Krystal clambers to her feet and picks up her still-smoking machine gun. She then spins around and fires several shots through the skylight.
“You assholes have picked the wrong people to fuck with!” she shrieks at the top of her lungs. I notice Krystal’s wig is all lopsided, but decline to comment on it. I definitely don’t want her taking a shot at me.
Boom Boom barges out of her bedroom in her purple see-through nightgown (revealing her black bra and panties) and shouts, “What in the blue hell is going on out here! Can’t a girl get some sle… holy shit!!”
Boom Boom’s eyes grow wide at the sight of all the dead, profusely bleeding Klansmen sprawled out in our living room. She jumps back when her bare feet step into a puddle of blood.
Boom Boom rubs her eyes and mumbles, “Please tell me I’m dreaming.”
I run over and clutch Boom Boom’s arms, snapping her back to reality.
“Boom Boom, the Neo-Nazi’s from Dresden have found us! They want to take us to Bavaria for execution! We have to go, NOW!”
Boom Boom stares at me for the briefest of seconds, confused by what I just said. Then her stunned face hardens as the reality of my words wash over her. Boom Boom instantly transforms back into the gritty, kick-ass bounty hunter who’s helped keep me alive all these years. Boom Boom dashes over to our armory at the end of the hall, grabs a handful of grenades and a machine gun, then races back over to me, her nightgown billowing behind her like an erotic superhero’s cape.
Boom Boom shouts at the twins, “Quick, get to the elevator!”
I kick open our door and peek out into the hallway, making sure there are no Nazi’s standing outside waiting to ambush us. I then grab Blade and Harpoon by their arms (doing my best to ignore the blood splattered all over their clothes) and shove them into the hall. Krystal fires off several more shots through the skylight before hustling after them, still sweating up a storm and gasping like a winded buffalo. I’m just about to exit the apartment as well when I notice Boom Boom still standing by the couch, fiddling with one of the hi-tech computerized grenades she grabbed from the armory.
“Boom Boom, we have to--”
“I know, Lance, just give me a second,” Boom Boom snaps, implying she’s still pissed off about our little fight. The world could be ending and Boom Boom will still hold a grudge against someone she perceives to have ‘wronged’ her.
“Got it,” Boom Boom says before tossing the ticking grenade up through the skylight. She shoves me out the door and barks, “Move, move, MOVE!!”
We both tumble out into the hallway a split-second before the grenade detonates up on the roof. The concussive force of the blast knocks us both to the ground. I groggily push myself up and turn around just in time to see the ceiling of our apartment completely cave in. Black, acrid smoke billows out of the doorway, causing me to cough and gag. In the time it takes me to blink, our home is vaporized. So many memories, gone in a flash. That’s the story of my life, I suppose.
“Get your lazy ass off the floor and let’s go!” Boom Boom shrieks, pulling me up by my arm. I stagger to my feet and we both hobble down the hall, grimacing as we go. The explosion appears to have left us both the worse for wear.
I just rush past Ms. Madison’s apartment when her door flies open. Ms. Madison staggers out into the hallway in her nightgown, clutching a glock in one hand and a martini in the other.
“What the hell is going on out here?” Ms. Madison shrieks. “Did those bastards from the 70th floor come back up her and let off another stink bomb?!”
Ms. Madison’s question is answered a split-second later when three Klansmen stumble out of the smoking remains of our apartment. The Klansmen’s’ robes are covered in blood and black soot. One of the Klansmen is missing his hood, and his left hand looks to be badly mangled from the explosion. The hoodless Klansmen is bald with piercings all over his ears, nose, and mouth. His eyes appear to be bloodshot, probably from smoking a bit too much pot before his big mission Basically he’s the personification of the stereotypical Neo-Nazi asshole.
