“I like it just fine, but the bastard doesn’t like me.” Collin replied. “The damn thing beat the shit out of me.”
“I’d like to help out with the breach, Stu.” Dan said. “Hal’s been good to my family and I feel I owe him.”
“No problem, Dan.” Stu replied. “You can be my shotgunner.”
“Don’t think of leavin’ me out of this.” Donny said. “I ain’t done with these pricks yet either.”
“Donny, I’d like you to take Syd and George over to that culvert.” Stu said. “When you see my signal, Syd will lay down some cover fire, so you and George can get across the road. Then George can cover Syd while she gets across. Liv got shot over there, so keep your eyes open. You guys are gunna create a little diversion for us.”
“What diversion?” Donny asked.
“Interested in lighting one more fuse?”
Chapter 25
Unlike Leo, Fran had absolutely no problem whatsoever with her current assignment. Upon finding Brian’s trail marker, she was sure to take it down before backing the truck down the trail. The snow depth wasn’t too much of a concern for the four wheel drive pick up, so she had backed it in much further than originally intended. In fact, she was so deep in the forest that the road appeared only as a thin white sliver across her windshield.
Given the distance she was from the resort, Fran was surprised when she began to hear the faint sounds of explosions in the distance. As worrisome as the blasts were, the minutes of ominous silence that followed were even worse. Minutes went by before she heard one last explosion and everything went silent again.
Approximately 15 minutes later, she began to hear another far more curious sound. At first she thought it was just a little light humming in her ears, but then she was able to put a direction to it. Unlike the short lived, but distinctive sounds of the explosions to the east, the subtle continuous droning was coming from the west. She rolled her window down a little further and listened intently. Whatever it was, she was sure of two things, it was growing steadily louder and it certainly wasn’t being made by any of her people.
Within a few minutes, the sound out on the road had grown to loud rumble. She instinctively slid down in her seat as the first vehicle drove past. One after another, they roared past the small opening in the trees. She was back far enough that she didn’t have to worry about being spotted, but it also made identifying them impossible. Regardless of who these people were, they would soon be all over her husband and their friends.
Fran had adjusted to life without modern conveniences fairly easily, never being one to pine after long lost luxuries, but she had never wished for a phone more in her entire life.
Brian, if you can hear me… please, get out of the road.
◆◆◆
“Now they’re all across the road again.” Ken said as he peaked through the front window. “What the hell’s going on?”
“I have no fuckin’ idea.” Mars replied, taking a look for himself. “Why don’t you go out there and ask them?”
“Yeah, right.” Ken said. “I can go see if Geoff’s seen anything… he might have a clue.”
“Huh… First time for everything, I suppose.” Xander said. “I don’t want him in here with us, though, Ken. I swear I couldn’t take a word out of his mouth right now.”
“Okay, no problem.” Ken said.
He ran for the patio door, opened it up a crack and whispered, “Geoff, you out here?”
“Yeah, I’m right here.” Geoff replied, coming out from the side of the house. “What the hell’s happening?”
“I was about to ask you the same thing.” Ken said. “What can you tell me?”
“Shit, I don’t know. I shot somebody that was trying to sneak around us a little while ago. Then when they blew up the dump truck, I ran around the deck to see if I could help. I saw them three youngsters run back into the trees there. You know, those three brothers? I think they were making there way back down to the cabins.”
“What the hell…?” Ken said while he shook his head. “Damn kids.”
“Ha. Maybe it’s nappy time.” Geoff said with a smirk.
“Fuck, I guess.” Ken said. “Anyways, keep an eye…”
“…Ken, get back in here.” Xander shouted. “They’re coming back.”
“Watch the back of the house, Geoff.” Ken said as he began to slide the door shut again.
“Can’t I come in and…?”
“…You’re doing a great job, buddy.” Ken added as he slammed the door in Geoff’s face.
Running back into the front room, Ken saw that Xander and Mars were heading to the master bedroom.
