Chapter Fourteen
He wasn’t taking the man at face value and he surveyed the area to make sure there weren’t any surprises. The man was standing impatiently at the front door to the cabin and it was obvious there was no way that he was going to back down and admit defeat.
Bailey took a few steps forward and the man abruptly made eye contact with him. It was a stalemate and the only way to break it was with bloodshed.
“As soldiers, we all know that retirement comes with a bullet. Those unlucky enough to find paradise in their twilight years are left broken inside. They crave the excitement and they want nothing more than for somebody from their past to come gunning for them.” Bailey nodded his head in recognition to the claim this man was making.
“I’m a survivor and you had the misfortune of making me that soldier all over again. I didn’t want any of this, but it’s inevitable for someone to avenge those who have fallen by my hand. I suggest we do this by the numbers like they would in the Wild West. Back to back, taking 10 paces and then we turn and fire to see which one of us is left standing.”
It was insane and I tried to interject only to be shut down by Bailey’s hand in the air.
“I’ve always had a fascination with westerns growing up, but I never thought that I would live to see the day that I was involved in a showdown. You’re a man after my own heart, Bailey Lincoln. I admire your handiwork and I read your dossier except for those parts redacted. I’m sure there’s a story behind many of your missions and it would be interesting to sit down and compare notes. Let’s do this and I promise not to make you suffer.”
I was out of my mind with worry, watching this display of them measuring their manhood and knowing one of them was going to get the better of the other.
“Before we proceed, I want your word as a soldier that you will leave Chelsea alone. You’re not to harm a hair on her head and you both go your separate ways. She’s not a part of this and I don’t want her to be a casualty of something I was responsible for.”
He was protecting me with his last breath and my heart jumped for joy. It also sank at the same time at the realization of what was going to happen.
“I don’t usually leave anybody to identify me, but I agree with your terms. It is a good day to die and our fate was already sealed when we put on the uniform. Soldiers are the last line of defense and those pencil pushers ordering the strategic attacks are cowards. Some have never seen action and they deem it necessary to make the hard decisions.”
I wasn’t expecting them to get into a spirited discussion, but apparently, they both had very harsh feelings towards those with bureaucratic blood running through their veins.
“Only those who have looked the enemy in the eye can truly understand what we have gone through. We walk around in a trance and we are tiptoeing around the open grave of our own funeral. We move carefully, but we live dangerously because we don’t know any other way. I killed your soldiers, but I can assure you they died quickly. There’s no need to make this personal, but the man who hired you will find out that coming after me is a bad mistake.”
Bailey was making it sound like he was definitely going to be the winner, but I think that he was only using psychological warfare to get his point across.
“I wouldn’t be so sure of yourself and you might be good with a rifle from afar, but this takes ice water in your veins. I was always at the top of my class in marksmanship and hand to hand combat. I’m not going to lie down and make it easy for you if that is what you were hoping for. Rules are made to be broken and can you imagine what our drill sergeant would say if he saw us now.”
They had respect for one another, but the rules of war were unshakable in their opinions.
“I don’t see any reason why we should procrastinate. If you have any last words then this might be the time for you to say them. My death will be felt by my family, but you will have no fear of retaliation from them. We have carved our name in blood and left an indelible mark.” Bailey was giving him the opportunity to speak his mind as the clock ticked down on his life.
“I would love to believe you, but there’s no way that you can possibly predict what your family is going to do. The only thing I ask is that you take care of my family in my absence. They won’t know who you are and anonymously you will send them stipends every month without fail. They deserve something for their pain and the one who takes my life should pay for it monetarily. I’m not planning to die, but on that off chance, this is my final will and testament made with a sound mind and body. I want you to take this and deliver it in person to my mother. You can tell her anything you want, but in the end, you will have to look her in the eyes.”
It seemed cruel and unusual to ask him to be the messenger.
“We could’ve been friends and I would imagine we have a lot more in common than either one of us wants to admit. It’s too bad it has to end this way. It would’ve been nice to cultivate this friendship and to have somebody to talk to over a few beers. Such is life and nobody said anything about what we do is fair.”
Bailey was standing there swallowing his pride when everything in his body was probably screaming at him to get somewhere where he could take the shot from a distance.
“There’s no chance of that happening, Bailey.” This man handed Bailey an envelope which made me think about how Bailey might’ve had a similar envelope in his possession. There was no way that I could let this farce continue without saying something.
“I just want to go on the record to say both of you are bat shit crazy.” There was no reason for this to happen, but neither one was going to listen to the wise counsel of someone who didn’t know what it was like to be in the trenches.
“You’re going to have to forgive her and she knows not what she says. There are a cost and a price which both of us have paid many times over in our dreams and nightmares. Civilians have no clue and I wouldn’t want to wish this on my worst enemy. We may come home with battle wounds visible to the naked eye, but there are others they can’t see.” Bailey was talking like I wasn't even there and making me feel like a third wheel.
“I lost my family and I barely speak to a daughter I never saw grow up. We all have regrets in this line of work, but we sacrificed for the good of the many. They say no one man can make a difference, but we both know they are wrong. Bailey, it has been my honor and I do hope there is a special place in heaven for guys like us. Then again, it’s more likely we will be taking the trip down south and rightfully so.”
You could hear a pin drop and they stared at each other until finally, they reached for the lone revolver tightly encased in their shoulder holsters.
They didn’t even do me the courtesy of looking at me before they met in the middle of the driveway and turned their backs to one another. Their guns were clasped in both of their hands and they were staring straight ahead before taking one step after another.
“Five… Six… Seven.” They were counting off in unison and I was left to witness this barbaric display of their over inflated sense of duty.
“Eight… Nine…Ten… ” They moved fluidly, twisting to face each other with their guns going off at the same time. They were both thrown into the air and came down heavily with their breath escaping their bodies.
I stood there shaking with my eyes wide to the implications of what I was going to find if I went a little closer. The blood was pooled around their prone forms.