Chapter 12 #2
“Load the girls in yours,” Rogue said. “Keira and I will get another. When you see us coming, move fast toward the gate.”
“What if it’s not open?” Jade asked.
“I looked at it as we went through. I think that if you hit it hard enough, it’ll smash open.” Rogue tossed a couple of sets of keys to Keira, who took off running in the direction Jade had indicated. “We’ll be right behind you,” Rogue called out.
Keira reached the line of vehicles, dove into the first one she came to and tried her sets of keys in the ignition. None of them worked. She jumped out and moved to the next.
Rogue got into the one she’d abandoned.
Keira had just slid into the second SUV when the one Rogue was in roared to life.
Keira jumped out of the one she was in and dove into the passenger seat of Rogue's as he shifted into gear and slammed his foot onto the accelerator.
The SUV leaped forward. Rogue turned and raced around the corner.
As soon as their vehicle came within sight of one carrying all the girls, Jade hit the gas, and her SUV leaped forward.
They shot through the camp past the loading dock where the supply truck stood.
They dodged rubble and debris from a damaged building across from the larger, main building.
Guards were scattered through the compound, carrying weapons, seeming confused and unsure of which direction to look for the enemy that had caused the explosion.
When the SUVs blew past them, they leaped out of the way. Since they belonged to the compound, they didn’t suspect anything until the first vehicle didn’t slow down.
Keira sucked in a breath and held it as Jade’s SUV slammed into the gate, propelling the metal outward.
“They made it!” Keira exclaimed and ducked as the guards finally figured out the vehicles leaving weren’t driven by employees of the compound and fired at the second SUV, blowing through the broken gate.
Rogue followed the cloud of dust kicked up by Jade’s SUV. When Jade reached the highway, she turned sharply to the left, causing the rear of her vehicle to skid sideways. Rogue repeated the move, and soon, they were racing along the highway.
Keira glanced in her side mirror and spotted one of the camp HUMMVs turning onto the highway. Four more lined up behind it.
“Four Hummers on our tail,” she said. “We have the lead.”
“These SUVs should be faster than the Hummers. We should stay ahead.”
“How much gas do we have?” she asked.
Rogue glanced at the gauge. “Half a tank.”
Keira bit her lower lip. “I wonder how much Jade has?”
After only fifteen miles, Jade’s voice sounded in Keira’s ear. “Fuck. One of my tires is losing air pressure. Fast.”
Keira’s gut clenched. “We have a problem,” she said to Rogue. “One of Jade’s tires is losing pressure.” She glanced over her shoulder. Though they’d put more distance between them and the HUMMVs behind them, she could still see them in the distance.
“Have them pull over and transfer everyone into this vehicle,” Rogue said.
“Our tail will catch up to us in that short amount of time.” She stared at the road ahead. “We should be getting close to where we ditched my truck. If we try to make the transfer there and can’t do it in time, we can brace for defense.”
Rogue nodded.
Already, Jade’s SUV was slowing.
“Jade, pull into the station where we left my truck,” Keira said. “If we have time, we’ll transfer everyone into this vehicle.”
“There’s not enough room,” Jade said.
Keira’s jaw tightened. “We’ll make them fit.”
“How far back is our tail?”
“Maybe a mile.”
“That’s not enough time.”
“If we think it’s too close, we can hunker down and set up for defense.”
“You know how much ammunition we have,” Jade said.
Keira could imagine she didn’t want to alarm the girls by letting them know they didn’t have enough firepower to last for long. “We’ll do the best we can.”
Rogue unclipped the satellite phone from his vest.
“Calling Royce?” Keira asked.
He nodded, placed the call and hit the speaker button.
“Rogue,” Royce’s phone sounded. “Sitrep.”
“We’re out of the compound, have Jade’s sister and five other girls. Four vehicles are on our tail, and one of ours is compromised. Will establish a defensive position, but we don’t have enough ammo to sustain for long, nor do we want to risk any of the girls being hit.”
“I have SOS operative Crusher on standby in the town where you commandeered the supply truck. He arrived shortly after you left and found the driver in the barn. He tased him, cut the zip ties and left him to find his way back to town. Crusher’s set up in a communications van, and he’s manning a next-generation drone, equipped with a 10,000-round minigun. ”
“The ones still in prototype?”
“That’s right.”
“Should I ask how he got hold of it?”
“No,” Royce said. “But be prepared for shock and awe.”
“How soon can he get it to our location?” Keira asked.
“He has it in the air now. It can be there in ten minutes or less.”
“Less would be better,” Keira said. “We’re pulling over now and don’t have enough ammunition to hold off two truckloads of Onyx guards, with possibly more on the way.”
“Sending orders to Crusher as we speak,” Royce said. A moment later, he added, “Acknowledged. Drone is en route.”
“We set up for defense and pray Crusher comes through,” Rogue said.
Her heart hammering, Keira passed the message on to Jade. They were outnumbered with not nearly enough ammunition to last for long, but she refused to think this was the end of the road.