Vessel: The Demontouched Saga (Book 4) by Douglas Wayne

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
    - 1 -
     
     
     
     
     
    One of these days I’ll get to take a day off.
    The sound of gunfire fills the air as I make my way to the north gate. Unless they are being quiet behind me, the attackers seem to be focused up here. I figured someone would again eventually, the last set of attackers hit this gate hard too.
    That is the downside to having a gated community in these times. Sure, they help you defend your supplies and your people, but you are also announcing to the world that you have something worth protecting. With the hotel in shambles and my house surely being watched, this is the only place I have left. And I’ll be damned if I’m giving this place up without a fight.
    Up ahead, I notice a group of people huddled behind a group of cars, probably the final remnants of the convoy we brought with us from the mall. It doesn’t surprise me to see a bunch of them grouped up here like this. Having them clog the streets isn’t such a great idea as we may need to move equipment or troops around inside. I’d guess that they plan on siphoning the gas from the vehicles before taking them outside of the gates somewhere. Probably to block some of the access roads to the compound.
    “You guys OK?” I ask the five people huddled behind the cars for cover. Three guys and two girls, none of which would pass for being much older than twenty-one.
    “They shot my mom!” one girl asks, hands grabbing onto whatever hair she has left. Something tells me she won’t be sporting a pixie cut after it grows out.
    “Where is she at?” I ask, glancing over the cars. “I might be able to save her.”
    “She was up closer to the gate,” one guy says. He is short by any standard of the word though that doesn’t stand out as much as his broken nose. If it is bothering him, he isn’t letting it show, though it is plain to see the blood soaking into his once white tee-shirt. “They wanted to take our names and information down before assigning us a house.”
    “Don’t take it personally, kid. It’s a smart call,” I say, pointing towards the gunfire to the north. “There are some bad people out there.”
    He nods, wiping his nose with his arm but only manages to smear the blood across his face.
    I peek into the cars looking for something I can use to at least stop the flow of blood, but come up empty. Thankfully, with a knife you are never without an option.
    I open a rear door on an old Grand Marquis station wagon and use my knife to cut a piece of the cloth seat free. I know this was the primary vehicle for some family in the past, but there is no reason to worry about that today. It doesn’t make a lot of sense to hold onto a car this old now. Especially one this big.
    “Hold this tight,” I say, placing the cloth on his nose. “And don’t lean your head back.” I peek over the cars again, hoping to get a clear view of the gate. It is just out of my sight, but close enough for me to see two soldiers drop to the ground after taking bullets to the chest.
    At least it doesn’t look like we are facing demons this time. Not that it will do them any good.
    “Here’s what you need to do. Stay low to the ground, crawl if you can manage it. This place is huge,” I say. “Cut through the yards for a few streets and look for a two story white house with a black Ford Expedition out front. That is Uriel’s house, she will keep you safe.”
    “Is that the little girl that met us here earlier?”
    “Sure is,” I say, smiling. Guess I’m not the only one who sees her that way.
    The gunfire grows louder, forcing the kids to the ground. “You need to go,” I say. “Now!”
    The group takes off as fast as they can, all but the kid with the broken nose on their hands and knees. He, on the other hand, is running at a squat. I guess it is practical even if it looks funny.
    With the kids safe I turn my attention to the front gate. Up front I see a pair of soldiers huddled behind an old truck,