“What’s wrong?” asked Conor.
“I believe your man skipped our road stop.A brother and sister with physical deformities, were found dead about a mile from their family farm.We don’t know what killed them but since they were both physically different, we have to assume it was your man.”
“What were their deformities?” asked Logan.
“Nothing related to what you were telling us.The brother’s hands were mangled by a piece of farm equipment several years ago.The sister had a cleft palette.It is a genetic defect that ran in their family.But they did not intermarry.”
“He’s just picking people off at will,” said Saint.“He doesn’t care any longer if they meet his criteria.If they appear different, he’s going to kill them.Where were the bodies found?”
The young soldier spread a paper map and pointed.
“We are here.They were found here, two miles from the police checkpoint.”
“What’s between here and there?” asked Logan.
“Many things.Small farms, villages, a hospital…”
“A hospital?” asked Moose in his bellowing deep voice.“What kind of hospital?”
“It is a Leper Colony,” said the young soldier.They all stared at one another, then back at the commander and his young protégé.Finally, Logan rubbed his hand over his face and spoke.
“Oh, fuck.”
“We have to get there,” said Moose.“We have to get there before he does.AJ?Brother, please tell me you can find this asshole on the drone?”
“Who is he speaking to?” asked the commander.
“A friend back home,” said Logan.“Assuming he was on this cart with the donkey, how quickly would he get there?”
“Maybe two hours, at best.He’s probably thirty or forty minutes away from it now.”
“That’s good.That gives us time to get there,” said Saint.The commander laughed, the young officer shaking his head.
“This is impossible, sir.It cannot happen.The traffic is at its worst right now.It will take us hours to get there.His donkey cart is faster than a car at this time of day.”
“We’re not taking a car,” said Logan.
The soft whir that was familiar to the men made them smile but none of the local authorities seemed to hear it.But they did see the shadow cover them and looked up, jumping back.
“Don’t worry,” said Pax.“They’re with us.”
One by one the men boarded the Osprey and before they could even wave goodbye, they were gone, leaving the local authorities behind.
“Wh-what was that, sir?” asked the young man.
“I don’t know and I don’t want to know.Get the cars ready.We’ll be late but we’ll get there and help where we can.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Isaac whistled the entire bumpy ride on the donkey.He hoped a car would pass so that he could wave it down but there wasn’t one.Not one single car or truck that he could take.So be it.This gave him time to formulate his plan and think.
The siblings had obviously lied to him and they deserved to be exterminated like the vermin that they were.Perhaps this part of the country was filled with others like them.
Reaching a crossroads, he knew that he should go right to head toward Mumbai but to the left was something large.A multi-story building in the distance.There was a sign pointing the way, but it wasn’t in English.
Taking out his phone, he scanned the sign and used his translation feature.
“No,” he laughed.“No, this is too good to be true.I can’t be this lucky.”
