‘Stop!’ cried Mia, pulling them up. ‘It’s no good. They’ll kill us.’

Paomente frantically shook his head. ‘No, no! I mas go!’

‘They always kill blackpela!’ Millie shouted, her voice barely audible over the roar.

Mia knew she had to do something. Releasing them, she faced the killing machine and put her hands in the air.

‘Here I am!’ she shouted, slowly waving her arms back and forth. ‘Come and get me!’

Paomente and Millie hesitated. Then, they headed in opposite directions, Millie hobbling back towards the mission, Paomente sprinting for home.

The monstrous helicopter immediately surged forward, its steel skids clipping the top of a mango tree.

‘No, wait!’ screamed Mia. ‘Wait!’

Brrrrrappt!

The fury of the weapon was terrifying. More trees exploded, and great clods of grass and earth were thrown up in the air as Paomente desperately zigzagged. He had almost reached the line of trees when he just broke apart in front of Mia’s eyes. A cloud of red mist hovered over the area like smoke.

Mia had no time to process what had happened, for the helicopter turned its hateful snout towards Millie, still staggering along as fast as an injured septuagenarian was able. With Mia sprinting in its wake, and screaming ‘Stop! Stop!’ at the top of her lungs, the helicopter bore down on the little old woman.

Brrrrapppt!

Clouds of dirt and debris kicked up by the massive rotors obscured the view. When it cleared, Millie was gone, hidden somewhere in the long grass. Mia kept running as the helicopter settled nearby like a bloated spider. Ignoring jabbering cries, she ran on until she spotted Millie’s white hair and slid to a halt beside her.

The old woman was on her side, both legs shot away below the shins. Thick red blood pumped into the grass. Mia grabbed hold of the ragged, splintered stumps with her hands.

‘Tourniquet!’ she screamed at the man approaching. ‘Get a tourniquet!’

The Kopassus officer was immaculately dressed in a neat camouflage uniform. He wore an incongruously bright red beret with a smart gold insignia at a rakish angle. On his chest was a name badge which read ALATAS. Calmly, he unbuckled a black holster on his belt as he walked the last few steps. Withdrawing a pistol, he cocked it, and before Mia could protest, emptied the whole magazine point-blank into Millie’s head.

Covered in blood spray, Mia went into shock.

The officer reloaded his pistol. The bland look on his cheerful face incensed her.

‘What have you done?’ she screamed. ‘What have you done?’

Without changing expression, he smacked her savagely across the face, then with a closed fist, which made her ears ring. When she tried to cover up, he punched her in the solar plexus. Grabbing her by the collar, he stuck the hot barrel of the pistol under her jaw. She was dimly aware that his breath smelled of peppermint.