I glance behind me to see where everyone’s at. Krystal is furiously jabbing at the button to the elevator, oblivious to the Nazi’s. Blade and Harpoon are cowering behind her, their eyes wide with fear. Boom Boom is standing by my side, her machine gun already aimed at our assailants. And Ms. Madison is still standing out in the hall, the contents of her martini glass sloshing over the side and spilling onto the floor as she drunkenly teeters back and forth.
Several people down the hall pop their heads out of their doors to see what’s going on. I wave my arms at them and shout, “Get back inside! Now!”
Most of my neighbors heed my command (although a couple of them continue to peek around their door frames).
With my neighbors out of harm’s way (for the most part, at least), I spin back around and generate a ball of lighting in the palm of my hand. I then pull back my arm and hurl the crackling ball of electricity straight toward the hoodless Klansman, just as he’s about to fire his tranquilizer gun. The ball of lightning explodes into the Klansman’s chest, lifting him off his feet and slamming him into the wall. The Klansmen screams in excruciating agony as his entire body crackles with electricity. The electricity quickly dissipates, and the Klansman’s scorched body collapses to the ground in an unmoving, smoldering heap.
The other two Klansmen stare at their newly deceased buddy in horror. Boom Boom takes that opportunity to riddle both Klansmen with bullets. Blood pours from their various wounds as they fall backwards, flailing their arms and legs and moaning in pain. Another Klansman emerges from the rubble of our demolished apartment, stumbling over his slain friends. Ms. Madison takes care of this new Klansman with a quick gunshot to the forehead.
I grin and give Ms. Madison an appraising thumbs up. “Nice shot!”
Ms. Madison returns the smirk and blows the end of her smoking gun. “I don’t know why you seem so surprised. I didn’t live this long being a pussy!”
The elevator door finally opens and Krystal shoves Blade and Harpoon inside.
“Guys, hurry the fuck up!” Krystal hollers as she holds the elevator doors open.
Boom Boom rushes over to the elevator and jumps inside. Krystal continues to wave me over.
I turn to Ms. Madison and say, “Go back inside your apartment and hide, Ms. Madison. These Neo Nazi’s are after us, not you. There’s no reason for you to get caught up in this mess.”
Before Ms. Madison can respond, three more Nazi’s leap out of my apartment and dash toward us.
Ms. Madison shoves me toward the elevator and barks, “Don’t worry about me. Just make sure you get those kids to safety. I’ll hold these bastards off for as long as I can!”
“But Ms. Madison, you can’t…”
Ms. Madison points her gun at my forehead and shrieks, “Go, you dumb son of a bitch! Get out of here, NOW!!”
Ms. Madison spins around on her heels and fires several shots at the approaching Nazi’s, hitting one square in the chest. The Nazi cries out and falls flat on his back.
Harpoon sticks her head out of the elevator and screams, “Lance, come on!!”
Harpoon’s voice is the catalyst that causes me to retreat. I fire several bolts of lightning over my shoulder as I dash toward the elevator. I jump inside and glance through the doors just as they start to slide shut.
“Eat shit and die, Nazi bastards!” Ms. Madison cackles like a lunatic as she empties her glock into the army of Nazi’s that have begun spilling out of our apartment. “I’m Jewish, so this is especially gratifying!”
The Nazi’s respond by mowing Ms. Madison down with their machine guns. Ms. Madison flies backwards and lands in a bloody heap right in front of the closing elevator door.
“Ms. Madison, NOOO!!!” I scream, lunging toward the door.
Boom Boom and Krystal yank me back and hold me up against the wall, just as the doors slam shut.
I shove Boom Boom and Krystal off of me and start banging on the steel
doors with my fists.
“Ms. Madison!! Goddamn it, nooo!!”
Boom Boom yanks on my hair and slams me back up against the wall. She clutches my face with her hands and says, “Lance, please calm down! Ms. Madison sacrificed herself so we could get out of here alive. She sacrificed herself so the kids could get out alive. Please calm down. We need you. I need you.”
