Scene 25

Factory Compound of General Ricos

“Julie,” I asked, “Why are you alone? Where are the other women?”

“I don’t know,” she answered. “Rebecca started tearing boards from the bunks and handing them out. She told us we were about to escape and that we should use them as clubs. Then the men opened the door and everyone rushed out. Rebecca and some others took off in one direction and everyone else took off in another. Then the gunfire started and I got turned around and I didn’t know what to do, so I just hid. When I looked again, everyone was gone. I tried finding someone and kept hiding when guards showed up. Then, I saw that man about to shoot you and I knew I had to do something.”

“And I’m glad you did. Do you know if the children were released?”

“I don’t know. I’ve told you everything I know.” She paused a moment, then looked at me hopefully. “Are we going to get out of here?”

“We’re going to do our best,” I reassured her.

We moved as quickly as we could while avoiding being seen. As we rounded a corner, a group of five guards spotted us and began firing.

We quickly ducked back between the buildings to run the other way. We heard the guards pursuing us.

We rounded another corner to move between two buildings. We were becoming desperate to find an escape route.

Unfortunately, the route we had chosen was not it. At the end of the gap between the buildings was a fence, blocking our way.

I looked around for any cover I could find. All I could find was a small depression next to the buildings. “Quick,” I ordered, “Get down against the building there.”

I quickly got down in front of them, lying prone with the Lieutenant’s pistol pointed back the way we had come.

The guards were not stupid; they knew they had us trapped. The first guard poked his head around the corner. Apparently, he didn’t see us in the shadows of the buildings, as he slowly came around the corner.

I waited until most of his body came into view, and then squeezed off a shot. The bullet struck him square in the chest and he flew backwards from the impact.

Unfortunately, the pistol I had taken from the Lieutenant, a Colt M1911A1, although a fine weapon, only carried eight shots maximum, seven in the magazine and one in the chamber. I had already fired one round and I couldn’t count on the eighth round, so I only had six rounds left at a maximum. That was assuming the Lieutenant had a full magazine and hadn’t fired any rounds.

The guards were probably deciding what to do, as I heard some voices from their direction, but I couldn’t make out what they were saying.

Suddenly, two guards sprinted across the opening to the other side. I quickly fired off two shots at them. The first shot hit the leading guard, but my second shot missed.

With two guards down, that left three that I knew of, assuming no reinforcements showed up. And I had four rounds in the magazine, maximum.

Another guard swung his rifle around to fire at me, so I fired a round in his direction. Unfortunately, this bullet also missed, knocking some wood from the corner where it hit the building.

That was not the only bad news. Apparently, the Lieutenant had fired off a few rounds before I took his pistol. I was out of ammunition.

One of the guards pointed his rifle around the corner and fired off a burst. The bullets did not come close to us, but I also couldn’t return fire.

After firing a few more bursts, the guards realized there was no return fire. The first guard slowly came around the corner, his rifle at the ready. When no gunfire came in his direction the other two guards followed him.

The three guards slowly made there way in our direction, their rifles pointed at us.