“Me and Mars are gunna surround ourselves in shitheads, Ken.” Xander said. “We’ll keep watch out back while you keep an eye on things out front. If those fuckers try to get in here, do what you can and we’ll try to support you. They won’t try shit once they realize we have hostages.”
Ken didn’t say anything, but he realized that he had just had a metaphorical door slammed in his face as well.
◆◆◆
When Stu saw that Donny, Sydney and George were in position at the culvert, he offered everyone one last ‘good luck’ nod and gave his wife a thumbs up. Sydney’s actions would kick off the entire thing and get all three teams running in three different directions at once.
Sydney had learned some time ago that nothing gets an enemy to lower their heads faster than automatic weapons fire. Unfortunately, she had also become embarrassingly aware of the fact that she had very little control over her rifle when she tried it. In this particular case, however, the final resting place of her projectiles didn’t really matter. With this in mind, she flipped the lever on her C7A2 to full-auto, pointed it towards the trees at the corner of the house and squeezed the trigger.
Flashes of Flame and deafening sound erupted from the rifle’s muzzle as cartridges ignited and bullets were sent racing down the length of its barrel. The ferociously intimidating visual display was every bit as spectacular as the hammering auditory assault. Sydney hung on for dear life as the weapon of war recoiled violently in her arms both stubbornly unwilling to relent. Instead of releasing the trigger and putting an end to the abuse her body was enduring, she squeezed even harder and increased the downward pressure on the forestock.
As Donny and George scrambled to get across the road, the trees in front of them became a mass of splintered limbs. Wood chips and chunks of bark rained down on the snow covered ground in front of them. Knowing that they had friends inside, Sydney was being very careful to keep her fire off of the house, but it didn’t prevent her from getting close… very close. Close enough that Geoff was kept pinned down around the corner too petrified to move.
The instant Donny and George hit the bottom of the opposite ditch, George took over cover fire duties to allow Sydney to hurry across. Unlike Sydney, however, George had no apprehensions about bouncing rounds off of the corner of the Weyr residence. Striking the house would increase the terror level inside considerably and ensure that the enemy kept their heads down.
George was keeping himself busy pealing chunks of wood siding from the house, so Donny dropped to the ground to prepare his care package. He had no idea if the other two assault teams were in position yet or not, but he had a job to do. Stu had pulled Donny aside and told him, in no uncertain terms, that he was to set off the explosion regardless of the situation they found themselves in. Failing to do so would undoubtedly cost many of them their lives..
◆◆◆
While Stu and his team ran towards the house, Stacey and hers ran for the overturned dump truck. Knowing they were exposed, Stacey had insisted that they cover the distance as quickly as possible. All three of them dove to the ground near the back of the truck and took cover. If anybody was left alive inside this rig, they would soon be dealt with. For now, though, Stacey, Collin and Mia were content to just calm themselves down a little and catch their collective breaths.
The first thing they nee
ded to check out was the dump box. There were five gunmen back there a short time ago and it was their job to find them. Rushing in with their weapons raised, they immediately regretted volunteering for this assignment. Two men had been completely eviscerated, each struck multiple times by grossly deformed and immensely powerful .50 calibre bullets. Every square metre of that dump box was painted in blood, every bolt head and splintered board decorated with a snagged slab of shredded viscera.
Collin’s stomach turned somersaults as he struggled to keep down its contents. He finally gave up the battle when Mia projectile vomited bits of partially digested squirrel and carrots onto his boots. While her teammates puked on each other, Stacey moved forward towards the cab. She panned her rifle towards the treeline knowing that there were still three others plus the driver unaccounted for.
Stacey felt a little queasy herself, but she had hardened her sensibilities considerably over the past seven months. It was an odd feeling to know that she no longer reacted normally to such grisly sights. She had no idea if a psychiatrist would consider her transformation healthy or not, but on a day like today it was hardly a liability.
