"Woohoo!" Ortiz shouted.
The others joined him in celebration, but Ross didn't join them. The enemy's words had sent a chilling sensation through his body.
Whoever or whatever that was, it’s not here to win. It’s coming for me. I’m being hunted.
"We did it!" Ortiz yelled.
Ross looked about, as if expecting to see his nemesis. A fight was coming, like he never had imagined, and he didn't even know their name. An engine roared, and a vehicle pulled into view. It was Burns and the RV, against his orders. They rushed out in support of him and the others.
"We did it. We whooped them!" Ortiz hollered in excitement.
But Ross knew this wasn't the end. It was just the beginning, the beginning of the hunt.
PART 3
Prologue
Nobody ever believed the prospect of an alien invasion was anything but the work of fiction. But now a small group of survivors fight to survive in what used to be their homeland. The United States of America is under siege. How widespread is the conflict? Who else is still alive? For the survivors of Wood Point and a Special Forces team that was in the area during the opening attack, they have to go it alone. The enemy have rounded up townspeople and imprisoned them in internment camps, but for what nefarious reason, nobody knows.
Master Sergeant Jack Ross and the locals fighting beside him have done what they can to rescue survivors from the enemies’ hands. But life becomes harder every day, and their efforts have begun to infuriate the enemy. A brutal counterattack came close to ending resistance in the valley altogether. When the survivors reunited, it seemed all hope was lost. But the capture of an enemy Mastiff may have given some insight into what was going on in their country. The Mastiffs, huge creatures nearly twice the size of a man; they only come at night, while humanoid-shaped robots fight on through the days.
Knowledge of enemy operations and intentions could mean everything to Ross and his team, but when a trigger-happy militia arrived it changed everything. Led by former Army Sergeant Buddy Travers, a hard line anti-government militia leader, they had no interest in hearing what the enemy had to say. The Minutemen they called themselves. Well equipped as mobile infantry. Kitted out with trucks, HMMMVs, armoured vehicles, and anti-aircraft weapons, they rode about the county like a wrecking ball. Striking at the enemy wherever they found them, with little concern for the lives of their own, nor the planning of their operations.
Brothers Donny and Lee were lured in by the Minutemen leader, along with several other naive survivors, and Ross could do nothing to stop them making the mistakes he knew they would. Travers showed the full extent of his foolish and dangerous approach when attacking an enemy facility far beyond their capabilities and capacity, and it cost the lives of many. The failed assault left the survivors scattered and desperately fighting for survival, wishing they’d never met the arrogant and aggressive militia leader.
Ross and his team have problems of their own. When the retired Marine and schoolteacher, Martin Burns, discovers a group of survivors in trouble, they rush to help. But Ross had been lured into a trap without even having considered the thought. He had underestimated his enemy, but was not going to let it cost him any of their lives. After a hard fight to get free, Ross was confronted by the most surprising of encounters, a representative of their enemy, a leader of some sort; projected in front of him as if he could reach out and touch the creature. A creature that looked similar to a Mastiff, but it wore no helmet and was lavishly dressed.
It hadn’t come to fight, but to taunt him. To ensure he knew the face of the one who was coming to kill them all. To many it had seemed liked a victory, but Ross knew it was just the beginning of a hunt. The cloaked creature was coming for them, and it was a terrifying prospect.
Chapter 1
“Step on it, can’t this piece of crap go any faster!” Ross yelled.
Ortiz looked down at the pedal to see his foot was planted on the gas and almost pushing it through the floor. He was fighting the steering back and forth as there was so much play in the wheel.
“I don’t think this bucket has gone past forty in a few decades!”
“Hey, she ain’t ever let us down!” Mick called out in defence of his beloved RV.
A flash of light skimmed the side of the RV and struck the road, igniting into a white fireball. Ortiz yanked the wheel and veered sharply. The wounded Jonas cried out in pain as he was flung from the bed he’d been lying in and hit the sidewall of the vehicle.
