Flames of Revenge

Chapter 35: Freedom and Honor

We run to the door and open it, stepping into the building.

I immediately gag from the smell.

Then I look around and stop in my tracks.

People are in every direction, crowded into pens and chained like animals. Their clothes are dirty and stained, and they all look weak and underfed. Some of them jump and look up at our arrival, then glare at us with fear and skepticism.

I can't believe my eyes.

Who would do this to another person?

"Loyalty?" The sound of Dillan's voice snaps me back to reality. "Where is she?!"

I temporarily put my thoughts aside.

"I think she said the storage room," I say. We look around the large building and see several doors.

I turn my mic on and speak.

"Salena, we're coming. Which door leads to the storage room?"

"What?" Gordon's voice comes over the earpiece. "What are you talking about, Loyalty?"

I curse under my breath.

"Never mind, Gordon," I say. Then I turn off my mic and wait for a response.

Static overtakes the speaker, and then Salena's voice comes over.

"....ird door.... ri..."

Third door to the right.

I think.

I lead the others towards the other side of the room, maneuvering through the small aisles in between the pens. A woman reaches out and grabs my arm.

"Please..." she says to me, "please help me... I need to reach my kids before it's too late..." she bursts into tears as her eyes turn from pleading to desperate.

I put a hand on hers as she looks up at me.

"We'll be back," I say softly. She nods and releases my arm, sinking down onto the floor. Her chain hits the ground with a thud as she cries.

Heneya nudges me along gently. I take my eyes off of the woman and keep walking.

We reach the door.

"Salena, we're here!" I call out. I hear a small noise inside, but no verbal response.

"Salena?" I ask. Then I hear her cries.

I try to open the door, but it's locked.

No surprise there.

Drake pushes me back gently.

"STAND BACK FROM THE DOOR!" He yells. Then he backs up, runs forward and kicks it hard. It doesn't budge.

"Go for the handle," Dillan suggests. Drake nods and tries again.

With one swift motion, he kicks the handle, breaking the lock. The door opens with a snap, revealing a terrified Salena hiding in the back.

She trembles against the ropes that tie her to the chair.

I run in and untie her as she sobs.

"Are you hurt?" I ask. She shakes her head. I breathe a sigh of relief.

"You're so brave, honey," Heneya says. I nod in agreement.

"It'll be okay," I say, "we're gonna free the rest of the slaves, then we'll go back to the plane and-"

Salena stands up and throws her arms around me in a hug, crying on my shoulder. I freeze in shock. Then, I too begin to cry.

We're okay. Salena's okay.

The mission is almost over, and nothing's been lost.

Dillan walks up to me and whispers,

"We're going to free the slaves. Meet us in the field."

I nod silently, listening to the soft footsteps as they leave the room.

Closing my eyes, I sink into the moment.

Salena trusts me. Even after everything that just happened, she's chosen to trust me.

Suddenly, I hear cheers behind me. The sound is almost deafening, even in this little room. Salena pulls away from me and looks towards the sound, a glimmer of joy shining in her eyes.

I turn around and see chains falling off of the people as our team goes around with the keys.

Silently, I offer my hand to Salena. She stares at it for a moment, then takes it slowly.

Together, we walk into the room where the people, once chained, are becoming free.

Shouts and cries of joy ring out as they leave their prisons and find comfort in the open air.

I look over at Salena. For the second time, a smile overtakes her face, twice as wide as before. She cries, covering her nose and mouth with one hand.

But this time, they're not tears of pain or sorrow. A light shines in her eyes like diamonds in the sun. A light I've never seen before.

This time, they're tears of joy.
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Once everyone is free, we leave the building, meeting the others in the field. Knowing where we're headed, I warn Salena.

"A slave was killed by the men earlier. Are you willing to identify her?" I ask. She nods.

"I- I need a sample... of DNA for the lab though," she says.

We get to the body. Salena stares at it for a moment.

"S-she looks like me..." she says. I nod.

"It's okay Salena," I say. She thinks.

"G-get me a puke bag from the plane..."

"On it girl," Heneya replies. She runs towards the runway.

Carefully, Salena steps forward and takes what she needs from the body. Then, she does something I don't expect.

She leans down and whispers something into the girl's ear. I watch curiously as she takes the corpse's glasses off and cleans them on her own suit, then gently positions them back on her nose. She fixes the girl's hair and straightens her limbs on the dirt.

Heneya comes back with the bag and hands it to Salena. She puts the DNA sample into it, and again leans down and whispers into the girl's ear. This time, I catch what she's saying;

"Thank you."

The rest start walking to the plane. Carefully, I help Salena off of the ground and lead her away from the body. She stares at it until it's out of sight.

I can't stop thinking about the way she treated the deceased girl, and those last two words she said;

Thank you.