Jenny and Sherman were bound together with the lead. “Just—damn it, Matt. Just help me out here.”
He couldn’t hide the smile from his face as he holstered his weapon and stepped toward her. Chuckling, Matt slid the pack off her shoulders, then began unraveling the lead back through itself. “And you want to get on me, huh?”
She scowled at him, but within seconds, Jenny had freed a leg and the lead dropped to the ground. “Thanks.” But the look she gave him showed no sign of gratitude.
Matt’s eyes shot back over the railing. “What? What is it?”
“Shut up you two!” Danny forced a hushed order over the crunching of the snow below his feet. “Pull that storm door and hold it!”
Matt yanked it open and stood to the side while Danny bounded up the stairs. Without stopping, he charged, centered on the door, kicking it straight through its frame.
“What’s going on? What did you see?” Jenny asked as they scrambled into the house.
Danny ignored her while he unclipped Sherman from the lead. “Seek!” The canine started through the ranch-style home. Danny followed with his rifle. “Matt, post up at the window, don’t shoot unless you have to. Jenny, get that door back in place, hold it.”
“Seriously, what the hell, Danny?” Jenny shoved the door back into place, but it wouldn’t catch. “What’s going on?” she asked again, but Danny was gone, trailing Sherman through the back of the house.
Jenny sat against the door, silent, waiting for Danny and Sherman to give the all clear.
Eventually, after several minutes, they returned. “House is good.”
“So!” Jenny looked to Danny with anticipation. “What the hell is it?”
Chapter Two
“Pickup truck coming,” Danny said, his chest still heaving. “Lots of guys. Every last one armed to the teeth.”
“Who?” Jenny asked, eyes wide with fear. “Black uniforms? Any kind of banner?”
“I don’t know.”
“They haven’t made it this far yet.” Matt said, stealing an occasional peek from his position at the window.
Jenny stormed off toward Matt, almost knocking a floor lamp to the ground in her haste. Is it them? A vision of Second Alliance Soldiers haunted her. It can’t be them, right? There’s no way they’re up this way.
“You think it’s the S.A.?” Matt whispered.
“I hope not…”
Mindful of being discovered, she peeled a sliver of the curtain away from the window, allowing her just enough space to catch a glimpse of the pickup truck chugging through the street—four men in the bed, a rifle poking out the passenger side window. Crack! Crack! Immediately, Matt threw Jenny to the ground, falling with her, shielding her from the unexpected gunfire. His chest pressed against hers, his breaths in her ear. Close. Safe. Crack! Crack! A breath trembled from Jenny’s lips. Matt squeezed her tight, comforting her through the chaos. Crack! Crack! Crack!
“Stay down!” From across the room, Danny low crawled toward them, dragging his rifle by its sling. He kept his eyes fixed on theirs.
Another volley of gunfire broke out. To Jenny’s horror, Sherman started toward them from the kitchen, out of view of Danny. “Platz!” she shouted. He lay, his ears twitching from the gunfire, confused, but stationary.
“You two okay?!” Danny shouted.
“Yeah!”
“Is Sherman?!”
“Yeah!”
A few more shots rang out, closer than before. “Hang in there!” Danny shrank into the floor as low as he could while the barrage continued. In a brief reprieve, he skittered within inches of the windowsill, settling into the wall next to Matt and Jenny’s feet. “Hier!” Sherman broke for Danny.
“What the hell they shooting at?!” Jenny called out.
Danny braved a look, but another shot convinced him to put his face to the floor. All four of them forced to wait. Catching a stray was the last thing they needed.
Two more shots echoed down the street, then a long howl of laughter faded into the distance. Silence followed. Then more. Jenny remained still, unsure of how much faith to place in the lull. Danny said nothing. Matt, the same. At some point, someone would have to confirm they were indeed clear of any threat. But with Matt still on top of her, Jenny being the one seemed unlikely.
Finally, Danny crept to his feet then helped Matt and Jenny to theirs. “Looks like they’re gone,” he said, pulling the curtain clear for Jenny too, both of them now studying the street for any signs of life. Or death.
“Any idea who they were?” Jenny asked, relieved she hadn’t seen the black uniforms, the flag, any sign of the Second Alliance.
“Never seen them or… shit, anyone like them since the early days. You’d think the novelty would’ve worn off by now. Reckless morons. Pretty sure they’re not from around here. Loud idiots like that don’t go unnoticed. We definitely would’ve run into them before. Everyone else out this way has moved on or joined up with us at the Depot.” He leaned into the bay window, double-checking the far end of the neighborhood. “Pretty sure we’re good now.”
Jenny looked too. The erratic strangers were long gone, not even the truck’s tail lights were visible. “Still can’t tell what they were shooting at,” she said. A window across the street appeared to be the only casualty from the strangers’ assault on the neighborhood. “By the look of things, probably nothing.”
Danny let out a weak chuckle. “Never could fix stupid.”
“Whether they were shooting for the hell of it or not, we’re lucky,” Matt said, coming shoulder to shoulder with Jenny at the window after Danny had walked off. “A couple extra minutes in that house down the street and we would’ve been caught out in the open with those maniacs. There’s no telling how that would’ve gone.”
“Not good,” Danny said, seemingly bewildered by the naive statement. “We’re not invincible. That’s why we train. That’s why we take everything seriously. You never know what’s around the next corner. With those guys, they wouldn’t have asked any questions. Nothing! They would’ve gunned us down in the street as soon as they saw us. Not a doubt in my mind.”
“You’re right…” Matt agreed before wrapping his hand around Jenny’s and whispering to her, “Nothing’s going to happen to you. We’ll make sure of it.”
Closing her eyes, she leaned her head against his shoulder, her veins still flooded with adrenaline, her breathing still rushed. Thanks. Although she wouldn’t allow it to seep through, an apology bubbled toward the surface. Only hours ago, she had chided him for being overprotective. Unselfishly, he took to her, guarded her without thinking of himself. How close had they come to death? Merely feeling him beside her meant everything in that moment. “I knew you had it in you,” Jenny murmured. “See? You’re good at this.”
He smiled.
“Alright you two,” Danny said, his back hunched, gripping the far end of the living room couch, waiting. “Enough of that. Get over here, lover boy, and help me with this thing.”
Matt gave her hand a parting squeeze before taking the opposite end of the couch.
Jenny remained at the window. Even though the vision of the Second Alliance had passed, a feeling of dread now lingered. If it had been them, what… what would that mean? Deep down, I know they’re still looking for us. But would they come all the way up here to do it?
From behind her came a—“1… 2… 3”—followed by a collective grunt. Jenny peeled her eyes from the window to watch them carry the couch to the front door, doing what they could to secure their camp for the night. Apparently satisfied, Danny dusted the remaining snow from his pants and stomped out his boots.