“Are you trying to kill him?” Lucy called out.
“Keep hold of him. This ain’t gonna get better anytime soon!” Ross rushed past them to a gaping hole that had been blown in the roof. He leapt up and climbed out to the roof.
“What are you doing?”
Ross ignored Mick and stayed focused. Two more shots struck the road, but now up he was on top of the vehicle he had a better view. Burns was leading them in the pickup he’d first taken them to find the stricken family and their friends. Ramos and Dunn were in the bed firing back at a target overhead. In the rear was their remaining truck, Mack and Otis in the cab, the armed men who’d been keeping guard when they had arrived. Payne was in the back hanging on as the driver swerved sharply. Ross looked up at the two aircraft that were pursuing them.
“We’ve got to take them out, and fast!” Ortiz shouted from the cab of the RV.
Ross knew it. They were too large a target and weren’t going to escape using speed alone. He fired two shots at the lead craft. One seemed to penetrate as sparks flew, but appeared to have no effect at all. He looked back to Payne. The hulking soldier knew exactly what he was looking for, his MGL grenade launcher.
“I’m all out!”
“Shit!” Ross could see their options were running out, their situation getting ever more desperate. He turned to look at where they were heading. Ramos was pointing towards a turn into a dense wood, holding up his other hand as if to ask yes or no.
“Do it!” Ross hollered.
The pickup turned quickly.
“Right, right, right!”
Ortiz turned as quickly as the big old bus could, but they went a little wide, and the wheel hit a tree root. The front of the RV lifted off the ground for a moment and crashed back down. Ross was thrown off his feet and landed hard on the roof, but he held on as they sped on down the rough track.
“Are you crazy? This piece of junk ain’t gonna keep it together on this old path!” Ortiz looked out of the window for some sign of Ross, who’d climbed to the edge where he could be seen in the driver’s mirror.
“It has to. We were sitting ducks out there.”
But a branch struck Ross before he’d got the last word out. He was thrown back along the roof but managed to grip onto the hole he’d climbed out through. He reached to his nose and found blood streaming down into his mouth. He looked angry at the sight of his own blood and spat it out over the side of the vehicle n disgust.
“Nothing can ever be easy, can it?”
He looked up as he heard the engines of the enemy craft roar overhead. He could barely see them through the thick coverage. It was a welcome relief from the brutal assault. He leaned in through the hole in the roof.
“Everyone okay?”
“Not really,” replied Lucy.
“We’re alive, if that’s what you mean,” added Mick.
“What’s the plan here? We’ve still got to lose ‘em.”
“Slow us down, Ortiz, maybe we can lose them in here,” replied Ross.
Their brakes creaked as they slid to a halt on the soft ground, and Ortiz cut the engine. Most of them were looking up, following the sounds of the aircraft engines as they continued along the path.
“You think they’ll give up?” Ortiz asked as Ross stood up on the roof, wiping blood from his nose and mouth with his sleeve.
“We can only hope so.”
“Why isn’t Payne nailing these assholes?”
“He’s out.”
Ortiz’ face
turned to a look of dread as he realised how desperate their situation was.
“What the hell are we supposed to take them on with now?”
“A couple of those AA guns would be nice right about now.” Ramos was thinking of the hardware Travers had at his disposal, not knowing he’d lost it all.
“We should have stuck with them,” replied Dunn.
Ross looked at him in surprise. He barely spoke about anything at all, and now he was calling out his decision to split.
“Really?”
“He was an asshole, but he had what we needed. We should have either stuck with him, or taken what we needed.”
“Not exactly the way the world works, is it?” Ortiz asked.
“It’s what we have always done.”
“It’s a different world now, my friend. We used to have the authority to do and take what we wanted, but now that doesn’t mean shit. We aren’t any different to anyone else,” replied Ross.
“Yeah, except we’re alive and free,” replied Ramos.
