Two Knights dove out of the way and fired back from behind hedges. A minivan sped out of a driveway and bolted towards the Gurkha. Zav quickly aimed towards the driver’s seat and unleashed a fury of bullets through the windshield. It shattered, and the driver’s head exploded, along with the headrest.
Zav shot at the bushes, hoping to hit the hiding Knights. With no luck, he decided to focus his attention on the Knights running down the street, firing their rifles at Zav with laughable precision. He fired in their direction, making them dance and run behind a house.
Thor gave a hearty laugh and turned the Gurkha around. Zav took a deep breath in and said, “The monsters are dead.”
He watched the scene around him. In some areas, thick, black smoke was beginning to rise. Vehicles raced up and down the streets, hitting mailboxes, pedestrians, and some crashing. Outlaws and Knights could be seen standing off in tight corridors, using houses, cars, foliage, and smaller objects like mailboxes and trash bins as cover.
Zav assisted where he could, but after merely a minute the gun clicked and he sat back. Lynyrd grunted and got out of the Gurkha. “Now, we work as special forces. Zav, grab a gun and stay behind Thor and me.”
Thor climbed out of the truck and held his rifle in the air. He fired a warning shot and smiled to Zav. “It gets serious, now,” he said, his voice becoming suddenly flat.
The three moved down Howard Street, passing a brick building. They jogged to an intersection, and Zav was about to cross, when Thor held out his hand. “Always look both ways.”
Zav looked left, then right, and an enemy truck came tearing down the road with Knights crammed in. Thor lowered his rifle and fired at the front passenger wheel, and the tire exploded. The truck swerved past them and drove into the white, wood building to their left. The roof caved in over the truck, and there was one yell, before it was silenced by metal and brick collapsing.
The three crossed the road and entered a row of houses. “Now remember, civilians have immunity. They are innocent, and we can always get them to join our forces later. The Knights are oppressive rulers,” Thor said, biting his lip and looking at Zav. There was an awkward silence, and Zav nodded his head to try to mimic a thoughtful response.
Thor led them around a corner and pushed his back against an exterior wall. Lynyrd looked back at Zav and pointed to his head. “Close call, back ‘der, but we needa’ watch our heads now.”
Zav pressed against the wall and crouched. He gripped the M16A1 Lynyrd had reluctantly given him and followed the other two. They stuck to the sidewalk and Thor held up his hand to silently order them to stop.
Zav’s nose twitched as he smelled the smoke around him. His eyes watched the road, looking for movement. Knights could be in any of these houses, but chances are, if any lived here, they’d already joined the fight.
They moved down the street at a reasonable pace; slow enough to be careful but fast enough to get out of sight quickly. Thor led them to a house on the right side of the road. It had high hedges and a yard full of thick green grass.
“Home sweet home, fellas,” he said, turning around. Zav raised an eyebrow and eyed up the house.
“This was yours?” Zav asked.
Lynyrd turned to Thor. Thor laid down his rifle and crossed his arms. “It was. I had to move soon after I had my breakdown. But what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, right?” Thor gave a weak smile and sat down on the grass.
“Breakdown?” Zav asked, pinging with curiosity.
“Oh, kid, I’ll tell you when the time comes. I’d just like to enjoy the moment right now.”
Lynyrd followed the sidewalk up to the house and sat on the porch. He took a deep breath in, enjoying his first opportunity in a long time to relax.
Gunshots were still a common sound throughout the town. Some of them sounded near, but it was hard to tell which direction they were coming from with all of the echoing. Zav walked to Thor and placed a hand on his shoulder.
“I know this means a lot to you, but I don’t think it’s safe to stay here,” Zav spoke softly, trying to sound friendly and stern at the same time. Thor looked up to him and nodded.
“We have men in this town laying down their lives for us. It is only reasonable that we join the fight. I know, undoubtedly, that we are going to win this, and that we will take the city, but at what price? The three of us can lower that. Let’s go,” Thor ordered, grabbing his gun and getting to his feet.
