John O'Brien - Sanctuary

“Well, we have to assume there’s company in there,” I say.

“McCafferty, we may have company inside. Wait for us before pulling into position,” I say over the radio. She drives the Humvee alongside and keeps pace with us.

I round the corner and stand by the opening again. McCafferty parks just off to the side and behind us. I call out to see if anyone is inside. It’s pretty obvious that if anything is there, they or it already know we are here so I feel comfortable calling out. It’s not like we were being sneaky. There’s no reply.

“We’ll form a line in front of the door fifteen feet back and have the Humvee come between us. Henderson, Denton, and Gonzalez on the right. Robert on the left with me,” I say and relay our plan over the radio.

The Humvee pulls between us shining its lights into the interior. A shriek answers the glare of the headlights on the concrete floor, which is otherwise bare and empty in the middle. I catch a fleeting glimpse of a shadow moving off into the darker recesses of the interior. We stand with weapons at the ready scanning the inside fully ready for anything that might sweep out towards us. Nothing comes and I don’t see any additional movement. The one shriek is that’s heard. The inside falls back into its silent state.

McCafferty exits the Humvee, the sound of the door shutting echoes across the dusty lot, and she stands next to Robert. I walk over and lean against the front of the vehicle, both feeling and hearing the idling engine behind me. God, I hate this urban stuff , I think scanning the interior. Tall shelves, reaching almost to the ceiling are filled with miscellaneous materials. They extend away into darkness on the left and right; their edges lit from the glow of the headlights but fading quickly into the obscurity of the dark.

I would just leave as the building is obviously occupied but we need these doors. Just how occupied still remains in question. My phone vibrates. I take it out and see it’s a text from Kelly. I turn it off and snap the cover shut without responding and return it to my pocket, focusing back on the building. I don’t want any interruptions and can’t afford to make any mistakes. My thought process has to be on the here and now.

Standing from my leaning position, I turn on my flashlight and turn the beam on the rafters above. My light immediately catches a night runner poised on one of the steel girders spanning the width of the building. It’s squatting there with one hand on a support beam, glaring at us. It gives a piercing yell as my light centers on it.

“Oh hell no you don’t! I know that trick,” I say bringing my M-4 to my shoulder and fire a short burst.

The noise of my sudden firing jars the still air. My rounds impact into its chest and shoulder propelling it backward and off the girder. The night runner shrieks as it falls through the lit part of the interior and hits the concrete floor with a loud thump; silencing its scream. The once bare concrete turns red around the still body as blood begins to slowly pool around it. Another shriek and scuffling is heard from the left further back in the shop. My light pans to the source of the noise but the shelves and the items on them prevent me from seeing what lies in the lanes between.

“Well, we know there’s at least one more in there,” I say to the others around.

“Yeah, and I thought I heard something off to the right but I’m not sure,” Henderson states.

“Well, we can’t assume anything. Why is it that every building I want to go in seems to be occupied with night runners?” I ask rhetorically. “I’m beginning to think it’s some sort of conspiracy.”

“Not sure but it certainly seems that way. Maybe you’re just unlucky,” Gonzalez answers with a grin on her face.

“Yeah. Maybe we should ask for a transfer,” McCafferty says grinning as well.

“I guess I know who the first two in are,” I respond to their good-natured ribbing.

Talking and joking like this brings back the memories of prepping for missions and the bantering just before jumping off. It seemed to bring back a certain amount of humanity into what we were about to embark on and to cover some of the nerves. That is exactly what this little bit of joking does. It calms all of us and seems to reassure us that all will be fine.

I continue to stand at the entrance debating on whether to use the night vision goggles or not. If we do use them, we’ll have to turn the headlights off and the glow of the day’s light through the entrance may interfere with their functionality. I decide to go in with flashlights rather than risk a chance of being blinded if we have to face towards the open door.

“McCafferty, did we bring any of those flash bangs with us?” I ask.

“Yes, sir. I believe we have a few in the back,” she answers.

“Okay, the interior is not that large so this is going to go by fast. Henderson and Denton, you’ll have the right. Henderson, take the lanes as we come to them and Denton watch overhead. Gonzalez and McCafferty, the left. Gonzalez the lanes and McCafferty up top,” I say.

“Hooah, sir,” they respond.

“Robert and I will be out front in the middle. Make sure you all stay a little behind us to give us clear lanes of fire. Robert, take the right front and I’ll take the left front. Watch the shelves above and keep an eye out on the rafters. We’ll toss a couple of flash bangs inside just prior to going in and move at a quick walking pace. Any questions?”

“No, sir,” Henderson, Denton, and McCafferty answer.

“Good to go, sir,” Gonzalez replies.

“Okay, Dad,” Robert says.

McCafferty gathers two flash bangs from the rear of the Humvee as I make sure the rafters are clear of any night runners. I still don’t detect any further movement from inside. There are six of the large shelves to each side. Each shelf is piled with gear and boxes blocking any view of the lanes themselves. Work benches line the far wall adjacent to the closed roller door on the other end of the shop and run the width as far as I can tell.

McCafferty returns. I take one of the flash bangs and hand the other to Robert, showing him the pin to pull. Henderson and Denton walk over and hug the wall on the right just outside of the entrance. The rest of us crouch against the outside wall on the left with Robert and I in front.

“Toss yours about mid-way by the shelves to the right. I’ll put mine in the same place on the left,” I say to Robert over my shoulder.

“Okay,” he replies.

“Ready ladies and gents?” We’re in on the flash,” I ask getting nods for answers. Robert edges to my right so he can get into a good position.

“Let’s do this,” I say. We pull the pins and toss the canisters inside and quickly pull back alongside the outside wall.

The metallic clinking of the cans bouncing across the concrete seems to slow time; a prelude to the explosion and activity to follow. Clink…….clink…….clink….. The canisters roll on the hard floor before two simultaneous flashes of light exit the opening accompanied by thunderous bangs. The building walls shake from the explosion of light and noise. Robert and I roll immediately around the corner and into the building taking our places in the middle. Henderson and Denton roll in immediately after us with Gonzalez and McCafferty on our heels. Our lights pan over the rafters, top of the shelves and along the sides of the interior.

Seeing nothing, Robert and I proceed up the middle at a quick walk checking our front and sides. The noise of something sliding along a shelf to my immediate right is followed by a scream. A burst of gunfire comes from my right rear. I turn to see Denton with his carbine pointed upward to the shelf immediately to the right. Looking upward, I see the last vestiges of blood spraying the air as a night runner tumbles off the top of the shelf, hitting the shelf across the lane before continuing its fall and slamming into the aisle floor.