingers in everything as well as FSB. This was all I could muster in the short time I had to prepare." Leah looked inside – two small grenades and what looked like a pistol sat inside. There also appeared to be some sort of dark coloured jumpsuit and gloves.

"I won't need these," Leah replied, handing the grenades back to him. "It's better if I keep things quiet." She took the pistol out of the bag and attached the silencer that had been provided. "Inno, understand that if I do this..."

"If you get my granddaughter back for me then I promise you that I will deliver the man you are after directly to you." Inno said. "If it's a matter of money..."

"Come on Inno, you know me well enough by now - it's not about money – I'll get Irina back for you," Leah replied. "Although, I may need one further favour afterwards."

"Whatever you ask, I will do my best to provide." He handed her a small map. "Now, my sources tell me that Irina is being held in a farmhouse just outside Kizlyar..."

****

Tuesday

Andrew sat at his desk and typed away furiously on the keyboard. His mind was trying to focus on what he was doing rather than thinking about his wife was possibly doing. He had spoken to Inno after Leah had landed without her knowledge to check that she had arrived safely. He hated the idea of not telling her that he knew exactly what Inno wanted her to do and what he was offering in exchange, but he couldn't fault the man for going outside the normal authorities under the circumstances.

There was a tap on his shoulder. Andrew saw Cassie standing in her pyjamas, holding a small, green cuddly toy in her hand.

"I had a nightmare Dad. Baby Cthulhu didn't stop it this time." She rubbed her eyes as Andrew looked up at the clock on the wall.11:45 pm.

"Aww, come here Princess." Andrew lifted her up onto his lap. "Do you want to watch some YouTube clips?" Cassie nodded. Andrew repositioned her on his lap so he could operate the keyboard at the same time as hold onto her. "Okay, just remember, if Mommy finds out about this then she'll kill Daddy, so it's our little secret." Cassie nodded. "Okay – shall we start with Denis Leary's MTV Unplugged?"

"I like the song with the rude words." Cassie said. Andrew chuckled.

"Yeah, I like that song as well..."

****

It's been awhile, but I can still do silent – and I like the dark.

Lurking in the bushes that ran along one side of the farmhouse, Leah watched and waited. Inno's intelligence suggested no more than six men. Three of them seemed to be prowling around the exterior – one lagging behind the other two.

As he walked past the bush two hands reached out – one clamping across his mouth, the other grabbing his shoulder. By the time he had been dragged into the bush his companions were ten feet away – there was a dull snapping sound that neither of them took much notice of.

Tom once saw me in action in the field and told me that I had a green thumb for violence. I think he meant it as a complement – but I always thought it was more like a warning. All I know is that it stung like hell at the time. It still does. My daughter has a green thumb for roses.

Her feet were swift – Leah covers the ground from her hiding place to the two men in a few seconds. There's just enough room between them for her to slip right by them. The shocked expressions on their faces are soon wiped out and both her hands flash out, striking with deadly force in knife-edge strikes, crushing their tracheas in a sudden burst of movement. Both men died within thirty seconds of each other, their brains starved of oxygen by Leah's simultaneous attack.

Yes – I can fight and yes, I'm good at it. But the hurting – I never enjoyed that. I know others who do. If you're gifted in a terrible discipline then every time you face someone, you face them in the knowledge that you can break bones. Displace their arms in their sockets. Blind them. Cripple them. Kill them when necessary.

No matter how joyous and loving a life I lead - it's always there; the worm inside the apple. Shake hands with a new person and I instinctively take note of the nerve clusters and pressure points. Go out with friends for dinner and I know how easily I could take them out in less time than it takes to order the wine.

It took Leah a few minutes to drag the bodies out of sight. Less time than it took to kill them.

Make love to a man who you'd give your life for – who has demonstrated he would do the same for you in a truly grand manner - and seeing him so exposed – so vulnerable...

I'm sick of it.

Creeping into the house, careful not to alert anyone to her presence, Leah's senses were at their peak. She had withdrawn the pistol from the makeshift holster on the side of the right leg of the jumpsuit – which was marginally too big for her – and swept through the ground floor of the building.

As Leah moved level with a closed door, she paused to listen. There was the sound of water running, coupled with a flushing noise. Pressing herself against the wall next to where the door would open, she waited. Her ears picked out the sound of the bolt sliding across, and then the door opened.

Leah's leg swung up, striking the man in the stomach. As he doubled over from the strike Leah drove her fist into the back of his skull, just at the critical junction of the spine. He fell to the floor with a small grunt, his lifeless eyes looking out at the world.

You can't compartmentalise a lifetime of learning where to place your fist to cause maximum damage just because you might be in polite company.