Zav spotted a Knight across the street from a window. The Knight was inside a salmon pink house and had rolled open the front window, positioning a gun. Zav panicked and raised his rifle to the house, and fired, releasing a burst of bullets at the Knight. The Knight fired back, and Thor dived into the road and bolted towards the side of the salmon house.
Zav ducked and went prone, firing into the house. The top of the window shattered, and the wood around the opening splintered. He rolled towards a tree planted in the small grass area between the sidewalk and the curb and used it as cover. The Knight returned fire, sending bullets towards Thor’s house and Lynyrd, who had begun moving towards Zav.
The Knight’s aim was not accurate. The bullets were unpredictable and Zav could not choose when to fire back. He closed his eyes and bit his lip, then sprinted from behind the tree to the salmon house. He skidded across the grass, tearing it up with his feet, and dashed to the front door. He could hear the bullets flying over his head and whistling in his ear. He took the butt of the rifle and hit it against the doorknob, then gave the door a powerful kick. It burst open, and he swung his gun around and rested the stock against his shoulder. He paced inside the house.
He was standing in a small hallway. There was a kitchen at the end, but two doorways prior to that on both his left and right. Zav moved to the right side of the hall to peer into the left room. He saw the shadow of a person move and and instinctively fired, the bullets hitting the floor, one ricocheting off a metal tankard on the ground. Zav watched his footing as he danced around the trash on the floor, then tucked the gun close to his body. He dove forward, doing a forward roll into the left room, and raised the rifle. The Knight jumped back in surprise and fired his gun, but Zav’s agility allowed him to pivot away from the bullets and shoot.
His first bullet hit the Knight’s foot, bare and hairy. The second bullet shot through his shin, bone cracking and blood spitting out like a fountain. The third hit the knee of his opposite leg, and the Knight crumpled to the floor.
Zav towered over the Knight and kicked away his opponent’s rifle. He knelt down and placed the barrel of his gun on the forehead of the man and whispered, “It’ll go quick.”
Zav’s attention was caught by a short figure standing in the doorway. He glanced up and locked eyes with a young girl.
“Dad?” she cried, but was wary to step forward. Zav lost his balance and fell backward. He stared at the man on the ground.
The Knight twisted his head to face Zav. His eyes were fearful, no longer angry, and his tongue hung out of his mouth like a dog on a hot day. Zav took a deep breath in and got to his knees.
“Girl...you were shooting...I don’t want…” Zav’s knees gave out and he began sobbing on the floor, his body in the blood of the Knight.
The girl inched closer to her father, tears streaming down her face. She laid down next to his head and they looked into each other’s eyes. A rumble came from the hallway, and Thor burst into the room.
It was a scene from a drama. Three weeping people and one person who didn’t understand the scene. Thor stood next to the girl, his mouth gaping open. His face became full of rage, his teeth showing and his eyebrows furrowed. “Zav! Did you kill a civilian?” he screamed and knelt beside the Knight.
“That’s the Knight! You shot at him. I didn’t know there was a kid!” Zav cried out, and placed his hands over his face.
“Child, you need to get out of here. I’ll take care of your father,” Thor said, ushering the crying child out of the room. Thor dashed out of the room
and returned with medical supplies. “Borris, I’m sorry, I didn’t know it was you. I wouldn’t have returned fire. We could’ve worked something out!”
Thor cleaned up the blood from Borris’ legs and patched up the holes. Borris did not say a word, and Zav would have thought he was dead, if not for his subtle blinking.
“Please, comfort Victoria…” Borris reached out a shaky hand to Zav, leaving a bloody fingerprint on his forearm. Zav whimpered and stood up, walking to the main hallway. He crossed into the right room, glanced around, then continued to a walk-in closet attached to the bedroom. He opened the door and found Victoria in a mess of clothes, shoes, and her own tears.
“Victoria, your dad’s going to be okay.”
The girl huffed and grabbed the men’s dress shoe next to her and chucked it at Zav. It hit him in the forehead and bounced off his head. He sat down.
