Revenge, Inc.

by J. D. German

  Chapter 41 – Finale

  It was Sunday evening. Matt had to return to work tomorrow and Lynn didn’t want him to go. His far away job seemed to be a gulf, interfering with their growing relationship. For the first time she realized she would miss him when he left. That’s what happens when you let someone get too close, she thought. You have a feeling of incompleteness when you’re apart. Do I want that? . . . Yes! It’s a small price to pay for the feelings I have when we’re together. We’ll work out a way to be together. Even if I have to go back to Philly.. . . I wonder if he feels the same way?

  The four of them were sitting out on the deck, the sound of an owl hooting nearby. A cool front had come through so they were bundled up under warm comforters – Harriet and Rick on the double swing and Lynn and Matt on the bench seat. The moonless sky was black as coal with bright sparkling stars. They were taking in the Lyrid meteor shower which shows up in April. Every minute or two a bright spot streaked across the sky, leaving a trail that ended when the meteor burned out in the atmosphere. Matt pulled an interesting fact out of the basement of his memory. “Did you know that about sixty tons of space dust falls on the earth each day? It comes from meteor trails and particles attracted by the earth’s gravity.”

  “We have our own Matt Nye the Science Guy among us.” Lynn said with a smile. “What other amazing scientific facts can you regale us with?”

  “That was about it. And I don’t even know where I picked it up.”

  “So how many years will it take the earth to double in size from the falling stardust?” Harriet asked.

  “Oh, I would guess a hundred million billion years.”

  “I take it math wasn’t your strong suit in college, huh Matt.”

  “Math . . . what’s that?”

  Rick joined the conversation at that point. “I can guarantee that it won’t take more than five billion years.”

  “And how do you know that?”

  “Because that’s when scientists predict the sun will burn out. I heard it on the Science Channel.”

  Harriet looked shocked. “You mean I only have five billion shopping years left? I need to go on more buying sprees – lots more. ”

  They were all laughing about that when a loud explosion ripped through the air. Matt reacted first. “What was that. It sounded like it was in front of the house.”

  Lynn reacted next. “It’s Zarah coming to get me.”

  Matt grabbed her arm. “Into the house, everyone. Get your hands on some weapons, quick.” Lynn ran up to her room to get her Glock pistol, while Harriet and Rick headed for their gun safe. Matt’s was up his room, but he pulled one out of his ankle holster immediately.

  His next order was “Kill all the lights and lock the doors. Now!”

  The house went dark just as they heard vehicles charging up the driveway.

  Matt continued to take command. “Everyone get to a window. If you see someone with a gun, shoot ‘em. Shout out how many you see.”

  Rick was the first to respond from his position beside the living room bay window. “I have two moving in on the front door.” He got off one shot through the glass before a shotgun blast shredded the front door lock. Lynn was still upstairs so she took a position on the balcony covering the door. Harriet was covering the rear deck door from the kitchen and Matt was surveying the attackers from the study window. He shouted “I have three big pickups out front with six attackers. . . . They’re spreading out around the house. Two of them are heading around back. Heads up, Harriet!”

  A few seconds later the glass door to the deck was shattered by another shotgun blast. Harriet yelled I’m okay. The door’s gone but no one is coming through it.”

  “Same for the front door. Why are they waiting?”

  Matt returned his eyes to the trucks. “Sniper on one of the pick ups. Stay out of sight. . . . It looks like he’s got a night vision scope!”

  His warning wasn’t in time for Rick as a high powered rifle round plunged through his left shoulder. To his credit he didn’t scream as he was slammed to the floor.

  “Who are they shooting at. Anyone hit. Everyone check in.” Matt shouted.

  “Lynn here. I’m clear.”

  “Harriet. I’m good. . . . Rick . . . Rick! . . . Answer me!”

  Lynn answered. “Stay there Harriet. I’ll go down and check on him.” Lynn took the stairs three at a time and slid along the floor to where Rick was. She saw blood pouring from a shoulder wound and spoke into his ear. “Rick? . . .”

  “I’m hit, but I can still shoot. Move me so I can cover the front door.”

  Lynn didn’t want the attackers to know they had hit someone so she shouted, “Rick’s good. They missed.” Then she pulled a cushion from the couch and propped Rick up on it. He raised his pistol. “Come on in, you bastards. I got some lead waiting for you,” he shouted.

  Lynn scrambled along the floor into the study. “We’re outgunned, Matt. They can wait us out until we use all our ammo.”

  “We’re just have to make our shots count. Six of them, three dozen shots between us. We can make it work.”

  Matt peaked out the window just in time to see one of them with a rocket launcher. “RPG incoming!! Get down!”

  Two seconds later the rocket propelled grenade streaked in the front door, went through the dining room, and exploded against the kitchen wall, taking out the refrigerator and stove. It also took out everyone’s hearing so they couldn’t communicate right away. Lynn tried to tell Matt she was going down to the truck to get more weapons, but he pointed to his ear and shook his head. She made a dash for the kitchen and the door down to the garage, but it was blocked by the remains of the refrigerator. I can’t go outside to get to the truck. Can I move the refrigerator? Maybe, but someone might shoot at me through the deck door. . . . Harriet! Did the RPG explosion get her?

