The village was two kilometres away, and KLA soldiers remained scattered in every direction. Using darkness as cover, Scheffler lay charges in three separate locations and set them to detonate ten minutes apart. The first explosion went off, and as predicted, the KLA soldiers moved in that direction. He shifted to the edge of the village, and the next charge went off. He crept along the streets while following his map. As he found the house where the agent was meant to be waiting, the third charge went off. KLA soldiers sprinted past before he worked his way around the house. The door for the underground bunker was in the backyard beneath the shed. Scheffler pulled it open and went down into the tiny space, ignoring the stench, where he found the man he was tasked with saving with a bullet hole in the head.
There was no time for emotion. Scheffler took the treacherous path back to the forest, where to his surprise his unit was still waiting for him. He handed the agent’s belongings to Jack, including a small diary and a wallet with a picture of what looked like the man’s daughter. They made it to the LZ and were extracted without incident.
The mission was a failure, but at least the agent’s family would have closure. They could mourn without the torture of false hope, without a lifetime of ‘what ifs.’ After the mission, Scheffer was reprimanded for refusing the orders of a superior, then promoted for his bravery. Jack had been instrumental in him getting a pass. Scheffler had put his life on the line, refusing to concede defeat. He had somehow found a way.
This time was different. It was not his life that would be at risk.
He knew what he had to do, but the thought of going through with it made his stomach turn. He desperately sought out a magical solution but came up short. Facts were facts. It was turning into a bloodbath, and the longer it went on, the more men they were going to lose. He clenched his fist until it began to tremble, until the nails cut into his palm. He scanned every screen desperately for signs of victory, anything that might signal the winds were about to change. All he saw was one of his soldiers running for his life before a splatter of blood caused by a headshot sent him spilling to the ground.
Scheffler eased his fisted grip. He had seen enough.
“Tell everyone to pull back,” he said.
Gerricks turned from his screen and gave Scheffler a bewildered stare.
“Serious?”
Scheffler rubbed his temples. I can’t believe I’m doing this.
“Yes. Full retreat,” he said with a low, thick voice.
“You got it,” said Gerricks.
Scheffler stood up and left the room, then went into his office and shut the door. He slumped into his chair and frowned, disgusted with himself. There was a painful lump in his throat. He covered his face with his hands, unable to bear it all. There would be no victory, he realised, no glory to be had. Until his death, he would never forget that his first significant operation as General was an absolute and total failure, and there was nothing he could do about it.
17
The streets were deserted. Even in heels, Ida marched quickly down the sidewalk while Terence struggled to keep up with her.
“Hey, slow down!” he said with a chuckle.
Ida checked behind them for any sign of Vidrik then crossed the road and went in the direction of the square which she had passed through earlier.
“Hey, stop for a second!” said Terence, placing a hand on Ida’s waist from behind.
Ida stopped and huffed impatiently.
“What’s the hurry?” said Terence, searching Ida’s face.
“We can’t stay here,” said Ida. “I’ll explain once we’re safe.”
“Safe?” said Terence, cocking his head back. “From what?”
“I don’t have time to explain,” said Ida and took off again.
“Why do I always go for the crazy ones?” came Terence’s voice from a distance.
Ida approached another deserted street. Where is everyone? Her ears prickled. She listened in the distance to what sounded like rattling, accompanied by a sudden and strong booming noise. The rattling continued, only abating for split seconds at a time. The sound of a siren grew louder, before a police car eventually raced by with its lights on. Terence’s footsteps approached slowly from behind.
“Can you hear that?” he said. “I think that’s gunfire.”
Ida turned her head suddenly and gasped when she saw a shadow move in the far distance behind them. She got déjà vu while looking at Terence, remembering the guy who had tried to chat her up at Gorbachev’s. The image of him splayed over the step of her building with his throat cut made Ida’s heart race. She had made a severe mistake exposing Terence like that.
“You’re in danger if you stay with me,” she said. “You need to get out of here.”
“What are you talking about?” said Terence, now visibly getting angry.
“I’m sorry,” said Ida,