Before Collin and Mia could catch up several events occurred in quick succession. The first caused her to hit the ground and cover up. The expected explosion finally occurred and it was incredible. The ground trembled from the sheer magnitude of it. The subsequent shock wave even caused the dump truck to groan and shutter. She knew it was coming, of course, but it was still overwhelming to the senses. The gunfire that immediately followed also came as no surprise.
The next event, however, Stacey found truly terrifying. As she looked ahead and prepared to get back up, somebody jumped down from the cab. Still lying on her stomach, Stacey found herself staring at the bloodied boots of the last person on Earth she ever wanted to see again.
“Stacey?”
◆◆◆
Stu and Dan waited by the side door to the mudroom as Corey and Brian positioned themselves behind the back deck. The raucous gunfire on the other side of the house permitted them to get into position unchallenged, but not entirely so. Stu and Dan were ready to go, but Corey and Brian found themselves with a small problem. They had intended to set up on either side of the back patio door, but a lone gunman was currently cowering at the opposite end of the house.
While George chipped away at the far corner of Hal and Nora’s home, Geoff laid in the snow with his hands over his ears. He hadn’t noticed Corey and Brian yet, so they waited patiently for their chance to deal with the trivial obstacle. Only the need to keep their position hidden from the men inside bought the gunman a few additional rapid heartbeats. They would wait for Donny’s diversion before ending his miserable life and getting through that patio door.
Moments later, that’s exactly what happened. A massive explosion erupted out front. Donny hadn’t intended to destroy their friends’ home. He was only trying to produce a powerful wave of energy that would stun and temporarily incapacitate anybody in the front room. Unfortunately, taping two sticks of dynamite together coupled with a poorly executed toss had caused easily predictable results.
As Ken kneeled down in the front room, the entire front wall suddenly bowed inwards towards him and the huge plate glass window blew apart. Hundreds of glass shards were sent flying directly into his face and chest. While Ken writhed on the floor in agony, not only was he bleeding profusely from multiple impalements, but his ear drums were completely blown out as well. The drapery and several other small areas around the front room had also caught fire.
Stu and Dan, also somewhat stunned by the blast, quickly recaught their balance and went for the door. As expected, it was locked, so Stu stepped aside and let his breacher go to work. Dan pressed the muzzle of the shotgun against the door latch at a 45 degree angle and fired. The locking mechanism instantly disappeared, the force of the shot swinging the door open for them as well. Pushing their weapons in ahead of them, they were both relieved when they weren’t immediately met by gunfire. They didn’t know it, but their closest opponent currently didn’t even know what planet he was on.
Unlike Ken, however, Geoff didn’t have it so good. He was now a motionless corpse with one bullet hole and a dozen shotgun pellets in him. The sound of the explosion finally convincing him to abandon his post, Geoff stood up only to find himself staring down the barrels of both Corey’s rifle and Brian’s shotgun. The last things Geoff would ever see were the flashes of flame from each.
With that minor inconvenience out of the way, Brian ran up onto the deck and fired his shotgun again. This time it was directly into the tempered glass of the patio door. Unlike Stu, Brian wasn’t afforded the time to check if the door was locked or not. As thousands of glass pebbles danced about the kitchen floor, Brian stepped aside and allowed Corey to rush in ahead of him. They were also greeted by an empty room. Seeing Stu peak out from behind the mudroom wall, Corey motioned him in while he and Brian covered the entrance to the front room.
The sound of men shouting, women screaming and furniture crashing into the walls told them all they needed to know about the current situation. A single gunshot got all four of them to drop to the floor. Quickly looking each other over, they realized that the bullet wasn’t intended for any of them. There was obviously a life or death struggle going on in this house and they were certain that control of a weapon was the root cause of it.
Stu looked over at Corey and Brian and they both looked back with determination in their eyes. They were all thinking the same thing. It would be tragic to learn that their friends had died because they had been hesitant to act. Knowing this, they all got back onto their feet and charged into the front room. An unexpected gunshot sent Stu cartwheeling back to the floor again.
