Max had nearly made it to cover, when he felt a sudden, sharp pain in his side and something shoved him hard in the back. He fell face first into the dirt but quickly tried to push himself up. His legs slid from underneath him and a stabbing pain in his stomach sent him lurching forward. Blood poured onto the ground and his mind swam through a frozen lake of fear. Something foreign bubbled at the back of his throat and he coughed up half of his life into the gravel.
“Argh!” Max cried out.
A staccato of bullets slammed into the ground beside him and his head spun in delirious panic. He was too weak to move, too weak to protect himself. All he could do was roll over onto his back and stare into the gloomy sky.
He tried to rationalize the burning gunshot wound and ragged hole in his stomach. Tried to convince himself that the foreign sensation was normal and the shadows gathering at the corners of his eyes were just an illusion. But reality was hard to ignore.
An icy fear crept up his leg and somewhere deep down he knew he was at the end. He could hardly keep his eyes open, and his eyelids felt like the world was pulling them down. As he conceded to let the darkness take him, another series of shots rang out and he heard Craig’s voice calling to him.
“Max! Holy shit! Max, can you hear me?”
CHAPTER 34
DIG TWO GRAVES
MJ stared back across the field, gagging at the bitter taste of defeat. There was a lull in the fighting but Moses had been dragged to safety and his guards were regrouping. It wouldn’t be long before the twenty or so of them that remained got their shit together and pressed their advantage.
Ejecting the magazine from her rifle, MJ counted the ten rounds left then swept her hand across the two magazines stuffed into the waistband of her tattered clothes. It wasn’t enough, hell was raging inside of her, and she didn’t have the tools to see it through. She’d probably burn through all her ammunition just keeping Moses’ henchmen at bay. “Fuck,” she snarled through clenched teeth.
“I tried! I tried,” Max groaned. His face was pained and beads of sweat dotted his forehead. Squinting, he focused on the people surrounding him and sighed through a weak smile.
“You’re gonna be fine…he’s gonna be fine, right?” Cindy begged.
No one replied.
Max coughed then squeezed his hands together and mumbled, “It hurts.”
Wincing, Cindy cradled him in her arms and swept the loose strands of hair from his face. Even as Craig poured more QuikClot onto the wound, Cindy could see Max’s life slipping away. She looked up to Craig with pleading eyes then kissed Max on the forehead. “Please save him.”
Craig swallowed then turned his head to the side. He’d seen wounds like this before and even with a medivac chances of survival were grim. He didn’t have the heart to tell her, Max’s fate was already sealed.
Someone moved behind them and Craig jumped then settled down as MJ came into view. She was holding a rifle and looking down at Cindy and Max with regret soaking her face. After a brief silence, she opened her mouth and forced the words out, “We have to move. They’re regrouping.”
MJ had barely finished her sentence when a bullet cracked into the side of the nearest rock. She dove to the ground then fired a volley of shots in the opposite direction. Alistair and Daniel joined in and suddenly the field was alive again with the sounds of war.
“We can’t stay here!” MJ roared as another flurry of bullets kicked into the dirt a few feet away. “Can you move him? We can cover you.”
Craig clenched his jaw and glanced at Max. He was panting, trying to keep his eyes open as his cracked lips quivered unconsciously. Cindy was latched onto his arm, using her body like a shield every time a shower of debris came crashing down. Craig tried to hide the desperation on his face as Max turned and looked up at him.
“Guess I should’ve stayed up the hill,” Max mumbled in a frail voice.
Craig smiled. “We’re going back up it. Tomorrow is on the other side.”
Max tried to swallow but it felt like he had cactus spurs stuck in his throat. He croaked, “I can move. Just…just help me up.” He slowly lifted his head and held out his hand. Craig grabbed his arm and with Cindy’s help, Max stumbled to his feet.
Craig turned to MJ, “We might be able to make it back to the egg. We’re close, it’s just over that sand dune.”
MJ didn’t reply. She stared at the puddle of blood collecting at Max’s feet and narrowed her eyes. Her legs trembled and a vision of Toby came to mind as she fought against tears. Suddenly, she was back in the snow, telling the love of her life goodbye.