“That’s right, more than can be said for most folks.”
“Yes, then we should be in charge. You should have taken control. Taken charge from Travers.”
“I think he’d have had something to say about that.”
“And that has ever stopped you?”
“Years of near silence, and this is the moment you choose to get into it?” Ross asked in disbelief.
“Because our lives depend on it. Travers had what we needed, and he is too stupid to have that much in his hands.”
Ramos laughed. Dunn wasn’t trying to be funny, but it was hilarious because it was true. “Look at us. Running, running all the time. We need the ability to fight back, and we can’t do that without the resources of the Minutemen.”
“So we should have just gone along with that asshole?”
“Yes, or taken what he had.”
Ross couldn’t believe it, but as he looked to the faces of his other friends, he saw the sentiment was shared amongst them.
“Why is this the first I’m hearing of this?”
“Because you’re the boss. We might not always like things, but you’ve got us through, no matter what,” said Ortiz.
“So this is on me, then? I fucked up?”
He wasn’t happy about the situation either. Maybe he did make the wrong call, but there was no time to fret over it now. An explosion rang out half a mile ahead. It made them all jump as a flash of light burst through the trees and exploded on the path in front of them. Another one came soon after it.
“They’re flushing us out!”
“Turn this thing around. Move it!” Ross yelled as they climbed back in to their vehicles.
But another explosion rang out at their backs, the way they had come.
“Shit!” Ortiz swore as he got the engine started.
“Scratch that, we’re going forwards!” Ramos shouted.
“Through that?”
“We don’t have a choice, Ortiz. We’re going straight through!”
“Straight to hell you mean!”
Ramos couldn’t hear Ross’ words, but he could see him pointing and knew exactly what he meant. He hammered down on the top of the cab as he leant around and relayed the command to Burns. The tyres spun, kicking up mud over the front of the RV as they went forward once more. Ross shook his head as he saw yet another explosion erupt, right where they were heading. There was no way off the track through the dense foliage. Not even the trucks would make it.
This is how it must feel for submarine crews battling to survive against depth charges. An experience I never imagined any of us would have to face.
“This is gonna get ugly!” Ortiz shouted as they accelerated towards the blasts. They were landing every few seconds. It was going to be close no matter what. Another charge erupted just ahead of the lead truck. Burning debris splashed over the front, and two pieces came through the windshield. One grazed Burns’ arm and embedded in the seat. He grimaced from the pain but kept his hands on the wheel and his focus on the task at hand. He planted his foot further on the gas and sped forward.
Another charge clipped the back of the RV and landed behind it. Burning hot shards and dirt smashed through the rear. One caught Mick’s forehead. He cried out in pain and he fell back on to the bed where Lucy was holding on to Jonas. Ross looked back to see the third vehicle burst out through the fire. They lost control for a moment as the back end flew out of control. It swung like a pendulum back and forth, striking a tree and righting itself.
“Holy mother of Christ!” Payne yelled in his deep gruff voice as he held on firm to the roll bars of the truck. He was tossed about like a ragdoll and crashed back down into the bed. He got up to find they were speeding onwards after the other two vehicles and looked back to see charges erupting at their backs.
“Woohoo!” Ortiz looked back in the mirror. He’d veered off towards a tree and snapped the steering back in line. Ross was thrown off his feet and slid to the edge, struggling to get a grip.
“What you trying to do, kill me!”
“Just avoiding fire,” replied Ortiz unconvincingly as he tried to find an excuse. He shook his head and smiled at his own recklessness. Even in this hellish scenario he was going to find some humour. That’s what he lived for.
“What’s the plan?” Ramos shouted across as Ross got back up to a crouching position on top of the RV.
“Keep moving. Get as far away from here as we can, then loop back around, and return to base!”
“Base? That’s what we’re calling it now?”
“Right now, that’s what it is.”
