"Move, you fuckin' idiots! Move!" Cruz roared, his voice cracking as he stomped across the dusty asphalt of the quarry yard.
He was spitting mad, pacing back and forth like a caged pit bull. Sweat was pouring down his face, soaking right through his collar. He grabbed one guard by his tactical vest and shoved him toward the main gate. "Get two guys on that heavy .50 cal on the east tower! Put the Humvees in a V-formation at the entrance! I want eyes on every inch of that main road, sabes? If a fuckin' rabbit twitches in the brush, you light that shit up!"
The yard was a complete circus. Men were running around dropping ammo cans, screaming over static-filled radios, shivering in their boots despite the heat. The sight of Hector chopped up in the back of that flatbed had gutted their morale.
Cruz marched back toward the main office, clutching his pistol so tight his knuckles turned white. Right as he hit the metal stairs, a tall, battle-scarred guy stepped out from the shadows of the motor pool.
It was Knox—one of his veteran mercenary lieutenants. A quiet, heavy-set dude who’d been around the block way before the world fell apart. Knox was looking at the bloody note Cruz was still clutching, then over at the smoking flatbed, his face stone cold.
"What the fuck is going on, Cruz?" Knox asked, his voice low and raspy. "Who the fuck did you send Vance and Hector after up on that ridge?"
Cruz wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, breathing hard. "Just some quiet prick living in a cabin up the hill! Some solo guy Vance said was keeping to himself. I wanted his tools, his generator, and his spot for a new observation post! I sent a three-man team, then Hector’s squad to finish it!"
Knox blinked once. "A solo guy up on the North Ridge? Big guy? Keeps his head down?"
"Yeah!" Cruz spat, shaking his head. "Some crazy motherfucker who knows how to set booby traps!"
Knox went completely, deathly silent.
The color drained right out of Knox’s face. He stopped mid-stride, his eyes widening as he stared at the ground. He didn't blink. He didn't curse. He just stood there like he’d seen a ghost rising out of the dirt.
Cruz stopped on the bottom step and glared at him. "What? What the fuck? Why are you so quiet all of a sudden?!"
Knox swallowed hard, his throat making a dry clicking sound. He slowly raised his head, looking Cruz straight in the eyes with pure, unadulterated dread.
"Dude..." Knox whispered, his voice trembling. "Do you know who the fuck you just messed with?"
"A fuckin' hermit!" Cruz yelled, throwing his arms up. "A guy with a shotgun!"
"No, you stupid cocksucker," Knox hissed, stepping in close and shaking his head in total disbelief. "Dude... that’s Quezada. And you don't want to fuck with that guy. You're fucked, man."
"No," Cruz snarled, stepping into Knox's face. "We're fucked. You're on my payroll, Knox!"
"Nah, man," Knox said, stepping backward, already unbuckling his tactical vest and dropping his rifle right onto the gravel. "When it comes down to that motherfucker? You can count me the fuck out."
Cruz stared at him, jaw clenched, his rage flickering into confusion. "What the fuck are you talking about?!"
"I don't know him personally," Knox said, looking out toward the dark, quiet highway beyond the gates with pure terror in his eyes. "Nobody who's met him personally and crossed him is alive to talk about it, man! But ten years ago back in the city? In the West Coast underworld? People used to talk about Quezada in hushed tones, bro. He was the guy they called when an entire syndicate needed to be erased overnight. Heavy steel, close-quarters executioner. A guy who can carve a path through fifty men without taking a breath."
Knox pointed a shaking finger toward the dead body of Hector in the truck bed.
"Look at how Hector's carved up, Cruz! That’s the Boogeyman, man. You brought him out of retirement, you idiot. He was sleeping, and you just dragged him back into the light! I'm out!"
Before Cruz could even open his mouth to scream at Knox, a loud THUD echoed through the dark outer perimeter wall, followed by the deep, terrifying bark of a massive dog.
WOOF!
The floodlights on the east watchtower suddenly went pitch black.