Boom Boom’s aqua-blue eyes are filled with tears, but her voice is filled with resolve. I blink back my own tears and glance at Blade and Harpoon, who are huddled in the back of the elevator, their hands covered in blood from their first stabbing victim, tears spilling down their ashen cheeks. Yeah, Ms. Madison was a pain in the kids’ asses, but she was one of the few people on this Earth who loved them like a mother. She loved all of us like a mother. And now she’s gone, just like practically everyone else I’ve ever known and loved.
I clench my glowing right hand and growl, “Those Nazi’s are going to pay. They’re all going to pay.”
Still cupping my face in her hands, Boom Boom says, “We can exact vengeance later, but we need to keep our priorities in order. We have to go after Blackbird by tomorrow night, or everything we’ve done up until this point will have been for nothing.”
I take a deep, calming breath and exhale. Boom Boom’s absolutely right, like always. As much as I hate to admit it, Ms. Madison’s death will have to be avenged some other time. Blackbird’s apprehension precedes all other missions. And the best shot we’ll ever have at nabbing his ass is Christmas Eve.
I glance at the floor numbers flashing along the top of the elevator. 87… 86… 85…. Down and down we go, spiraling toward an uncertain fate. I look over at Krystal and notice she has her thumb pressed on the button for the 10th floor. That’s a universal trick cops and firefighters use, continually pressing the button for their desired destination so they don’t have to stop at other floors for waiting passengers.
I tap Krystal on her shoulder and ask, “Why are we stopping at the 10th floor?”
Krystal rolls her eyes and sighs, implying that I just asked the stupidest question in the history of the world. “Because those Ku Klux Klan motherfuckers are probably waiting for us in the lobby, fool! If we’re still standing in this elevator when it reaches the bottom floor, we’re gonna be riddled with tranquilizer darts and hauled off to Bavaria to be barbequed alive. I sure as hell ain’t about to let that happen!”
I shrug and say, “Makes sense to me. The 10th floor it is.”
Boom Boom whips out a hi-tech, computerized visor and slides it over her eyes. The visor glows red as Boom Boom telepathically navigates cyber space.
“Er, are you…?” I start to ask.
“Yes, I’m pulling the car up right now,” Boom Boom replies in a robotic fashion.
I gaze back up at the flashing floor numbers. 58… 57… 56…. In a couple minutes we’ll be back at war with an army of Nazi’s. Even if we get off at the 10th floor and manage to escape in our flying car, I highly doubt we’re going to make it outside the Sanctuary walls without being spotted. We’re going to have to fight our way out, just like we always do. It seems we’re always a target for somebody.
I lean against the back of the elevator car and close my eyes. What I wouldn’t give to have a normal, peaceful life, where I can lay in my bed at night and not have to worry about crime lords and assassins trying to kill me in my sleep. I know I sound like a bitch complaining like this, but it’s what I desperately desire… to be left alone. To be at peace. To not be bombarded with a perpetual onslaught of pain, anguish, fear, and death.
Blade clears his throat and says, “Sooo… why exactly are we being chased by a bunch of Nazi’s?”
I open my eyes and turn toward my cousin. He’s doing his best to maintain a brave face, but I detect a slight quiver in his voice. I also notice the fear in his eyes. I’ve seen it countless times before. Boom Boom and I have done our best to shield my cousins from the harsh realities of the outside world, but that proverbial ‘shield’ just shattered into a million pieces. Our world is now theirs.
“It’s a long story, but in a nutshell, Boom Boom, Krystal and I stumbled into Dresden a few months ago when we were hunting down Rasputin.”
Harpoon places her head in her hands and groans. “You have got to be kidding me.”
Blade glances at Harpoon before turning back toward me. Blade is an exceptionally smart kid, but he isn’t as well educated in history or current events as his sister. Hell, none of us are. Harpoon is a certifiable genius who makes the rest of us look like nincompoops. (Well, except for Boom Boom, who can hold her own against Harpoon on almost any topic.) But Blade still hates it when Harpoon comes off as more intelligent, so he likes to act like he knows everything when she’s around.