Grimacing, she turned her head and watched Cindy fall apart while the world collapsed. MJ could feel her pain, feel the fear that ripped through Cindy’s body as if it was her own. She knew it too well and the hole in her heart grew as she watched that misery tear through someone else.
“MJ!” Craig called out and grabbed her arm.
MJ jumped then shook her head and found her way back to the present. Sniffling, she wiped her face then looked back at the hill that separated them from the egg.
“Get him there…get them all back to the egg. You hear me?”
Bullets whizzed past them, snapping as they just missed their target. Craig gave her a blank stare and slowly shook his head in confusion. “You’re gonna help me.”
MJ ignored him and turned to Alistair and Daniel. “Keep the group tight, like I showed you. You get them over that hill and you don’t turn back until they’re safe.”
“No!” Alistair protested. “I’m not leaving you back here to die.”
MJ chuckled. “I don’t plan on dying. Get to the egg, get the others and come back for me.”
“You won’t last,” Craig interrupted. “It’s too many of them and not enough bullets, MJ.”
“We don’t have a choice, Craig, and you know it.”
Craig started to reply but Moses and his men were back in action. The sudden downpour of bullets sent the group scrambling for cover. Instinctively, MJ and Craig fired back, exchanging pop shots until Moses’ goons were on their heels.
“Craig, you’ve gotta go now!”
Craig stared toward Max and clenched his jaw, fuming like a dragon. He knew it was the only way. He was injured, Max was dying…time wasn’t on their side. But he’d just found her, he couldn’t leave her now.
“Craig!” MJ called again and her voice broke. “Get them back, get them home safe.”
Swallowing, Craig nodded then grabbed Alistair by the arm. “I know how you feel but we don’t have time to debate this anymore. You run point, Daniel stick to Cindy and Max. I got the rear. Let’s move!”
MJ leaned back over the cluster of rocks and dumped an entire magazine. She didn’t hit anyone but it was enough to keep the wolves ducking their heads. As she slammed a fresh magazine into the receiver, she screamed, “Hurry up!” Then stretched her body across the rock and cupped her hands around her mouth. “I’m gonna fucking kill you! You hear that, Moses? You’re dead!”
Craig and the others hurried off behind the blanket of searing metal. None of them wanted to go but if any of them were going to live, they needed help. Help and more ammunition and both of those were back at the egg.
Racing for the hill, they ducked out of instinct every time the snap of a bullet zipped across the sky. Daniel had one hand around Max’s waist, the other on his rifle. Cindy was on the opposite side with Max’s arm over her shoulder. They were dragging him through the dirt. His eyes were barely open and his breathing ragged and muffled between his repetitive mumbling.
“I love you. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. I love you,” Max said over and over before he fell silent out of exhaustion.
“He’s gonna make it, right?” Cindy gasped, tears streaming down her face.
“Yeah…yeah, we just have to get him back to the egg, back to Cynthia,” Daniel lied. He’d seen his fair share of death, his fair share of suffering. Max had passed the point of fighting. It was only a matter of time.<
br />
The thunder from the battle behind them was too much to ignore. Alistair could hear his heart beating in his ears, fear pushing against his back as they reached the base of the sand dune. He stopped and looked up to the top, breathing like he’d run a marathon.
“We’re almost home,” Craig called out to him. “Keep moving.”
A sudden staccato-like drone split the air and Craig looked over his shoulder through a haze of gun smoke. MJ was still in the fight but Moses’ men were advancing behind a barrage of gunfire and she couldn’t mow them down fast enough.
Every time she paused to reload, they moved closer. The men were flanking her from both sides as Moses directed their efforts, shouting orders behind the cover of a pickup truck. It wouldn’t be long before they were on top of her and then everything would be over.
Craig tightened his face and whirled around. “I’m not doing this. I can’t leave her back there! Keep going, I’ll catch up.”
“Craig!” Daniel shouted back.
“Just go!”
