Don't fear the reaper - Captain John Price

XLVII

The moon was shining over the base as it sat on the crystal clear sky. With each passing day the warm days were getting closer, as the darkest hours of the days were colored with the light of the rising sun. The lonely noises of nature were echoing from the wood in the silence of the night. Lonely animals were looking over the base as if giving the undercover team from nature itself.

The fallen bodies of the shadows covered the cold floor of the main building as the heavy steps of the captain were the only sound in the dark corridors. A few soldiers awake at night were walking straight into the trap of a meeting with a reaper. The bullets were flying out of the silenced weapon of the man, keeping the sleep of other shadows unbothered, but ending the lives of the unfortunate at the same moment. The quietness of the night was way too suspicious for Price. He remembered the hard days in Las Almas, how sweet the shadows welcomed 141 and Mexican Special Forces at Alejandro's base.

Graves was a commander, a traitor, and CEO of the Private Military Company, but he wasn't ignorant. Only if Shepherd's death did not ring the bells in his mind. John was climbing the stairs up, looking at the darkest corners through the scoop, expecting to see more shadows on his way. However, confusion was planted in the man's mind when the second floor was clear. Crystal clear as the walls of the main building saw no one except for the captain. Price stood outside of Graves's office for a moment, as if trying to hear his voice or any movement inside the silence of the room. The crowbar finally found its time for use, as it got into the man's hands. Suddenly, the night wasn't as silent anymore, as John pushed to door to open and let himself inside of the room. The gaze of the blue eyes traveled around, to see no one else in the office except for the captain's own shadow from the moon that was knocking on the window on the wall next to the large desk. The desk was clear, telling Price that his target left the building long before his foot stepped inside of it.

"Shit," The captain cursed to himself, before letting his thoughts take over his mind for a split moment. Graves was a rat that used every opportunity to hide under the covers, and this time wasn't an exception. "Any movement outside Ghost?"

Simon rolled down the sleeves of his uniform, letting the cold air of the night touch the unprotected skin. He watched the area of the base through the lenses of the binoculars, just to see the peacefulness of the night. A couple of shadows were letting the soil soak with their blood underneath the watchtower.

"No, cap," The brown eyes of the lieutenant were keeping control over the movement on the large area of the base. It seemed as if even a fly couldn't pass the man by and be left unnoticed. He followed one building to another, before finally making sure that the area was quiet. "The outer perimeter is clear."

"Gaz?" Price walked closer to the window, letting his fingertips trace the hard surface of the wooden desk as if the captain was trying to solve the mystery of Graves's escape into the unknown. The strong wish to light the cigar was taking the man over, as John was trying to bring the focus back into his mind.

Gaz kept his gaze walking around the dark building as he was stepping deeper into the unknown territory. Every cell of the sergeant's skin was ready for the shadows to appear out of nowhere with each passing moment. A lonely bullet flew towards him before the bang of the heavy body falling onto the floor took over the room. Kyle noticed endless rifles, grenades, and everything that could be helpful to them in case any wrong movement woke up the whole base.

"No movement, sir," Garrick reached the very end of the building and the view on the tall fence opened out of the metal door, as it swung open. A few dead soldiers were nothing compared to the battle at Alejandro's base. The sergeant caught himself thinking that they all were getting deeper into the trap set by the commander Graves, but was listening to the captain's voice over the com and walked further.

"The main building is clear. Graves can be anywhere, keep your eyes open," John decided to share his lack of fortune with the rest of the team. Nothing in Graves's office could tell about his possible location. The documentation, financial reports, and all the other reports that Price found inside of the desk were useless. They reached the dead end trying to catch the shadow.

Amelia looked up at the skinny silhouette of the moon, feeling mesmerized by its beauty before her foot stepped inside of the training facility. The echo of a gnashing metal door traveled through the facility, as the light of the moon entered before the woman did. At first glance the building seemed quiet and empty, however, Knight wasn't trusting her intuition that night as her gaze traveled from one dark angle of the rooms to another. "

Any movement, Lia?' Finally, John let himself light up the cigar, leaving his own mark in Graves's office, in case he came back after the captain visited it. There was nothing else in the room that could be useful to Price, and not wasting much time, he followed his own trail of steps back downstairs.

A punching bag in the corner almost caught a bullet into itself as it swang under the power of the night wind. One part of her wanted to prove to Price that he was wrong, and she had enough experience to at least check one building. While the other wanted to agree with him over and over again and listen to his advice. But it was too late to do either of the things, as her legs were leading the woman deeper into the arms of the facility.

"First floor is clear, Price. Checking the sec-," Amelia carefully stepped over one step after another, climbing to the second floor. The weapon was sitting in her hands, giving the woman protection at the enemy base. Reaching the top of the stairs, a brunette could finally see the second floor of the building before the heavy hit touched the back of her head and brought darkness into her mind, making the officer's body meet with the concrete floor.

The captain checked his headset, making sure that the connection on his side was not interrupted. The warm cigar was sitting in his hand, as Price took the last puffs of nicotine, finally feeling how his thoughts were getting back in the order. Years of experience taught the man that the electronic equipment was an ally for them, but could become an enemy at the very next moment. The loss of communication did not raise the alarm in his mind straight away, as he heard nothing but silence in the walls of the base.

"Come again, officer," John's hand was sitting on his headset, as he fitted it more comfortable in the ear. Using the opportunity of the quiet moment, the man reloaded his weapon, ready to meet anything hiding in the darkness of the night.

"Looks like you missed me again, Price," Phillip's voice was heard by the team on the other side of the comms before complete silence took over the line.

The heavy boot of the commander stepped on the equipment, breaking the communication between the team. Once again, he escaped the storm before the waves hit the shore. Graves nodded to the two shadows who were escorting him the whole time and waited for the warm meeting with 141. Instead, they took care of a brunette's unconscious body, bringing her deeper into the darkness of the building.

The noise of the helicopter engine pushed Price to leave the walls of the main building, as the metal bird ascended over the rooftop of the training facility. The useless bullets were trying to stop the helicopter, as the grenades were flying that night in the air instead of clouds. Once again the commander escaped from his reaper, but this time with one of their own.

Thank you for the 5k!!! Eternally grateful for each and everyone of you, I can't even describe it with words. Hope you're enjoying the story so far. Happy weekend!