Damian
I was in a light sleep when I heard or felt something out of place. My hand went to my pistol before I had even opened my eyes. That’s how ingrained my trained reflexes were, and I hadn’t slept any deeper than light for over twenty years.
The next second of brain activity identified my surroundings. What country was I in? Who was I with? Where was my enemy? That’s right, Africa, covert ops and hopefully not in my near vicinity.
It was dark, probably early morning due to the fact I felt reasonably rested. The sound of the zip opening my tent had me sitting bolt upright with my pistol facing the flap. I was surprised to see Juliette come crawling in and I lowered my weapon.
‘About time you came to me on your knees.’ My voice sounded rough from sleep.
Juliette was hot, Lara Croft hot. She’d been in our unit for over a year and never once got cosy with any of the guys. All twenty-one of us had crashed and burned trying, including the Commander.
‘In your dreams Damian. Get dressed, I need you to come with me.’
‘What time is it?’
‘Just after five.’
‘Where?’
‘A place.’
I raised an eyebrow. She had literally given me no information or reason to go with her.
‘I got in some trouble,’ she relented. ‘I need help and I trust you the most. I’ll let you get ready,’ she said while disappearing out the tent backwards. As if I’d agreed to do this, whatever it was.
Even though it was dark, and she made no noise, I knew she was waiting outside. It didn’t matter though. If she needed my help, I’d have her back like I would for the others. I was dressed and out beside her in less than a minute as we all slept with boots on.
Moonlight shone on her long blonde hair, the only light in the otherwise obscured zone, guiding me through tents and down to the section we held all our vehicles. My eyes did a scan of the jeep we stopped at. Guns, spare ammo, camouflage nets.
‘Juliet,’ I looked at her in confusion.
‘Don’t ask,’ she placed two fingertips on my lips to silence me. ‘Get in.’
Yes Ma’am. I walked around the jeep and got in the passenger side, moving two cameras and binoculars from the seat to the back. Explosives, a detonator, and wire caught my eye. What was she getting me into?
Juliet was our interrogator and had a mean sadistic streak in her. Captives always spilled their guts for her. I don’t know what she did to them exactly. As we set off, my mind wandered to scenarios of lap dancing and sexual torture.
‘Thank you.’ Her voice immediately erased my dirty thoughts. I turned to face her bright smile, giving her a nod, then squeezing her knee.
We were heading into jungle territory now. Thick canopied trees hung overhead, and the fine dust of the desert gave way to rocks and roots causing us to rattle around the jeep like balls inside a shaker. Putting our seatbelts on at the same time, I held onto the cage bar with one arm, placing my other across her shoulders so she could continue steering.
Soon, we came into a large open area. About a mile in diameter. The hot sun was starting its ascent on the horizon. Streams of yellow and orange lit up the dusky sky, bathing us in gold. Had Juliet taken me here for a romantic sunrise moment?
‘Grab the nets and cover us,’ she instructed.
I guess not.
While I got the nets and covered the jeep, she loaded two high powered rifles with zoom lenses and my heart sank. Those weapons were for attack not defence. She handed me one though, so my mind was put to rest slightly. I hadn’t been brought out here to be executed.
I followed her up onto the roof of the jeep and lay under the net. Then we faffed for a while getting into position, for whatever mission we were on, and adjusted our scopes.
‘What are we doing?’ I had to ask again.
‘We’re waiting.’
‘For what?’
‘You’ll see soon.’
She picked up her binoculars and adjusted them. I did the same.
Twenty minutes passed until I felt her nudge my arm.
‘Eleven o’clock.’
I swivelled my head slightly and refocussed the binoculars. I couldn’t see anything untoward. No buildings or vehicles, only a part desert part vegetative landscape. Then I saw movement. Animals in a shallow river.
‘What are they?’
‘Rhino’s, a mum and three children.’
‘Wow.’
As a big animal lover, I could feel the grin spread across my face. The big one was a ferocious looking beast while the little ones had a cuteness to them. In all the years I’d spent in various countries I hadn’t seen much wildlife. It was like an unspoken rule, humans killing each other over here and animals over there.
Drinking from the murky water, one of the babies threw itself down, splashing the others as it rolled around. The mother nudged it back up and it dived into the water again.