And when you're fighting for your life all those practice runs want to come to play. There's a part of me that's like a sword – and sooner or later it wants to be unsheathed.

My training isn't about restraint – it isn't about remorse. I remind myself that every bone I break, every life I take here gives Inno's granddaughter a better chance to see tomorrow. I can't think of these men as human – not with what I have to do. I've become what I least wanted to be.

Can I forgive myself?

Dragging him back into the toilet – and almost retching at the smell – Leah finished sweeping around the ground floor. It was empty.

A green thumb for violence? Screw you Tom, I never wanted this. I have all I ever wanted at home.

Is that enough?

I have a man at home who I love more than anything and two children who are beautiful – a picture perfect family.

Can I walk away from this? Can I step back from the precipice, from a fall that is finite and complete?

They hadn't even bothered to disguise the entrance to the cellar. Lifting it up, Leah advanced into the dimly lit room. She heard two voices – both speaking in Russian. As she reached the bottom of the stairs Leah noted that both men were looking at something on the table, their backs towards her. She then saw the frail figure of Irina in the corner of the room. There was a rope attached to her ankle that was secured to the wall and her hands were tied together in front of her.

The young girl's eyes went wide – Leah put her finger to her lips to try to prevent her from screaming. The girl seemed to understand, whether by instinct or some sort of experience, that Leah wasn't here to hurt her. Leah then gestured that she should cover her eyes with her hands.

Irina heard two sounds that were almost like someone coughing. The next thing she felt was a pair of hands untying the rope from her ankles and wrist. Irina looked up at the brown haired woman dressed in black from behind her hands. She smiled at her.

"Your grandfather sent me to collect you," Leah said in Russian, remembering the phrase Inno had taught her in the car before she had left. "He's waiting for you." Irina offered no resistance to Leah as she picked the child up. She could feel the girl shaking in her arms as Leah left the farmhouse. By the time she had reached the car, the girl was clinging to her like a limpet.

Any doubts Leah had about her course of action that night were wiped away the moment she saw the expression on Inno's face when she opened the passenger door with his granddaughter in her arms.

****

Kizlyar

12 hours later

"Andrew, it's me," Leah knew the time delay meant it was still early in the morning back in England. "I haven't got long because I'm at a payphone,"

"You're on your way home then?"

"Almost – I have one more thing to sort out, then I'll be back." Leah replied. "Look, you were right."

"About what?"

"About needing to decide for myself about when it was time to quit." Leah said. "I love you baby and I'll be coming home soon – for good." She listened to Andrew as he reciprocated her feelings and then hung up. As she walked away from the phone booth a car pulled up. Leah opened the passenger door; Inno was squashed into the driver's seat.

"Did you make your phone call?" Inno asked. Leah nodded. "Good – now I take you to Mr Banfield."

****

On the outskirts of Kizlyar, just on the edge of the border between Dagestan and Chechnya, was an old military compound. The signs that adorned the approach to it clearly indicated that it had once been one of the Soviet Union's foremost radar bases. However, like the cold war, the passage of time had not been kind to the building.

Many of the outhouses were lacking roofs; graffiti adorned the walls, demonstrating everything from support for the old communist regime, the town's local prostitutes and the fortunes of the two football teams supported by the population of Kizlyar.

As the sun began to dip below the horizon, Leah found herself inside one of the buildings that still had a serviceable roof. In the middle of the room a hooded figure was shackled to a chair. As she studied him, Inno handed her a set of keys and the pistol she had used the previous evening.

"We have five minutes." He said. "I will be waiting in the car."

"I'll be done in two." Leah replied. Inno nodded and walked out of the room. Leah approached the figure and pulled the hood from his head. His mouth had a piece of duct tape across it, stifling his screams. She recognised the face from the file she had compiled. Thin features, dirty blonde hair and eyes that were momentarily squinting from the daylight in the room.

"Okay – let's make this quick," She said, folding her arms in front of her and making sure he saw she was armed. "You go by the name of John Banfield right?" He shook his head. The butt of the pistol cracked against the side of his skull. "Don't bother trying to lie to me, Mr Banfield, White, Furman or whatever name you're currently using – I know exactly who you are."

Leah walked around behind him and pressed the barrel of the pistol into the back of his skull. Banfield moved his head from side to side, trying in vain to move away from it.

"You know, I spent half of the flight getting here thinking about how I'd kill you," Leah whispered into his ear. "Should I shoot you? Should I choke the life out of you? Break your neck perhaps? Or should I set you on fire, so you suffer the same way those people suffered with your little jury-rigged booby trap back in Newcastle?" She pulled the gun away from the back of his head and walked round to face him again.