The Hotel

Chapter Six.

Sarah wasn't idle in the few days after the half brigade broke camp and marched out. She had filled her time with interviewing the refugees, still camped around the hotel and now most of them installed in the hotel rooms and talking to the remaining dozen soldiers.

One particular female lance-corporal was very happy to be interviewed and told Sarah her story, allowing the woman to bond somewhat. The story was similar to others, a civilian life cut short by war and now a dedicated individual who had set her sights on doing her 'bit'. Although she hated war and fighting, Sarah felt uneasiness as most of the soldiers now away, she asked the Corporal for a favour,

"With the Colonel and his forces away, I would like to be taught how to shoot a pistol," Sarah asked eyeing the matt-finished automatic side-arm, hanging from the Corporal's belt.

"Ah, you want protection?" She replied, her black hair, tied severely into a ponytail. Her eyes were a deep brown and her slim figure hidden her flak jacket.

"Yes, I don't know anything about guns," Sarah's voice possessed a child-like innocence.

"Very well, after my duty shift at 18:00," The Corporal nodded.

They met promptly, and the Corporal, a husky-voiced girl younger than Sarah hugged her upon Srah's arrival,

"I'm Carolina, I would like to be your friend as you are my Colonel's friend, are you not?" Carolina smiled knowingly.

"I'm Sarah, and I would like to be your friend too," Sarah avoided the loaded question, like an uncovered land mine. She didn't want or expect to explain herself to anyone. She didn't want to share it in case she and Adam's fledgling romance faded or worst of all, he didn't return to her.

The two women took up position on the makeshift firing range at the camp's rear, against a pile of sandbags, the Colonel insisted that his command maintained a high marksmanship level, even when not in actual combat. After half an hour, Sarah was both alarmed and thrilled, as her confidence grew as did her aim,

Carolina smirked, "You should join up! You are better than my comrades!" The women both laughed.

"Can I keep one?" Sarah chanced her arm, she couldn't shake the feeling of foreboding, that now Adam and his troops would be over 100km away, and she felt vulnerable.

"You can have this one, I have a spare in the barracks. In war, guns are plentiful," Carolina smiled ruefully and handed Sarah a khaki bag with six fully loaded clips of 16 rounds each.

"Thank you, I don't want to get you into trouble," Sarah smiled, thumbing the safety catch to 'safe' and holding the pistol in the belt webbing holster.

"If I can keep my colonel's woman safe, I will do my duty to him. We all know about you and he," Carolina waved her arm to suggest the world's intimate knowledge, "I think it is good that my colonel has found you, he has suffered much in this bloody war. Can I say, I am a little jealous, I would have welcomed him into my bed if he wanted me, but it is good that you are for him," Carolina smiled,

"Will he be back as he promised?" Sarah's reporter's brain kicked in, as she tried to dampen the sense of his absence from her. She found herself confiding in this woman, perhaps because they both shared the same destiny, or they both lost people, they loved and that made it all the more vital to make human connections.

"He hunts for Kirov, but the old bastard is clever. I think Marta might have found him, but there will be much blood on the ground I think, before we can leave here and go home, but we should be safe." Carolina's words of comfort didn't quell the nagging feeling in Sarah's stomach.

Even when Klaus and the few remaining correspondents were being loaded onto a war-weary truck, she chose to remain,

"Sarah, have you gone native? You really should be going with us, the situation here is becoming dangerously unstable with guerilla activity and government forces running around trying to kill each other," He took her hand, "Please Sarah, I fear for you!" His words were sincere, and she thanked him with a peck on the cheek,

"I'm alright Klaus, when the Colonel's troops return, it'll be safe again. Look after yourself, Klaus and give my best wishes to the rest of the guys," With that the truck rattled away and suddenly Sarah felt alone.

By the following afternoon, she saw the approach of a company of men and her heart skipped a beat and rushed from her room, but by the time she reached the front door, she saw the alarm on the faces of the remaining troops, then looking through the dirty windows of the lobby, she saw refugees running hither and thither and then the unmistakable crack of small arms fire. Sarah immediately ducked down and shuffled herself back to the stairs. She looked back and saw the glass shatter from a hail of bullets and the soldiers returning fire before mortar rounds struck the ground in front of the hotel, as a warning to the defenders that the approaching forces had the correct range, and would be able to level the building if required. Sarah saw Carolina glance around the lobby and caught Sarah's gaze. They both knew who was attacking them and that the defenders were doomed,

"Kirov!" She called out, to anyone in earshot.

