No Place for Females

Chapter Two

I ran into the darkness, with only the vaguest idea of where I was going. I fought to keep calm as I searched for the room with the candles. When I found it I ducked inside, narrowly missed by the whizzing sounds.

More bullets. Shit.

I hid beside the door, trying to control my breathing, and praying like crazy that I had switched the safety on my pistol to red. A minute later, the muzzle of a gun poked through the doorway.

A head popped in and I shot it, wetness splattering my face and the metallic taste of blood hitting my mouth. A body crumpled to the floor. I looked down. Before me lay a boy, no older than twelve.

I had killed a child. A child who might have killed me.

This isn't happening. I’m not supposed to be here. I just--

Stop. Don't think about that now. You need to get your bag, Lena.

Get your bag, I repeated to myself, like a mantra, forcing my eyes to focus and praying that no one else was coming. I searched everywhere. The room was dim and I didn't have my flashlight. Where had it gone? I got on my hands and knees, feeling around on the floor.

Where the fuck is it? Did one of the women take it? Insurgents?

I heard a muffled bang, like a big gun had just gone off.

What the hell is happening? Is that Lt. Grayson? Have they come to get us?

I heard voices approaching, so I ducked behind the door and waited. The voices passed by. If I didn't get out of here now, I’d be trapped. I might end up dead for sure. Not wanting to end up like the kid who now lay motionless on the floor, I went out shooting. I killed another insurgent, most likely one of the guys I’d just heard. As I ran past his body towards the pillars, I heard a lone rifle, sniping.

Please, let that be Rojas.

"Rojas," I hissed.

"Jacobs!" shouted Capt. Andrews.

When I reached the pillars, Capt. Andrews was leaning against one of them, her rifle still in her hands. It must have been her that was shooting. Alexa was nearby, slumped on the ground, my rifle beside her. I didn’t see Rojas. I grabbed my rifle and ran over to Capt. Andrews.

"What happened?" I said, trying to pull her to a sitting position.

"They lobbed a grenade at us. Rojas jumped on it."

That was the explosion I’d heard.

"Oh my God. Why hasn't anyone come for us?"

"I don't know. I'm guess Lt. Grayson can't get to us. I tried to call him on the radio, but he didn't answer." Capt. Andrews briefly closed her eyes.

In the moonlight, I could see dark streaks on her face. She was bleeding.

"Ma'am, we need to get you out of here. We need to get us out of here."

"That's not going to happen. I'm not going to make it."

"I can do this. I can get you out."

"No. I'll slow you down--" Her voice tapered off. She closed her eyes and seemed to grip her rifle tighter.

She opened her eyes and focused on me. "You have to get out of here."

Was she crazy? I wasn’t leaving her like this. "No way, you’ll die if I leave you."

"I'm already dying. I can feel it."

"You don't know that. I can fix this, if you just let me--"