Carnage

by Heather Atkinson

  Dane himself and Brick, one of his best men, had escorted Jules and Mikey down from the ward. Jules was in a wheelchair while Mikey was still stretched out on his bed. Dane had bribed a porter to distract the staff by turning over the lunch cart in the middle of the ward, spilling food everywhere. This wasn’t his usual duty, apparently the porter who usually distributed the patient’s meals had called in sick and Dane suspected he might be responsible for planting the gas bombs in Jules and Mikey’s room. Still, no time to think about that now.

  They loaded Mikey in first, Brick and Dane transferring him from the bed onto the ambulance stretcher. Jules was settled beside him in the wheelchair.

  “What’s this?” she said, gesturing to the bulging black canvas bag on the floor of the ambulance.

  “It’s from Mark,” replied Dane. “He said it was his wedding gift to you and Mikey but he never got the chance to give it to you. He thought now might be a good time.” With that he jumped out and closed the doors.

  Jules opened it up, beaming when she saw it was stuffed full of weapons. “Fuck me, it beats a bloody toaster,” she grinned, stroking the barrel of a Beretta pistol. “Have you seen this babe?” she said to Mikey.

  He peered over the edge of the stretcher with a weak smile before slumping back down.

  Jules stroked his hair. “You okay?”

  He nodded.

  “Don’t give me that old fanny. You’re in pain, I can tell. Do you need some more painkillers?”

  He pulled aside the oxygen mask to talk. “Can’t yet. Too soon from last dose,” he said before replacing the mask.

  She didn’t like how pale and clammy he was. “We’ll soon be at the care home. Just hang on.”

  He took her hand, smiling at her weakly through the oxygen mask. Already the painkillers were starting to wear off, sweat speckling his face.

  Brick jumped into the driver’s seat while Dane got into the front passenger seat and they set off, not using the siren or flashing lights, wanting to be subtle.

  “No one’s following us,” said Brick, constantly looking in the rear-view mirror.

  “Looks like the plan worked,” said Dane, relaxing and grinning.

  “Let’s hope so,” sighed Jules.

  Halfway through the journey Jules’s eyes began to grow heavy. She’d wanted to stay alert but all was quiet so she felt it safe to let go and drift off. Mikey was already asleep, fortunately, so she surmised his pain couldn’t be too bad.

  The roar of an engine caused her head to snap up. They were well past the city limits, winding through quiet country lanes.

  “We’ve got company,” called Dane from the front.

  Through the glass in the back door Jules could see two black cars rapidly gaining on them. From the window of the lead car emerged a hand with a gun.

  “Oh shit,” she yelled, causing Mikey to jump awake. “They’re armed. Put your fucking foot down.”

  In response the van lurched forward and Jules double-checked the stretcher was firmly secured.

  “Let’s put these on as a precaution,” she said, fastening the straps across Mikey’s legs and chest to minimise movement. “It might get a bit rough.”

  A couple of bullets slammed into the glass of the door but fortunately it held, although it didn’t look like it could stand many more hits.

  She dragged the bag Mark had given them out from under the stretcher and pulled out a pistol. “Can’t you go any faster?” she yelled.

  “Not unless you want us to crash,” called back Dane. “Pass me one of those guns.”

  She handed him a pistol, which he took and cocked, winding down his window.

  “Don’t do anything stupid,” she told him.

  “Isn’t that the pot calling the kettle?” he said before leaning out of the window and firing back, causing the vehicles to drop back slightly.

  “How did they know?” said Jules, having to yell to be heard over the engine. “Someone grassed on us.” She looked down at Mikey, whose gaze was alert but also fierce. He desperately wanted to help but was unable to. “Sorry babe,” she said. “I fucked up. I should have insisted we had more men with us.”

  His gaze softened and he touched her hand, trying to tell her it wasn’t her fault.

  Another bullet hit the glass. Mikey was right in the line of fire. If the glass broke he’d be hit.

