Chapter 3 - Part 1
Anthony was on top of Jake, pinning his arms back, knee crushing his chest. He knew Jake was out cold, but he damn well wasn't going to risk getting up until he had been properly restrained.
"Could whoever isn't dead, turn the bloody light back on?" He barked impatiently.
A floorboard creaked, and, with a blinding flash, the bare light bulb burst back to life. Anthony swiftly surveyed the room, before turning his attention back to Jake, ensuring the shifty bastard wasn't just faking it. The small trickle of blood, already beginning to congeal, that stained Jake's upper lip, having oozed from his crooked nose, suggested his current state was genuine.
Anthony was now more worried about Art; during his brief survey all he could see of him were the soles of his boots, revealing him to be face down in the corner. Much to Anthony's disgust it was Ebbe, not Cody, who had switched the light back on. Her formerly calm exterior finally looking like it had shattered. Her eyes stared like saucers at the carnage in her living room. Cody was nowhere to be seen.
With a grunt Anthony cautiously stood, his gaze never leaving Jake for a second. His left hand searched a pocket and emerged swiftly with a cable tie. Heaving Jake's bulk onto it's side, Anthony quickly secured the tie around Jake's hands and pulled it tight. He paused, before tugging it tighter still, so the plastic edging cut into Jake's skin. He was pissed off and wanted Jake to know it.
He stood and could now see Art was indeed lying face down, blood trickling from his skull.
"Jesus," Anthony whispered, looking back at Jake furiously, fighting the urge to stoop down and twist his damn neck until it snapped. Instead he made his way to Art, simultaneously waving to Ebbe to stay where she was. Kneeling gently by Art's prostrate body, Anthony first pulled out a small, flat mirror from the front pocket of his jacket. He placed this as close to Art's mouth as he could. He felt a surge of relief as the mirror fogged up, assuring him that, at the very least, Art was alive. Pocketing the mirror, Anthony began using his hand as a visual guide, trying to identify the source of the wound, without actually touching Art. Life, or more accurately, death, had taught him that until the nature, and position, of the wound was identified, it was safer not to touch a wounded man. Sometimes you inadvertently awoke them with a start and their own reactions caused irreparable damage.
As he scanned, he sensed Ebbe had moved towards him.
"Miss Nystrom?" He questioned, without turning his head.
"Is he?" Ebbe said tentatively, after a brief pause.
Anthony didn't answer, his concentration focused on Art. Good men, in this line of work, were hard to come by. Great men, like Art, were unheard of. Anthony swore if Art died because of Jake, he was burning this God damned house down, and leaving Jake in it to cook.
At last his hand hovered over a matted tangle of bloodied hair towards the rear of Art's skull. With a cursory glance Anthony could tell there was no exit hole on the opposite side. This meant there were now two possibilities; one, the bullet had only grazed Art, two, the bullet was still lodged in his brain.
Anthony stood and found himself face to face with the pale faced Ebbe. He looked into her eyes, trying to glean her possible thoughts. She looked scared. Not like earlier, when she showed a curious bravery. Of course she had fear in her now, Anthony realised; before she was able to control her fear to manipulate the situation. Once it degraded into a fire fight, she was out of her depth. She may be a cunning one, this Ebbe, but she isn't a field agent and she isn't trained in combat. She really is just a civilian, Anthony mused.
"We have to leave," he said, his voice sounding softer than he expected.
"I know," Ebbe replied with a sad nod. Anthony caught her glancing at the images and maps strewn across the room.
"You need anything essential?" He quizzed her.
To his surprise she managed a brief smile, before tapping her head.
"No Mr Team Leader, it's all here."
Anthony shrugged. He didn't care for all this conspiracy bull; it all seemed too much smoke and mirrors, with nothing tangible to rely on.
"Fine. We'll take your Land Rover. We need something to use as a stretcher. Something to tie that bastard to, and something to make this place burn like Dantes Inferno."
Anthony expected Ebbe to hesitate. He expected her to question his commands. Why her Land Rover and not the vehicle they came in? Why are we taking Jake? Why do we have to burn my house? But instead she simply nodded and ran out of the room.
"And where the fuck is that tosser Cody?" Anthony asked himself out loud.
"Will this do?" Ebbe re-emerged, a long ironing board in her hands.
"It'll make a fine stretcher," Anthony nodded, impressed.
"We can tie Grim Reaper to the spare tyre, it's flat anyway," Ebbe added. Anthony frowned and was about to query her comment, until he saw her eyes fall upon Jake, still unconscious on the ground. Grim Reaper! He almost laughed out loud at her nickname. How apt for that cold son of a bitch, he thought.
