to find them because she wanted to kill them all.
If she thought about it too much, it would drive her crazy. Instead, Riley cracked open the book and began reading.
The brain has to be destroyed , she read. That’s all there is to it…
* * *
Rodriguez looked for Red in the trees, and when he couldn’t find her, he leaned up against a trunk. He waited and listened. She was out here somewhere, he knew. They’d been out here for a few hours now, waiting for whatever Red thought was coming.
Freaky little girl. He’d heard whispered stories, third hand, how Thomas saved her when she was just a little kid from a group of men who’d been plowing her.
Rodriguez didn’t want to fuck her. Skinny little runt. He only wanted to kill her.
MacKenzie was his best friend. And Red killed him. First, she’d broken him. When Mac came back from his three nights in the woods with Red, he’d told Rodriguez what had happened out there. How Red had strung him up in a barbed wire net, how she’d let Zed paw at his feet. Little cunt had probably sat there the whole time, watching everything. And what was worst of all, Rodriguez thought, was that Mac had come to believe the little psycho had done him an enormous favor.
Rodriguez knew Red was dangerous. He’d seen her fight. He knew she could handle those blades. She was five-foot-nothing, but Rodriguez knew he didn’t stand a chance tangling with her hand to hand, not if she had one of her knives on her. He considered the H&K HK416 in his hands. If he could get a clear shot at her, he could take her out. She was pretty fucking fast, but she wasn’t faster than a bullet.
Little Red had never really fit in the whole time Rodriguez had known her. She kept to herself, talked little, wasn’t like everyone else. But no one fucked with her, because everyone knew if you fucked with Red, you were fucking with Thomas, and no one wanted to fuck with Thomas. But Thomas was gone now, so the little bitch didn’t have that going for her any more.
Rodriguez knew what he’d do. If she had her back to him, he wouldn’t even give her a chance. He’d just cut her runt little ass down before she knew what’d hit her. For Mac. For his friend.
It suddenly dawned on Rodriguez that someone was standing behind him. He turned to look and it was Red. She held a hand up to his mouth and a finger to her own. “Shhhh…”
He looked around, didn’t see a thing. How the fuck had she done that, snuck up on him? Bitch. Rodriguez knew he was lucky that she didn’t want him dead. The thought angered him more. He waited impatiently. What were they standing there for and when was she going to take her hand off his mouth?
After awhile, she removed her hand and nodded over her shoulder, indicating they should move. “You first,” Red told him. Rodriguez looked at her with the N4 in her hands and he started walking, thinking to himself, again, she didn’t want to kill him, because if she had, he would be dead already.
He followed the path he had last seen Chang on and wondered if he could turn fast enough and take her out. She wouldn’t be expecting it, wouldn’t see it coming. Well, actually, Rodriguez thought, she was walking behind him, so she would see it coming. But there was no way in hell she could dodge his bullets. No one was that fast.
He liked that idea. Let her last thought be that he’d lit her up. Maybe he could scream out, “This is for MacKenzie” or something as he turned. Nah , too many words. “For Mac,” maybe. Something like that. He could put a few slugs in her and catch up to the others before noon. Yeah, for Mac . That’s what he’d do, there was some kind of poetic justice to—
The mutant rushed out of the trees, snarling, swinging a human head on a chain.
Rodriguez reacted, raising his H&K. The head thunked on the HK416’s receiver, knocking the assault rifle from him and sending Rodriguez to the dirt. He looked up, the deformed beast towering over
If she thought about it too much, it would drive her crazy. Instead, Riley cracked open the book and began reading.
The brain has to be destroyed , she read. That’s all there is to it…
* * *
Rodriguez looked for Red in the trees, and when he couldn’t find her, he leaned up against a trunk. He waited and listened. She was out here somewhere, he knew. They’d been out here for a few hours now, waiting for whatever Red thought was coming.
Freaky little girl. He’d heard whispered stories, third hand, how Thomas saved her when she was just a little kid from a group of men who’d been plowing her.
Rodriguez didn’t want to fuck her. Skinny little runt. He only wanted to kill her.
MacKenzie was his best friend. And Red killed him. First, she’d broken him. When Mac came back from his three nights in the woods with Red, he’d told Rodriguez what had happened out there. How Red had strung him up in a barbed wire net, how she’d let Zed paw at his feet. Little cunt had probably sat there the whole time, watching everything. And what was worst of all, Rodriguez thought, was that Mac had come to believe the little psycho had done him an enormous favor.
Rodriguez knew Red was dangerous. He’d seen her fight. He knew she could handle those blades. She was five-foot-nothing, but Rodriguez knew he didn’t stand a chance tangling with her hand to hand, not if she had one of her knives on her. He considered the H&K HK416 in his hands. If he could get a clear shot at her, he could take her out. She was pretty fucking fast, but she wasn’t faster than a bullet.
Little Red had never really fit in the whole time Rodriguez had known her. She kept to herself, talked little, wasn’t like everyone else. But no one fucked with her, because everyone knew if you fucked with Red, you were fucking with Thomas, and no one wanted to fuck with Thomas. But Thomas was gone now, so the little bitch didn’t have that going for her any more.
Rodriguez knew what he’d do. If she had her back to him, he wouldn’t even give her a chance. He’d just cut her runt little ass down before she knew what’d hit her. For Mac. For his friend.
It suddenly dawned on Rodriguez that someone was standing behind him. He turned to look and it was Red. She held a hand up to his mouth and a finger to her own. “Shhhh…”
He looked around, didn’t see a thing. How the fuck had she done that, snuck up on him? Bitch. Rodriguez knew he was lucky that she didn’t want him dead. The thought angered him more. He waited impatiently. What were they standing there for and when was she going to take her hand off his mouth?
After awhile, she removed her hand and nodded over her shoulder, indicating they should move. “You first,” Red told him. Rodriguez looked at her with the N4 in her hands and he started walking, thinking to himself, again, she didn’t want to kill him, because if she had, he would be dead already.
He followed the path he had last seen Chang on and wondered if he could turn fast enough and take her out. She wouldn’t be expecting it, wouldn’t see it coming. Well, actually, Rodriguez thought, she was walking behind him, so she would see it coming. But there was no way in hell she could dodge his bullets. No one was that fast.
He liked that idea. Let her last thought be that he’d lit her up. Maybe he could scream out, “This is for MacKenzie” or something as he turned. Nah , too many words. “For Mac,” maybe. Something like that. He could put a few slugs in her and catch up to the others before noon. Yeah, for Mac . That’s what he’d do, there was some kind of poetic justice to—
The mutant rushed out of the trees, snarling, swinging a human head on a chain.
Rodriguez reacted, raising his H&K. The head thunked on the HK416’s receiver, knocking the assault rifle from him and sending Rodriguez to the dirt. He looked up, the deformed beast towering over
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