Something caught my attention from the top of the fortress, a slight movement that was out of place. I realized it was Aidan as he started to climb the ladder to the lookout tower. One foot after another, he was heading up, no doubt to try to signal his exact location to the chopper.
With the tree canopy beginning to tremble, the men at the bottom of the trees started to duck down, shifting their weapons up to where they thought the noise was coming from.
“Over there!” I heard from the fortress. Two more of the Stripes had made it around the bend and were raising their guns toward Kyle.
I couldn’t do anything about it… he was a sliding duck, and they were about to pull the trigger. I screamed, “Come on!” in vain. Waving my arms, and nearly jumping up and down, I knew this was bad. The terrified look in Kyle’s eyes told me he knew it too.
Suddenly, the sky erupted with bullet fire. I watched trees all around splintering, their branches falling to the ground. However, to my surprise Kyle remained unharmed. Looking past him, I watched as the two Stripes at the fort were literally blown to pieces by some sort of giant caliber gun. Dropping from the fort, body parts were strewn across the forest floor.
It was raining gore on the Zs heads, and they were eating it up.
The chopper was above us, decimating the fortress. The wall the Stripes were standing near had a hole blown through it, and I could hear the small arms fire from the rest of the Stripes, across the way, shooting up toward the chopper.
Kyle slammed into me just as I heard the large caliber weapon open up again. Pulling Kyle forward to help steady him, I looked over his shoulder to see the trees around where the other zip-line once stood being blown to pieces.
“I think Gordon’s men just saved your ass,” I said to Kyle as he, Jarvis, and I slid down the rope ladder.
“Yeah, holy shit! If they only knew,” he replied as his feet hit the ground.
The Zs that once had surrounded this exit had been pulled away toward the fight. Darting to the parked vehicles, the three of us picked the largest, and tugged on the tarp covering its massive body. Revealing a black armor-covered truck with an orange stripe painted down the side, I quickly noticed that the glass windshield had been replaced by a series of metal bars.
Jarvis tossed the three sets of keys to me as he jumped into the back. Sliding into the driver’s side door, I tried the first set. No fit. Throwing them out the window, I wiped the sweat from my brow and lifted the second set to the ignition.
Looking in the rear view mirror, I watched entire walls start to fall off of the fortress, landing on the ground, crushing a number of the Zs stumbling around below.
The key slid into the ignition. Lifting my elbow, I turned the key forward, bringing life roaring out of its metal parts. Letting out the deep breath, I realized I hadn’t inhaled since trying to start the truck.
“Hit it!” Kyle yelled out from the front passenger seat.
Shifting the truck into drive, I turned the wheel and slammed on the gas. Dirt and leaves shot up behind us as we tore off down a partially cleared path that the Stripes had created.
The firefight was still raging to the right of the truck. In the distance, I watched the large caliber gun tear right through two of the Stripes who were trying to hide behind a tree. It split the tree in half, which fell as both men dropped to the ground. Still hovering above, the chopper was spinning around the fortress, the trees waving wildly all around us. Just enough of a distraction for us to speed off unnoticed… at least so we thought.
We couldn’t hear the engine start over the sound of the chopper up above, but Kyle saw them peel out and cried, “They’re in their truck.”
To my right, I saw the Stripes immediately. They were trying to head us off. Vindictive bastards seemed to be holding a grudge.
Dodging trees, pushing the truck to its limits, the very real sound of bullets clanging along the armored exterior of the vehicle kept my foot to the pedal. Kyle was going on about not having anything to fire back at them with while ducking down into his seat. I glanced into the rearview mirror only to see the Stripes’vehicle steady out right behind us.
There only appeared to be two of them, the driver and another who was hanging out the passenger side with some sort semi-automatic rifle. Luckily, the chopper wasn’t in pursuit, clearly staying back to destroy the Stripes’ fortress. They didn’t know we were there, and in the end, we had Aidan to thank for that.
“Watch out!” Kyle yelled, wide-eyed, looking out the metal-gated windshield. There was a creature standing directly in our path. With no time to react, my only thought was to go faster. Hitting the gas, I watched as that same Z from the parking lot, the one with the backpack and clanging metal pots and pans, flipped up and over the hood.
In what seemed like slow motion, it practically disintegrated from the force. One of the pots clanged across the metal bars, that replaced the windshield, followed by a flood of black bile that poured into our faces. Losing control momentarily, I desperately pulled my sleeve up to wipe the gunk from my eyes just as the truck slammed through a rotten stump, sending splinters up all around us.
“Take a right, John!” Jarvis pointed to what looked like a fork in the path. “That’ll take us back to the peak!”
As I twisted the wheel, the rear of the truck slid sideways in the dirt before straightening out. Glancing back in my rearview mirror, I saw the truck behind us nearly tipping over as they tried to follow the tight turn. The Stripe hanging out the passenger side door flung around from the force like an old doll, before pulling himself back into the truck.
“Up ahead!” Kyle said, pointing to the top of the hill.
“We’re not going to be able to drive up that, boys,” Jarvis added on.
He was right. The truck wouldn’t make it to the top. We’d have to jump out and make a short climb, leaving us completely exposed.
“They’re not firing at us,” Kyle said, looking back at the Stripes’truck. “Maybe they’re out of ammo.”
Ducking down as quickly as he’d said it, he neatly avoided another series of bullets as they rained across the armor siding.
“Up there!” Jarvis pointed.
Looking up to the top of the peak, we could see the beautiful twirling blades from the chopper. We were close now, just one final test.
I slammed on the brakes, and the truck slid sideways to a stop at the base of the hill. All three of us were out and heading up before the thing came to a full stop. Over the roar of the engine behind us, I heard the rifle firing.
Dirt and small fragments of rock spit up all around as bullets tore into the hillside. Driving over the rough terrain kept the bastard’s gun off target, but the second they stopped, I knew he’d have nothing but a straight shot.
Digging my hammer into the ground, I pulled forward with sweat dripping from my face. Looking over my shoulder, I saw the truck slamming on its brakes. The edge of the hill was just yards away. The three of us pushed with everything we had left to get to the top. It wouldn’t be enough! They were stopped and getting out of the truck.
I could practically feel the sight from the gun leveling off on my back as I frantically climbed, trying to race to the chopper. It was only a matter of time.
Cha cha cha chang rang out from above us. Looking up, nearly breathless, I saw Mia perched like a goddess at the top of the hill. With the sun shining around her entire body, she glowed as her machine gun rocked up and down in what seemed like slow motion.
Not taking the time to look back, I kept moving.
Another burst of fire echoed through the hills. Bullet casings were raining from above, rolling down the hill all around us. Taking one step forward, my foot slid backwards across one of the casings, causing me to slide back a number of feet. In that moment, a bullet hit the stone just above my head. Crying out in pain, I felt a small fragment of rock slice open the flesh across my cheek.