Winter Hunt III

Three months after the successful hit they completed in Winter Hunt II, our assassin's, Red and her partner Daniel find themselves on the run but nearing their escape. A clean slate awaits them at an airstrip in Russia. All they have to do is reach unharmed.

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November 2010

Nerves awoke Daniel at four o’clock in the morning. He threw the duvet off himself in frustration. The cold shrouded his body as the warm comfort of his bed left him. They had been on the run for three months but after today they would be free. He showered, still exhausted. His mind pondered over the last few months on the run. A different city every week. They had not taken any risks, but it had taken its toll. Waking up early meant he was able to take an unnecessarily long (but much-needed) shower. As he came out the steamed up room, he noticed his partner’s door ajar. She slept soundly which made him glad. It was a rare sight. Perhaps knowing the nomadic life would be over subconsciously had put her mind at ease but her peace didn’t last long. The sun rise had sent rays of light through her window. She stirred restlessly. Her body clock triggering the automatic alarm in her head. He turned away, continuing to prepare himself for the rest of the day. She wouldn’t be too pleased knowing he’d wasted time watching her sleep instead of preparing for the day. Especially such an important day. Not to mention it was a little creepy. They had prepared everything the day before, but he went through the list again anyway: ammo count, food prep, money and so on. “Morning”, she stretched entering his room still groggy. “Hey Red. You trying to sleep till Christmas” he remarked cheekily. She responded with a death stare. He grinned childishly knowing full well she was always up before him. Often, she had to throw him out of bed to get him to wake up. They never shared beds and she appreciated the privacy, so it irritated her having to intrude into his room just to get him awake every morning.

They both packed light and by 06:30, they had left the motel. Duffel bags with guns, money and fake travel documentation prepared and double checked. They had rented a 4x4 which would not be returned. Lucky for the company they had paid the deposit (in cash of course). A private jet strip was their destination. Their generous employer had organised their flight away from known civilization with great professionalism (the most difficult part of their long-term escape).

Red had taken the driving responsibility despite her partner’s childish pleas. She was smarter, more focused and she also didn’t want the stress of having to rely on him. Not that he wouldn’t be able to drive them. He was very competent. A better shot than her, she felt, but he made up for his talent with his immaturity. They remained silent for most of the car ride; lost in their own worlds. They could almost taste the freedom. The thought of not having to do this job again or any job for that matter still felt like a dream even though it was going to become their reality. Red glanced in her rear-view mirror. She had spotted a vehicle a while back and thought nothing of it at the time. The black SUV had still lingered in the distance, however. It was close enough to be visible but far enough to be easily ignored as well. “We’re being tailed” she intonated plainly as she glanced once again into her rear-view mirror. Her speed remained fairly constant. “Wait what?”, Daniel replied fearfully turning towards her.

“Relax, don’t react. I’m sure they’re keeping an eye on us in the car. Probably through a pair of binoculars or something. Let’s not give it away”

“How long have you known?”

“About fifteen minutes but I was waiting to make sure”, she sounded cocky now. Her partner, Daniel rolled his eyes, but he was more annoyed about their carelessness than Red showing him up. “I know, I’m annoyed too. Give me time, I’m gonna try find an opening. Have you got a gun on you right now?”

“Yeah, obviously”, he smirked. “Good. Be ready then”

“Ready for what?”, he looked at her nervously. She eased the car onto the side of the road, “What are you doing Red?”, Daniel apprehensive as ever. To add insult to injury, she still hadn’t told him what to be ready for. Her eyes remained on her rear-view mirrors. She stopped the car and instead of responding to him, she opened her door, got out of her car, pulled her knife out and stabbed the tyre sneakily. “What are you doing!”. This time he demanded an answer. “Why? Just tell me why? Tell me.” He barked. “We needed an excuse to stop, didn’t we?” she smiled, batting her eyelids innocently. “I hate you”, he said resignedly, “now why does it matter if my guns on me. I can get one out of the trunk if I need to...” “Because”, Red said, pausing for effect, “if they see someone open the trunk, they will expect exactly what you just described. This way, we’ve innocently been stopped due to unforeseen circumstances with no visible weapons on us. It will make them complacent and it will allow us to leave this place without a tail”

