Page 35 - Archangel

an angel ascends

Pausing for final approach, Ndara said, “I’ll take the helm. You’re a faster
swimmer if Layla or anyone else makes it to the pick-up.”
“Good call” Skye confirmed. Ndara killed the engine a full 300 yards
off the beach and surfed a slight onshore current to within 200 yards.
With Skye signaling “Hold Position”, he reached into his captain’s
bag and retrieved the AN/PVS-14 night vision device which provided
excellent visibility.
Both captains looked skyward as the clouds cleared for an instant. As
Ndara pulled from 200 to 100 yards, Skye saw an image from the pits of
Hades materialize on the beach. Suspended from an overhanging tree at
the northern end of the sandy shore for maximum visibility, MacIain saw
a mangled body swinging grotesquely in the light breeze. Breathlessly,
he refocused the scope. It was Layla. Her Crucifix was stuck in her mouth
and parts of her corpse had been hacked off. With evidence of torture and
only MacIain’s UN peacekeeping experience preventing instantaneous
nausea, Skye haltingly hand - signaled to Ndara for “Fatality”. The Kenyan
immediately stowed his paddle and moved to the outboard motor for
emergency exfiltration. They were made.
Steeling himself for a final image that rage etched deeply into his soul,
Skye sharpened the scope to focus on surrounding elements. With its
superior range and optics, the night scope micro-focused on the distant
form of a Land Rover along the entry road Layla herself had used in the
past for evacuations. It bore a logo for what looked like “EuroMining
International” or something similar. Capturing a photograph of the
vehicle, MacIain had just turned to replace the night scope in his
captain’s bag, when the forest beyond the beach suddenly lit up and
all Hell broke loose.

29