Tales of the Forgotten (8 page)

The
team gathered their packs and secured the vehicle before moving into the house.
They found one large communal room with a fireplace along the back wall which
rested against the mountain. Sean went to set his pack down when Hasan grinned
at him and said, “Not yet, my friend.” Hasan put on his backpack, dropped to
his belly, and crawled into the open mouth of the fireplace. Rising slightly,
he disappeared into the back of it.

Sean
just looked at Brooks and Brad with a puzzled expression.

“Well,
what the hell,” Brooks said as he put on his own pack and followed Hasan
through the hole. Sean went next, then Brad. After a very tight squeeze
thorough the mouth of the fireplace, they also traversed the high step up into
the chimney and found the tunnel that Hasan had disappeared into. They had to
crawl another fifteen feet directly into the mountain before the tunnel opened
into a large cavern. When Brad exited the tunnel, he rolled to his side and
Brooks helped pull him to his feet.

They
found Hasan at the center of the cavern, lighting lanterns and tossing stacked
wood into a fire pit.

“What
do you think, my friends? Afghan engineering at its best, yes?” he said with a
big smile. “You can place your things over there.” Hasan pointed to a large
area carved into the wall that was filled with cots.

“I
am very impressed, Hasan,” Brooks said. “This is not the first time I have
ventured into one of your caves, but this is the first time I have been a
welcome guest.” He walked towards the cots and tossed his heavy bag onto one
before moving back to the pit and helping Hasan with building a fire.

Brad
looked around the room, walked to the center and, finding a stool, sat down.
“You are full of surprises, Hasan,” he said. “How many places like this are
there?”

“More
than I can count, my friend,” Hasan answered.

With
the fire growing hot, Brad watched the smoke lift to the top of the high cavern
and drift farther into the mountain.

“How
far does the tunnel go back?” he questioned.

“I
am not sure. I have been deep in the mountain, but never to the end of the
passage. There were limits to where I was allowed to venture,” Hasan said.

He
then got to his feet and lifted a large iron pot from a stone shelf. After
placing the pot in the coals, he used bottles of water from his pack to fill
it. “There is a spring in the back of the cave that flows from the river for
water, we can refill these bottles before we leave,” Hasan said while working.
He then walked back to the stone shelf and lifted the cover from a large clay
vase, from which he removed several heaping bowls full of a rice and bean
mixture to add to the iron pot.

As
the water boiled, Hasan added spices and a large bundle of dried meat that he
removed from his pack. “After two nights in that steel building, we deserve a
hearty meal,” Hasan said to the group.

“How
do you know of this place, Hasan?” Sean asked.

Hasan
smiled and sat on a bench near the pot before telling his story.

“I
first came here when I was a boy; my father used to bring me here. We would
come to the village often to trade his livestock for goods. In those days,
people lived in the village at the base of the hill, but the Russians changed
that because of a disagreement between the elders and the local commander. The
village fell quickly out of favor with the Russians and it was burnt. The
mujahedeen rebuilt this home and a few others. I don’t know how long the
passage to the cavern has existed. My father talked of visiting it when he was
a child, so I imagine the house was built around the entrance.

“After
this place was destroyed, the people left. The next village was beyond walking
distance from our home, so we lost our ability to safely trade our livestock.
My father was angry at the loss of our trade and our friends so he took up arms
against the Russians. Weeks later, I walked the road from our home to this now
empty village with my father and two older brothers. My father negotiated a
trade with the mujahedeen commander. My father gave the best of our flock in
exchange for rifles and ammunition. Purchasing our own weapons gave us
independence. In those days, if a mujahedeen commander gifted you a weapon, he
then owned you, and you were a member of his force. My father, by purchasing
weapons of his own, was able to freelance, I believe you would say.

“We
traveled the road often after that. Sometimes the mujahedeen would pay us to do
missions for them. Mostly we helped lead foreign fighters to cross the Amu
Darya River from the borders of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. And even sometimes
your own CIA would come here with our help; business was good for us. When the
Russians left, my father retired our small force, and my brothers and I tried
to return to the village life. But the peace did not last for long. After the
Taliban took control of the government, my father was urged to rejoin the
fight. He took all of his sons with him and we traveled to the northeast and
joined the Alliance. My father was killed in a skirmish with the Pakistanis
soon after. Later, I lost both of my brothers to a suicide bomber.

“I
stayed with the Alliance for many years, even after the death of our leader. I
even supported the U.S. invasion, but soon after the U.S. forces arrived the
Alliance broke up in the name of a new, weakened government. So I returned to
my home in the village. I tried to adapt to the new ways of peace and forced
prosperity.

“The
roadside bombings started the spring after I returned home. We had nothing to
do with the insurgents in our area; nonetheless, our elders were labeled as
collaborators. The helicopters came in the night and left with many of our
village leaders. Soon I found myself back in these caverns again, doing what I
knew best. I was on a hired mission working for a cell in Hairatan when this
new enemy attacked my people.