"The house is already wired with enough explosive to level it," Ebbe continued, "and Shakes is in the driveway," she added, almost sounding nonchalant again. This time Anthony didn't even think to question who Shakes was.
Just a civi! Pull the other one, Anthony thought, starting to reconsider his recent assessment of Ebbe.
Minutes later Art was lying on the rear seat of Ebbe's Land Rover, his head on Cody's lap. Jake was in the boot, hands still tied behind his back, his whole body tied to the vast spare tyre. Anthony was at the wheel, and Ebbe in the passenger seat.
"You ready to detonate?" Anthony asked. Ebbe arched her eyebrows and turned to him.
"I think we ought to move away from the driveway first," she replied, a wry smile creeping over her thin lips.
Anthony furrowed his brow. How much damned explosives did this chick have? With a sigh he started the engine, happy to getting as far away from this mess as possible. The Land Rover coughed to life, and with a shudder, began to move away.
Ebbe turned to look back at the house one last time, before Anthony turned into the dark woods and the house vanished from view.
"Now?" Anthony asked impatiently.
Ebbe shook her head.
"What the hell have you planted in there? A nuke?" Anthony shouted over the juddering engine.
"Don't you want to turn on the head lights?" Ebbe replied, seemingly avoiding the subject.
Anthony shook his head.
"Don't want to be spotted," and he nodded his head upwards, trying to indicate there may be eyes in the sky.
"They'll spot this," Ebbe countered, holding up the detonator.
"I'm counting on it love. Now blow the bloody place up already."
Ebbe rolled her eyes, before flicking the switch with a dramatic swish of her finger.
For a second they heard nothing. Anthony was about to turn to Ebbe and ask if she was sure she had set the explosives up correctly. Before he could, the silence of the woods was shattered by a thunderous boom. Even through the thick growth of trees, an orange and yellow glow was clearly visible not far behind them.
Seconds later, it sounded like vast hailstones were smashing down upon the roof. Anthony jerked the steering wheel in surprise, and had to fight to prevent the vehicle skidding on the gravel road. As he managed to wrangle with the Land Rover, the 'hailstones' tumbled from the roof down the windscreen, and revealed themselves to be the shattered remains of the house.
"Jesus," Anthony muttered, as a few more chunks of brick landed on the back window with such force two large cracks appeared.
"I warned you," Ebbe said by way of explanation, "I'm not an explosives expert."
Anthony briefly turned to look at her, before returning his eyes to the murky road. As another piece of debris slid from the roof with a rattle, he found himself beginning to laugh. His foot slammed on the brake and they screeched to a halt. Anthony doubled up with laughter, tears streaming down his face. He turned to Ebbe, to find her staring back at him stone-faced. Unfortunately this only made him laugh harder. With great effort he finally managed to choke back the laughs, partly because his head was starting to swim.
A moment later he had regained his composure.
"Finished?" Ebbe asked, her voice deadly serious.
Anthony nodded, suppressing a renewed urge to laugh upon seeing her sober face.
The Land Rover roared back to life, and under the veil of the night, began to wind its way through the countryside. No one spoke a word for at least half an hour, all seemingly lost in thought.
It was Anthony who eventually broke the silence.
"You going to tell us what this is all about? Or what?" He said bluntly.
"How about I show you?" Ebbe replied swiftly.
"Seeing is believing," Anthony fired back.
"Fine. We need to go to the Kielder Observatory."
"An observatory? We're going to be looking at the stars?" Anthony responded, a little confused.
"No. We're going to have a tea party and sing hakuna matata!" Ebbe replied sarcastically.
"Where is this Keedler place?"
"Not too far," Ebbe responded, allowing one of her brief, wry smiles, to emerge on her face.
"And this thing we're going to see. It's supposed to be, um, life threatening?"
"Supposed to nothing, Mr Team Leader. It is what it is."
"Anthony."
"I beg your pardon?"
"My name."
Ebbe turned to study Anthony.
"Ebbe," Ebbe smiled sweetly.
"I know. Remember?" Anthony replied.
"I know. But it feels much nicer to introduce ourselves properly, does it not?"
Anthony nodded, though he didn't really get it.
"Have you killed a lot of people?" Ebbe asked him out of the blue.
Anthony paused, unsure how to answer. He wanted to say no, but it was obvious Ebbe was smart enough to know he'd be lying. Then, he wanted to say, 'only as many as neccessary', but the recent events made him question how many of his past jobs had been 'neccessary'. Was eliminating Ebbe and all those she knew neccessary? How could it be? Sensing she was growing impatient Anthony finally opted for the truth.
"A lot." He waited for a nasty rebuke, but none came. Instead Ebbe turned and looked at the blackness out of the window.
"I hope you'll get the chance to save some for a change," she finally said, still looking out of the window.
