We Who Serve

Chapter Eight

Hassan wasn't in that building, either. The team stood looking around, feeling slightly defeated. Grimes was kicking herself for getting distracted and costing time. Ghost seemed to notice this; he wanted to say something but never said a word.

He's still trying to wrap his head around the fact that she is here, standing right in front of him after seven years of her supposedly dead. How much she has changed yet is still the same. When he first saw her back in that warehouse, he felt everything flood back to him, the pain of watching her being shot and a strange feeling of comfort. He would never admit loving someone as much as he does with her. It was too dangerous; they always ended up dead or hating him. But now, she's different. Maybe she could handle herself if he was to admit to everything.

"The army," Alejandro brought Ghost back from an inner dialogue.

"What are we doing?" Ghost asked as he gazed over to Grimes again before snapping back to Alejandro as he spoke Spanish down his comms

"Covering my men," Alejandro told them as Grimes walked over to stand at the side of a window. Trying to stay as out of sight as possible while watching everything. "Once we are clear, we fall back."

"You want us to engage the fucking Mexican army?" Soap asked, stunned.

"No, comrade, these troops are paid by the cartel." Alejandro explained to Soap while Grimes lifted her rifle to aim down the scope at them. "they are helping the cartel protect Hassan."

"We need to time this right," Grimes spoke out as she watched trucks of soldiers being dropped off. They were almost surrounded.

"Hold your fire," Alejandro said, waiting for the right time.

"Light armour, aim for the head." Grimes said, "Let them get closer. Once they fire, engage."

"Rodger," Soap muttered as everyone waited for a few seconds. The sound of rounds smashing through the glass was enough for their signal. Everyone in that room pulled on their trigger and began hailing rounds at the enemy. This lasted for about a minute before Alejandro gave to clear for his men. Just as they were about to turn and leave, Grimes saw a gas bomb flying towards the room.

"Gas! Gas! Gas!" she called as it popped and emitted tear gas into the room; everyone started to cough as soon as it their lungs. They quickly made their way out of the building and to the back of the house.

"Down the hill, make for the mountains," Alejandro called out over the comms. Ghost was not far from Grimes, and they ran down the steep slope.

As they made it halfway down, bullets came flying at them. One managed to graze against Grimes's arm, catching her off balance. She tripped up over her feet and started tumbling down the hill. She tried to control the fall, but it was too steep. Ghost reached out and managed to grab her ankle, stopping her quick descent and pulling her back to cover behind a rock.

"You good? " he asked, concerned for her as she was dazed and out of breath. Grimes shook her head and looked at him while trying to catch her breath.

"All good," She replied to him before turning and returning fire. He then saw the blood seeping out of her upper right arm.

"You've been shot," Ghost asked with concern; Grimes shook her head.

"Negative, just a graze. I'm solid." She told him before changing her mag, "I took more of a beating from that fall."

"Move down!" Alejandro called out as Ghost and Grimes turned to continue their descent down the hill. They occasionally stopped to return fire not far from each other's side. Grimes took out the last soldier she could see, and everything went silent.

"Clear!" she called out, not seeing any more movement. They turned and continued running downhill while Alejandro and another soldier talked in Spanish about how they had lost comms. Grimes ignored the chatter as she was constantly on alert behind them.

"RPG!" she called out as she ducked under a rock to cover. Everyone followed suit. Once it had fired, she stood up and took an aimed shot. Dropping him instantly. They made light work of the other, but they were getting close, too close.

"We gotta move! They are getting too close!" Grimes yelled out as they continued to move.

" We will have to jump here," Alejandro called out,

"Can we make that?" Soap asked, looking at the jump.

"Do or die, brother," Alejandro called out as he jumped, followed by Soap, Ghost, and Grimes. Once she hit bottom, Ghost put out his hand to help her up, which she took. She nodded to him in thanks before they continued to push forward. They made their way up the steep slope. As Grimes neared the top, soldiers appeared and began firing at them.

"Contact front!" Grimes yelled out as she ducked for cover and returned fire. Continuing to lay down fire, they seemed to be no end to the soldiers after them.

"Clear!" Ghost yelled out as he shot down the last one.

"Up the hill, the bridge isn't far!" Alejandro called out as they all began to move up.

"This is a perfect location for snipers! Be careful and watch the skyline." Grimes called out as they all rushed upwards. Once there, Grimes looked down her scope as the men spoke about extraction. She wasn't able to see anything, which caused her to worry.

"Let's move!" Soap called, and he was the first to jump down. They followed his lead and made their way to a tight ledge. They carefully began their way over, only to be hit with sniper fire. The only one to be hit was Alejandro's soldier; Grimes could only hope he died from the shot, not the fall.

"Sniper down!" Alejandro called out as Grimes made it to the end of the ledge. It was getting tighter and tighter walking the edge of this mountain. One wrong move, and you'd be falling a long way.

"You've led us to a dead end, mate!" Ghost called out to him, and Alejandro shook his head. He grabbed his rifle over his chest before turning and facing away.

"We jump from here," he yelled before stepping off the ledge. "Don't lose your weapon!" he cried, and he fell toward the water. Soap was next as Ghost looked at Grimes.

"I'll be right behind you!" Ghost called as Grimes nodded and walked over to the ledge.

"You always are." She smiled at him as she jumped, Ghost following not far after.