I look at Bobby G, who is sitting in the backseat of the car that Jon is driving, and ask, “You doing ok dad?”
“I’m a little nervous, but that’s good. That means I’m aware of what is happening,” answers Bobby G.
I say to Bobby G, “I hope you got your dead eye in today.”
“I hope so too, my shooting accuracy has improved a lot since Bruce helped me with my shooting yesterday,” replies Bobby G.
“You really think we can save Kat and get to Jacob?” asks Matt.
“That’s the plan, but I think we need to be ready for anything,” I answer Matt.
Jon approaches The Grove, and we all see the chaos around The Grove and in The Grove parking lots.
“Damn, it’s crazy in there. I’m pretty sure Hector didn’t tell us it was this bad in there,” says Jon as he looks out the windshield of the car he is driving.
I look at The Grove and see people fighting, a couple of small fires around the main parking lot, and smoke is coming out The Grove’s roof.
“What should I do Ry?” asks Jon.
“We still meet with Hector and Enrique at the building across from The Grove,” I answer Jon.
Jon makes a right hand turn down a side street.
BANG!
BANG!
AHHHHH!
Several gunshots are heard along with screams from people who are fearing for their lives inside the parking lots of The Grove.
Jon parks his car next to the apartment building that is across the street from The Grove.
I look down the street and say, “Let’s get up to the roof and meet with Hector and Enrique.”
Jon, Matt, Bobby G, and I get out of Jon’s car and enter the apartment building.
Felix and two other Haven Warriors point their guns at us as we enter the apartment lobby.
“It’s us Felix!” I shout.
“Just had to be sure,” replies Felix.
Felix takes us up to the roof of the apartment building and we meet Hector, Enrique, and two other Haven Warriors.
“How are we looking Hector?” I ask Hector as I step onto the apartment roof.
“Well, good and bad,” answers Hector.
“What do you mean?” I ask Hector as I walk over to him.
“It’s way more chaotic down there today and that’s either good or bad for us. Not sure how you want to look at it,” answers Hector.
“The craziness may help us. We can use the chaos to our advantage,” says Enrique.
“Sir, something is definitely happening down there,” says one of the Haven Warriors to Hector.
Hector looks through his binoculars at The Grove’s main parking lot.
Enrique hands Bobby G, Matt, Jon, and me our duffel bags that we brought to the Haven yesterday.
“They are about to execute another guy,” says Hector as he looks through his binoculars and sees two very large overweight Conquerors bring out a man from inside The Grove.
I put a magazine into my newly modified assault rifle and walk over to Hector.
“Where is that happening Hector?” I ask as I look through the precision scope on my assault rifle.
“Right at the front. Near the small statue,” answers Hector.
“Phil and I are in position at the back entrance of The Grove. It’s pretty crazy around here today. Do you think they know we are here?” asks Shaun over the radio.
“Can you answer him?” I ask Jon.
Jon grabs the radio from my duffel bag and answers Shaun.
I look through the precision scope of my assault rifle and see smoke and fire coming from a couple of cars.
I pan to the left and see a white man on his knees.
Two large overweight Conquerors are standing in front of the man.
A lady with a white dog in her arms runs towards the man who is kneeling in the street.
Another male Conqueror grabs the lady before she can get to the man who is on his knees.
“I know those people. Phil and I helped them before,” I say as I look through my assault rifle scope at the woman who is grabbed by the male Conqueror.
“There is DK, but no sign of Jacob,” says Hector as he sees DK exit from inside The Grove and walks towards the man who is on his knees.
Jon walks over to me and asks, “Do you want Shaun and Phil to enter?”
I’m focused on DK, the man on his knees, the overweight Conquerors, and the woman who is holding her dog.
“Ryan, what should I tell Shaun?” asks Jon.
A huge fireball goes off in the far end of The Grove’s back parking lot and snaps me out of my trance.
