Page 87 of Darling Wildfire
A bullet hit the car frame near my head. Atlas was busy taking out the team pursuing us so I grabbed the other sniper rifle and braced myself against the crossbars. The ground was bumpy, uneven and Preacher was now driving erratically to avoid getting picked off. Bullets were flying everywhere from both the sniper and the enemy.
I looked through the sights but I knew it would be nearly impossible to land a good shot. I lined up as best I could and pulled the trigger. The shot went high, hitting the tower above the sniper’s head. It caused him to duck down along the edge, giving us a few precious seconds.
I heard a pop, and the jeep lurched and listed to the side.
“The tire was hit!” Preacher shouted. “We’re a hundred yards out!”
The jeep limped further before it smashed into a shallow ditch and threw us all forward. Nyx hit the dashboard, I slammed into the crossbars and Atlas was thrown across my legs.
“Go! Go! Go!” I shouted.
Preacher dragged the woman from the jeep and took off through the field. Nyx fell out of the jeep onto the ground, his hand still pressed firmly to the bleeding wound at his neck. I risked a quick look and was relieved to see it wasn’t gushing. At least that meant it probably hadn’t hit anything vital.
Nyx and Atlas lay cover fire for Preacher as I set the rifle on the hood and found the sniper again. A few rounds peppered the vehicle, and I cursed and ducked down, just barely taking cover. I popped up again and put the sniper in my crosshairs. I felt Atlas at my back and heard his rifle fire as he covered me from the advancing team on the ground.
“Fifty yards,” Preacher called out on comms as he counted down the yards to the drop zone.
I took a deep breath, steadied my finger on the trigger and trusted Atlas not to get my head blown off. I released my breath, pulled the trigger and with a jerk the sniper went still.
“I’m out,” Nyx said, ducking back down and tossing his gun aside.
“Twenty!” Preacher yelled.
I turned my sights on the advancing team only to have Atlas yank me down to avoid a string of bullets. He leaned out, spraying his AR at them.
“Ten!”
The buzzer sounded, and I heard the drones as they advanced on the teams to ensure compliance. I moved over to Nyx and tore a strip off my shirt, wrapping it around his neck.
“Fuck man—” He panted. “That was a close one.”
He met my eyes, and I saw the adrenaline had overtaken him, the shadows had completely consumed his eyes. Covered in dirt and blood with violence dictating your every move and having just executed a successful mission—no adrenaline rush could ever hit as hard as this.
I yanked out my comms unit and tossed it at the jeep. I looked at Atlas who did the same and then Nyx followed suit. We both hoisted Nyx up, but he swatted us away.
“It's my neck, not my legs,” he griped. We walked back towards the DZ through the tall grass and a hum of a drone followed us. I looked up to see it hovering. Without warning, I pulled the .45 I still had on me and shot it down just to piss off Vetticus, then continued walking. We came up on the DZ to find Preacher crouched in the grass catching his breath. I walked up and shook his hand.
“Great job, Preach,” I said.
The tension around his eyes lifted slightly. “Thanks.” He gripped my hand tightly. “Boss,” he added with a curt nod. I returned the nod and turned towards the doors as they opened.
“Where’s the girl?” I asked.
“They took her already,” Preacher said.
“No sign of Billy and the other two?” Nyx asked.
Preacher shook his head.
42
NYX
We were back in our quarters—stitched up, showered and picking at the food left for us.
The doors opened and the woman from the games was delivered. As soon as the guards left, North advanced on her angrily. She retreated quickly at the intensity in his eyes until she couldn’t go any further. He grabbed her jaw and shoved her hard against the brick wall.
“You almost got Nyx killed out there,” he snarled.