Sarah shot up to her room, retrieving the PRESS flak jacket, flung her personal credentials lanyard around her neck and the automatic pistol and two spare clips, stuffing them in the flak jacket out of sight, and the rest in her cargo pants pockets. She stopped at the door and snatched a white pillowcase from the bed. Once she had returned to the lobby, a makeshift barricade had been erected across the main doors, and Carolina was whispering to her troops,

"We have over fifty civilians to move and the twelve of us, we must get them away, "She looked up as Sarah crouched down next to her,

"Corporal, you cannot win here, you're vastly outnumbered, they have light artillery, and you have small arms and limited ammunition. Get your people out, take the women and children away, before you're surrounded. I'll negotiate a cease-fire; you know you can't win. I'm international press, Kirov won't do anything to me, he wouldn't dare!" Her voice was remarkably steady and authoritative.

"I have to protect..." Carolina tried to interrupt, but Sarah shut her down,

"Get out and be quick! I'll go out there and talk to him," With that, she stood up and made her way over the upturned sofa and tables. She walked from the lobby doors waving her pillowcase and stopped him. She looked straight ahead but could hear the clatter of boots running from the hotel. Sarah, although dry-mouthed, swallowed hard and walked out to the open ground looking forward. As she walked, the serge uniformed soldiers in flak jackets, flew the tricolour flag of the Kirov's native country. The two hundred metre walk was the most nerve-wracking she could ever remember, praying to a god she had doubts about, that no trigger-happy militiaman would fire a 7.65mm round through her flak jacket and kill her outright. As she approached the line of troops, a young, bearded Captain stepped out and looked her up and down,

"You must surrender immediately! "His voice was gritty, and his eyes were stern.

"We do surrender, I am here to negotiate..." Sarah's words were cut like a knife,

"There are no negations! You have surrendered!" He raised his hand and a platoon of troops accelerated down the road towards the hotel, Sarah prayed that Carolina had taken the opportunity to clear out, she held her breath and turned watching the troops run down to the hotel, clamber over the upturned furniture but heard no gunfire and let out her breath slowly.

As she turned back, her mouth dropped as she saw Marta being pushed forward by a serge-uniformed NCO and behind her stood the unmistakeable sight of Valentin Kirov, loaded for bear in his grenade festooned flak-jacket. Sarah saw Marta's abused face, covered with bruises and her lips bloodied. Her uniform blouse was ripped, revealing her bruised flesh and her fatigue pants were beltless. She looked back at Kirov and saw the vile grin that sat on his bearded face.

Sarah looked at her battered face, and her loose clothing and she knew, Kirov had raped her again!

By the evening, the whole area was under martial law and occupied by the convict company. Even her room had been tossed, and her property had been confiscated and delivered to Kirov. For three hours, she had been made to sit on the ground sheet outside his tent, after being forced to strip off her as he conducted his duties. Eventually, he ordered one of his evil-smelling troops to bring her before him,

"So, Sarah Harding of the World Associated Press Organisation and famed war correspondent, welcome to my regional headquarters. I apologise for your less than comfortable treatment, but he had to secure the area for civilians and non-combatants." He smiled, his black beard could not hide the smile on his lips, "I have read your dispatches and find them very....colourful' He paused and framed his next barbed comment on her recent work, "but your representation of myself and the legitimate police action of my country is a trifle inflammatory and devoid of the facts of the situation," He sighed indulgently as if he was schooling a naughty school girl about her poor homework assignment.

"What would you call the unwarranted invasion of a country, with the intent of dismantling their duly elected government? "She shot him a hard stare but relented, remembering her precarious position.

"A matter of policy, military action is always an instrument of policy is it not?" He questioned her,

"The quote was war, is an instrument of policy- are you at war? Is that the position of your government and this is no longer a police action?" She chipped in, but he shrugged her accusation away.

"You will document his peaceful liberation of this region, and show the world that we are 'good guys'," He smiled but Sarah scoffed,

"You command a company of licensed convicts who are the remnants of a penal battalion, that retreated under fire months ago, and you want me to write reports of the peaceful liberation. Where exactly is the evidence?" Her tone was icy and she detected a noise behind her, she turned and saw Marta being frog-marched into the tent,

"Miss Harding, I believe you are acquainted with little Marta here, a former corporal in the militia!" He stood and grabbed at her, and forced her to stand next to him. Sarah looked up in utter disbelief,

"Is this how you treat prisoners? Is this your peaceful liberation?" Outraged, her words choked her but managed to recover quickly, her mind racing.