“What? I’m sorry Jon,” I say to Jon as I turn towards him.
“Should I tell Shaun and Phil to enter or wait?” asks Jon.
I look at Hector and Enrique and ask, “Where are William and his group?”
Felix answers, “They are five minutes out per there last radio message.”
“Okay wait until they are in position and then give Shaun the go ahead,” I say to Jon.
Jon relays my message to Shaun over the radio.
Bobby G helps Matt with his shotgun, and they are both ready to go.
A loud noise is heard a couple streets away from The Grove.
Hector looks towards the direction of the noise and worries about The Factory.
“Do we have anyone by The Factory Enrique?” asks Hector.
“Maybe, I’m not sure if we do, but I’ll check,” answers Enrique.
Enrique calls over his radio for a response from the Haven Warriors and anyone that may be around St. Pete.
“Sir, William, Bruce, Jeremy, and William’s group of Haven Warriors are in position,” says Felix to Hector.
Hector is still worried about what happened around The Factory and isn’t sure what to say to Felix.
Jon, Felix, Matt, Bobby G, and I all look at Hector.
“What’s wrong?” I ask Hector.
“I don’t know what that noise was,” answers Hector.
“Could it be your people?” I ask Hector.
“I don’t know, but I have to find out,” answers Hector with a worried tone of voice.
“I can’t get anyone over the radio. I’m not sure if it was The Factory, but it definitely could be,” says Enrique to Hector.
“Sir, William is in position now,” says Felix to Hector.
“I heard you, thank you,” responds Hector to Felix.
I see that Hector is worried about the loud noise that was heard away from The Grove.
A single gunshot is heard.
BANG!
A woman’s scream is heard.
AHHH!
I look through the scope on my assault rifle and see that the man that was on his knees was just killed.
The woman who was holding the little white dog is screaming and crying.
The little white dog jumps down from her arms.
The woman smacks DK in his face.
BANG!
One of the overweight Conquerors shoots the woman in the side of her head.
DK looks at the overweight Conqueror and yells at him.
I see the overweight Conqueror shoot the woman and I get angry.
I click off the safety to my assault rifle, see the overweight Conqueror that just shot the woman in my scope, and without hesitation I pull the trigger.
BANG!
My bullet hits the overweight Conqueror in the side of his skull.
“Shit!” shouts Hector.
“Send them in now Jon!” I shout.
Jon yells into his radio, “Go now Shaun!”
I fire two more shots from my assault rifle and kill two more Conquerors.
BANG!
BANG!
DK runs back inside The Grove.
I see, through my assault rifle scope, several Conquerors take aim at our position on the rooftop.
“Get down!” I shout.
DAKKA! DAKKA!
Bullets fly towards our position on the apartment bui
lding rooftop and hit the side of the apartment building and roof.
Everyone ducks down away from the side of the apartment building except for Felix and a Haven Warrior.
Hector sees Felix and the Haven Warrior get shot several times in the chest and face.
“No! Felix!” shouts Hector.
“We gotta go Hector! We gotta go!” shouts Enrique.
I grab Hector and we run towards the stairs that will lead us back down to the apartment lobby.
Matt, Jon, Bobby G, and Enrique run down to the first floor of the multi-story apartment building.
I run with Hector down to the apartment building first floor.
“What the fuck Ryan?” shouts Hector.
“I’m sorry Hector. I’m sorry about your friend,” I reply to Hector.
“We were here for like four days and weren’t spotted! You are here for four fucking minutes and you blow our cover!” shouts Hector.
“We don’t have time for this, we have to meet Shaun and Phil at the rendezvous point!” shouts Jon.
“I’m sorry Hector,” I say as I run out of the apartment building with Jon, Matt, and Bobby G.
“What do we do now?” asks Enrique to Hector.
“Let’s go see if The Factory is okay,” answers Hector.
Jon, Matt, Bobby G, and I get back into the car that Jon drove over from Citrus Oaks.
