Page 52 of SEAL's Spitfire
“Come.” Meghan wondered once again if they knew any other words in English. One of the men grabbed her arm and pulled her out of the truck and let her fall to the ground. Trying to stand with her wrists and ankles still zip tied was difficult. It must have been taking her too long because he yanked her arm and pulled her to her feet. It took everything she had not to burst into tears. There was more shouting, and the hood was pulled from her head. She took huge gulps of fresh air and her nausea subsided. Then the ties on her wrists and ankles were cut off sending shooting pains up her arms and legs as the blood flow returned.
“Open your eyes,” a heavily accented voice commanded. Meghan slowly lifted her eyelids, but it was too bright after the hours under the dark hood. It took a few times before she was able to keep them open in the light.
“You wanted to write story. Yes?”
Meghan turned toward the voice while trying to memorize her surroundings. “Yes. But I was supposed to go to Bamyan.”
“You don’t need there. The story is here.”
“Where is here? I’m supposed to meet with Azfaar.”
“Yes. You will. Soon. Now come with me.” At least he wasn’t dragging her like the others had, she followed him through a courtyard area with flowers and trees and children running around. Then he led her into the largest of the buildings.
“I need to go to the bathroom.” She’d been holding it for hours and she wasn’t sure how much longer she could wait. He’d been nicer than the others, she took a chance that he’d understand and take pity on her.
“You need to wait.”
“I don’t think I can. I’ve waited a long time.” He didn’t say anything at first but led her down a different hallway and stopped in front of a door.
“You go.” After a moment’s hesitation about what she’d find on the other side of the door, Meghan reached for the doorknob with trepidation.
“Go, now.”
“Okay.” Taking a deep breath, she turned the knob and pushed open the door. The room was dark, and it took a moment for her eyes to adjust. The only light was a small lantern burning near the sink. Letting out the breath she’d been holding, she made a beeline for the toilet.
As she washed her hands and splashed water on her face, she saw her reflection in the mirror and barely recognized herself. Her black hair was tangled and knotted and even dragging her fingers through it didn’t fix it. The bags and shadows were so dark under her eyes she looked like one of the walking dead.
A sharp knock on the door made her jump and sent her heart racing. “Hurry up.” The voice was different, not the same heavy accent as before. Praying that she’d at least see her brother before they killed her, she pulled open the door and stepped out to face the muzzle of a gun.
“Enough stalling. Come with us.” They didn’t give her much choice. One of the other men grabbed her arm and dragged her down the hall. The man who’d let her use the bathroom was nowhere to be seen. Maybe he’d gotten into trouble for showing her kindness.
The hallway was plain, mostly bare walls and lots of doors. As she was pulled along, she continued to catalog everything she saw, hoping it would come back to her if she had the opportunity to escape. They climbed a flight of stairs and then walked down a hall lined with heavy metal doors. At the tenth door, they stopped. Fear sent shivers down her spine. This wasn’t the type of door to keep people out, it was meant to keep someone in. Up until then, she’d still hoped they were taking her to Azfaar for the pre-arranged interview.
The first guard tapped keys on the electronic pad and the door clicked open. Without a word, they shoved her inside and slammed it shut behind her. The echo of the door clicking shut was so final that she was resigned to the thought that she’d never leave the cell or see her brother again. A noise made her turn around and she realized she wasn’t alone. They’d put her in with the other hostages.
“Charlie!” He was there, standing less than two feet away. Had she really found him? Racing to him, she hugged him tightly, relief at having found him bringing tears to her eyes. She didn’t let go, wouldn’t let go, she was too afraid he might disappear. That none of this was real.
“Meghan? What on earth are you doing here?”
“Oh my God, Charlie. I never thought I’d see you again.”
“Meggy…” He held her as tightly as she was holding him. Like they were hanging on for dear life. “But I don’t understand why you’re here. Why would you put yourself in danger?”
“You’re my brother. What else would I do?” Then she looked around the cell at all the other faces, haggard, dirty, but with a bit of hope in their eyes probably for the first time since they’d been taken.
“Listen. They don’t know I’m related to Charlie. We have to keep it that way.”
“Why would it matter?”
“Because they’d use us against each other. No matter what, if anything happens. I’m just another hostage. Don’t interfere, any of you. Our lives could depend on that. Okay?” She watched as they all nodded their heads.
“I get the feeling there is more than you’re telling us.”
“Don’t worry. Everything will be okay. Hey, where’s Miranda?” Meghan hoped she sounded convincing. The last thing she wanted was to make it worse for them. They’d been through enough already.
“They took her the second day we were here after they found out she was a senator’s daughter.”
“Fuck.”