  As she stepped into the kitchen to look around a sniper bullet whizzed past her head. She hit the floor and continued to look. The pantry door creaked open and Harriet gave her a thumbs up.

  Okay. Back to the truck. How can I get to it? . . . Henry! Lynn scooted across the floor to the dumb waiter and punched the button to bring it up. When it got to the kitchen she opened the door, crawled inside, and sent it down to the garage.

  She went over to the truck, lifted the trunk lid, and surveyed what she had to choose from. She decided on two fully automatic M-16 rifles with extra ammo clips, more ammo for their pistols, four smoke grenades, and an RPG launcher with three rocket rounds. She took Henry to the upstairs hallway and unloaded the weapons. “Rick, are you okay?”

  He answered in a strained voice. “Yeah. I’m still here.”

  “Give me some covering fire – I’m coming down.”

  Rick fired four shots out the window as Lynn scrambled down the steps, then crawled over to Rick with a smoke grenade and extra ammo. From there she crawled into the study. Matt looked over at her. “Where you been?”

  “I got more toys for you. She gave him an M-16, extra ammo, and the RPG system. Then she went to the kitchen to back up Harriet. She found cover behind the overturned refrigerator and slid a smoke grenade and ammo across the floor to Harriet.

  When she looked up there were two men coming across the deck, expecting the explosion to take care of anyone inside the blown out door. Lynn let them get almost to the door before she opened up with a 10-second burst from the M-16 that leveled them both. She shouted “Two down back here.”

  Matt threw a paperweight through the study window to get the sniper’s attention. He pulled the shade off a desk lamp and held it up in front of the window as he turned it on. His experience with night vision goggles assured him the sniper was now effectively blind for at least ten seconds, so he grabbed the RPG launcher and sent a round into the front of the pickup he was shooting from. He closed his eyes to protect his night vision, but the satisfying explosion told him he had hit the target. Hard to miss from fifty feet, he thought.

  He reloaded twice
and took out the other two trucks. He didn’t want any of these bastards to escape. He picked up his M-16 and ran out the front door, knowing the explosions would have the attackers confused. He took out two of them with his first sweep and looked around for another. Too late, he saw one at the side of the porch and took a pistol round in his right hand that made him drop the rifle. As the shooter fired his second shot Matt was already diving back inside the front door. He tried to scramble behind the couch but he was too late. The attacker stepped inside the door, laughed, and raised his pistol for the killing shot. . . . It was the hesitation for the laugh that got him killed. Rick’s pistol round hit him in the left temple and came out the top of his head.

  Matt yelled “Five down, one to go. Anyone in back?”

  Harriet answered, “Lynn’s out the door with nothing in sight.”

  “Damn her. That’s a stupid thing to do.” He grabbed a smoke grenade from Rick, tossed it out the front door, and ran for the deck door to cover Lynn. He burst out onto the deck, looking left and right before he grabbed her by the arm and yanked her back inside, which made her drop her M-16 on the deck.

  “What are you doing, Matt! There’s still one out there.”

  “If they haven’t run yet we’re safer in the house. He looked over at Harriet. “Rick’s been hit. Lets all go to the living room.”

  Harriet cried out and ran to Rick. He was laying face down on the floor in a pool of blood. She put her mouth down to his ear. “Rick. . . . Rick! . . . She felt his neck for a pulse and found one, but it wasn’t very strong. She looked up at Matt and Lynn. “He’s unconscious.” She grabbed her cell phone and called 911 for an ambulance and the police, then went to get some towels to slow the blood flow.

  Lynn said, “Do you think the last one is gone, Matt?’ He turned to answer her and saw a flash of motion up on the balcony. Lynn looked up. “Zarah! . . . How did you get up there?”

  “Someone gave me some smoke for cover and Rick over there was already out, so I just walked right in. Now it’s time for you to pay.” She took aim at Lynn and squeezed the trigger, but Matt jumped in front of her. The bullet caught him square in the chest and he slid to the floor as Lynn rushed to catch him. Zarah looked her in the eye and drew a bead on her. “Beg, and maybe I’ll kill you with one shot instead of crippling you first.”

  Lynn’s gun was in her belt holster at her back. In one move she executed a forward roll and came up firing her pistol. The first shot hit Zarah in the forehead, but Lynn kept pulling the trigger until her gun was empty. As Zarah crumpled to the floor Lynn leaned over Matt’s face and looked in his eyes. She thought he was dead until he opened one eye and winked at her.

  The first ambulance arrived ten minutes later. The emergency response team formed up around Rick and Matt, taking vital signs and assessing the extent of their injuries. One of them reached for his radio. “Get another wagon out here, stat! We have two GSWs, both in critical condition. Have surgery teams scrubbed and ready to operate. It’s gonna be close.”