“Now what do we do?” asks Jon.
“Stick to the plan,” I answer Jon.
Jon reverses out of the side street and drives towards The Grove.
Jon sees several armed Conquerors aiming their guns at us from inside the thick metal fence of The Grove.
“Hold on!” shouts Jon as he presses down on the gas pedal.
PKOW!
P-TAFF!
Two Conquerors fire their handguns at Jon’s car.
“They are shooting at us,” says Matt with a panicking tone of voice.
Jon looks in his rearview mirror and sees a truck full of Conquerors driving behind us.
“We got bigger problems,” says Jon.
A Conqueror in the truck shoots at Jon’s car.
BANG! BANG!
CRASH!
The back-windshield of Jon’s car shatters.
Bobby G and I duck down in the backseat of Jon’s car.
Jon keeps driving, but he can’t lose the Conqueror truck.
The Conqueror truck speeds up and rams into the back of Jon’s car.
“What the fuck!” shouts Jon.
The passenger of the Conqueror truck sticks his head and right arm out of the truck and fires at Jon’s car.
PKOW!
A bullet hits the driver side rear tire of Jon’s car and the tire instantly goes flat.
Jon tries to control his car and he slowly crashes into part of the thick metal fence that surrounds The Grove.
The Conqueror truck speeds down the street and then stops.
Matt sees the Conqueror truck turn around and drive back towards us.
Matt, Bobby G, and I get out of Jon’s car, but Jon’s driver side door can’t open fully as the thick metal fence is blocking it.
“Take cover guys!” shouts Matt.
Matt and Bobby G come around to the driver side back panel of Jon’s car.
A Conqueror, who is standing in the back of the stopped Conqueror truck, fires his machine gun at us.
RATATAT!
The bullets from the Conqueror’s machine gun hit the street and the passenger side back panel of Jon’s car.
I try to open the driver side door of Jon’s car, but the door can’t fully open as part of the thick metal fence is wedged right next to the door still.
“We need some cover here guys!” I shout.
Matt and Bobby G take aim at the Conqueror truck.
Matt fires his shotgun at the Conqueror truck.
BOOM!
Bobby G fires his automatic weapon at the Conqueror truck.
DAKKA! DAKKA!
The Conqueror truck doesn’t move any closer to us and the Conquerors in the truck take cover.
“You gotta move the car a little bit back Jon. The door is being blocked by the fence,” I say to Jon.
Jon tries to start up the car but it’s struggling to start.
“Come on baby,” says Jon as he tries to start his car.
Matt fires a shotgun blast at the Conqueror truck.
BOOM!
“I think it’s flooded. This car is a piece of shit,” says Jon.
“Try one more time, or you’ll have to climb out another door,” I say to Jon.
RATATAT!
The Conqueror, with the machine gun in the back of the Conqueror truck, blows apart the passenger side front panel and tire of Jon’s car.
Bobby G, Matt, and I duck down behind Jon’s car.
“I wouldn’t recommend going out the passenger side though!” shouts Bobby G.
Two zombies walk down the sidewalk and approach Jon’s car.
BOOM!
Matt kills them both with a single shot from his shotgun.
“Nice!” shouts Bobby G.
DAKKA! DAKKA!
Bobby G shoots at the Conqueror truck and the Conqueror truck’s windshield explodes.
CRASH!
“I have to reload!” shouts Matt.
“Stay down!” I shout to Bobby G and Matt.
Suddenly the loud roar of a vehicle exhaust is heard from a vehicle that is speeding towards the back of the Conqueror truck.
The Conqueror truck starts to drive forward to get away from the approaching vehicle.
The vehicle gets closer to the back of the Conqueror truck and I see that it’s a black SUV.
I see the black SUV speeding towards the back of the Conqueror truck and shout, “Take cover!”
BOOM!
Phil’s black SUV front end plow attachment crashes into the back of the Conqueror truck.