  “I need to lower the legs of the stretcher,” she said, pressing the button to lower the hydraulics, just in time too as the glass finally cracked and bullets whizzed through the cab between Dane and Brick, smashing into windscreen.

  “Christ,” yelled Brick, the surprise causing him to veer to the left.

  Dane ducked back inside and grabbed the wheel. “Fucking keep it together,” he yelled at him. “We crash, we’re dead. Should we call you Sponge instead? Is that what you want?”

  “No Boss,” he said, gripping the wheel tighter, gaze determined.

  Dane changed the clip in the gun then leaned out again, firing back at the car but the bullets just pinged off the metalwork.

  “It’s bulletproof,” he yelled to Jules.

  “Well that’s just dandy,” she said, delving back into the bag. She retrieved a semi-automatic rifle that contained armour-piercing rounds. “Good old Mark,” she said, ignoring the pain that shot through her shoulder when she lifted it.

  “You got another one of those?” said Dane.

  She nodded and handed him the weapon, having to hold it with both hands, the weight sending pain shooting through her.

  “Fucking fantastic,” said Dane before leaning out of the passenger window again. This time when he fired the bullets slammed into the left side of the bonnet of the lead car and their pursuers dropped back.

  “You okay?” she called, alarmed when Dane released a cry.

  He ducked back into the cab, a hand to his bleeding cheek. “I got shot.”

  “Let’s have a look?” He moved his hand away and she sighed with relief. “It’s just a graze.”

  “Just a graze? A bullet hit me in the face.”

  “Your head’s still on your shoulders so you’re good to go.”

  “You’re all heart,” he said before leaning back out and firing.

  “He can’t get a proper shot from up there,” Jules told Mikey. “He’s too side-on. But I’m not.”

  Mikey shook his head and dragged the oxygen mask off his face. “Your shoulder…”

  “It’ll be fine. Tough as old boots me,” she said with a confidence she didn’t feel. Her chest was aching like a bastard and the rifle was going to kick back when she fired but what choice was there? Dane couldn’t get into the back, the space was far too small for him to climb over. It was all on her.

  She scrambled towards the broken window, using the muzzle of the rifle to knock out the remaining glass.

  “Bastard,” she groaned, ducking when another volley of fire flew into the rear of the ambulance.

  “You okay babe?” Jules asked Mikey when it had finished.

  He just nodded, his skin ghastly pale, drenched in sweat now. He was in agony and doing his best to hide the fact. If they didn’t reach medical help soon she feared for him. This was the last thing someone who had had two heart attacks already needed.

  Gritting her teeth she raised the rifle and fired, the recoil banging into her injured shoulder. As she was in pain her aim was off and she missed the windscreen, although she did hit the front of the bonnet but it made no difference to the car, which increased its speed, the front of the bumper touching the rear bumper of the ambulance.

  “You okay?” Dane called to her, reloading his rifle.

  “Fucking marvellous,” she retorted, ducking down again. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply, willing the pain to subside. “I like pain,” she told herself. “Pain is my friend.” She looked to her beautiful husband, helpless on the stretcher. No way was she going to let that shower of shite kill him.

  “Fuck this,” she declared, raising the rifle and firi
ng, this time striking the windscreen of the lead car.

  At the same time Dane fired, peppering the side of the vehicle, which swerved violently. Jules kept on firing, feeling blood trickle from her injury but ignoring it. Another hail of bullets shattered the windscreen entirely and struck the passenger, his body jumping before going limp.

  “Nice shot Jules,” exclaimed a delighted Dane.

  Jules threw down the rifle and dove for the bag, rummaging through it before producing the required item. “Yes,” she exclaimed. “What every bride wants.”

  Mikey’s eyes widened when he saw the hand grenade. Jules pulled the pin and threw it with her left arm, the grenade arcing through the air, straight through the broken windscreen and into the lap of the startled driver.

  “Take that you fucking cocks,” she yelled before it exploded, the rear car slamming into it and the two went up in a fiery inferno.

