his shoulder to be sure his brothers were in place. His sight never
budged as he rushed toward the middle of the bus.
“We don’t want to kill you, Tiny. We could use a woman of your talents. Just throw
your gun out, and you can join us.”
The assault rifle bounced off the first step. Will grinned. “I am going to need your
sidearm and knife too.”
A snarl reverberated from under the bus as Argos leapt out, seizing Will’s forearm
in his powerful jaws. Argos shook with his iron-like neck muscles until the bone
snapped. Will screamed and dropped his rifle. With his free arm, he beat Argos, but
the dog refused to let go. Tiny stepped out of the bus, her pistol aimed at Will’s
forehead. His eyes met hers as her bullet met his forehead. Argos released Will’s
arm as the body crashed to the ground.
Before he landed, Tiny had retrieved her assault rifle and was hobble-sprinting toward
the end of the bus. She slammed into the front of the ambulance using it for cover.
Her heart was disintegrating ounce by ounce, knowing that Kade was gone, but with
each piece that crumbled away, hatred took its place. They took from her the man
she loved. She would take each of their lives in return. They had brought to her
a war, and war she knew well. She stood, poised and listening, the high beams from
the van casting light around everything but the shadow in which she was lurking.
“It’s me. It’s me. It’s me,” Mick said, diving to the wet ground at Tiny’s feet.
A bullet, meant for Mick, pinged into the rear of the bus. Mick moved his mud-covered
body beside Tiny.
“I killed Will, but he got Kade,” she said.
Mick shook his head. “Lucas is dead.”
His words were heard, and she understood what he had said, but she had tuned out
feeling in preparation for combat. There was nothing left but the warrior she had
spent years harnessing. Not even her impaired leg crossed her mind. She had an objective,
and she would see it through. She slid toward Mick’s side of the ambulance. The
whites of his eyes were the only recognizable feature in his mud-slicked face.
“Close your eyes. I’ll turn off the lights,” he said.
Moving away from the ambulance, she faced the front bumper and brought her rifle
to her shoulder. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, feeling her calm warrior-self
fully emerge to meet the chaos. Mick patted her leg, and then stepped out of the
cover of the ambulance. With the base of the pistol resting in the palm of his right
hand, he fired off two rounds at each light. The bullets shattered the bulbs and
the world went dark.
Opening her eyes, Tiny slid to her knees beside the ambulance. Mick rotated behind
her, using the vehicle as cover. She waited, holding her breath. The running engines
purred in the otherwise silent night. Tiny felt her comfort level rise.
A glint of light reflected in a rifle scope on her side of the van. A soft touch
of her trigger launched three rounds into the owner’s chest, dropping the dark mass
to the ground. Tiny could dimly see the silhouette crawling toward the van. She kept
her sight on the creeping body as her eyes scanned for other movement. Seeing nothing
else, she unleashed another burst, and the body was still. She had taken care of
two of them, but the job wasn’t done.
Tiny slipped back behind the ambulance with Mick. “I got him.”
“The other brother is by the van. I have no idea where the girl went,” Mick replied.
Tiny glanced around. “Stay to the left. Head toward the front. Find her.”
“You sure we should split up?” Mick asked.
“Go,” Tiny commanded. She spun around the ambulance with her rifle ready, aiming
at the cross side of the van. She took short, smooth steps, keeping her aim steady
and easing her damaged leg. Crossing the distance to the van, the cold wind drew
tears from her eyes, which she allowed to run freely. Her jaw was clenched and her
breathing steady as she pressed her back to the driver’s side door. She
budged as he rushed toward the middle of the bus.
“We don’t want to kill you, Tiny. We could use a woman of your talents. Just throw
your gun out, and you can join us.”
The assault rifle bounced off the first step. Will grinned. “I am going to need your
sidearm and knife too.”
A snarl reverberated from under the bus as Argos leapt out, seizing Will’s forearm
in his powerful jaws. Argos shook with his iron-like neck muscles until the bone
snapped. Will screamed and dropped his rifle. With his free arm, he beat Argos, but
the dog refused to let go. Tiny stepped out of the bus, her pistol aimed at Will’s
forehead. His eyes met hers as her bullet met his forehead. Argos released Will’s
arm as the body crashed to the ground.
Before he landed, Tiny had retrieved her assault rifle and was hobble-sprinting toward
the end of the bus. She slammed into the front of the ambulance using it for cover.
Her heart was disintegrating ounce by ounce, knowing that Kade was gone, but with
each piece that crumbled away, hatred took its place. They took from her the man
she loved. She would take each of their lives in return. They had brought to her
a war, and war she knew well. She stood, poised and listening, the high beams from
the van casting light around everything but the shadow in which she was lurking.
“It’s me. It’s me. It’s me,” Mick said, diving to the wet ground at Tiny’s feet.
A bullet, meant for Mick, pinged into the rear of the bus. Mick moved his mud-covered
body beside Tiny.
“I killed Will, but he got Kade,” she said.
Mick shook his head. “Lucas is dead.”
His words were heard, and she understood what he had said, but she had tuned out
feeling in preparation for combat. There was nothing left but the warrior she had
spent years harnessing. Not even her impaired leg crossed her mind. She had an objective,
and she would see it through. She slid toward Mick’s side of the ambulance. The
whites of his eyes were the only recognizable feature in his mud-slicked face.
“Close your eyes. I’ll turn off the lights,” he said.
Moving away from the ambulance, she faced the front bumper and brought her rifle
to her shoulder. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, feeling her calm warrior-self
fully emerge to meet the chaos. Mick patted her leg, and then stepped out of the
cover of the ambulance. With the base of the pistol resting in the palm of his right
hand, he fired off two rounds at each light. The bullets shattered the bulbs and
the world went dark.
Opening her eyes, Tiny slid to her knees beside the ambulance. Mick rotated behind
her, using the vehicle as cover. She waited, holding her breath. The running engines
purred in the otherwise silent night. Tiny felt her comfort level rise.
A glint of light reflected in a rifle scope on her side of the van. A soft touch
of her trigger launched three rounds into the owner’s chest, dropping the dark mass
to the ground. Tiny could dimly see the silhouette crawling toward the van. She kept
her sight on the creeping body as her eyes scanned for other movement. Seeing nothing
else, she unleashed another burst, and the body was still. She had taken care of
two of them, but the job wasn’t done.
Tiny slipped back behind the ambulance with Mick. “I got him.”
“The other brother is by the van. I have no idea where the girl went,” Mick replied.
Tiny glanced around. “Stay to the left. Head toward the front. Find her.”
“You sure we should split up?” Mick asked.
“Go,” Tiny commanded. She spun around the ambulance with her rifle ready, aiming
at the cross side of the van. She took short, smooth steps, keeping her aim steady
and easing her damaged leg. Crossing the distance to the van, the cold wind drew
tears from her eyes, which she allowed to run freely. Her jaw was clenched and her
breathing steady as she pressed her back to the driver’s side door. She
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