“We’ve got a road up ahead!” Ramos shouted.
“Get on it, and get on moving!” Ross yelled.
Ramos nodded in agreement as they continued to bump along the track. It was little more than a farm track, and Ross was counting them lucky they’d found a road the other side. They pulled out onto asphalt as mud and stones kicked up all around them, and they all breathed a sigh of relief. But Ross was still looking up and around in all directions. They were back on a road, but they were also visible from the air. For a few moments there was no sign of the enemy, and he started to believe they had made a clean break.
“Ducked ‘em there, didn’t we!”
Ortiz had spoken too soon as they heard the roar of engines, and an enemy craft soared out over a hill up ahead and came about to pursue them.
“Couldn’t keep your mouth shut for two minutes, could you?” Ross smiled at him.
“We aren’t gonna outrun them, that’s for sure.”
Payne was readying his rifle to give fire when Ross rushed to the breach in the roof of the RV and leapt inside.
“What are we gonna do?” Lucy asked.
“What have you got to hand, weapons, tools, anything? What have you got we can use?”
“Mmm….I don’t..”
“Just think, anything that shoots, burns, explodes, anything!”
“We’ve got a flare gun?”
“No,” Ross shook his head, “That won’t do anything.”
“I’ve got a harpoon gun under the bench there. We use it for diving occasionally,” replied Mick.
“Occasionally? You took it out once years ago and never used it,” replied Lucy.
Ross’ interest was sparked.
“Does it work?”
“Yeah, it should do.”
“Should or does?”
“It’ll work,” said Mick.
“What are you going to do with a harpoon gun?”
“Just get it, Lucy. We don’t have time to talk,” he snapped as gunfire rang out. Payne had opened fire on the ship.
Mick pushed Lucy aside, lifted a bench seat, and rustled about until he pulled out an old harpoon gun and three darts.
“I don’t know what good it’s gonna do you.” He handed it to Ross.
Ortiz looked back in time to see Ross loading the harpoon and shook his head as he smiled.
If it was anyone
else, I’d think him a madman, but Ross never does anything without a good plan
A ball of light struck the road and erupted into a huge explosion. It rocked the RV, but they kept on going.
“Whatever you’re doing you better do it fast!” Ortiz fought to keep control of the vehicle. Ross drew out a grenade from his webbing.
“You got any tape?”
Lucy reached into a drawer and passed him a roll of duct tape.
“What are you doing?”
“Something probably quite stupid, Mick.”
He pulled out the tape and taped the grenade to the harpoon dart. He got back up and sat on the roof with his feet dangling back into the vehicle. He took a deep breath, realising how dangerous this was. The enemy craft was coming in close with two ports open on the starboard side, and enemy soldiers about to fire on them. Payne had stopped to reload when he spotted Ross aiming the harpoon gun with the grenade attached to it, but no line. He was using it like a crossbow.
“What the fuck?” He was frozen as he watched the scene unfold.
Ross reached forward and pulled the pin on the grenade. He took aim with both hands and squeezed the trigger. The harpoon dart surged forward and went straight through an open hatch, vanishing inside the aircraft. Two shots rang out, one hitting the side of the RV. An explosion rang out, followed by another a moment after. A huge piece of the underside of the fuselage was blown out, and the engines lost power. The craft veered towards them and dived towards the ground.
“Shit!” Ross leapt into the RV and dropped down for cover. Payne was almost thrown forward off the truck as the driver slammed the brakes on. The enemy ship plunged into the ground and burst into flames with an almighty explosion. Ortiz hit the brakes, too, and they slid to a halt. He looked in amazement in his mirror, but he had to see it with his own eyes. He kicked the door opened and climbed out to marvel at the carnage.
“Well, I’ll be damned!” Ramos pulled up beside them.
“You just shot down a gunship with a harpoon gun and a grenade, hell, yeah!” Ortiz yelled excitedly.
Lethal Strike Page 16