The War of Saviors Ch. 01

"Well, Rodeo and I need to get the hell out of dodge. We need to find a new place to hole up, and figure out how to accomplish our present mission. I planned on returning you to your doctors, but I'm afraid to leave you alone again."

This quiet admission on my part seemed to fill Meagan's eyes with appreciation and tenderness, and I quickly looked back to the night ahead to avoid seeing that in her eyes. I don't need a distraction right now, not with the PLA so close...

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Getting close to the town, I swung around the western side to avoid the place where I had left all those dead bodies. My set-up with Rodeo was on the southwestern side of town, while the humanitarian camp was on the outskirts of the southeastern side of town. The doctor's apartments were in the town on the east side. Parking the jeep about a quarter of a mile from my building, I glanced at the clock. "3:34 AM"

Checking to insure that my Sig was loaded and ready to go in my small-of-my-back holster, I jumped out of the jeep, motioning Meagan to follow. I set off at a light jog, running quietly, making sure to go slow enough to let Meagan keep up. The town was eerily silent, except for the occasional creak of a building or the yarling bark of a discontented dog. I checked over my shoulder to see if Meagan was lagging, and was surprised to see her jogging lightly right on my heels, not even sweating.

"All-state cross country," she whispered to me in answer to my surprised look.

I turned around laughing silently to myself, as this woman was constantly amazing me. Reaching the backside of the building I used as my HQ in town, I checked around the edge to see if anything stirred in the square. Nothing happening. But the absence of movement does not mean the absence of danger. I pulled Meagan back around to the back of the building, and looked up the balcony that extended back from my apartment. Climbing atop some trash piled up against the building, I jumped up to the balcony, and then let down a ladder stored up there to Meagan. She climbed on up and quickly sprung lightly over the railing to crouch beside me. I flashed her an appreciative look, which she returned to me. My cock stirred in my pants just seeing that amazing mouth, with those luscious lips...if only I could get my hands on her body, and that mouth around my rock-hard dick...

"Fuck!" I thought to myself. "Concentrate on the problem at hand, Juice," I reprimanded myself. Looking into the window of the apartment, I felt Meagan's hand reach up to close on my thigh. She was steadying herself to look around the area to make sure we weren't observed. "God, this girl is amazing," I prayed to myself. Seeing no movement inside the dark apartment, I tapped lightly three times on the dirty window glass. Hearing no sound from within, I called out "Rodeo" in a whispered call. Getting no response, I had a decision to make. Either Rodeo was passed out still and not hearing me, or...it was impossible to think that anyone had surprised Rodeo and taken him prisoner or killed him. That just couldn't happen. Using the blade of my Ka-Bar, I slipped the tip under the window in search of the cheap locks that held the window down to the frame. Tripping the lock was easy enough, and I prepared to slide the window open when a gun touched the back of my skull from my right.

"Going somewhere?" came the question of a voice I knew so well. Putting my hands up to show that I wasn't armed, I made to let Rodeo know exactly who was sneaking into our apartment.

"Rodeo, man, it's me. Juice."

"Fuck, I know man! I just wanted to scare the shit out of ya!" He laughed while holstering his gun. "What the fuck are you doing out here sneaking in the back window, bro? You should really watch your six by the way, especially with your back to a door..."

Having forgotten about the door next to the window because I knew it was locked, I had placed my back to the door. Stupid. Even if Rodeo could sleep through a shelling in Afghanistan, he always knew when someone was threatening his immediate area. Sixth-sense, or so he boasts. Standing up quickly, I pushed Rodeo inside, with him laughing, and pulled Meagan in with me. His eyes lit up as he perceived her, and especially how hot she was.

"Whoa dude, who's the hot brunette?" he joked with me, while eyeing Meagan up and down.

"You must be Rodeo," she jumped in, offering her hand to shake his. "Your partner here saved my life tonight."

A quick look of surprise from Rodeo, and a bashful look from me told him everything. "Riggghht...so, ya'll have just been, doing what exactly this whole evening?" he asked me with a sly grin on his face. He knew me way too well, and our days of chasing tail together were clearly filling his mind at the moment.

"Listen man," I jumped in to forestall the explanation Meagan had on her lips, "there's no time to explain. We need to get the fuck out, and we need to go, now!"

At that word, Rodeo turned on his heel, and went to get our shit. We kept everything packed light and ready at all times, in case we had to move light, fast, and tight – just like we had to now. He was back in fifteen seconds with both of our gear, carrying two packs and his assorted arsenal of weapons. The only thing I had to get was my binoculars, and the rest of that tequila. I grabbed my pack from Rodeo, gave the place one last look to make sure no trace was left of our passing, and escorted everyone out the front door. We sneaked down the steps, and passed quickly by the half-open front door. We snuck around to the service entrance to the building, and saw that there was a half-peeled off alarm sticker stuck to the door. Following the wires from the alarm, we found that they were connected to, of all things, nothing.

"Thank God for once that his country is a piece of shit," murmured Rodeo under his breath.

Smiling tightly, I pushed open the door to the back alley, and set off at a jog for the jeep. With Meagan directly behind me, and Rodeo protecting the rear, we made fast time back to the truck. Stowing all of our shit inside, Rodeo jumped into the passenger seat, and lifted Meagan into his lap. Considering that Rodeo is tall, thick, and dark, lifting a small white girl was no trouble. He's been my best friend since college, and we've been through the thickest of shit together, always together. Tall, but not as tall as me, but much more heavily muscled, he was the enforcer while I was the brains back in Delta. Born of Italy, he had that olive skin and dark hair that ladies loved, with a sarcastic wit that let people know that he was actually incredibly smart. Never taking anything too seriously, but being deadly in every way, he was my perfect partner. "Fire up this go-kart," he said to me, as he smiled lasciviously at me while settling Meagan into his lap.

Screwing my mouth up into a smirk, and winking at Meagan, I took off into the night, headed for the doctor's camp.

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"4:07 AM"

As we passed across the plain, heading towards the doctor's camp, I began to suspect that something was wrong. The sky on the other side of the hill was too bright for this time of night, considering dawn wasn't due for at least another two hours plus. Parking on the far side of the hill, I exchanged a look with Rodeo which he knew well. We climbed out, and to Meagan said "Stay here, we'll check it all out, and be back in a few."

Running up the hill silently, Rodeo and I crested the hill on our stomachs to a horrible scene. The entire doctor's camp was laid to waste, with most of the tents burning. "Well, that explains the lightened sky," I whispered to Rodeo, who was lying next to me cursing the name of PLA.

I turned to go when I heard a gasp from behind me. Meagan came crawling up to behold the ruined vision of her humanitarian camp. Dead bodies could be seen littered around the camp. It was clear that the PLA had run through the camp, killing everything in sight. The burning tents revealed not only a multitude of dead black bodies, but also some white ones strewn in. Sobs sounded next to me, as Meagan cried to see the people she had tried to help end up dying anyways. Pulling her gently by the shoulders, I said "Meagan, we've got to go while the going is good. Looks like the PLA found their Silence squad, and are escalating the fight. I'm sorry about your friends, I really am. But we need to get out of here now!"

At the mention of the Silence squad, Rodeo gave me an inquiring look, which I returned with a look that told him that I'd explain it all in due time. Rushing back to the jeep, we climbed in, and sped off into the night. Not knowing where we were going, we had to find some place to get to safety...if there was any to be had.