The day after Christmas and all was calm. No patients to attend to and Eyal spent most of the day reading, his form of relaxation. Qader Hotaki came with a suggestion of moving to a new location, west of their present site. Eyal now being in charge refused.
"We'll move in two more days, there are children still needing immunizations."
Qader protested, "The weather is turning bad we should going by morning."
"All our vehicles are four-wheel drives and snow will not stop us. We are staying here and that's final."
Qader started to say something more but Eyal stopped him with a raised hand, "It's final. We are staying here for the next two days."
Leaving in a fuming huff, Qader was cursing in his native tongue. Eyal speculated there was an ambush planned to steal the supply trucks and he just ruined it. He had a mission to carry out and tomorrow night was his time to execute the mission.
The next day was a bit more action, several women brought their children in for vaccinations and one was treated for respiratory tract infection. Night fall came and the camp was settling down and quiet. Eyal slipping out of the living quarters unnoticed and taking one of the Land Rovers he headed due north. Stopping a fair distance for the village where Yasin al-Hashem was staying in a makeshift compound, Eyal took to foot the rest of the way.
Hastily overpowering the lonely guard, Eyal made his way inside to find sleeping wives and Yasin al-Hashem sitting at a table watching porn on his lap top. The cut being quick and painless, the sound of gushing blood swiftly stopped and all was silent. He let Yasin slump to the floor, still holding the knife dripping red, he check the man's pulse to find none. Wiping any prints from the knife and placing it beside his kill, Eyal quickly exited the tent and make his way the 3 kilometers back to the Land Rover. The risk was too great for him to be bumping around at night looking for the Taliban leader that might be visiting. The night air being chilled matching how he was feeling, cold, lifeless and unemotional. Killing, rather in self-defense or outright cold blood was second nature to Eyal, the dark side of a marauder and predator, that human being he would hide from everyone.
The drive back was long and lonely in his mind set of emptiness. Reaching his tent and all was quiet, his tent mates still asleep, Eyal slipped off his clothes and threw the blood stain shirt into the coal burning stove and watched the flames smolder away any evidence of his actions. Tomorrow would be another day, in the field saving children's lives. Climbing into his cot, pulling the covers tight around him and hating this night of sleep, he knew what was coming.
The repeating nightmare that always intruded his mind after his taking of someone's life, no matter how evil the person was. Conflict would play profoundly on Eyal subliminal mind and in deep sleep he was unable to control the aftermath of his actions. The two different forces waging war within him, the glow of good and righteous side condemning his killing. His purpose in life was to save and aid his fellow man and there was the dark, the hideous black side fighting for respectability, the desirable reason, the justifiable reason to execute, that being to stop the spread evil. He had broken the sixth commandment and each killing would take a swipe at his soul.
A decent man had been turned into an assassin but for all the right reasons yet still a person that without hesitation would kill and walk way without emotions until his next sleep. The nightmare would play over and over, in different version but reminding him what he had become. His awaken hours would be void of any struggle within him only his deeply buried subconscious would wreak havoc on his mind. He knew what he was doing had a valid reason and the nightmares were only part of the price he paid to be Mossad, to be a small part of keeping Israel safe.
The next morning he awaken, drenched in his own sweat even though the tent was cold. The memory of the previous night forever etched in the dark shadows of his mind, filed away with all the others. His pilgrimage each September for Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) to a local synagogue service, the day of repentance. He had never missed Yom Kippur in the past thirteen years, all the years of being a spy.
"You are not coming down with the flu or anything?" Flavia Dufaux one of his tent mates feeling his forehead for any signs of fever.
"I'm all right. I have the night sweats ever so often, must be going through the change."
"Smart ass. Come on and get up, breakfast is ready and we have a deserter. One of our drivers went AWOL with a Land Rover."
"Not surprising at all. That SUV can bring big money." Eyal knowing the vehicle was taken to meet with the ambushers that the camp was staying put and not moving. No need to raid the camp, wait until all the supplies were loaded on the trucks, just drive away with the haul of contraband.
The morning once again had a few patients and the packing started late that afternoon for the morning move. After a long day, Eyal was ready for a good night's sleep and it didn't take long for him to fall into a deep slumber only to be awaken by screams and gun fire. Bounding into the women's side of the tent there Qader Hotaki with a knife abruptly pierced Eyal in the side and twisted the shape knife. As Eyal fell to the floor he heard the loud crack of another gunshot just before losing consciousness.
Butter with her gun in hand checking two bodies and Flavia rushing into nursing action to stop the bleeding from Eyal's side. He was cut badly and losing blood.
"We'll got to get him out of here." Flavia half yelling at Butter. "I can stop the bleeding but he needs surgery and the tip of the knife is missing. Help me get him to the cot and grab an IV drip rig and suture tray."
"Sure thing. I'll be right back." After Flavia and Butter lifted Eyal on to a cot and remove his shirt. Butter quickly went about the necessary gathering of the medical needs to care for Eyal, to clean his wound, drip rig and the suture tray. Once returning to the tent, they both went about stitching Eyal's side knowing it was only temporary as he had to have surgery.
"I'll get the Land Rover and call for a helicopter to meet us." Butter rushing out of the tent. Thinking like the spy, Butter had grabbed Eyal's laptop and quickly searched his pockets to find the flash drive, she did while Flavia was starting an IV and stabilizing Eyal. Blankets and bandages they were on their way south. Eyal and Flavia in the back and Butter driving. An hour later they connected with the helicopter and got him to Bern, Switzerland, surgery to remove a knife tip, blood transfusions and after a week there before traveling to his flat in London, England for four weeks for recovery and well deserved down time.
The London flat also served as his hideaway, a place of refuge for the time he needed to recuperate without his family knowing. At times like this he was making sure his love ones were protected from any knowledge of how dangerous his chosen profession could be.
Settling into his London flat, he was wishing for some of his mother's chicken soup, be little boys or grown men they never grow weary of little things a mother can do to show their love, especially when not felling well. Eyal has tried but has never master the same favor as his mother could make in her soup, maybe a little soul food for the sick with just the right touch of motherly love. His thoughts turned to another woman, a blonde and he texted Annie 'In London. Hope we can meet there. E.'
Text would go unanswered for weeks.
Weeks later, Eyal getting up to speed on the location of the heroin plants and the unfinished mission his phone buzzed, a text from Annie. 'Leaving DC on my way to Athens, new mission.'
Eyal reply, 'Can be in Athens in three days. Call me when free.'
'Promise! Miss you.' Annie quickly text backed.
'Miss you too Neshama.'