  “Fucking beautiful Jules,” cried Dane. He looked over his shoulder at her, smile falling when he saw her slumped on the floor of the ambulance, a hand clamped to her wound, blood trickling through her fingers. “Oh fuck, are you hit?”

  “No,” she said weakly. “The stitches burst when I fired the rifle.”

  “Pull over Brick.”

  “No, keep going. We need to get to the hospital,” she said, looking to Mikey, who was writhing with pain.

  “Put your foot down,” said Dane.

  Brick nodded and slammed his foot down on the accelerator, leaving the carnage behind.

  “I’ll call my men and get them to the home,” said Dane. “Obviously Katia and Clayton are far from finished with us.”

  Jules’s phone rang and she was elated to see Raven’s name pop up on the screen. “Raven,” she said into the handset. “Please tell me you’re close.” She smiled. “Fucking fantastic babes, we need you. We’ve just been attacked by more of Katia and Clayton’s limp dicks. Yeah, we’re all fine.” She gave her the address of the care home. Raven assured her they weren’t far away before hanging up.

  Jules dragged herself to Mikey, resting her head on the side of his stretcher, smiling when she felt his fingers in her hair. “Almost there,” she breathed, just wanting to fall asleep. Her head snapped up. She had to dress her wound before she bled everywhere.

  “For God’s sake Damon,” Raven said to her brother. “Will you stop moaning?”

  “Why won’t you let me drive?”

  “What’s the point? We’re nearly there. Why don’t you look at the view? It’s very pretty.”

  “Oh yeah, grass and cows. Fascinating. You haven’t let me drive the entire way from Gloucestershire.”

  “Because I like to drive my own car. You don’t let anyone drive your car.”

  “That’s different.”

  “Why?”

  Damon huffed and ran a hand through his thick red hair. “It just is. I feel like the woman sat in the passenger seat.”

  “You can do your make-up in the mirror,” she smiled.

  “Oh you’re just fucking hilarious. I’m doing you a favour coming here. I could be home by now but no, I said I’d come with you to help your friend and what happens? I get shoved to one side.”

  “I would never shove you to one side Damon and you know how much I appreciate you helping out. How about I let you drive on the way home?”

  His green eyes narrowed. “All the way home?”

  “Yes, all the way home.”

  “Okay, I suppose I can stand to be the woman for a bit longer.”

  “Course you can,” she smiled. “On one condition.”

  “What’s that?”

  “You don’t attack any cyclists.”

  His grin dropped. “Why not? The fucking lycra-clad ponces deserve a good hiding.” His hands curled into fists. “Every last one of them, especially those who cycle side by side. What the fuck’s the deal with that? Do they like holding each other’s cocks or something? Or are they so fucking retarded they can’t go out unaccompanied?”

  “I feel your pain but we might well come by some, we are in the country and we need to reach Jules and Mikey. So no distractions, okay? Damon?” she added when he remained silent.

  “Yeah, I heard. I promise I won’t kick the crap out of any lycra dicks.”

  “You were lucky the last two you put in hospital didn’t press charges.”

  “Because they were too fucking scared. They’re all big and brave when they’re on their little bikes but when they’re confronted by someone they wet their tiny shorts.”

  “You broke their knees and threw their bikes onto an electric fence.”

  “I know,” he said with an evil smile. “They won’t be holding anyone else up for a good long time.”

  Raven frowned, applying the brake, slowing when she saw the road up ahead was strewn with debris. “What the hell’s that?”

  “Looks like bits of a car. Actually, a couple of cars.”

  “The debris’s charred.”

  “Looks like the cars exploded,” said Damon. “How the hell did that happen?”

  “Jules,” smiled Raven. “She said they were attacked.”

  “She blew up two cars?”

  Raven nodded.

  “Cor. Is she single?”

  “Sorry, she’s just got married so hands off.”

  “What a shame. I like Jules. She’s fucking fit.”

  “We can’t get round it, the road’s too narrow.” She indicated the gate to their left that led into a field. “We’ll go through there.”

  “We don’t know where the next gate will be.”

  “Well it’s either that or we sit here and wait for the police to inevitably turn up.”