"Marta was militia but she has seen the error of her ways and decided to cooperate with her liberator." He pulled at her arm, and Marta looked down to the ground, "She agreed to send the Black Colonel a message didn't you?" He pulled at her and then she violently pulled away, but his grasp was iron-tight.

Sarah looked at Marta, her spirit seemed broken, and now all Sarah wanted to get her away from this man,

"If I am to report in your liberation, perhaps you might allow me to interview this woman and test the veracity of your claims and see if she has embraced your 'liberation'. I would like my possessions returned, laptop and Sat phone?" Sarah guessed that he would not return the phone but without her input code, it would be useless.

"You may have your pen and notebook and your room returned to you, that's all a reporter needs, and Marta will go with you under guard. It is not as though, I do not know where she will at all times!" The threat was explicit. Kirov stood and released his prisoner and they were both ushered out of his tent and pushed down the road towards the hotel. The doors were open, and Kirov's men had made themselves comfortable in the lobby and sat in small groups, sipping thick black coffee and eyed the two women as they walked. Srah heard the grating sound of filthy calls and comments from the men, and heard words she knew all too well,

"Hey little shlyukha! You and your friend will be seeing us soon, get a room for us!" The laughter was vile and Sarah fought every instinct to shout and swear at them kept her eyes straight and followed the lead NCO as he escorted her to her room. Every fibre of her being was burning with questions and once they were pushed into Sarah's old room and the door closed, she breathed out slowly. Marta stood visibly shaking, her eyes downcast.

The room was in turmoil, her nag emptied, her remaining clothes were strewn on the floor, any files were similarly discarded and her camera, Dictaphone and iPad were all gone. She looked at the small, fitted drawer unit, and every drawer had been emptied and saw her panties also rifled through. She sighed with disgust and then turned to Marta,

"Marta, sit down, let's have a look at those cuts," Sarah spoke softly, aware of the two NCOs were stood outside. Marta nodded slowly and sat, Srah dug out a small first aid kit, she had under her mattress and pulled at the velcro fastenings. Marta was a mess, her face still swollen from tell-tale slapping, the finger marks still visible, her lips had been split and as she looked down her neck, human bitemarks were visible. Her breathing was shallow and her eyes empty, she looked completely defeated,

"Marta, tell me everything," Sarah wanted Marta to talk, to open the floodgates and pour it out. If she could regain something of herself, she might have the old soldiering Marta back and perhaps find a way to escape.

Her words were harsh whispers, her voice thin and hollow, "He said he would let every man take their turn with me!" She breathed, tears now welling up in her eyes.

"You survived, that's all that matters," Sarah touched her face, and Marta looked up.

"They tied me to one of the trucks, and....and..." Her sobs began to erupt, "He...they..." The words were no longer enough, Sarah gently held her and rocked her,

"You survived, that's the most important thing!" She repeated.

Marta gathered herself a little and struggled to control her breathing but then she looked round furtively, as if someone would hear her but then looked back to Sarah,

"Srah, I did what Kirov said, I did send a signal to the Colonel. I would never betray my Colonel, but I couldn't let those nenorociţi, those bastards, use me like that!" Her breath came in huge sobs, but then she regained her composure once again,

"It's alright Marta, you had to survive!" Sarah couldn't help herself and hugged the shaken women but then she felt her body tense, Marta had still more to tell her,

"Kirov doesn't know that I put a code word into the signal, my Colonel would know I was captured! When I volunteered to try and locate Kirov, he insisted I add the code word in any transmission, if I was taken prisoner and made to send false intelligence. He guessed that Kirov might try and attack him," She sobbed again as if her secret was now a burden too great to carry.

Srah thought for a moment, had Adam left her here? She was she and the hotel too tempting a target for Kirov, with Adam and his troops away? No, he left twelve soldiers behind and Carolina had insisted that she would protect her and then when Kirov was sighted, Sarah had dismissed Carolina's protestations and any thought of escape to try and broker a surrender. Then the terrible realisation dawned on her, if Adam returned, he would be bent on eliminating Kirov's 'werewolves' once and for all.

"Oh my god, it'll be a bloodbath!" The blood drained from her face.

End of Chapter Six