With that, Craig spun around and headed for the rocks, back for MJ. “Move your ass, Craig” he mumbled to himself. He galloped awkwardly across the sand. Each stride more painful than the last but he refused to stop.
His leg was on fire and blood pooled inside of his suit. The stitches ripped and the wound oozed a crimson river of blood down his thigh. Gasping, he paused for a moment and doubled over. Every breath he took was like breathing through a blanket and his dry throat cracked as he swallowed the tainted air.
Suddenly, MJ yelped in pain. A panic surged through Craig like he’d been electrocuted and he straightened up. He tried to sprint but his injured leg collapsed and he fell forward into the dirt. Coughing, he rubbed the dust-colored sand from his face and reached for his rifle that had fallen to the side.
“Come on,” a voice called from behind him.
Craig sat up and blinked until he could see Alistair standing over him with his hand out. Craig grabbed his arm and pulled himself back to his feet. “I told you to keep going.”
“When do I ever listen?”
Craig grinned and together they marched back for MJ. When they arrived, MJ was swiping through the sand for another magazine and blinking away blood that was running from a wound on her forehead. She’d managed to stand her ground so far. Moses was back behind the truck and his men had taken shelter with him.
MJ looked up and wrinkled her nose, “What the hell are you doing back here?”
Craig reached out and wiped blood from her face. “What happened?”
Before she could answer the sky belched an angry roar. It rumbled through the clouds until they trembled and broke apart, unleashing a shower of acid rain. The downpour soaked into the rusted soil, washing the blood of the day’s battle into muddy streams and shallow puddles.
“Ugh, not this shit,” MJ complained as she tried to ignore the tingling sensation.
A hush fell over the field then a frenzy of panic. Everyone knew what was next but there was nowhere to go, nowhere to seek shelter. Faint animalistic sounds echoed in the distance. The wind brought whispers of death and the sky continued to roar like an angry giant.
Moses knew better. But he was fueled by hate. Fueled by the need to keep his power and crush anyone who opposed it. He wouldn’t leave, he couldn’t leave until he’d killed them all.
On the other side, Daniel had finally made it to the top of the hill with Cindy and Max. He could see the egg and a slight feeling of relief washed over him but it was short-lived. As the rain fell, he cursed under his breath then stopped. “You can take him the rest of the way. I have to get back there and help them. You know what’s coming. Get him inside and make sure no one else comes out here.”
“Wait,” Cindy called out.
Daniel turned. “What?”
“Thank you. Be safe Daniel.”
“You too,” he smiled then hurried back down the hill.
By the time he reached the bottom the battle was back on. Moses was pushing forward with the six guards that had stayed, while everyone else had fled for the safety of the warehouse.
The rain wasn’t letting up, the tainted shower peppered the field like tiny rockets. Daniel clenched his jaw and moaned like a wounded animal as he wiped the acidic water from his eyes. He could hardly see but as he took shelter behind the rock, he felt like he was home.
“What the hell are you doing here” Craig and MJ asked in unison.
“What was I supposed to do, just leave? It’s not just Moses and his goons anymore, something worse is coming.”
Craig laughed. “That asshole calls himself Moses?”
His words were punctuated with a chunk of the boulder splintering off. Bullets crackled through the air and Craig lowered his head as the shower of debris sailed past him.
“Can you two catch up later?” MJ barked. She stood up and rattled off a triplet of shots that missed wide. It was nearly impossible to see more than five feet in the gloomy storm. Squinting, she aimed again and shot one of the shadowy figures center mass. He fell dead and the others scattered for cover, prompting a short reprieve from the gunfire.
“We’ve gotta get out of here,” Daniel demanded in a trembling voice. “This shit is burning my eyes and I can already hear them coming.”
Craig paused and turned his ear to the wind. “Those things, those creatures?”
“You’ve seen them too?”
“Yesterday, we were looking for you guys.”
“Mama bear,” Moses suddenly called in a heckling voice. “I know you’re still back there, mama bear. Just put your guns down. Of course, I have to kill the others but I’ll take you with me. I’ve got all kinds of fun planned for us.”
