Page 48 of Burn It Down

The way was temporarily clear and we made a sharp turn to the right. I remembered from Revenant’s time here that it was the correct path to the rear exit.

When we came to a left turn beside the storage room, robes rushed down the way.

Jonah and Aaron fired, taking them out in a very satisfying bloodied display, their bodies littering the floor in moments.

I felt movement behind us and grunted as I strained to turn around just as two more robes tried to come at us from behind.

I fired in quick succession, a bullet driving through each of their throats. I’d aimed for their skulls, but in my trembling state, this would do well enough.

Aaron spun in surprise at the sneak attack I’d just dealt with. The corner of his mouth turned up. “Nicely done, son.”

We made our way all the way to the rear exit without any further attacks, all the robes now down, apparently. I didn’t like not knowing for sure. But it was all I had right now… I had to put my trust in others to lead the way for once.

Aaron shoved open the door and stepped out, training his gun every which way in anticipation.

Jonah eased me through with him and I strained to make out a black van a few feet away hidden in shadow.

Jonah saw me noticing and reassured me, “Yeah, just gotta make it there, then you can rest.”

But we didn’t get another step as a rush of movement came from the tree line and a sea of at least a dozen fuckers came at us.

Masks.

“Heretics,” Aaron growled.

“These assholes always strike when their enemy is compromised. No fucking honor,” Jonah snarled.

This time, they were armed and they all pulled their guns and trained them right at me.

“Shit,” Jonah said, shifting his weight, so he was forming a human shield in front of me.

“Interesting,” Aaron commented.

“Interesting? Seriously?” Jonah bit back.

As Aaron kept his gun trained their way, he told me over his shoulder, “They consider you a threat now. After the takedown of the dollhouse network.”

“We can… use it,” I said, realizing what he was getting at.

“Damn straight.”

“Unless we die here tonight,” Jonah gritted out.

“We won’t,” Aaron said.

He reached into his tactical vest and I saw his fingers close around a couple of grenades.

He didn’t even get to draw them, though, as automatic fire rang out, cutting through the night.

It ripped into the Heretics, and they convulsed and screamed as they were torn to shreds by the ruthless and absolutely merciless fire.

“What the—” Aaron exclaimed as the last one fell.

He was pulled up short by the sight of a figure emerging from the far left.

He stepped into the illumination of a floodlight at the end of the back lot.

Lance “Revenant” Carlyle stood there, rifle in hand.

---