“Oh yeah, ok fair enough”. Her smile drifting into an arrogant grin. She enjoyed being right and sure enough, a black SUV pulled up soon after. Two men came out and approached them. It was all very straightforward in the end. Within ten minutes both men were dead and dragged behind the cars. Action is always glorified in movies for tension but in reality, everyone prefers it to be quick and easy. Both the killers and their victims. In this case, Daniel took two shots. One for each victim. Both bullets entering their respective skulls. They didn’t have time to blink. “Alright you get one, I’ll get the other”, Red said. They dragged the bodies into their car and searched them. Both bodies possessed very little. Phones, wallets and a gun each, of course. Daniel clicked open the phone. Fingerprint locks are great unless you’re dead and your killer still has your body. He checked the call log for the last couple days. There weren’t any numbers he recognised which surprised him (this business was a small place and him and Red knew a lot of people). He decided a quick skim through the messages couldn’t hurt. To his surprise there was only one. He opened it up:

TEXT BACK IN 20 OR WILL SEND BACKUP

“Er Red?”

“What?” still preoccupied searching the other body. “You need to see this. Now”

“What is it? I’m trying to…”, Daniel cut her off.

“Just read”, he said sternly shoving the phone in her face. She knew to listen if Daniel was being serious. She read the message. “Shit. Ok time stamp means we have three minutes to reply”

“What do I say?”

“Er, all good?”

“Simple. Yeah alright”. Daniel typed:

ALL GOOD

He clicked send. They both leaned on the SUV panting slightly. The two bodies were heavy. The adrenaline rush not subsiding just yet. “I think we’re in the clear for now. That was close” Red sighing with relief. “What’s the plan then?” Daniel asked, his breathing returning to normal. “Well we should reach the airstrip in the next half hour; I doubt the bodies will get discovered in that time. Best to leave them in the car. At least we have a brand-new SUV to drive, I’m driving by the way”, Red replied as she rolled the keyring around her finger”, Daniel huffed, annoyed that she had searched the body which had the car keys. Why did he have to get the measly phone with the dodgy text?

Red stopped the SUV in an empty field. They wiped their fingerprints from the inside and left it. It was time to scout through town and make their way to the vantage point. “Ok Red. You know the plan?”

“It was my plan dumbass”, Red visibly annoyed. Grinning as he spoke, Daniel said, “Don’t miss me too much. See you in an hour”, he waved.

“Don’t forget which building we’re meeting on!”, she shouted in the distance as he began jogging away. “That happened one time Red!”, he shouted back in defiance before he was out of sight. She exhaled into the silence he had left her in. Finally, alone. Stealthily they were both to make their way to the vantage point. Carelessness was not an option. She knew the area well and knew exactly what roads to take.

They were on the outskirts of a Russian city. It had some hustle and bustle about it. Red strolled through the streets like she belonged. Someone had tipped off their escape so there was bound to be an ambush waiting for them. It wasn’t worth rushing straight to the airstrip, especially since they had been followed. She wore a black wool blazer coat which went down to her knees. Her auburn hair flowed down the back of her neck. It acted like a scarf as an added benefit to the comfort. So far, she hadn’t spotted anyone suspicious and she had actually enjoyed the stroll so far. She walked past a local market selling souvenirs and toys for children. Tourists swarmed the stalls. Children begging for toys and parents fighting their instinct to please their children for the sake of discipline (and to save some money). Most parents usually gave in to to see their children smile. She never had that as a child. Her parents both died before she was ten. She found herself living with an uncle who spent most of his time struggling with his own inner demons. Loss, alcohol and no job resulted in his suicide. Before long she was on the streets where she met Daniel. Pickpocketing and petty crimes led to grand larceny before they both reached twenty. They both would’ve ended up in prison had it not been for a crime organisation recruiting and training individuals with the promise of a stable life. What they didn’t tell you was the cost. Red and Daniel had plenty of money and were highly trained operatives, but they were forced to listen to the instructions of the organisation and not complying had dire consequences. They had found a way out, for a price. This escape would finally get them off everyone’s radar and more than anything, free. It was what she had craved ever since she had been child. With freedom came control. Not control over anything or anyone. Just control over her own life. To live on her terms.

