Project Terminus by Nathan Combs Page B

have to take out that patrol. Chris, maintain over-watch. Let’s get back to the cutoff point. We’ll take them there. Suppressed weapons and, needless to say, they can’t get off a shot. Bill, take the left side of the highway a hundred feet north of our exit point. Let them pass you. Dad, you stay at the highway exit point, I’ll take the left side a hundred feet south of the exit. When we go weapons hot, Bill takes the rear two; Dad, the middle two; I’ll take the front two; and we’ll all cut loose on the remaining two. We’ll drag the bodies into the brush, police the roadway, and hustle back here.”
    “Roger,” said Wade.
    “Roger,” said Bill.
    Ten minutes later, they were in place and the patrol was coming toward them up the highway. Walking two abreast, like they were on a Sunday stroll at the mall, they noisily continued toward the concealed warriors. When they were adjacent to Wade, Randal whispered, “Weapons hot,” and in two seconds the patrol was down. The only noise was the clatter of their firearms and the thud of their bodies hitting the blacktop. Emerging from concealment, they pulled the dead men into the surrounding underbrush, policed the area, and returned to the hide.
    “Anything new, Chris?” asked Randal.
    “Negative. They took the captives up to the middle building and people have been walking around doing whatever. Other than that, nothing unusual.”
    They watched for the remainder of the day, taking turns to grab some much needed sleep.
    Just before dusk, the captives were brought back to the stage and forced to sit on the left front side. Within seconds, Light members gathered and jostled for position in front of the stage. Laughing and dancing, it appeared they were high on the hallucinogen Gator mentioned. As the flames grew in the rekindled bonfire, the shadows of the revelers danced across the football field in an eerie display of decadence. When it was totally dark, six buckets of strategically placed oil lit the stage and Saadeh and Lutrova made another grand entrance. As before, the giant Aziz trailed behind. When the entourage gained the stage, Saadeh addressed the crowd. It was impossible to hear what he was saying, but there was little doubt what his gestures meant. When he was finished, he stepped back and Nina Lutrova walked to the center of the stage. She stood motionless, staring into space. Saadeh motioned to Aziz and the giant picked up one of the men, dragged him to the center of the stage, and made him kneel at her feet.
    The horde of drug-crazed cannibals roared.
    Saadeh nodded and Aziz brought one of the women to center stage. He pushed her to her knees just to the left of the first captive. The process was repeated until all four captives were kneeling in front of Lutrova. Saadeh walked to the first male and, using thumbs up/thumbs down gestures, exhorted the crowd. The man was short and impossibly thin, and the cannibals—now completely under the influence of the drug—yelled and screamed and gave thumbs down. Saadeh placed his hand above the head of the young pudgy female captive and again made the thumbs up/thumbs down gesture.
    They went ballistic, chanting, “Saadeh, Saadeh, Saadeh!” 
    Saadeh raised his arms for silence and they obeyed. He put his hand back above the girl’s head and made the thumbs up gesture.
    The cannibals, in a demonic demonstration of acceptance, began jumping, dancing, and screaming their approval. The process was repeated with the next two captives. The remaining man, who was short but obese, was given the thumbs up. The other female was elderly and frail; she and the skinny guy were taken off the stage and out of sight.
    Saadeh began screaming at the crowd, but it was impossible to hear what he was saying because the din from the cannibals had approached deafening levels. Minutes later, Aziz stepped forward and turned the two captives so they faced Lutrova, then stepped back. Saadeh again raised his hands and commanded