“And?”
“And what?” Matt gave her a look of disbelief.
“Never mind. Just—” Another pop of glass, the ping of metal interrupting her as the familiar sound of gunfire erupted again. The rattle sent both cowering further into the side of the vehicle. Jenny felt her cheeks twist into a frown, worry. She drew in a breath, the largest she could manage. Her lungs felt as if they would burst. Closing her eyes, she let it out in a slow leak.
“You’re not hurt, are you?” he asked.
“No!” Jenny said, forcing the last bit of air from her lungs. “Gimme a sec.” Gathering her nerves, she stood then inched back toward the busted window. What the hell happened? She snuck a peek—the outsiders still occupied with a threat in the distance—the Depot’s guards all on the far side as Matt described. “You didn’t see anyone else?”
“Already said no. Nothing.” Matt puffed. “It’s gotta be the S.A. though, right?”
“We just need to find out where they are.”
Another shot rang out before an absurd silence spread across the parking lot. The stillness, eerie, not even a scream. “Is it over?” she whispered to Matt.
“I don’t know…”
It took only a few more seconds for the welcomed silence to shatter—a cry for help. Not a crack of gunfire in response. She snuck another few peeks through the broken window. One of the outsiders sprawled out in the snow. Another at his side, pumping up and down upon his chest. Might not get another chance. Think, Jenny, think. Look at the outsiders, their position. Shots keep coming this way from that angle. That angle places the S.A. in the far corner, right? Or at least over that way. Only misses from over there would rip through here like that.
She rocked her rifle up and across her chest, tiptoeing around Matt. “What is it?” Jenny disregarded him—his curiosity followed her to the back of the vehicle.
A few glances around the bumper. Nothing. No activity other than what she had seen only moments ago. Then, tumbling across the graying sky, an array of bottles, of spinning flames. They crashed into the snow. A burst of flame engulfed the outsiders, sentencing their frigid bodies to death. Each tormented form collapsed to the ground writhing like cockroaches. A couple of shots fired into the air, unintentional from seizing bodies. Their voices transformed to shrieks, to cries that knotted her stomach. Holy…
Jenny hurried to leave, backing into Matt’s horrified stare.
“We gotta get the hell out of here.” His words direct, ironclad.
She could only bring forth a nod.
“Hey!” A woman’s voice came from behind them.
The woman’s call ripped Jenny from the scene, her attention drawn toward the Depot—the entry opened slightly. Only a hand waved them forward, the body hidden behind cover.
“Forget the ruck. We’ll get it later.” Jenny peeled the heavy bag from Matt’s back, and he jerked open the door of the SUV to stuff it inside. He stood longer than she liked. His gaze locked back onto the flailing bodies thrashing against the black asphalt where the snow gave way to heat. “Come on! This might be our only chance.”
Both sucked a deep breath in, staring across the frozen parking lot. Only forty yards. But the distance was riddled with cars and the threat of gunfire.
“Ready?” Matt squeezed her hand.
She squeezed back. “Always.”
Clutching their rifles, they charged for the opening to the Depot, for safety. Crack!… Crack!… Crack! Three deliberate shots, then the Depot let loose from the rooftop, responding with authority. The gunfire scattered Jenny’s intended path. Diving headlong into the snow, her elbows bit into the pavement. The adrenaline pushed the pain somewhere deep and forgotten, her mind fixed on the two vehicles only a few feet away.
From behind the two cars, Matt and Jenny swung their rifles up and over the hoods. She scanned. There we go. Finally. The mystery was over. Black uniforms of the Second Alliance slunk across the lot—heads peeking from vehicles, rifles following with muzzles firing. This is it! Take a stand! This world isn’t for the S.A. to take. With anxious breaths, scanning the landscape above her sights, her finger rested on the trigger with every intention of using it. She only needed the opportunity.
Just to her left, at the perfect angle, a Guard hunkered down against a car’s bumper presented Jenny with a clear shot. She leaned her face into the stock and exhaled, taking the slack out of the trigger. Smooth press. She took it. Sparks flew from the steel bumper of the old Buick. Shit! The Guard retreated, taking with him any chance of redeeming herself with a follow-up. Damn it. Should’ve double tapped.
Crack! Crack! Two shots from the Depot and a different black uniform fell into the snow.
“Come on!” The woman from the door yelled to them again. “We got you covered! Move!”
“Jenny, let’s go!” Matt shouted, backpedaling toward the door.
“No!” Her eyes never left the sights of her rifle. “No more running! This is the turning point! The last time we’re on the defensive!”
Matt released a guttural roar of frustration into the air, then yelled, “I’m not asking!” He tried to pull her away from the vehicle, but she refused. Instead of protesting longer, he took to the other end of the vehicle, throwing his rifle over the trunk. “Damn you, Jenny!”
She blocked his anger and focused her attention deeper into the lot. Just need another one of them to slip up. That’s all I need. Just one and I’ll go.
Crack! Crack! The Depot fired again. At what, Jenny couldn’t tell, but someone else out there was becoming restless besides her.
Sharpening her glare, she spotted another Guard sliding between a couple vehicles. Again, she leaned into the rifle and expelled every last breath in her lungs. Smooth. Keep it smooth. Her rifle tracked his movements. Crack! Another shot from the Depot, but a miss. The Guard stopped in his tracks, burying himself against the wrong side of a car, exposed to Jenny’s rifle. She pulled. Crack! The Guard doubled over, clutching his gut. Another shot hit his shoulder, then another ripped through his skull. Finished, he slumped from a seated position and onto his side.
“Is that enough for you?” Matt took hold of her arm, bringing her eyes from the rifle. “It’s time to go.”’
“Wait!” Jenny smiled.
In the distance, a small band of Second Alliance Guards retreated, their black uniforms slipping in and out of view. A few shots from the Depot’s roof chased them further into the woodline.
Cheering broke loose.
Chapter Eleven
Jenny leaned in toward Grant—“You think they’ll listen?”—her words fighting against the sporadic outbursts of celebration.
“Won’t know for sure until we try.”
“Yeah…” She studied the crowd. Everyone in the Depot, minus Matt, Xavier, and a few guards minding the perimeter, had gathered in the Garden Center outside. People shuffled along the tables of the soup line, bowls being poured full of stew. Those who’d already been served stood around several burn barrels, chatting between bites while they waited for the explanation they’d been promised.
“They’re pretty worked up over the win,” Grant said, “but you gotta couple of people in there who prolly realize this ain’t over. Those the folks you need to help you out. Tell them your story, and I don’t mean just talkin’, but touch them, you know, reach out to them, and then they’ll help bring in the others.”