“I
was far north of the border arranging delivery of rockets to be shipped to the
Taliban when word reached me. My first instincts were to get home to my family,
but I soon realized that would be impossible. I discovered most of the roads to
be impassable, and in the early hours the streets and highways were flooded
with the hordes of walking monsters. I fled with others to the hills. We were
not armed north of the border, and our primary defense was to become faster
than those who traveled with us.

“I
made my way to the banks of the river, and I was able to barter with a boatman
for passage across. By sticking to the high ground, I was able to avoid the
mobs and make my way back to Hairatan. I met Junayd in a safe house east of the
city. We were known to each other by reputation alone, but we do not share the
same principles. We agreed to work together only for reasons of
self-preservation.” As Hasan finished, he reached forward to stir the boiling
contents of the pot.

“What
do you know of your family?” Brad asked.

“In
the first day my cell phone operated, but there was mass chaos. My wife was
confused and didn’t know where to go. I was able to negotiate with a cell
member in the area who promised to keep them safe. Unfortunately, the phones
stopped working before I could confirm that she had been rescued. I have to
admit that it is selfish motives that brought me to join you on your venture.
My wife and child do not live in this region. I moved them near the main
airbase years ago. I joined you in hopes of finding information on their
wellbeing,” Hasan answered solemnly. Brad just hung his head in sad thought as
Sean stood and extended his hand to Hasan.

“We
are happy to have you on our team, brother; you have already proven yourself
useful, thank you,” Sean said.

“Very
good then. Let’s feast tonight on real food. After two nights in the steel
building we deserve a good meal, and not the mess that comes from the cans that
Brad feeds us,” said Hasan with a grin.

10.

After
they finished eating, Sean told Brad that they needed to go outside and set up
security. The front had been left unattended way longer than it should have
been. Because of the tunnel and isolation of the watch station, they had
decided the watch would be two men at all times in the home. Brad readied his
rifle and followed Sean into the tunnel. The sun had started to go down and the
tunnel had grown dark with most of the ambient light from the house gone. Sean
exited first and took a knee just outside and waited for Brad to post up next
to him. They sat for a few minutes listening to make sure they were alone. Then
Sean rose to his feet and moved to the window. Brad came up behind him and they
both scanned the horizon. The sky was orange and they probably had less than an
hour of daylight left.

“I
need to get some gear out of the Defender before we lose the light,” Sean said.

“Okay
boss, I can observe you from here,” Brad replied.

Sean
walked out through the door and moved to the vehicle. It could be seen easily
from the house, but was near invisible from the road or the small trail that
approached the home. Brad looked beyond the vehicle and saw that the shadows
over the ruins of the village had started to stretch. He hated this time of the
day, when the sun seemed to move quickly and the shifting shadows could play
tricks on your mind. More than once he thought he spotted a primal staring at
him, only to look through his binos and find a boulder or a long ago
knocked-over wall.

Brad
turned his attention back to Sean. It looked like he had finished what he was
doing and was locking up the Defender. Sean threw a bag over his shoulder and
started the walk back to the house. As he entered the doorway, he dropped his
bag before securing the old rusty bolts at the top and bottom of the plank
door.

“You
get what you needed Sean?” Brad asked.

 “Yeah,
grabbed up a couple thousand rounds of ammo from the cans you picked up. I got
to thinking how it would suck to get surrounded and have all the ammo sitting
out there in the truck,” Sean said.

“Damn,
good thinking! Guess that’s why you’re the chief,” Brad said with a grin.

Brad
found a chair and set it to the back of the window in the shadows, but still in
position to where he could see out. Sean began pulling items from his bag and
laying them out on a table in the center of the room. He sat his MK11 sniper
rifle on the table, and two extra magazines next to it, but kept his suppressed
MP5 across his chest where it hung from a tactical sling.

Brad
turned his attention back to the ruins and watched as the orange light began to
fade into a deep grey. Far in his peripheral he sensed motion. Brad stood and
took a step closer to the window, still being very careful to stay concealed.
He lifted his binos and scanned the lower quarter of the village where he
thought he had seen something. He watched for a moment.

“What
do you got, Brad?” Sean asked.

“Nothing
yet, but I thought I saw something.”

“Got
to be careful, buddy, these twilight shadows can play tricks on you,” Sean
said.

“I
know, but it looked like movement … oh wait, there it is again,” Brad
exclaimed.

With
new interest, Sean got to his feet and stepped to the window. Brad, using his
hand in a karate chop motion, pointed out the direction where he thought he had
seen something.

“Well,
what exactly did you see Brad?” Sean asked.

“I
can’t be sure, but it looked like a group of people running,” Brad answered.
“There! See them? By the low wall.” He pointed.

