“We have to do something. We can’t just leave them out there. They’re going to run out of ammo.”
Krista took a moment to think, running through a number of scenarios that might work. One of the choices worked itself to the top of the list. “What we need is a diversion. Draw them away.”
“Divide and conquer,” Wicks added, his eyes indicating he understood where she was going with her plan.
Krista pointed to the nearest side of the broken-down overpass, specifically at the hanging rebar with rubble below it. It looked like one of the cement chunks on the end of the exposed rebar was within reach. “Do you think you can get to that rebar and climb up?”
Wicks paused for a beat, his eyes running a check of the overpass. “Yeah, I think so.”
“I’ll draw them out so you can pick them off.”
Wicks nodded.
Krista continued, “But verify your targets. And for my sake, don’t miss.”
“I won’t.”
Krista gave him her extra magazines. “Go! Now! There isn’t much time.”
He stuffed two into his vest, then tried to give two of them back. “You might need these.”
She shook her head. “If I have to change mags, I’m dead already. It’ll be up to you to keep them off me.”
Wicks held his stare, but didn’t respond.
“Go! That’s an order!” she said, shooting him her most commanding look.
Wicks pulled the ammo back, then climbed to his feet and swung around to the right, sprinting faster than a man of his size should have been able to run. His path took him to the backside of the overpass, using it as cover until he made it to the corner. He held for a beat, then made a dash for the rebar, grabbing onto the hanging chunk of cement and pulling himself up.
When he made it to the roadway above and got into position, she pressed to her feet, then broke into the open, praying her men by the truck would see her in time and not draw down in her direction. It wasn’t the best plan, but it was all she had.
“Hey you!” she screamed, shooting her rifle into the air, using a series of single trigger pulls. The barrage caught the attention of the Scabs, bringing their eyes around in a collective motion. She stopped firing and yelled, “I’m over here, you freaks!”
About half the Scabs broke off and came at her. She backpedaled, firing one round at a time, making sure each trigger pull found a target.
After she’d hit four in the head, Wicks joined the fight, taking down Scab after Scab, plinking them like target practice from his elevated position. Heads, shoulders, and legs blew apart, some even happened together on a single shot as the high-velocity rounds tore through more than one rail-thin cannibal.
Just then, a number of Scabs stopped their pursuit and turned to face Wicks’ position. The rest kept advancing toward her.
Krista yelled again, wanting all of them to keep their attention on her. “Come on, you fuckers, I’m right here. Come and get me!”
Before the next breath came to her lungs, the unexpected happened—the Scab Girl flew out of the back of the transport and ran into the open, taking a direct path to the horde attacking. One of her overwatch team also climbed down from the tailgate, his hand holding a Ka-bar knife.
Helena flew onto the back of one of the male Scabs and began tearing into his neck from behind. Her hands and teeth worked in unison as she ripped his spine into bloody chunks.
Krista continued backstepping and shooting a round at a time, while Wicks kept firing, taking out more Scabs from his perch.
When Krista looked back at the truck, she saw Helena on another Scab’s back, ripping and shredding him to pieces like the first.
One of the other Scabs standing close to Helena turned and went for her leg as she continued her melee on Scab number two.
Krista stopped her retreat and brought her rifle up to take out the Scab who’d grabbed onto Helena’s leg. Before Krista could pull the trigger, the Scab’s head exploded. The blood spray and subsequent body fall indicated the shot came from her men protecting the truck.
Krista began moving in reverse again, bringing her rifle back to the gang coming at her, shooting another one in the head, landing the shot just under the hole in the middle of his face and above the lips.
Wicks wasn’t done either, taking down more of the Scabs with head and neck shots, mowing them down like cannon fodder. The malnourished flesh of the damned was no match for his heavy-grained .302 caliber rounds.
When Krista turned her attention back to Helena, she saw Horton helping her off the ground. The two of them then stood together and fought more of the attackers, his hand armed with a knife.
The gunfight went on for another few minutes, until all the Scabs were down.
Wicks left his overwatch position and joined Krista, the two of them advancing on the truck, shooting anything that was still alive on the ground.
“You guys all right?” Krista asked her men protecting the truck when she arrived.
“All good, boss.”
Horton and Helena were there, too. Both of them nodded, but didn’t respond.
“Good thing they didn’t bring more,” Wicks said, releasing the magazine from the lower receiver of his rifle. His eyes studied the rounds inside. “Almost black on ammo.”
Krista brought her eyes around, looking at her team. “Who decided it was okay to cut them loose?”
One of her men stepped forward. “I did, ma’am.”
“Actually, it was my idea,” Horton said. “Don’t blame him.”
“Well, soldier?” Krista said to the member of her team claiming responsibility.
“Seemed like the right thing to do. I wasn’t sure we could’ve stopped them all, not until you and Wicks returned. Figured there was nothing to lose at that point.”
Krista took a few moments to chew on the facts. She hated the idea that any of her men disobeyed her orders, but she understood his position. Obviously, he was right, given the outcome.
“I backed his decision, boss,” another one of her troops said, after taking a firm step forward.
It was gratifying to see her team unified, but it didn’t change what happened. “You both disobeyed a direct order. There will have to be repercussions. I can’t let it go.”
“Understood,” the men responded in unison.
Krista looked at Horton, holding for a beat before she spoke. “Thanks for the assist.”
Horton peered at Helena, then back at Krista. “I didn’t do it alone.”
Krista nodded at the girl, never thinking she’d ever thank a cannibal for anything. “That was some good work out there, young lady. Well done.”
Helena didn’t respond, only blinking a stare, her chest heaving, taking in air rapidly.
One of Krista’s other guards went to Helena with a bundle of paracord in hand, preparing to restrain her once again.
Krista stopped him with an arm bar, then turned to Horton. “Tell me this isn’t necessary.”
“It’s not. We’re all on the same side here.”
Krista took a few beats to consider his body language and the tone of the man’s response as she pondered the situation.
Security protocols demanded that she have both restrained for the trip back to Nirvana. They should not be trusted solely based on the fact that they fought alongside her men to repel the enemy, risking their own lives in the process. That was the right conclusion—on paper at least. However, her heart was telling her something different. And her gut, too. “All right, but I still have to assign my guards.”
“I would expect nothing less,” Horton said, taking Helena by the elbow and ushering her to the back of the truck. They hopped in and took a seat near the front.
“Keep an eye on them,” Krista said to her men only a moment before a brilliant crack of lightning shot across the sky. It rippled in a hundred directions all at once, like the veins in a heart. When the instant, bone-rattling clap of thunder followed, everyone flinched, then covered their heads.