“I don’t like it anymore than you do. You don’t understand what it’s like to kill someone. I saw you, and I remembered, not every Knight we’re killing is a monster...there are people with families. I’m so sorry,” Zav choked out, wiping tears from his eyes. He broke down to sobs and hiccups.
Thor grabbed a pillow from a chair in the corner and adjusted it under Borris’ head. “Borris, I’m sorry. This is war. You know it would have been you or me. But children are a place that I don’t go. That’s why I’m saving you. When my son died, you were there.”
Borris closed his eyes and spoke with a deep, raspy voice. “Thor…” but he said no more. He lifted his hand and pointed to the window.
“What? I can’t close it.”
Borris grunted. “Look.”
Thor left Borris’ side and went to the window. He looked from the right, to the left, but he knew what Borris wanted him to see. Lynyrd was on the sidewalk, face down into the grass, arm stretched out over his gun.
Thor’s foot searched for an open spot behind him and he stepped back. His mind cleared of thoughts and he stared blankly at the lifeless body.
“I’m sorry, Thor,” Borris whispered, and reached for Zav’s rifle on the ground.
Thor continued to stare out of the house, his eyes tracing over every object. The neighborhood had changed little, even after the stress of years going by.
A gunshot rang through the room and pulled Thor out of his memories. He glanced around, confused, then looked to Borris. He picked the rifle off the ground, stepped over Borris’ exploded head, and walked to the chair in the corner of the room. He sat down, his palms on the armrests, then relaxed his shoulders and slouched in the chair. He stared at the ground.
“Zav, come here, don’t bring the girl,” Thor called, and Zav shuffled into the left room.
He gasped at the bloody sight but turned his head and faced Thor. “What do you need?” he spat out.
“Lynyrd is dead. I killed an old friend. My son is dead. I killed my wife. Take the girl, run to the Gurkha, rally the forces, and I want the group to choose a leader. Make something better out of this world. Mine has been destroyed.”
“Why aren’t you coming? Why don’t you want to be leader?” Zav insisted, putting his hands on his knees and looking at Thor.
Thor ignored the questions. He dug his hand into his jacket pocket and pulled out a pocket watch. “This was my great grandfather’s. He got this from his father. It’s been passed down through the generations of my family. I was to pass it on to my son. But now, our memories, our knowledge, are history. Zav, look at me.”
Zav shook his head and squatted. He sniffed. “What?”
“I’ve known you for a day, maybe. But you’re the last person I’ll see. I want you to take this watch. Remember me. Remember those who died before you. I want this to be a symbol of peace. End the fighting. Let this be the last war[8].”
Thor gripped the rifle tight and handed over the pocket watch. Zav stuffed it in his pocket and stood up. His eyes connected with Thor, and for a moment it was as if they truly knew each other.
“Go, now,” Thor said, his mouth remaining open. Zav turned away.
Zav rushed to the other room and grabbed Victoria by the hand. “We must go,” Zav demanded, and easily defeated her physical protest. They walked out of the house and into the street. Zav looked at Lynyrd, bit his lip, and kept walking.
One more gunshot came from the salmon house. Zav winced at the noise and pulled the girl close. “Do you want to ride on my shoulders?” he offered.
“I’m not five,” she responded.
The two walked down the middle of the street.
Chapter 6
Zav and Victoria returned to the market in the middle of the town. Outlaws were patrolling the streets, but from the silence, it seemed the two sides had reached a ceasefire. They arrived at the Gurkha and Zav opened the door for Victoria.
“Listen. I don’t really have a plan, but sit in here until I can talk to someone,” Zav ordered, and shut the door before Victoria could say anything.
Zav stretched his legs. He wasn’t used to all the activity, and his muscles were weak from laying on the makeshift hospital bed and the hard floor of Thor’s office.
An Outlaw squad was walking past the market and Zav waved them down. He brushed the sweat off his face and greeted the four men with a shameful wave.
“What do you need, kid?” asked one of the four.