The Conqueror truck driver loses control of the truck, and the Conqueror truck violently crashes into the thick metal fence that surrounds The Grove.
CRASH!
The part of The Grove’s thick metal fence that was blocking Jon’s driver side door is pulled away from Jon’s car as the Conqueror truck flips and rolls into the side parking lot of The Grove.
Jon is now able to fully open his driver side door and quickly exits his car.
Phil drives his black SUV over to us.
Shaun and Phil exit from Phil’s black SUV.
BANG!
BANG!
Phil shoots two approaching Conquerors.
“Is everyone okay?” asks Shaun.
“Yeah, we all will live,” answers Jon.
“Good, now let’s get a hold of William and let’s go find Jacob,” replies Shaun.
CHAPTER 16
NOT GOOD ENOUGH
PKOW!
Shaun shoots a Conqueror who charges towards him as we enter the main entrance of The Grove.
P-TAFF!
P-TAFF!
Phil shoots two Conquerors that come running towards Phil and Matt.
An overweight male Conqueror charges at me and swings his axe at my head.
I duck away from the axe and stab the Conqueror right between his eyes with my katana.
SHICK!
“William! Come in William!” shouts Phil into his radio.
Jon, Matt, Bobby G, and I hide behind two concrete support columns that are just inside the main entrance of The Grove.
Phil and Shaun hide behind the concrete support column across from me.
Gunfire is heard away from our position, inside various locations of The Grove.
BANG!
DAKKA!
PKOW!
Bobby G looks at me and asks, “Where is Hector and William? Aren’t they supposed to be in here now?”
I look down a hallway and see a couple residents of The Grove running away from us.
The Grove feels like a chaotic mess right now.
I look at Bobby G and answer, “I don’t
know. I think me shooting those Conquerors from the rooftop pissed Hector off. We may be on our own in here.”
“Should we be in here alone right now?” asks Matt.
“Ryan? Come in Ryan,” is heard on Phil’s radio.
Phil picks up his radio and asks, “William is that you?”
“This is Bruce, who is this?” asks Bruce over the radio.
“This is Phil. We are at the main entrance inside The Grove. We had to make our way inside as we encountered some Conquerors and zombies in the parking lot,” answers Phil into his radio.
“We are coming your way. Is Hector with you?” asks Bruce over the radio to Phil.
“Hector is not with us. It’s getting pretty crazy in here. We will try to stay near the entrance, but we might have to move soon,” answers Phil into his radio to Bruce.
“We are coming your way now Philip,” says William into the radio that Bruce gave him.
Two people run down the long hallway towards our position at the main entrance of The Grove.
Jon stands up and sees the two people running towards him.
Jon aims his rifle at the two people, but then he quickly lowers his rifle as he sees that the two people are an unarmed young man and a young woman.
“Come on!” shouts Jon to the young man and young woman.
Three armed Conquerors come running down the hallway after the young woman and young man.
The three-armed Conquerors take aim at the young man and young woman.
Matt sees the Conquerors about to fire at the young man and young woman and that Jon is in the line of fire.
“Jon!” shouts Matt.
The three Conquerors fire their automatic weapons at the young woman and young man.
DAKKA! DAKKA! DAKKA!
Matt runs towards Jon, grabs him, and takes him down to the concrete floor.
The young woman and young man are shot several times through their heads, back, and torso.
I see the mangled bodies of the young woman and young man hit the concrete floor.
Bruce, William, Jeremy, and three other Haven Warriors enter The Grove through the main entrance.
Bruce sees the three Conquerors who just shot the young woman and young man approaching our direction.
Bruce grabs a grenade that is attached to his tactical vest and tosses it at the three approaching Conquerors.
“Shit!” shouts one of the three Conquerors.
BOOM!
The grenade explodes, and the three Conquerors are blown apart.
Fight 4 Us (Book 9): Settlement Page 17
