The hidden camp

Another short excerpt of my 21st book and thriller.

The hidden camp

A Two Edged Sword

An excerpt

At about nine am a small forest rangers' helicopter passed over the camp and dropped a message capsule, which landed on the rectangular helicopters' landing strip.

They were still sitting in the mess tent having a third round of coffee, when the camp commander arrived again and handed Demir a sheet of paper.

'There're just coordinates update for the ten am launching, and then a second round of launching towards west of Karemlesh, it's near Mosul.'

'Why there's no mention of our first target I wonder?' Al-Afari did not hesitate to ask Demir, he trusted this young Turk that served as his right hand; and he was sure that Demir and the rest of Turks, which served as supposedly Islamic State adherents are in the same boat, and the same morbid end is their mutual fate.

'It's none of our business sir,' Demir reminded him their clandestine operational conditions, with a sly smile.

He doesn't know what is expecting from us in a couple of weeks, and maybe even much earlier; it's all depends on one solitary fact, when the American will find out who we really are.

'But in the next launching orders the missiles' salvo towards Karemlesh the target isn't kept  from us…'

'Well I guess that the first salvo is aimed at a certain town, and it may end up with many civilian casualties… You and I can understand it and live with such drastic measures, which sometimes we've no other choice but to resort to those harsh measures. But in any case it shouldn't reach anyone's else ears.'

'Is that all, I mean the message's content?' Al-Afari asked him relieved to realize that he was not mistaken and he can trust Demir.

'No sir, we're ordered to rest in the afternoon, because at seven thirty pm, we're bound to move to another camp; the chosen hour is intended to evade the American satellites' passage over the Middle East.'

At ten am when they stood not far from the cruise missiles' battery, al-Afari realized that the general direction was the same as of last night's launching.

If the second launching will be turned at the opposite direction, it will prove that yesterday's night salvo and today's morning first salvo were aimed at the district of Aleppo, and indeed the second battery was aimed at the opposite direction to the first one. Al-Afari realized without the slightest doubt, how right Demir was, the missiles that were launched westward yesterday night and this morning must have hit populated towns or villages.

When all was over and the salvos of four cruise missiles each were launched, al-Afari and his crew were led to the mess tent to have an early lunch with the camp commander; and right afterwards they were told or rather ordered politely, to return to their tents and rest, as they are supposed to be moved to another camp on this very evening.

While lying on his bed in his small room, behind closed shutters in the semi darkness; al-Afari was not able to sleep, and kept wrecking mind what his odds are? Could he trust Demir up to such a superior level, and tell him that their lives are in jeopardy? Would Demir believe him that his only chance to survive is to flee with him from the second camp, and leave the entire crew behind them?

© Haim Kadman 2016 �" all rights resrved.