◆◆◆
“For fuck’s sake, Donny!” George shouted.
“I know, okay?” Donny said. “I didn’t mean to throw it so close to the damn house.”
“Never mind that now! Move!” Sydney shouted.
If Sydney wasn’t already on a mission she certainly was now. She dropped her empty rifle and drew her Glock 19 as she took off for the back of the house. She still had enough of her hearing left to tell that there was some gunfire occurring around back. The enormous fireball had certainly ignited some fires inside, but she feared that bullets would find her husband and their friends well before the flames would.
George slammed his last magazine into his rifle and took off after her. Donny followed, albeit at a much slower pace. He couldn’t even remember the last time he had done so much running and he was immediately reminded of why that was. Running hurts, especially at his age. It was the same reason why he had opted to mount a powerful scope to his rifle. Why chase your quarry around when you can simply set up a stand and tag them from hundreds of metres away?
With this philosophy in mind, Donny abandoned his attempts to keep up with the ‘youngsters’ and parked himself behind the largest tree he could find. If anybody he didn’t recognize poked his head out, he would remove it and wait for the next.
◆◆◆
A couple of shogun blasts and the sound of shattering glass told Xander, Mars and everyone else that the rescue team had gained entry. It was finally time for Hal to try to reason with this mad man.
“It’s over, Xander.” Hal said. “Your man in the front room is probably dead and now they’re coming for you. Give it up and maybe these guys will let you leave with your life.”
“Don’t you smell that, you animal? The house is on fire!” Nora added.
Xander’s only response was to slam the butt of his rifle into Hal’s stomach. As Hal buckled over in pain, Xander moved towards Nora to give one to his annoying wife for good measure.
Before Xander struck his sister-in-law, Rob grabbed a hold of Xander’s rifle and struggled for its possession. Rob barely even noticed when Mars stepped in with a combination punch to the ribs and face. It wasn’t until Xander inadvertently pulled the rifle’s trigger that Rob finally let go and fell
to the floor. The unintentional discharge accidentally caught Hailey in the chest dropping her instantly. She was dead before anybody even realized that she had been hit.
Her long arduous journey was finally over. Hailey was once a happily married woman with a wonderful job at an upscale lodge. She had died a widow and the helpless play thing of a group of depraved criminals. Death had come as a welcome relief to her endless misery. Her last hope, as she closed her eyes for the last time, was for her friends and coworkers, Alyssa and Cathy, to find a similar peace.
“That’s on you, shithead.” Xander said to Rob as he calmly went back to his watch. “Too bad too… that one had talent.”
While Hal winced in pain from three cracked ribs and Rob rubbed his jaw, Nora placed a sheet over Hailey’s body and ushered Alyssa and Cathy to the floor. The three women sat silently in the corner of the room with tears falling from their eyes. Nora prayed that they could avoid being struck by any further gunfire while Alyssa and Cathy prayed that they were.
As the group continued to listen, they heard several gunshots erupt in the front room. Xander and Mars turned their backs to the hostages and aimed their rifles at the door. The instant they felt that somebody was on the other side of it, they both intended to empty their magazines.
Noticing the pistol resting on Mars’ hip only two metres in front of him, Rob had no choice. He couldn’t just sit there and watch these two pricks execute their friends, the people that had selflessly come to help. He leapt from the floor and actually managed to pull the handgun from its holster. Before he could raise it, though, Mars grabbed a hold of Rob’s hand and held it down. Rob fired four rounds in desperation, two of which sunk into the lower half of Mars’ leg. Enraged, Mars twisted Rob’s gun hand away so forcefully that the bones in Rob’s wrist splintered and snapped.
As Rob screamed out in pain, Hal got onto his feet to help, but Xander quickly laid him out again with a vicious rifle butt to the forehead. This time Xander’s blow rendered Hal unconscious and bleeding profusely.
EMP [Collateral Darkness] | Book 4 Page 41
