Chapter 9 - The Extraction Point
The freezing wind whipped violently as the black helicopters actively circled the clearing above them.
“Run faster!” Victor screamed loudly over the truly deafening roar of the massive spinning rotors.
Elias firmly grabbed Lily into his arms and sprinted desperately through the knee-deep snow.
He meticulously followed Victor’s exact footprints to completely avoid detonating the hidden landmines.
Heavy machine gunfire aggressively erupted from the lead helicopter, fiercely tearing through the pine trees right behind them.
Splintered wood and frozen bark violently exploded in absolutely every direction.
Elias dove frantically behind a massive granite boulder, fiercely sheltering Lily with his own battered body.
Victor expertly returned fire with his pistol, desperately trying to buy them a few precious seconds of cover.
“The designated extraction point is literally just over that snowy ridge!” Victor shouted over the endless gunfire.
Elias nodded affirmatively and mentally readied himself for the final, deadly sprint.
They courageously broke from their rocky cover and dashed wildly toward the steep cliff edge.
A stray caliber bullet painfully grazed Elias’s left leg, but the sheer adrenaline completely masked the burning pain.
They finally crested the high ridge and slid recklessly down into a deeply hidden, icy ravine.
Sitting beautifully in the absolute center of the ravine was a sleek, unmarked black helicopter.
The powerful rotors were already loudly spinning, fully prepped and ready for immediate takeoff.
The heavy side door forcefully slid open against the wind.
A striking woman quickly stepped out onto the snowy, metallic landing skid.
She had long, flowing dark hair and wore a heavy, tactical winter jacket.
Elias completely froze in his snowy tracks, completely unable to breathe.
It was really her.
It was his Anna.
She looked exactly like she did in his stolen, beautiful memories, only much fiercer and infinitely stronger.
“Mommy!” Lily screamed joyfully, running wildly out from behind Elias’s protective legs.
Anna quickly dropped to her freezing knees and caught the little girl in a desperately tight embrace.
Hot tears streamed rapidly down Anna’s beautiful face as she held her long-lost daughter.
Elias walked slowly forward, his battered heart pounding triumphantly in his chest.
Anna looked up directly at him, her dark eyes completely filled with overwhelming, pure emotion.
“You actually kept her safe,” Anna cried passionately.
“I boldly told you I would always come back for you,” Elias whispered softly.
He reached out gratefully and pulled both of them tightly into his strong arms.
For the first magical time in seven long years, his broken family was completely whole again.
But a sudden, incredibly sharp metallic clicking sound loudly echoed directly behind his head.
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Elias turned around slowly, dread instantly replacing his immense joy.
Victor was standing a mere ten feet away, pointing his reloaded gun directly at Elias’s forehead.