‘What are we doing with rifles? I take it we’re not killing the Rhinos?’ I muttered.
‘No,’ she blew out a heavy breath. ‘But they are,’ and pointed to three jeeps coming in from the right.
We both automatically switched to our rifles, watching through the higher definition lens. The jeeps were moving at speed, creating a cover of sand around them as they crossed the dry desert.
‘Who are they?’
‘Poachers. They want the tusks, and they’ll butcher the Rhinos to get them.’
‘How do you know this?’
‘I’ve been following them.’
‘The animals or the poachers?’
‘Both.’
Her face was sheer concentration, and her trigger finger was twitching. It dawned on me that she planned on killing these guys.
‘Juliet…’
‘I don’t need you for this part,’ she snapped. ‘But, if you want to be helpful, at least take out the tyres.’
‘We can’t just kill people.’
‘We kill people every day.’
‘Not innocent ones.’
‘Are you saying they are innocent?’ Her emerald eyes sparkled with fury. ‘Do you know that some of them are tourists who’ve paid a small fortune to be photographed beside a beautiful, butchered animal? Like a trophy. They don’t even have a use for the animal and just leave it behind rotting.’
I did know these things, I’d heard of it, read about it and it made me sick.
Looking back to the jeeps getting closer, then to the Rhino’s and again to Juliet, my stomach sank. I could either watch her or help her.
I looked back through the scope.
‘How about you take the first jeep and I’ll take the last…’ I started.
‘And we meet in the middle,’ she cut in, but I heard the smile in her voice.
A familiar heat spread through my body, and I took a slow deep breath to steady the adrenaline.
‘Fire.’ Juliet ordered with a calmness that almost made this situation right.
We opened fire on the vehicles, and it didn’t take long until Juliet told me to cease fire. We waited and watched until we were certain there was no movement, no signs of life.
Juliet picked her binoculars up, looking towards the river. ‘You live another day my sweets.’ The rhinos were on the move, disturbed by the shooting.
‘Let’s go,’ she ordered, sliding down the side of the jeep and taking the net back, folding it neatly in the back. She got in the driver’s seat, and I got back in beside her. ‘This is where I need your help. I’m going to check they are all dead and rig the site. I’ll stop a little bit out and I need you to look for anyone that might be coming my way or hiding.’
I got out of the jeep. ‘You stay here, I’ll go and do whatever it is you’re doing.’
‘No! I’ve been tracking these animals and the idiots. I know the area.
‘I’m the one that’s special forces, you’re just an interrogator.’ I tried to make a stand.
She gasped. ‘I don’t believe you just said that! You are such a prick. I’ve been blowing shit up and shooting since I could walk and talk. I outperform all you men put together. The only thing I’m missing is a dick, that’s the only reason I’m not special forces.’ Her rage was so intense I was glad to be on the other side of the jeep so she couldn’t kick my balls.
I would have deserved it. It was a prick thing to say. Juliet’s mum took off when she was a baby leaving her to be raised by her highly decorated military father and four older brothers who were now all special forces She would have been too, if she were male.
I watched her lift her backpack and weapons and storm off.
‘Fuck!’ I kicked the jeep but got back in lifting the rifle and the binoculars.
Juliet
They were all dead. More so now that I’d put a bullet in each of their heads. Their ID’s told me that four were German, four were American and the other four were natives, probably the guides. I tossed the Id’s onto the wreckage.
Damian was having a meltdown. We were communicating on comms and while I felt bad for the way I brought him out here, I had no other choice. I had to manipulate him.
The bodies were in position and the explosives set up to erase all evidence. Now, I was checking out the animal they had at the rear in a net. It was a young Antelope. I couldn’t bear finding out it was still alive, having been through such a frightening ordeal. So, I emptied my clip into its head just to make sure it wasn’t suffering anymore.
Untying the net, I dragged its dead weight clear of the site. Now, other wildlife could feast on its flesh and carcass. There was no time for sadness, only revenge.
‘Fuck! Juliet! Get out of there now!’ Damian shouted so loud I could hear him in stereo.
‘I’m nearly done. Is it another jeep? How close? Should I hide?’