Zav inspected the four men. They were standing in an unorganized line and he eyed them up from left to right. The first was a medium-height (maybe 5’7”, if Zav had to guess), middle-aged man with greasy long hair tied into a ponytail. Next to him was a bald man who had a younger face. The fourth was a taller, thinner, man with neatly-groomed blonde hair and could pass as part of a Fourth Reich with his near-perfect genetics. He looked to be Zav’s age. The fourth man was slightly overweight and had a lengthy beard that sort of made him look like Santa.
“I’d like to rally the soldiers. We need to meet together, address the casualties, and decide how to take over the town,” Zav barked, attempting to sound like Thor.
Santa folded his arms and grouched. “I don’t even know who you are. Why are you telling me what to do?”
“I’m Zav. I worked with Thor...and Lynyrd,” Zav paused, and watched their faces for any sort of reaction. “They’re dead.”
Santa looked to the other three and they simultaneously looked to Zav. The German said, “What, did you kill him?” Zav licked his lips, slightly pleased that the German had a German accent and his prediction about the man’s origin was right, but he ignored that thought.
“We were clearing a street. Got into a firefight with a Knight. We raided the house. Knight shot Lynyrd. We grabbed the kid, and I don’t actually know what happened to Thor,” Zav explained.
“So he might still be alive?”
Zav looked at the German. “It’s not like that. I don’t know why it happened, but I know what happened, okay? He shot himself. I don’t want to talk about it. You can pick up his body later.”
The German turned away from Zav and looked to the bald man and the man with the ponytail. He turned back and said, “We’ll get everyone together. Stay here, we’ll meet back here. Thanks for informing us.”
Zav bobbed his head and smiled. They had begun to walk away when he said, “Oh! Can I at least get your names?”
Santa shrugged. “Bobby Michaels.” He lifted his hands to signal the others.
“Marx Schneider,” said the German.
“Argus Riddleton,” said the bald man.
“Ethan Maxwell,” said the man with the ponytail.
“Pleasure to meet you all. Now let’s inform the others,” Zav said.
The four split out in seperate directions, all of them running except Bobby. Zav walked back to the Gurkha and knocked on the window. Victoria opened the door and squinted.
“You doing okay?” Zav asked, holding out his fist for a fistbump. Victoria gave him a dirty look and ignored his fist bump, but mouthed, “yes.”
She left the door open and Zav leaned a
gainst the car. “I know it’s hard for you to understand what happened. I’m really sorry about your dad. I lost people too, though. I’m only out here because I’m defending what I love.”
Victoria swung her feet and said nothing. Zav stuck out his tongue jokingly, but realized it was rather inappropriate given the circumstances, and licked his lips to play off the action.
“How old are you, Victoria?”
She peered at Zav and lowered her chin. “Ten.”
Zav hesitated for a moment. “And to think that I’m killing in a world where there are still children running about.” He looked at her and gave a warm smile. “At least I got you to talk!”
Victoria gave a shy smile and turned away. Zav leaned off the Gurkha and closed her door, then got into the driver’s seat. He reached to start the car, but realized he had no key.
“Oh no,” he exclaimed, and dug his hands around the seat in case the keys were dropped. “I think I have to go back for the keys.”
“I don’t wanna be left here,” Victoria protested, and crossed her arms.
“Darling,” Zav began, but the word felt weird to say. “I don’t know what to call little kids. That’s what my mom used to call me. Anyways, I don’t want you coming with me. I don’t even want to go. I’m going to have to dig the keys off a corpse,” Zav gagged, and opened his door.
“My dad called me Vice City as a joke sometimes, but I don’t want you calling me that. You hurt my dad.”
Zav rotated his head back and spied on her between the seat and the headrest. “I didn’t kill your dad. The other man did. And now he’s dead. Is that the justice you want? Does that make you feel better? Don’t hate me, hate the rotting corpse in your house. I’ll be back.”
Zav got out of the vehicle and heard Victoria begin to cry just before he slammed the door. He looked to his feet and shook his head. He was too harsh – there were more important things to focus on, though.
He trotted back to the house, looking both ways. He took a deep breath of the fresh air and walked into the musty house. The floor creaked softly under his slow footsteps.
Fall, Rise, Repeat Page 6
