rooftop of the second garage. She could just make out the barrel of a rifle protruding from the roof’s ledge. A flash of light issued from the barrel and she looked back to the battle below to see another of the trader’s men who had been sheltering behind the stack of pallets sprawled upon the pavement.
“Two down,” she said. She didn’t like not being able to see what was happening inside the main garage, but she had to trust that their men were taking care of business. She watched as Fallback positioned the two remaining junkies at the main garage entrance so that they could provide covering fire. He gave each of them several extra magazines of ammo and then darted inside. Moments later there were rumbles inside the garage as Ava guessed Fallback had likely finished off the remaining defenders with grenades.
Things were looking good. That’s when Ava noticed the man with the duffle bag. Another man had joined him now; the one who had previously been taking cover behind the car. The other man had a heavy machinegun set up and was laying intense fire down upon the main garage. Bullets ripped into the side of the building and the two remaining druggies went stumbling for cover. Then he swung the machinegun towards where Jake and Ava’s SUV sat idling. Ava could see the flashes of light pouring from it, and seconds later, heavy caliber bullets began thudding into the vehicle. Suddenly the SUV sank at an angle under them.
“Got one of the tires,” Johnny Switchblade said.
Bullets struck their protective steel plate over the windshield; but this time, they didn’t “ping,” they thudded. As they hit, they left huge dents in the thick plating, cracking the windshield’s glass behind it.
Ava pulled her head back reflexively from the lookout hole through which had been viewing the battle.
“What the hell do they have?” Jake cried. “Johnny, get us the fuck out of here!”
They heard bullets thumping into the front of the SUV. Johnny threw the vehicle into reverse and hit the gas but nothing happened. Ava peeked out the view slot in front of her. She could see steam hissing out from under the SUV’s hood.
“She’d dead,” Johnny called, trying to get the SUV restarted.
“They must have got the engine,” Ava yelled. “We’re going to have to bail.”
Jake was gathering up their assault rifles from the back seat. “We’ll go out through the cargo area,” he called.
Ava took another glance through her viewing hole. Just as she did so, the fire on their position lightened. At first, she thought that maybe one of their guys had gotten the machine gunner, but what she saw instead horrified her. The man with the duffle bag was standing straight up now, a tube resting upon his shoulder. Suddenly there was a flash of light. Smoke issued from the tube as a projectile, wafting a trail of smoke behind it, sailed through the air headed straight for their SUV.
“ROCKET!” Ava screamed, ducking down in her seat and covering her head.
Chapter 9
“Let’s go shopping!” Claire said as the group lounged on the general store’s front porch one warm April evening.
No one said anything, and I turned to give her a look as if to say, “What are you talking about?”
“I’m serious,” she went on. “All of us girls should go shopping tomorrow. I’m dying in these heavier clothes. We haven’t got anything to wear to keep us cool in the summer and it’s starting to get damn hot here. I’m not going to wear jeans and sweatshirts when it’s eventually 95 degrees and sunny out.”
“She makes a good point,” said Pam, rubbing her gradually-growing belly gently where her baby bump was now starting to show through her long-sleeved shirt. “I don’t have anything in terms of maternity clothes, and I’d like to be as comfortable as possible this summer with the heat coming on like it is.”
“It’s actually a great idea,”
“Two down,” she said. She didn’t like not being able to see what was happening inside the main garage, but she had to trust that their men were taking care of business. She watched as Fallback positioned the two remaining junkies at the main garage entrance so that they could provide covering fire. He gave each of them several extra magazines of ammo and then darted inside. Moments later there were rumbles inside the garage as Ava guessed Fallback had likely finished off the remaining defenders with grenades.
Things were looking good. That’s when Ava noticed the man with the duffle bag. Another man had joined him now; the one who had previously been taking cover behind the car. The other man had a heavy machinegun set up and was laying intense fire down upon the main garage. Bullets ripped into the side of the building and the two remaining druggies went stumbling for cover. Then he swung the machinegun towards where Jake and Ava’s SUV sat idling. Ava could see the flashes of light pouring from it, and seconds later, heavy caliber bullets began thudding into the vehicle. Suddenly the SUV sank at an angle under them.
“Got one of the tires,” Johnny Switchblade said.
Bullets struck their protective steel plate over the windshield; but this time, they didn’t “ping,” they thudded. As they hit, they left huge dents in the thick plating, cracking the windshield’s glass behind it.
Ava pulled her head back reflexively from the lookout hole through which had been viewing the battle.
“What the hell do they have?” Jake cried. “Johnny, get us the fuck out of here!”
They heard bullets thumping into the front of the SUV. Johnny threw the vehicle into reverse and hit the gas but nothing happened. Ava peeked out the view slot in front of her. She could see steam hissing out from under the SUV’s hood.
“She’d dead,” Johnny called, trying to get the SUV restarted.
“They must have got the engine,” Ava yelled. “We’re going to have to bail.”
Jake was gathering up their assault rifles from the back seat. “We’ll go out through the cargo area,” he called.
Ava took another glance through her viewing hole. Just as she did so, the fire on their position lightened. At first, she thought that maybe one of their guys had gotten the machine gunner, but what she saw instead horrified her. The man with the duffle bag was standing straight up now, a tube resting upon his shoulder. Suddenly there was a flash of light. Smoke issued from the tube as a projectile, wafting a trail of smoke behind it, sailed through the air headed straight for their SUV.
“ROCKET!” Ava screamed, ducking down in her seat and covering her head.
Chapter 9
“Let’s go shopping!” Claire said as the group lounged on the general store’s front porch one warm April evening.
No one said anything, and I turned to give her a look as if to say, “What are you talking about?”
“I’m serious,” she went on. “All of us girls should go shopping tomorrow. I’m dying in these heavier clothes. We haven’t got anything to wear to keep us cool in the summer and it’s starting to get damn hot here. I’m not going to wear jeans and sweatshirts when it’s eventually 95 degrees and sunny out.”
“She makes a good point,” said Pam, rubbing her gradually-growing belly gently where her baby bump was now starting to show through her long-sleeved shirt. “I don’t have anything in terms of maternity clothes, and I’d like to be as comfortable as possible this summer with the heat coming on like it is.”
“It’s actually a great idea,”
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