‘No! Don’t hide, just get back here but don’t run.’
‘What do you mean?’
Damian went silent. I couldn’t hear any vehicles. In fact, it was eerily quiet. A chill crept up my spine. ‘Damian,’ I almost whispered. ‘What’s wrong?’
He took ages to answer. ‘I’m handling it. I’m going to shoot it.’
‘Shoot what? No, wait! You can’t shoot, not in my direction. The explosives are set up.’
‘There is a cat coming towards you. A fucking cat. I think it’s a lioness.’
The guys were always messing about, and I got picked on the most. However, I was trained to hear a lie and I didn’t think Damian was lying. He could be mistaken though. I carefully reached for my backpack and made my way out from the back of the jeeps, with the detonator in my pocket and a pistol in my hand.
‘Juliet, I’m sorry.’ Damien choked.
I looked over to him and shook my head. No shot.
Then I saw her, and holy crap! It was a fucking lioness.
Silently she moved towards me, her eyes fixed on mine, thick athletic legs grinding the dirt underneath to powder. Smaller than I would have imagined in height, but her head was huge. Sheer power emanated from her body, swaying slightly showing off her muscle.
I wanted to tell her I wouldn’t hurt her, that I was here to save animals, which was insane. She didn’t need saving from me, it was the other way around!
Frantically, I tried to think of something, anything that could help me. Should I keep eye contact or look away? Cats and dogs saw one as being friendly and the other as a threat, but I couldn’t remember which way around it was. I was sure cats liked eye contact, so I kept doing that. Then I thought about getting down in a submissive position, that’s what you do when you see a bear but if I moved or lost eye contact, she might strike.
She was so close now I could touch her. My body trembled against the strain of trying to ‘show no fear.’ I held her eyes and for some reason attempted a smile to look friendly while her expression remained arrogant, like she knew she could swat me like a fly, and I’d be gone.
Her mouth opened slightly, and a low growl sent a trickle of hot pee down the inside of my leg. I might die of fright before she gets me, and the autopsy would reveal I’d wet myself. My dad and brothers would be so ashamed.
Then she passed me, so slowly, taunting me and squeezing every last bit of fear from my limbs. This was her kingdom, and I wasn’t even a guest.
I stayed rigid, fighting the urge to throw up or collapse on the ground. I knew she was going for the Antelope. I had to wait this out for another minute or two, not that I could do anything else in my paralytic state.
‘She’s got the dead animal.’ Damian confirmed in my ear. ‘I think you’ll be all right.’
I gulped air as tears blurred my vision before she passed me again. This time faster as she wrestled with the carcass, its body gripped firmly in her jaw and held up high, so she didn’t trip over the dangling corpse.
It was over in a flash.
‘Run!’ Damian shouted.
I tried but I only managed to stumble forwards onto my hands and knees as I gasped and choked. Ages passed before Damian’s feet appeared in my view.
‘On your knees again for me Juliet? I’m starting to think we’ve got a thing going on here.’
Snot burst out my nose, I had laughed so hard but I wiped it on his chest when he insisted on carrying me back to the jeep. I was vaguely aware of him talking, setting me down in the passenger side. I had nearly been eaten by a lion, how painful would that have been? Where would she have started? My head? My arm?
My senses came back to me when he was driving away. ‘Wait.’
‘What’s up? Are you ok?’
‘Yeah.’ I was digging in my pocket for the detonator. I let Damian do the honours.
We didn’t speak again until we were almost back at the base.
‘You know, I think some of the other guys would be up for this.’ Damian smiled.
‘Seriously?’
‘Sure, but let’s do it right, no fucking about, no getting eaten by lions.’
‘You mean like a real mission?’
‘Yeah.’ He had a big cheesy grin on his face. ‘Codename, ‘The hunters are hunted.’’
This short story was part of my English Literature and Creative Writing BA degree coursework. I was awarded a 2:1 in 2023. I am now studying for an MA in Creative Writing. I think the stories should be read, rather than collecting dust in my Mac. So, for fun, I’ve posted them in their original form, unedited and imperfect. Please feel free to share your thoughts below.
Oh, and some are autobiographical, can you guess which ones?
Carolyne
