5. SAHARA ADVENTURE SERIES — THE FORT IS SILENT
In the arid heart of the Sahara, a weary contingent of French Foreign Legion soldiers, including the South African Teuns Stegmann, trudges towards Fort Laval as punishment for a bar brawl. Their initial hope for respite rapidly diminishes as they approach the fort, finding it eerily silent, devoid of sentries, and ominously inhabited by vultures. The open gates and lack of any reception hint that something is dreadfully amiss.
Their arrival at the fort reveals an astonishing woman, Brigitte Bonnet, who declares herself the new commander of the fortress. She harbours a burning vendetta against the Legion, fuelled by the death of her sister, El Karima, at their hands. Stegmann immediately recognises a pendant around her neck, triggering unpleasant memories. Brigitte unveils a deceptive scheme to use the legionnaires as test subjects for a lethal gas while holding them captive in the isolated fort.
Teuns, implicated in El Karima’s death, becomes a primary target. While his comrades succumb to despair, Teuns grapples with the mounting horror unfolding within the fort. He seizes every opportunity to find an escape route that could lead to their salvation, but the sinister activities escalate with each passing moment. With every life lost, the legionnaires are further confronted by a relentless adversary possessing seemingly limitless power. Will they all fall victim to Brigitte’s vengeful plot, or does a hidden strength lie dormant somewhere within them? The answer lies buried beneath layers of betrayal, scientific terror, and the haunting echoes of a tragic past waiting to be uncovered.
