The flash bangs were followed by fragmentation grenades which shredded anyone in the vicinity of the openings. Only then did the soldiers enter the caves with their silenced M4s. They used IR targeting scopes so they could see anyone hiding in the dark. Each rifle was also equipped with 500 lumen lights. The soldiers went room to room shooting everyone they encountered. They were told to save at least two per cave for questioning. The attack was over within ten minutes and each team had captured two people.
A group of three went room to room grabbing everything that might be of value. They discovered most of the FOB’s computers which they also took home. The captives had their wrists zip-tied behind their backs and tied together at their waists. They were blindfolded and marched to the FOB.
Colonel Spivey had ordered the intelligence group to set up a series of rooms for questioning. The captives were separated, each placed in their own room. Their stolen army camo stripped from them as was their boots which were stolen from the base. The temperature in the interrogation rooms was slowly lowered until the captives were shivering and begging for warmth and a coat or blanket.
Colonel Spivey laughed while watching them on closed circuit TV. He told Major Klein, the head of intelligence, “Let them freeze for a while longer. I want them softened up a little more.”
“How about I give them a little laced coffee or hot chocolate.”
“I like it. It will warm them up and loosen their tongues. I want answers and I want them yesterday.”
“Sir, I know, but these things take a little time.”
“I’ll leave it in your hands, just get me the answers and locations to any other caves or whatever they may have.”
“Yes, sir.”
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Six hours later, Major Klein brought a steaming mug of coffee to the Colonel. “Freshly brewed.”
“I hope it’s not laced.”
Klein laughed, “Sir, of course not. I’d never do that to you. Would you like a verbal brief or read my report?”
“Verbal please. I have more than enough reports to read. There was a stack here waiting for me.”
“Sir, the people, if I can call them that are members of a new religion. They are cannibals. They believe the rock was sent by their god, Satan, and they are helping bring forth Satan’s rule on Earth. Their leader discovered the caves and worked hundreds of them to death forcing them to connect them into one massive cave complex. They killed everyone that was here.”
“How? How did they overcome the sentries and guards?”
“Gas. Their leader made what they labeled as knock out gas. He was a chemistry teacher. He packed it in small tanks they carried in backpacks and they pretended to be stragglers who needed help. That allowed them to get close to the sentries. They gassed them and they then gained access into the base where they sprayed gas into the heaters' outside air intake. The heater spread the gas through the entire base and it knocked everyone out. Then they entered, stripped their uniforms off ,and dragged them to the caves where they were cut up. Their leader didn’t tell them the knockout gas really didn’t knock them out, it killed them.”
“None were alive when they were cut up?”
“Nope, thank God. They were all dead within minutes of breathing the gas.”
“Thank God for little favors. Did you find out where their other bases were?”
“Only their leader knew where they are. We believe he died in the attack on the caves. We did find his computer and a book of maps. My team is studying them now. I hope by lunch we’ll have them plotted. What do you want done with the ones we questioned?”
“Toss them naked into the cold. They killed ours so we’ll let Satan save them. I’m sure they’ll all be seeing him sooner vs later. We’ll just help them make their journey.”
“Yes, sir.” Smiled Klein.
The captives screamed as they were stripped naked and tossed outside. They begged for mercy. They offered their bodies. Klein smiled, “Ask your lord to come up here and save you. I understand hell is warm, you’ll like it there.” He watched them shiver and begin to turn bluish. He then told the guards, “Shoot to wound them if they begin to move towards the base.”
None of the captives made it ten feet before falling face down into the deep snow and freezing to death.
Colonel Spivey thanked his lucky stars they’d destroyed the caves and all of the cannibals so he could focus on his report to HQ and see if they wanted him to remain in this FOB or continue south when his concentration was broken by the base alarm screaming. He stood up as a staff sergeant saluted, “Sir, we didn’t get them all, some just gassed our security by the mess hall and made off with six teens, sir, including the Coats’ older girl and her boyfriend. The other four were all girls including The Coats’ younger daughter.”
“Goddamn it, we have to find them before they cut them up. What about our people?”
“This time the gas only knocked them out. Either they used a different type of the concentration or it wasn't enough. The kids are most likely alive. I guess we didn’t get their leader…”
“No shit.”
Klein entered the Colonel’s office, “Sir, the alert force is ready.”
“Then get out there and find those kids and kill the SOBs who took them. There must have been another base or a hiding place inside the caves you missed.”
Chapter 25
Trinity had been sitting at a table enjoying a large mug of hot chocolate. She was sitting next to Frank and their knees were rubbing against each other under the table. Her
