“Really? Because I don’t hear your phone ringing with any instructions.” He leaned down to light a huge pile of papers in the middle of the floor.

I could already smell smoke as the papers smoldered for a moment. I wasn’t going to last long inside a cage and I had no way to get out.

Chapter 44

Chapter 44

The papers were starting to catch fire. Jackson just left his burning torch next to his desk, hoping it would catch fire as well. A hazy smoke filled the room.

I had nothing to lose now. I leaned back and kicked at the door where it locked on my cage. It barely moved. I picked up the cot and tried to use it as a battering ram. But it had little effect.

The door from the carport burst open. Four men flooded into the room quickly. Two of them barreled into Jackson and knocked him off his feet. Suddenly there were more people pouring into the house.

Now there were four men holding him. One on each arm and leg. Even a powerful man like Jackson could do nothing. He couldn’t even reach for the pistol he had stuck in the small of his back.

The smoke was getting thicker. I took the pillowcase off my pillow and wrapped it around my face as a makeshift gas mask. It also hid my face from anyone who strayed too close to my cage.

I had to turn my head when Jackson started to scream. I didn’t see what they were doing, but it wasn’t anything I needed to witness. I don’t care what the guy did to me or my family.

His screams moved from curses to pleading for his life. When I heard someone fooling with the lock on my cage, I turned. An older man had taken the keys from his pocket and was trying them on the lock to my cage. He spoke to me in Pashto. It sounded like he was trying to reassure me. Suddenly the door opened. The man reached in and helped me out. I kept the pillowcase tied around my face. The fire had spread to a desk. The papers were now scattered all around the floor. Each fueling its own little flame.

Most of the intruders had moved to the back rooms to free the prisoners. I had to check Jackson. It only took me a moment to determine he was dead. He had four or five wounds that each would’ve been fatal on their own.

I glanced around the room quickly. I made sure no one was paying any attention to me. I grabbed the pistol Jackson had stuck into the back of his belt. I slipped it under my shirt.