Lethal Strike

by Nick S. Thomas

  “How the hell did you know that would work?”

  “I didn’t, Mick, but tell me any of you had any thing else lined up?”

  “That might have worked once, but we need other ways to deal with these things in the future.”

  “We need to find some grenade for that monster he carries,” said Ortiz, pointing towards Payne.

  “Damn right,” replied Payne.

  They were still celebrating when engines roared, and the other aircraft rushed over a hilltop towards them.

  “Go, go, go!” Ross ordered.

  They leapt back into the vehicles, and tyres were spinning within seconds.

  “Got any other good ideas?” Ortiz looked in his mirror. The aircraft was banking steeply to come about in pursuit. The road ahead was open, and there was nowhere to hide. What trees there were, were scattered and slight.

  “Ross, we’ve got incoming!” Ramos yelled.

  An explosion landed nearby, and shrapnel ripped through the side of the RV. One shard narrowly missed Ross’ face and embedded in a cupboard door. Gunfire rang out as the rest of the team opened fire with small arms in a futile attempt to fight back. His webbing was all out of grenades.

  “You got any left?”

  Ortiz looked back and could see exactly what Ross meant.

  “One flash, that’s it!”

  Ross grimaced but accepted it anyway. “Toss it over!”

  He caught the grenade, tied it to another of the darts, and loaded the gun. He climbed up to get a good view of the craft.

  “Is this gonna work?” Mick asked.

  Ross shook his head.

  “Tunnel!” Ortiz shouted.

  Ross turned quickly. They were approaching a narrow road tunnel at the base of a steep hill.

  “What do you want me to do?”

  “Keep going. Step on it!”

  “You think I wasn’t before?”

  The enemy craft was still on their tail. Payne was unloading on it, but to no avail. Ross took aim, but already doubted his actions.

  What good can a flash grenade do? Only if it gets near the pilot, and the chances of that seem pretty slim.

  “What are you waiting for?” Lucy screamed.

  He took a deep breath as they drew closer to the tunnel, and another shot exploded ahead of them. He pulled the pin and was about to fire, when he turned sharply and fired up towards the frame of the tunnel. He looked away as the blinding flash of light ignited, and in a second they were inside the tunnel. There was an almighty crash as something struck the ground above them. Debris and dust descended on them.

  “Step on it, faster!” Ross leapt back inside the RV and rushed to the front. Chunks of concrete and earth were falling everywhere.

  “Come, come on! We’ve got to go faster!”

  “This is all she’s got!” Ortiz clenched the steering wheel so tight his knuckles were going white as he held on for dear life. The vehicle was rocked up and down, and they could feel the vibrations through the ground as the rest of the tunnel came down behind them. Finally, they saw light up ahead, and they burst out into daylight. The tunnel collapsed entirely. Ortiz slammed the brakes on and spun them about, in time to see the final truck burst through some of the debris and dust. It slid to a halt. They could barely make out Payne, who was coated in dust, until he opened his mouth to smile and his teeth shone.

  “Well, that was a hell of a ride!”

  “How the hell did you do that?” Ramos asked.

  “He fired a goddamn stun grenade over the tunnel, blinded ‘em on approach!” Ortiz yelled.

  “And they fell for that?”

  “They were so damn focused on the hunt they didn’t see what was right in front of ‘em,” replied Ross with a smile.

  “That was close, way too close,” replied Ramos.

  “No shit, come on. It’s time to get the hell off the road.”

  Chapter 2

  I can’t go on. I gotta stop.”

  Lee was already leaning on his brother and being half carried. Donny didn’t like it, but he stopped beside a fallen tree and let his brother down. He was patched up with bandages, and the blood was seeping through at quite a rate. He needed proper medical attention, but he had no idea how they were gonna get it.

  “What the hell happened back there?” Lee groaned in pain as he sat down.

  “We were outgunned, outmanned, outthought.”

  “Why? We went in with an army.”

  “Yeah, and we came out with nothing. It was like Ross said. He was right all along. We were taken in by Travers and his goddamn army, we didn’t see how fragile it really was.”

  “Fragile?”

  “Come on. If a group of militia could take this enemy on in a pitched battle, we’d never be in this place, would we? Where are our soldiers, our Marines? National Guard?”

  “Fighting somewhere else, I guess.”

  “Maybe, and maybe they got their asses handed to ‘em same as us. Now they’re trying to get by like Ross. I knew how bad things were. How dangerous this enemy was, and I still went right at them. Ross said it would take Mastiffs for them to really see how it is, but they didn’t even get that far. Look at us now, a mess.”

  “We had to try. Ross is a hell of a soldier, but he can’t win this war alone,” gasped Lee.

  “We’re gonna have to stitch some of those wounds. That bleeding ain’t stopping.”

  “Stitch? You want to take a needle to me?”

  “Don’t want to, have to.”

  “You done this before?”

  “I’ve used a needle, sure.”

  “On a person?”

  “No, but there ain’t nothing to it.”

  Lee looked highly sceptical.

  “Look, I’m not saying it’ll be the smartest job, but do you want to survive this or not?”

  He grunted in approval, knowing he had no choice.