“Fuck you!” MJ shouted back.
“Oh, now that’s not nice. You know what’s on the way. You don’t wanna be out here for that, I’m not gonna be out here for that.”
MJ jumped as the last pickup truck rumbled to life. The engine growled over the pounding rain and a plume of black smoke spewed from the tailpipe. MJ peeked over the rock and watched Moses climb onto the running board.
“Last chance, lovely.”
“Eat shit, Moses,” MJ shouted back.
Moses laughed. “Suit yourself.” Grinning, he turned to the rest of his men. “Kill them and bring me the woman.”
MJ leaned back over the rock and squeezed the trigger on her rifle. Three bullets found their mark and punched holes in the hood of the truck, smashing into the engine block. With a sputtering chug, the truck clunked and shut off.
Moses jumped onto the ground and roared, “You bitch!”
“Fuck you!”
And just like that, the fight was back on. Bullets snapped through the darkness, whistling like banshees. Mixed with the flashes of lightning and roaring booms it was like the 4th of July but there was no celebration taking place.
Moses’ men advanced quickly, using the rain and gloom as cover. They pressed their advantage, firing wildly as they rushed forward.
MJ slowly inched over the rock and shot one of the men in the leg then in the face as he fell to the ground. Daniel and Alistair seemed more concerned with suppressing fire and shot wildly into the field, scattering the approaching team as they dove into the mud.
Craig sent three more of Moses’ men to find out if there was an afterlife then shouted, “I’m out,” and threw the last empty magazine down.
MJ cringed as her rifle clicked and she replied, “Me too.”
Daniel had also fired his last bullet and Alistair had a few rounds left. As one of Moses’ men dashed out into the open, Alistair took aim and shot him in the chest. The man fell into the dirt, dropping his rifle at his side.
“I think I can get to it,” MJ said in an excited tone. She ran from behind the cover of the rocks and made a dash for the bolt-action rifle.
“No!” Craig warned but he was too late.
MJ slid through the mud and as she scrambled for the gun, Moses stepped in front of her
and stomped his foot onto it. Behind her an older man with knotted, gray hair and a thick, scratchy beard leveled his pistol at her head.
“Come on out!” Moses shouted. “Or I’m gonna shoot this one right between her pretty eyes.”
The guard standing next to him jabbed the barrel forward and rested his finger on the trigger. MJ twisted her face into a snarl and Moses grabbed her by the hair with one hand and bashed her across the side of the head with the other. Grunting, she fell over then spit blood onto the ground.
“I won’t ask again,” Moses warned. “Teddy’s nerves, they ain’t what they used to be. Hell, he might accidently shoot her.”
Craig stood up and threw his gun down. “We’re coming.” Reluctantly, he raised his hands and walked out from behind the rock.
MJ pushed herself onto her knees and wiped her face then shouted with a mouth full of blood, “Alistair, shoot this mother fucker!”
Alistair jumped at the sound of her voice. He turned his head and watched as Craig entered the clearing. He looked to him for some kind of sign or guidance. A signal telling him to take the shot and that everything would be okay. But that never happened, Craig couldn’t take his eyes off of MJ.
Alistair swallowed and held his gun close to his chest. His hands trembled and with a deep breath he stood up and dropped the gun into the mud. Daniel glanced at him from the corner of his eyes then together they stepped into the clearing scared and unarmed.
“I’m sorry,” Alistair mumbled.
MJ tried to hide the pain in her face. She’d asked too much of him and she knew it. “Don’t be sorry. I’m sorry.”
“Well Goddamn,” Moses laughed. “This has been one hell of a night. Alistair, look at you. You put all this shit in motion, didn’t you?” Now look at your little gang of…what do they call it, Teddy? Mutiny?”
Teddy looked into the distance and shifted his feet. “We need to get moving, Moses.”
Moses ignored him. “Mutineers…your gang of mutineers. All of them dead. You did this to them, you know?”
“Get it over with you, asshole!” MJ interrupted.
Deconstruction- The Complete series Box Set Page 101