The building was now in site. They had a clear view of the airstrip from the top. She could taste the freedom. Her eyes scanned down the building to the doorway where she saw something that was not good. How were they here? She ducked into an alleyway before being spotted and to gather her thoughts. They assumed there would be an ambush waiting for them for the sake of being thorough, but they had been so careful that she didn’t actually think anyone would be here waiting for them. She peered around the corner. There were five men spread across the street in front of the doorway she needed to enter. She recognised all five of them. The vantage point had been compromised. Surprisingly, three of them were leaving the street. That was bizarre. Hopefully Daniel had seen them too and gone to the backup building. She needed to take them out. Seeing them here had made her angry and therefore dangerous. Her red hair was noticeable from a mile away and she knew it. She walked across the street in plain view of the two men guarding the building. They spotted her, called it in and began to follow her. She found another alleyway and removed herself from their line of sight. The two men reached the corner measurably with their guns held up ready to fire. The narrow alleyway was empty but there was a door left slightly ajar. They knew Red. It was definitely a trap and that meant it was time to spring the trap. They were skilled operatives too and their target was trapped in a room with nowhere to go. They had her exactly where they wanted her. They entered the side-by-side but one drifted just behind the other. One covered left while the other covered right. Red sat perched on a beam eyeing them through her scope. She had become apt at finding advantageous positions. A stint in parkour as a teenager had become very useful for someone in her profession. From her front-on view of the two men, they appeared side-by-side. Taking one out would alert the other and expose her. She remained patient, controlled her breathing. They both stood still for a few seconds, but it looked like they were about to cross each other. She smiled arrogantly. The shot was lining up perfectly for her. They were moving quickly but she was ready. Her scope was aimed between both heads. Finger steady on the trigger. In her mind: 3…, 2…,1. They converged quickly but she was ready. One of the men spotted a glint in the corner of his eye but it was too late. He had lined himself up perfectly in front of his partner. “SNIPER!”, he yelled and raised his gun towards Red firing in a quick flurry. She was so well hidden in the dark that he didn’t have much chance. There wasn’t even a silhouette to aim at. Three shots: BANG BANG BANG, then a resounding boom from her sniper rifle left the room in silence. Both bodies dropped to the floor. Red clambered down from the high beam and stepped over the bodies with no remorse as she left the building. She managed to kill both men with one shot straight through both skulls. They never had a chance.

She made her way to the second meeting point based on the backup plan. It had almost seemed too easy for her. There were no other hiccups as she made her way to the checkpoint. She hoped Daniel hadn’t stumbled across anyone, but he likely had gotten his hands dirty as well. He’ll be fine, she reassured herself.

Before she knew it, she had found the elevator and the whirring of the machinery took her to the top of the building. A quick glance at her watch told her she was ten minutes late. Great. Daniel wouldn’t let her hear the end of it. She burst through the doors leading to the roof. “Ok, Ok, I’m late. Well done, you win, drinks on me when we get out of here” sarcasm dominating her tone. Silence. Red raised her gun instantly. She checked the rooftop, but it was empty. Like before, she perched herself on the corner of the rooftop looking over the town and scanned the area with her rifle scope. He couldn’t be far. His route was no more than twenty minutes including contingency. She continued to scan the nearby streets for a couple of minutes. Something grabbed her attention, an escort of sorts. It seemed like someone was under arrest. Daniel walked in handcuffs. The rifle drooped away from her eyeline. Her mind swirling with emotion. Guilt, anger, sadness. It all washed away in a second. Only focus remained.

(Final part of Winter Hunt II - Epilogue I)

She grabbed the sniper to get a view of him. She steadied her trembling hands. They had him. She kept the cross hairs focused on him. A tear rolled down her face. She steadied herself again. We were supposed to meet here. How could you not make it? The voice in her head angry but unsure who it was directed at, him or herself. They had a pact she had to stand by. He saw her look towards her direction and wink with the same stupid smile on his face. Even in the face of death he smiled. She wiped the singular tear from her face, prepared herself. The crosshairs hovering over him still. Within the next ten seconds, the bullet pierced her partner’s chest and there was no trace left on the rooftop that she had ever been there.