  “Fine, I’ll open it,” he sighed, getting out.

  The gate wasn’t locked so he unlatched it and shoved it open, Raven steering the car through, waiting for Damon to close it again and hop back in before setting off.

  “See,” said Raven. “There’s a gate up ahead. We’ll get out that way.”

  “There’s a bull over there,” said Damon, pointing off to their left.

  “Don’t worry, I don’t think it’ll charge.”

  “It’s looking at us.”

  “You scared?”

  “No but it wouldn’t make my day any better if it did. Look at the size of those balls.”

  “Jealous?”

  “Why would any man in his right mind want that lot swinging about between their legs?”

  She rolled to a halt at the second gate. “Off you go then.”

  “Off I go what?”

  “Open the gate.”

  He glanced at the bull, who was watching them while thoughtfully chewing the cud. “What if it charges?”

  “Then pay it.”

  “Jesus Raven, you hardly ever crack a joke but it’s been non bloody stop all the way up here.”

  “It doesn’t care about us. It looks too lazy to move. Just do it quickly then we can be on our way. Jules needs us.”

  “Oh fine,” he said, opening the door and hopping out, constantly looking back over his shoulder at the beast.

  He opened the gate and Raven drove the vehicle through. When he looked back at the bull his eyes widened. “It’s got its head down and it’s stamping its hoof. It’s going to charge.”

  “Well don’t just stand there. Close the gate and get in.”

  As the bull set off into a lolloping run, Damon slammed the gate shut and leapt into the car, Raven setting off before he’d even got the door shut, wincing when there was a clang against the metal gate.

  “Thank God for that,” said Damon, glancing over his shoulder at the furious bull, who glared at them as they drove away.

  “Your red hair must have agitated it.”

  “That was fucking dicey.”

  “It’s going to get a lot rougher up here than a bull.”

  “People and guns no worries but some big savage beast with giant balls, no thanks.”

  Raven’s laughter went abruptly silent at the soun
d of a crack in the air.

  “Gunshots,” said Damon.

  Raven nodded, slamming her foot down on the accelerator.

  CHAPTER 37

  “Nearly there babe,” said Jules.

  Mikey gripped onto her hand so tightly she felt the bones grind together. He was unable to hide his agony anymore, writhing about on the stretcher, breath coming out in short, sharp gasps. She’d managed to bandage her shoulder with supplies in the ambulance and it had stopped the flow of blood, leaving her feeling weak.

  She kissed Mikey’s forehead. “Just hold on a bit longer. Shit,” she cried when there was a loud bang against the side of the ambulance.

  “Brick,” cried Dane when his body jumped and jerked, blood spraying from his neck.

  The ambulance left the road and headed into woodland. Dane grabbed the wheel, wrenching it to one side to avoid a tree. “Keep your foot on the accelerator Brick, you’re tough. We’re nearly at the hospital, they can help.”

  Brick gurgled a response, one hand pressed to the side of his neck, blood trickling through his fingers, keeping his foot pressed down while Dane frantically wrenched the wheel from side to side while trying to keep low as more bullets were fired at the ambulance. He glimpsed shadowy figures in the trees firing at them.

  In the back Jules was tossed from side to side by the frantic movement. She managed to grab onto the side of Mikey’s stretcher to stabilise herself, clinging on for dear life. Through the broken window she saw a figure step out from behind a tree and raise a rifle.

  “Down,” she yelled, throwing herself over Mikey to protect him.

  Dane ducked too, the headrest of his seat bursting as the bullet passed through it and out the broken windscreen.

  “They’re everywhere,” called Dane, firing out of the window with one hand while trying to steer with the other, their momentum starting to slow. “Just a bit longer Brick. Come on man, you can do it.”

  Brick, his skin pale, gurgled something before slamming his foot down again and they picked up some speed.

  Jules knew she had to act or they were all going to die but she lacked the strength to even lift a weapon thanks to the blood she’d lost. She scrambled through the case of medical supplies, retrieving the syringe full of adrenaline.