peered inside,
but found no one.
She lifted Chris’s forehead with her toe and let him drop. His skull crashed into
the pavement with a hollow thud. Tiny slid toward the back of the van, keeping her
eyes on the darkness. Cutting around the corner, she scanned for motion, but the
zone was empty.
She stepped around the back as Grace sprinted along the convoy in her direction.
Tiny tucked the stock snug against her shoulder and let her cheek rest against the
side of the rifle. Taking a deep breath, she lined the sight at hip level. Her finger
moved into the trigger guard.
A rusty hinge creaked, drawing her attention. The van door flung open and knocked
her to the ground. Her rifle clattered away and warm blood ran from her nose. Brian
climbed out with his rifle trained on her forehead. “Do you know from this distance
it will take the top of your head clean off? You’d have been our queen.”
Tiny knew well what would happen at this range. She knew that and so much more. During
her time as a combat medic she had seen more carnage than she had ever thought possible.
She knew what a rocket did to a person if it hit him directly. She knew what places
a bullet would instantly kill the target. She knew immediately if she could save
someone or not, and she knew no matter what she still had to try. She knew what an
IED did to her squad. She knew the way it would shred flesh like butter. She knew
what it was like to have one of her men bleed out in her hands. She knew what it
was like to watch her friends get zipped up in a black bag. She knew death and she
was not afraid of dying.
Grace stopped on the other side of Tiny. She held her double barrel in a white knuckle
grip. “Brian, what the hell are you doing?”
Brian’s white sneer could be seen even in the darkness. “It was such a good plan.
Kill the men. Keep the women. Take the supplies.” He pointed a finger at Tiny. “You
ruined it.”
Brian aimed down the sight.
Tiny kept her eyes wide open, watching the barrel and waiting for an opening. She
wasn’t going to die here at his hands. All it would take was the right moment. He
had the advantage, but that didn’t mean he had the victory. Her chest rose and fell
with quick breaths.
Brian’s finger rested on the trigger. Tiny sensed her opening wasn’t coming.
Grace screamed and pulled both triggers, tearing a double blast of thunder through
her brother. His mangled body dropped to the wet pavement. The double-barrel shotgun
crashed and bounced off the road. Grace squatted, sobbing into her hands.
Tiny’s breathing leveled out as she composed herself and sat up. She grabbed her
rifle as her eyes darted between Brian’s shredded body and Grace’s double barrel.
Grace’s wet hair stuck to her crying face. “What the hell is happening?”
Tiny moved beside Grace. “Kade, Lucas, and your brothers are dead.”
Grace shook her head. “No, no, no.”
“I’m sorry,” Tiny said, laying a comforting arm around a girl she hardly knew.
Grace showed her half-moon of puncture wounds. “The dog bit me when I checked Kade’s
pulse. He’s alive.”
Tiny was on her feet, hobbling as fast as she could. The pain of her mangled leg
radiated through her with each stride and made her wish she could move faster. She
leapt over Will and dropped to the ground beside Kade. She propped his head in her
lap and placed two fingers on his jugular. Argos rose from under the bus and growled
at her. She glared back at the dog, which went silent and watched her. She could
hear her own heart rush in confirmation of his pulse.
She let out a nervous laugh, inspecting the bloodless holes in Kade’s army-green
jacket. She unzipped the jacket and grabbed two fistfuls of the undershirt. Tearing
it open she revealed two bullets stuck in a Kevlar vest. She leaned down and kissed
Kade’s lips, a joyous smile spreading across her face. For everything that had just
happened, this was the one piece of hope she needed. Kade was still with
but found no one.
She lifted Chris’s forehead with her toe and let him drop. His skull crashed into
the pavement with a hollow thud. Tiny slid toward the back of the van, keeping her
eyes on the darkness. Cutting around the corner, she scanned for motion, but the
zone was empty.
She stepped around the back as Grace sprinted along the convoy in her direction.
Tiny tucked the stock snug against her shoulder and let her cheek rest against the
side of the rifle. Taking a deep breath, she lined the sight at hip level. Her finger
moved into the trigger guard.
A rusty hinge creaked, drawing her attention. The van door flung open and knocked
her to the ground. Her rifle clattered away and warm blood ran from her nose. Brian
climbed out with his rifle trained on her forehead. “Do you know from this distance
it will take the top of your head clean off? You’d have been our queen.”
Tiny knew well what would happen at this range. She knew that and so much more. During
her time as a combat medic she had seen more carnage than she had ever thought possible.
She knew what a rocket did to a person if it hit him directly. She knew what places
a bullet would instantly kill the target. She knew immediately if she could save
someone or not, and she knew no matter what she still had to try. She knew what an
IED did to her squad. She knew the way it would shred flesh like butter. She knew
what it was like to have one of her men bleed out in her hands. She knew what it
was like to watch her friends get zipped up in a black bag. She knew death and she
was not afraid of dying.
Grace stopped on the other side of Tiny. She held her double barrel in a white knuckle
grip. “Brian, what the hell are you doing?”
Brian’s white sneer could be seen even in the darkness. “It was such a good plan.
Kill the men. Keep the women. Take the supplies.” He pointed a finger at Tiny. “You
ruined it.”
Brian aimed down the sight.
Tiny kept her eyes wide open, watching the barrel and waiting for an opening. She
wasn’t going to die here at his hands. All it would take was the right moment. He
had the advantage, but that didn’t mean he had the victory. Her chest rose and fell
with quick breaths.
Brian’s finger rested on the trigger. Tiny sensed her opening wasn’t coming.
Grace screamed and pulled both triggers, tearing a double blast of thunder through
her brother. His mangled body dropped to the wet pavement. The double-barrel shotgun
crashed and bounced off the road. Grace squatted, sobbing into her hands.
Tiny’s breathing leveled out as she composed herself and sat up. She grabbed her
rifle as her eyes darted between Brian’s shredded body and Grace’s double barrel.
Grace’s wet hair stuck to her crying face. “What the hell is happening?”
Tiny moved beside Grace. “Kade, Lucas, and your brothers are dead.”
Grace shook her head. “No, no, no.”
“I’m sorry,” Tiny said, laying a comforting arm around a girl she hardly knew.
Grace showed her half-moon of puncture wounds. “The dog bit me when I checked Kade’s
pulse. He’s alive.”
Tiny was on her feet, hobbling as fast as she could. The pain of her mangled leg
radiated through her with each stride and made her wish she could move faster. She
leapt over Will and dropped to the ground beside Kade. She propped his head in her
lap and placed two fingers on his jugular. Argos rose from under the bus and growled
at her. She glared back at the dog, which went silent and watched her. She could
hear her own heart rush in confirmation of his pulse.
She let out a nervous laugh, inspecting the bloodless holes in Kade’s army-green
jacket. She unzipped the jacket and grabbed two fistfuls of the undershirt. Tearing
it open she revealed two bullets stuck in a Kevlar vest. She leaned down and kissed
Kade’s lips, a joyous smile spreading across her face. For everything that had just
happened, this was the one piece of hope she needed. Kade was still with
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