“I
got them, three targets moving left to right,” Sean said, barely above a
whisper and reaching for his rifle. “Wait, those aren’t primals. They appear to
be one male adult, one female adult, one child,” he continued emotionlessly.
“They just dropped into the ruins of that house, third from the left on the trail
head, about 550 meters.”

“What
are they doing here?” Brad asked.

“Oh
shit, I got two primals tracking them. I don’t think they have a fix on the
friendly position yet; they’re walking, not running. Primals moving left to
right 700 meters out,” Sean whispered.

“You
want me to go get Brooks?” Brad asked apprehensively.

“No,
not yet. Get on your scope, fire up the night vision—I need a spotter,” Sean
answered. “Do you see the primals? They are just off the trail, moving at a
walk.”

“Okay
I got them,” Brad whispered. “Are you going to take the shot?”

“No,
too dangerous,” Sean answered. “If we fire now, we might get every primal this
side of the mountain knocking on both of our doors.”

“Yeah,
I guess that wouldn’t be good for anyone,” Brad whispered back.

The
two watched through their scopes as the primals tracked the group. They
observed them stalking the trail, stopping every so often to sniff at the air.
“They seem to be evolving. Look at how they’re hunting them,” Sean whispered.

The
primals continued to walk down the trail toward the hiding spot. When they got
to within fifty feet of the house, one of them dropped back and investigated
something on the side of the trail. The lead primal was more aware; he
continued down the trail, stopping where it broke to a walkway that led up to
the ruined home. It halted in the middle of the path, sniffing at the air and
examining the ground. Brad watched the lead primal walk right at the hiding
group’s position. Just short of the entryway to the house, he stopped and again
put his nose to the air before continuing forward.

Brad
had the dot of his scope on the body of the creature as it crossed the
threshold of the ruined home. Without warning, he saw the female rise to her
feet just in front of the creature. Brad watched intently, waiting and
expecting to hear the primal moan as it called to the other crazy. Brad watched
the creature raise its hand and arch its back, preparing to lunge at the
female. Brad had his finger on the trigger. Noise or not, he wouldn’t watch another
human be taken without a fight. But before a sound left its mouth, the male
stepped from a shadow behind the primal and removed its head with a shining
blade. As soon as it started, both friendlies had again vanished, and nothing
was left but the corpse of the primal.

“Things
just got interesting,” Sean whispered.

They
continued watching as the second primal regained its bearings and turned toward
the house. It was moving slowly, occasionally stopping to sniff the air. It
eventually found the house and turned to the entryway. Brad again watched this
one walk through the doorway and stop when it found the downed primal. With no
signs of alarm, it just stopped and put its nose to the air. This only lasted a
second as the male again stepped from the shadows and with a quick swing
separated the primal from its head.

“Who
the hell are they?” Brad asked.

“Got
me, but they have their shit together for sure,” Sean answered.

After
a short wait, the two men watched the group again break cover. The woman was
carrying the child and the man had all of the bags. They moved quickly to a
ruin two houses away and disappeared into their surroundings once more. It was
now pitch black. Even with a partial moon in a clear sky, you couldn’t make out
anything with the naked eye.

“What
do you make of this?” Brad asked.

“I
don’t know, but it just made more work for us,” Sean said. “Make sure you keep
an eye on those ruins.”

“I
got them, but do you think we should go down there? Maybe we can help them with
something,” Brad said.

“No
way, I like my head, and that man down there seems to be pretty proficient in
removing them,” Sean answered. “For now let’s just observe them. If they are
still there in the morning we’ll talk it over.”

Now
that it was completely dark, Brad moved his seat forward and rested the
handguard of the rifle on the windowsill. He had the binos high to his eyes,
and was watching the ruins where he’d seen the group disappear. The trio was
very quiet, and Brad and Sean wouldn’t even have known they existed if they
hadn’t been on watch to witness the evening’s events. Brad looked to his left
and saw that Sean also had his eye on his scope, scanning the horizon. Far away
they could see the road; it was very dark, and even through the night vision it
was hard to make out any movement. Brad and Sean settled in and watched.

Just
after midnight they heard a noise coming from inside the tunnel. Brad turned to
see Brooks crawl out, followed by Hasan. They quietly briefed the men on what
had happened earlier and pointed out the location of the group using the IR
laser on Sean’s rifle. When they were satisfied their relief was current on the
situation, they dropped to their bellies and crawled back through the tunnel
and into the cavern.

The
cave still had the lantern burning where Hasan had left it. The fire still
smoked, its coals burning a bright orange, eerily lighting the area. Brad moved
off to the sleeping area where he had placed his belongings earlier. He opened
his bedroll and rolled it out across an old dusty bunk. As he lay down, he
noticed writing on the stone walls above him. It looked to be a long list of
names. It made him wonder how many young fighters had slept on this bunk,
waiting to face the war outside. Brad smiled to himself, then reached into his
bag for a sharpie and added his name to the bottom of the list.