  “All right, then quit whining like a little bitch, and let’s do this.”

  He peeled back a bloody bandage.

  “We need ammo,” Lee said as Donny began to thread a needle and wipe down the wound.

  “What you need is a few days’ rest. Some good hot chow and looking after by those who know how, but we don’t have that luxury, do we?”

  “Right, but I’ll take some ammo.”

  Donny laughed. “When did you become a soldier, huh?”

  “The day I had to start fighting for my country.”

  Donny shrugged.

  “You’re not wrong. I wouldn’t have ever wanted this for either of us. Not anyone. I figured I’d be sent somewhere to fight, probably sooner rather than later. Seems like there wasn’t ever a time we weren’t fighting somewhere in this world. But I expected to know about it in advance, for it to be a long way from here, and with a whole lot more support.”

  “They never trained you for this possibility?”

  He laughed. “What possibility? An alien invasion?”

  “Maybe not aliens. But an attack on our country, a fight to survive on your own after an invasion.”

  “We learnt to fight and to survive, but nothing like this. This was never considered. You know how crazy it would have sounded, if we’d been training for something like this? What would you have said if I told you I was training to fight aliens?”

  Lee had no idea, but winced as Donny inserted the needle. At least he was distracted.

  “Even if we could train for it, how’d you possibly know what it is you’d be facing? They’re called alien because they are the unknown. How can you train for what you don’t know?”

  “Something, surely. I can’t believe our country wasn’t prepared for anything.”

  “Really? You think we were prepared for Pearl Harbor?”

  “Come on.”

  “No, it’s no different. This is war, and things don’t always go the way you plan, or the way you want. Sometimes they hit you sideways and knock you on your ass. That’s what training did show me. Plenty of things can knock you
down. Plenty of plans can fall apart, but the important thing is you roll with it. You don’t start complaining and try to keep making a plan work when it’s already gone south. You don’t complain the enemy isn’t doing what you wanted them to do. You roll with it. You keep fighting, keep thinking, and keep moving forward.”

  “Are we doing that? Moving forward? Seems to me like we’re being kicked down in to the dirt and then jumped on.”

  “Still alive though, aren’t we?”

  “Yeah, but for how long?”

  He winced as Donny tied off the stitch and moved on to the next one.

  “Look at it this way. Death ain’t nothing to worry about. If it happens all of this goes away. Nothing to worry about. Worries are for the living.”

  “We are gonna die though, aren’t we?”

  “You don’t know that.”

  “I know it as well as anyone can. Look at us, barely scraping by. We’re like a couple of convicts on the run, trying to make it one more day before the inevitable.”

  “You know how many convicts escape and never get caught?”

  “Not many.”

  “But enough. We aren’t done yet. And if the time comes that it is the end, well at least I can say we gave it our best shot.”

  “And if it’s not death that finds us?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You’ve seen those prisons. They aren’t killing anyone they don’t have to.”

  “I won’t let that happen.”

  “You say that like it’s your choice to make.”

  “We aren’t gonna live out our days behind bars. And if God forbid we do get caught, we won’t be there forever. We will fight for each other, and we have others out there fighting for us, too.”

  “Yeah? Where? We left half our friends. God knows where they are. The other half, well, they took on that stupid base with us. They’re probably dead or captured, too.”

  “We don’t know that.”

  “Come on, how many of them could have survived that?”

  “We did.”

  Lee shrugged, and then whimpered in pain as Donny tied off the second stitch.

  “Enough of this. We’re alive, and that’s something. We keep moving. We keep fighting. Ross and his team are still out there. We’ll find them, and we’ll get back in this fight, okay?”

  He nodded in agreement.

  “But you promise me one thing?”

  “What?”

  “You don’t let me get taken, you hear? Whatever they are doing in those prisons, I’d rather die. I won’t be a slave to anyone, you hear?”

  “Not gonna happen.”

  “But you promise me?”

  “I promise you won’t ever be left behind bars.”

  “And if I am taken, how will you get me back?”

  “I’ll find a way.”

  “You goddamn better, or after I die I’ll haunt you for the rest of your life.”

  “That I have no doubt,” he smiled.

  Donny handed his brother his weapon and a canteen of water. They each took a sip as he surveyed the terrain.

  “We can’t stay here.”

  He helped his brother up as he tried to get some idea of their bearings. Something they’d not had the luxury of while they had been fleeing for their lives.

  “Which way we heading?”

  Donny wished he had a good answer, but he was winging it all the way. He had one last look around and took his best guess. There was little to orient with anymore. He vaguely recognised a mountain range in the distance, or at least he hoped he did. He checked his weapon and ammo. It was a sad state of affairs. Two magazines, no grenades, and Lee was in much the same situation. He didn’t much like his brother talking about death and defeat, but he knew they were very close to it.

  “That way.”

  “You sure?”

  “As sure as I can be, unless you’ve got a better idea?”

  “Not really. This is your thing. I’ll let you take the lead.”

  “Great,” he replied sarcastically.

  His smile quickly changed to a concentrated frown in concern when he heard something nearby. He grabbed Lee and hauled him off, ducking down in to some foliage.

  “What is it?” Lee whispered.