“Right… that sucks,” Blade says hesitantly, a clear giveaway that he doesn’t know much about Dresden’s morbid reputation.
I extend Blade a lifeline and explain what Dresden is all about so he doesn’t have to ask.
“Dresden is a white supremacist settlement way out in the western wilderness of Canada. The Neo Nazi’s that run that bastion of hatred and intolerance have close ties with all the Nazi scumbags who have taken over Europe… or Bavaria, as they like to call it now. We had a little shootout in Dresden and we, er, accidentally killed the Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan.”
Krystal snorts and says, “A little shootout?! Your memory must not be working properly, because I seem to recall we had a MAJOR shootout! Tons of explosions, blood and guts flying everywhere. And I also seem to remember you made a point to shoot the Grand Wizard. That wasn’t no damn accident!”
I give Krystal a dirty look and mutter, “Thanks, Krystal. So anyway, yeah, the Nazi’s are a little pissed off at us.”
“And you just killed the new Grand Wizard, too,” Harpoon reminds me. “So now they’re super-duper pissed.”
I sigh and reply, “Yeah, well they can join the club. It seems everyone is pissed at us nowadays.”
“But I don’t understand,” Blade says, leaning against the elevator door and rubbing his sleepy eyes. “Why does the U.S. put up with cities like Dresden? Why don’t they just go blow the city up?”
I snort, doing my best not to laugh at Blade’s simplistic view of the world. Blade gives me a dirty look, prompting me to clear my throat and elaborate on why his proposed solution wouldn’t exactly work.
“As I’m sure you remember from all those history assignments you had to do a couple weeks ago, shortly after the Great Climate Change War, a bunch of Neo Nazi militants took over Europe and renamed it Bavaria. They ushered in a Fourth Reich and committed genocide against hundreds of millions of Africans, Muslims, Jews, basically anyone who wasn’t of ‘Aryan’ blood. The entire European continent is now a ‘whites only’ zone built in Adolf Hitler’s image. You know, the psychopath from the 20th century who started World War 2. Unfortunately, Neo Nazi’s aren’t confined solely to Bavaria. There are a bunch of them living here in America, too, and they’ve set up a bunch of ‘Aryan-only’ communities. The largest of those communities is Dresden. The U.S. government puts up with cities like Dresden because it does not have the resources to go to war with hundreds of thousands of Nazi sympathizers, not when it’s so focused on China. Yeah it’s a screwed-up situation, and I agree that cities like Dresden should be burned to the ground, but that’s the way the world works at the moment.”
Blade puts his head in his hands and groans. “You just made my brain hurt. No more history lessons, please.”
That gets even Boom Boom to chuckle
Harpoon leans against the rear of the elevator car and grumbles, “So much for the sanctuary being a safe place to live.”
Harpoon has every right to be demoralized. The sanctuaries are supposed to be safe havens, where you’re protected from the horrors of the outside world. That’s why we pay tens of thousands of dollars every month to live behind Sanctuary 7’s 1,000-foot high, heavily fortified concrete walls. But the Neo Nazi’s just s
hattered that apparent illusion. I’ve just learned the hard way that there are no safe havens anymore. Everywhere is dangerous now.
Boom Boom suddenly says, “Everyone get ready.”
We all tense up and clutch our weapons. Our little respite is about to come to a resounding conclusion.
The elevator slows to a stop and the doors open at the tenth floor. Boom Boom and I are the first ones to jump out. Boom Boom swings her machine gun toward the left while I point my glowing gloved hand toward the right. Much to our pleasant surprise, the coast is clear in both directions.
Krystal and the kids hop out next. Boom Boom thrusts her right hand in between the closing elevator doors, prompting them to slide back open.
“What are you doing?” I whisper.
World War Forever (Highway To Armageddon Book 2) Page 8
