Chapter 4 - The Target on My Back
The glow of the laptop screen illuminated my face in the dark cabin of my truck.
I watched the video again just to make sure my eyes were not deceiving me.
My own commanding officer was involved in a black-site medical experiment.
The little girl was not a normal child playing in a public park.
She was a genetically modified asset and her mother was a whistleblower trying to expose them.
I ripped the flash drive out of the laptop and shoved it deep into my boot.
I could not trust anyone in uniform anymore.
I drove back to the veterinary clinic under the cover of darkness.
I slipped through the rear employee entrance using a code Dr. Aris had given me years ago.
The clinic was silent except for the humming of the medical machines.
I found Brutus lying in a large recovery kennel on a padded bed.
He lifted his heavy head and let out a soft whine when he saw me approach.
I unlatched the metal gate and knelt beside him to check his bandages.
He was still weak but the terrifying tremors in his legs had completely stopped.
I whispered that we had to leave because this place was no longer safe.
I carefully strapped his tactical harness back onto his muscular chest.
He stood up slowly and leaned against my leg for support.
We snuck out the back door and climbed into my truck just as a pair of black SUVs pulled into the front parking lot.
I slouched down in the driver's seat and watched the armed men step out of the vehicles.
It was the same men in black suits from the captain's office.
They were carrying suppressed rifles and moving with military precision.
They were not here to ask questions about my dog.
They were here to eliminate the only witnesses to the park incident.
I silently shifted the truck into neutral and let it roll backward down the dark alleyway.
Once we were clear of the building I started the engine and sped toward the highway.
We needed a place to hide and figure out our next move.
I drove to my isolated cabin in the woods about forty miles outside the city limits.
It was an off-the-grid property I only used during hunting season.
I carried Brutus inside and locked the heavy deadbolts on the reinforced door.
I grabbed my personal AR-15 from the gun safe and loaded a thirty-round magazine.
I sat in the dark living room staring at the door while Brutus slept by my feet.
The silence of the woods was heavy and suffocating.
Around two in the morning Brutus suddenly snapped awake and stood up.
The hair on his back stood straight up and a low rumble vibrated in his chest.
I raised my rifle and aimed it squarely at the front door.
A blinding spotlight suddenly tore through the front window and shattered the glass into a thousand pieces.
May you like
A voice echoed through a megaphone from the dark woods outside.
The voice belonged to Captain Miller and he calmly ordered me to surrender the drive.