  Donny held a finger to his mouth to call for silence as he watched the track where they had been walking. He was clenching his rifle tightly, ready to use at a moment’s notice, but painfully aware that if the need arose to use it, it would probably be over for them. Lee wasn’t in much of a condition to fight, and the two of them with limited ammunition wouldn’t be able to do much at all.

  I could kick myself for being duped by Travers. I should have listened to Ross. I’ve been thinking that ever since Travers led us to that enemy facility. It was far beyond our capability to take on.

  There was a rustling up ahead, and an enemy soldier appeared. It was walking at a steady pace, surveying the ground. Lee and Donny were frozen, hiding in dense foliage, and praying they would not be spotted. Donny was running through possible scenarios in his head. How they would take on the target. But doubt filled his thoughts as another stepped into view, and then several more, twelve soldiers in total. It had to be a patrol, and they couldn’t handle it alone. The lead enemy paused for a moment as if it had seen something.

  “No, please no.”

  Donny shared his sentiment, but he didn’t say a word. He looked at his brother as if it could be the last time they would see one another. But he turned his attention back to the patrol and tried to not dwell on the morbid thought. They had stopped right where Donny had been patching Lee’s wounds. One reached down and picked something up. Donny rolled his eyes, realising it was a bloody bandage.

  “No…no, no, no,” he muttered.

  They watched in horror as two of the enemy soldiers studied what they had left behind. They thought their time was up. They were going to be tracked and spotted any moment. Donny lifted his rifle in readiness to fight, knowing it would be their last. He was holding his breath and sweating heavily. He had to tell himself to breathe or he was going to pass out. The soldier threw the bandage down as if in disgust, and the patrol continued on the way they were heading. Both brothers breathed a sigh of relief.

  “Damn that was close,” said Donny.

  “We’re lucky, is all. They have shit tracking skills.”

  “I’ll take that. I’ll take any win we can get right now.”

  “So, what’s the plan?”

  “We have to get off this trail, get as far away from here as possible. Come on.”

  He helped his brother to his feet, and they carried on. Lee seemed invigorated from the short rest they’d had, and at least they’d taken care of some of his wounds.

  “What’s that?” Lee asked, catching a strong scent in his nostrils.

  “Something’s burning, come on.” Donny led them onwards.

  They came up over ridge to find a clearing. A truck was riddled with holes and a small wood cabin beside it on fire. Donny looked suspicious and approached cautiously. It wasn’t long before he spotted two bodies on the ground. He half expected to find a trap, and yet all was peaceful.

  “What happened here?”

  “Looks like these two died rather than be taken alive.” He knelt down beside one of the bodies. A shotgun lay beside it, along with five empty shells. He didn’t recognise the man. He didn’t need to check for signs of life, for he was long gone. He reached over for the shotgun and checked the breech, which was still open.

  “They fired till they had nothing left.” He reached for a bag on the body and found two more boxes of shells. He pulled the bag from the body and threw it to Lee.

  “What do I want with this?”

  “Ain’t got much left in these rifles, we might just have to make do.”

  “I’m not swapping.”

  “Didn’t ask you to. We’re carrying any weapons and ammo we’re lucky enough to find.”

  “It sure is a lot to carr
y on foot.”

  “Yep, and how d’you want to face the enemy next time? Armed and ready, or not?”

  He groaned as he took the shotgun and slung it over his back, along with the bag of ammunition. Donny went on to the next body. The rifle was still fixed firmly in the dead man’s hands. He had to pull back the fingers. It was sickening, and yet he had no choice.

  “We need this more than you do now. We’ll be sure to put it to good use,” he said, talking to the dead body. It was a full-bore hunting rifle. An expensive one, not the sort he’d ever have had. He slid open the bolt and found there was a round in the chamber. He locked it back down, threw it on to his back, and took what ammunition there was.

  “What do you think happened here?” Lee asked.

  “Same as everywhere else. They came for them. The Skinnies or whatever the hell you want to call ‘em. I guess these folks weren’t gonna be taken alive, and I don’t blame them.”

  There was a faint crack as someone stood on a twig not far behind them. Lee hadn’t even noticed, but Donny froze, listening intently and not letting on he had noticed.

  “I guess maybe it’s better to go out fighting than live behind those bars. That’s what I always thought, what about you?”

  When he didn’t get an answer, he looked up and noticed the peculiar look on his brother’s face.

  “What is it?” he whispered.

  “We’re not alone,” he replied, lifting his rifle.

  He leapt up and took cover by the bed of the wrecked truck.

  “Show yourselves!”

  For a moment there was nothing, and then someone peered around the corner. He kept his eye down the sight of his rifle, watching them like a hawk, until they stepped out, weapon down.

  “I knew you boys would make it out.”

  He was unmistakable. It was Travers himself, and two others stepped out to join him.

  “Jesus, we thought they’d found us again,” sighed Lee.

  They got up to greet him, but Donny looked anxious and wary. He knew he had been wrong to place his trust and faith in the former Sergeant, yet now he had no choice. They needed safety in numbers.

  “Any more make it?” Donny asked.

  “These two are all I found so far. That’s Randy and Faith.”