Pandemic

Elbows locked, he pointed his gun with two hands at the door. The barrel flinched twice, emitting two brief hisses, and then Clayton kicked the door with a heavy blow from his right foot. No sooner had his foot reached the ground than he dove through the now-open doorway.

Haldane scrambled to his feet and stood at the door with his Glock held ready. He peered into the room just in time to see the fat man whirl to face the door. The man reached for his pistol and started to scream something, when suddenly he flew back against the kitchen counter. Eyes open wide, the man slid down against the wall below the counter, leaving a bloodstain behind him, and then toppled forward in a crumpled heap.

* * *

As Sabri approached her with his huge knife swaying in front of him, Gwen was overcome with calm. She resolved not to say a word to him. She would not let him cheat her of a dignified death.

He knelt down by her cot, holding his knife inches from her head. His pale eyes burned into hers and she could feel his warm sterile breath on her face. She turned her head away from his and closed her eyes, wondering whether to expect intense pain or nothing at all when the blow came.

She held her breath. Nothing.

When moments later she felt a tugging at her left ankle and her leg suddenly released, she shot her head over to see Sabri cutting through the other bindings.

Before freeing her wrists, he glanced at her. "You cooperate or you die," he said coolly. Then he cut through the last of the ties.

She sat up unsteadily on the bed.

Just as she rose to her feet, she heard the sound of the door bursting open. Before she could react, Sabri grabbed her by the hair and yanked her to her feet in one painful jerk. He wrapped his knifed hand around her neck until the edge dug into the skin just below her jaw. "One move, you die!" he spat as he pushed her forward.

She heard a shrill male scream something in Arabic, followed by a heavy thud.

Sabri carried her by the neck as he ran with her out of the bedroom. As soon as they rounded the corner, Gwen saw Clayton standing in the middle of the shabby living room. His gun was trained right on them.

Sabri stopped.

"It's okay, Gwen," Clayton said evenly, and then he spoke to Sabri. "Put her down, now, Major Sabri. It's over." His gun held perfectly still.

"Yes, over," Sabri repeated and she could feel his breath on her ear. "I will die and you will lose your Director of Counter-Bioterrorism." He jabbed the blade tighter against Gwen's neck, until she felt a sharp sting, realizing her skin had been cut.

"Let her go!" Clayton insisted.

"Put your gun down or she dies now," Sabri said.

Clayton faltered.

"Now!" Sabri hissed.

Clayton backed up away from them several steps until he was near the entryway. That was the first time Gwen noticed Noah at the doorway with only his head, hand, and gun poking through.

The sharp pressure tightened at Gwen's neck. At the same moment, she felt Sabri's other hand digging around behind her back.

Clayton slowly lowered his gun to his side. "I'm putting it down," he said.

Suddenly Gwen realized that Sabri now held a new weapon behind her back. His gun. She opened her mouth to yell, "Alex—" when she was abruptly shoved heavily forward into the wall.

Reality shifted. Everything slowed down for Gwen.

Her shoulder slammed painfully against the wall. She looked up in time to see Clayton spin and stagger backward as a spray of blood arced out of the left side of his chest. He dropped to his knees and then fell backward in the entryway.

She looked over at Sabri. A pistol had replaced his knife. And he fired three more shots at the doorway.

* * *

When Clayton swiveled and collapsed at his feet, Noah glanced down for a split second. At the same moment, the wood beside his head erupted in a shower of splinters, and he heard three more loud bangs.

Noah yanked his head back out the doorway. On the other side from him, McLeod was on his knees, risking exposure as he pulled Clayton's bleeding body out of the cabin by his legs.

Clayton's eyes were half-shut and blood leaked between his lips. When his head turned and his glassy eyes found Haldane's, he implored, "End it now, Noah!" He sputtered and the air filled as if his breath had frozen red.

Haldane poked his head out around the corner again. Sabri was wrestling Gwen into a headlock. When Sabri looked up to see Haldane, he fired another shot, and Noah felt the bullet whistle by his head.

Haldane raised his Glock, aiming. His finger froze on the trigger, wavering as to whether he had a clear shot without hitting Gwen. In his moments of hesitation, Sabri dragged Gwen back into the kitchen and down behind the countertop.

Haldane felt a surge of fury rip through him.

His gun leading the way, he strode forward into the living room, moving out to his left.

Just as he penetrated deep enough into the room to see around the edge of the counter, the glass on the painting frame behind him smashed and another bang echoed in the room.