The Holy Death

Chapter 42

Elizabeth tossed the smoke grenade into the bullring. Red smoke billowed from the grenade, which caught Raton's attention. He lowered the Huey into the ring.

"Okay, guys," Elizabeth ordered, "follow me. Dawn and Grace, be ready to assist with covering fire. And here we go!"

Elizabeth ran the short distance to the chopper and threw herself behind the M60. Once more she began returning fire into the stands with the machine gun as Dawn bolted from cover and jumped into the helicopter. Dawn also put down some covering fire as Grace told Scott to take Doug and go, which Scott did. Scott tried to make Doug as small a target as possible.

"Ouch!" Doug said. "You do know, I got a bad back!"

"Yeah, well, that's gonna be the least of your worries if you don't keep your head down!"

Scott pushed Doug into the helicopter. As Doug took a seat, Raton Ramirez turned his head to see his passenger.

"Hey!" Raton said, "I know you! I brought you here, didn't I?"

"So that was you. You were in a hurry to get out of here the last time. Why not now?"

"More money."

"Ah, that would do it."

Scott and Doug were followed by Grace, who had been providing covering fire with her captured G36. Grace took the shotgun seat.

"Well, hello, little lady," Raton said. "My name's Raton. What's yours?"

"Seriously? We don't have time for that shit!"

To accentuate her point, Grace thrust the rifle out the passenger's window and began firing at a group of commandos. Her aim wasn't the best due to the angle and the vibration from the chopper, but her fire did keep the commandos from advancing any further.

Next was Jeremiah. He too had taken a rifle from a fallen commando, but he hadn't fired it. He tossed it aside as he prepared to enter the helicopter.

"Now, Cressida, come!" He cried.

Cressida hesitated briefly. "Do you want me to come, Jeremiah? Do you really, after what I did to you?"

"Yes! Of course I do! Please! We need to leave!"

Cressida nodded, then left her cover and headed toward the Huey.

However, she did not count on Gibson. He dragged himself from his stupor and saw his enemies preparing to get away. He could not allow that.

"Cressida!" Jeremiah cried. "Look out!"

Cressida did not have the time to react as Gibson fired a single shot from his 1911 that hit her in the upper back. She fell to the arena floor. Jeremiah jumped from the Huey and scooped her up in his arms.

"No, Cressida, not this way," Jeremiah said as tears came to his eyes.

Blood began gurgling from her mouth. "I am so sorry, Jeremiah, my love..."

"You've taken to calling me Jeremiah!"

"It... it's your name. I am glad... I am glad to have known Malek, but even more glad to have known you, Jeremiah..."

Her eyes slowly closed, then they opened one more time. It was not pain Jeremiah saw in those eyes, but abject horror.

"He wants you back, Jeremiah! He's coming for you! He is coming!"