Part 5
They march across the valley, the well dressed Russian leading the way, the Ranger bringing up the rear with the automatic weapon, and their two captives walking single file between them. No one speaks. PB sweats and and aches. His pack drags down on him along with the sun and the gravity and the fear of not knowing what will happen next.
They push along for another half hour until they reach the far side of the valley and begin to make their way up the incline into the wooded hills. Sam and PB watch the huge Russian pull a silk handkerchief from his suit jacket and brush the sweat from his forehead and off the the back of his wide creased neck. The big man is breathing hard but his pace stays steady and he plods on like a well dressed bear in the woods.
The path comes to an end in front of a granite wall that goes straight up to a cliff fifty feet above them. The Russian pulls a cell phone and punches away at the buttons until the rock begins to rumble and then splits away into two halves, revealing a warehouse roll door behind it which begins to go up as well. The Ranger motions with his guns and they all step into a wide hanger lit by dim florescent lamps that hang suspended in the rock ceiling. The Russian leads them through the hanger to metal stairs that they climb to a long hall dug into the rock. They walk to a steel door at the end of the hall and the door slides open as they near it.
They all file into a room, bare except for a small table sitting in the middle of it. Sam and PB blink, trying to adjust to the limited light. There is a computer monitor sitting on the table that comes alive with a hiss and flash of light on it's screen. The Ranger pushes both Sam and PB closer to the monitor.
"You're name is Samantha Siegal. You are Abraham's sister."
The voice is coming from the monitor and is distorted and inhuman.
"Who is the other one? What is your purpose?"
PB looks into the monitor to address the voice but the screen only flashes light and fuzz.
"PB James," he says.
"Who are you?" the monitor demands.
"I'm just...a guy."
The monitor goes silent.
"Who are you and what is this place?" PB asks.
"Silence!" the monitor bellows "By the nature of your arrival I conclude that your purpose is to retrieve Abe Siegel, but at this time Mr. Sielgel is in the employee of the company and is not available to you."
"What company?" PB asks.
"Silence!" the monitor cries and PB can feel the Ranger's rifle digging into his side between the straps of his pack.
"Mr. Siegel was hesitant at first but after a few more days of sleep deprivation and doses of psychotropic drugs in his food I'm sure he will come around and begin to become productive in his task."
"Have you hurt him?" Sam cries.
"Calm yourself. No harm will come to you or your brother."
The screen flashes off and the transmission ends The Russian's cell phone rings. Two more men came in through the steel door, take Sam by each arm, and begin to lead her out of the room. PB takes a few steps in persuit until the Ranger is standing in front of him with the gun. Sam glances back and PB sees the fear in her eyes before the steel doors close behind her.
The Russian gets off the phone and nods at the Ranger.
"Time to go buddy," the Ranger says to PB and leads him to a door on the far side of the room.
They make their way down a long tight tunnel of rock until another steel door opens out into the bright light of day. PB blinks in the sun until the Russian and the Ranger are nodding into the trees and they make their way to a clearing at the edge of a cliff.
PB looks out into the valley and tries to take in all it's color and grand beauty. He feels very strongly that his life is about to end and wonders if he lived a good one and what it really meant. He can sense the Russian and the Ranger standing behind him and he regrets that he watched so much television and didn't read more books.
"Are you going to jump buddy?" the Ranger asks.
"No."
"Then you shall be shot," says the Russian.
PB realizes he's about to die with a heavy pack strapped to his back. He takes it off and drops it to the ground. The Ranger raises the rifle and PB is ashamed he can't look at it and looks at the Russian instead. The Russian's face is wide and cold and PB focuses on the tress beyond him. The trees are very green and beautiful and he's glad they will be the last thing he see's before leaving Earth.
He's surprised when the shadow of one of the trees rises off the ground and begins to approach them. He doesn't realize the shadow is actually a huge black bear until it has stalked up behind the Russian and is breathing down the big man's back. The Russian turns around and doesn't have time to see what hit him before the bear swipes at him with one gigantic paw and separates the wide head from the thick creased neck. Blood sprays across the grass and the air is suddenly filled with the steady chugging of the Ranger's machine gun. The Ranger bellows, loud and high pitched as he shoots the bear. He must be a horrible shot because none of the bullets seem to be hitting the animal. The bear is walking passed the Russian's decapitated body and is still approaching PB. The bear's huge dark eyes stare at him and PB finally allows himself to admit that he is not ready to die.
The Ranger continues to shoot, the bear continues to approach, and instead of waiting around to see what happens PB takes a few steps backwards and jumps off the cliff.
To be continued in part 6.
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