Chapter 53
An Impressive Way to Die
Theo
Getting to the fireworks and lighting them was supposed to be the easiest part of our plan. Unfortunately, my injury unexpectedly flaring up makes getting there harder and longer than expected.
So by the time we reach the first one we’re supposed to light, Rhys and Ollie have already set off two of their fireworks. Meaning we’re running behind and putting ourselves at a massive risk of being found and shot.
Thankfully, we scramble to light our fireworks without any problems. But, as we drag our asses towards the staging area, a bullet whizzes by our noses to embed itself into a nearby tree.
Alex curses, and both of us throw ourselves to the ground as more fly over our heads, forcing us to crawl through the mud.
Alex quickly moves ahead, easily crawling through the mire like he was born in it.
The lucky bastard. I, on the other hand, flounder like a beached whale as my ass and thigh throbs in agony with each movement.
The thick mud clings to my clothes and skin, making it that much harder and more painful to push myself through it.
All while bullets whizz around us and the shouts of our enemies grow louder.
“Shit, Theo. Get a move on,” Alex says as he glances over his shoulder. “These guys are almost on us!”
“I’m not exactly lying around taking a nap here,” I snap through gritted teeth, forcing myself to move quicker despite the pain.
Alex reaches a large rock big enough to serve as cover and scrambles behind it. “Well, if you don’t move faster, you’ll be taking a permanent nap!”
Just to prove his point, a bullet slams into the ground not too far from where I am, causing bits of mud and grass to explode into confetti over me.
I shout out with a mixture of shock and terror.
Another one hits even closer, sending more muck spraying at me.
That shot is followed by the voices of people who sound like they’re only a few metres away.
That gets my ass moving.
By the time I reach the large rock that Alex is hiding behind, I’m panting, sweating and swallowing back bile.
My vision wavers with black spots, and all I can do is lean against the rock and suck in huge lungfuls of air.
My ass and thigh are on fire, the agony causing the muscles to quiver as it licks up my spine.
“Fuck,” I pant as Alex moves to my side, his brow furrowed with concern. “I’m never getting shot in the ass again.”
Some of the worry on his face fades. “Didn’t realise you’d been considering it.” He shifts to glance around the edge of the rock, only to curse and dart back as bullets whizz past his head. “We’re kind of pinned.”
“Between a rock and a hard place,” I say, unable to stop a small chuckle from spilling from my lips. “I didn’t expect that to be so literal.”
“Well, unless you want to end up literally dead, we need to come up with something.”
He has a point. With a grunt, I shift to get my pistol out and check it before glancing at Alex. “Did you bring extra mags with you?”
He shoves his hand into one of his pockets to check. “Two extra. Why?”
“Because we’re going to need to return fire to keep the goons off us until the cavalry arrive.” At least I hope they arrive, because otherwise this is going to be grim. I don’t say that last part aloud. Not that I need to, since we both understand the writing on the wall.
Nodding, Alex pulls out his pistol. “You take that side, I’ll take this and the top. It’ll be easier for me to move since you’re still injured.”
“Alright. Don’t get shot,” I say as I edge to the side of the rock, biting back a wince as the movement sends shards of agony through my body.
The nausea returns with a vengeance, but I swallow it back and focus on adjusting my grip on my pistol. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Alex do the same until we’re both poised and ready to return fire.
“Ready?” I ask.
“Ready.”
As soon as there’s a lull in the gunfire, we jerk our guns and a sliver of our faces from the cover of the rock and return fire. The gunshots are deafening, causing my ears to ring so I can barely hear the shouts and screams from successful hits of our shots.
A hail of returning bullets forces both Alex and me to dart back into cover.
They slam into the ground and trees around us, causing shards of bark and globs of dirt to fly into the air and splatter us.
Several guys shout something, but it’s hard to make out over the gunfire and the cries of those who were hit.
Taking a risk, Alex peeks over the top of the rock and returns fire. Only for him to shout out a curse as he drops back to the ground. More curses spill from his lips, followed by a hiss that has my attention snapping to him.
“Did you just get shot?” I snap as I scramble towards him. “Please don’t tell me you got shot.”
“Alright, then I won’t tell you,” is his tight reply, which has me growling in frustration.
“Fucking idiot. I don’t have my med kit with me!” It’s hard to see with the thick shadows encompassing us, but I can make out a trickle of dark liquid down his cheek. “How bad’s the hit?”
He waves me off. “It’s fine. Just a graze.”
Judging from the fact that he can speak without trouble, I’m inclined to believe him. Although that does little to calm the anxiety and fear swirling in my stomach, because that shot was too damn close. A few centimetres to the right and it would have killed him.
“Next time you return fire, don’t get shot. I don’t think you’ll get as lucky the second time around, and I’m in no shape to drag your heavy ass around.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” he says, sarcasm thick in his voice.
And then the bastard goes and peeks around the side of the rock to shoot some more.
Muttering under my breath, I do the same on the other side. I figure if we both pop out at the same time, it’ll reduce the chances of either of us getting shot. And it works for a while. Every time there’s a lull in the gunfire, Alex and I peek and shoot back.
But as the minutes drag by, it becomes apparent that our enemies are packing a lot more rounds than we are. We’re down to our last mags while the goons continue to fire on us without hesitation or care for preserving bullets.
“The cavalry better get here soon, otherwise there won’t be anything left of us,” Alex says grimly as he changes his empty mag to his last full one.
“At least this is an impressive way to die,” I reply, trying to lift the mood. “Very heroic.”
The joke falls flat.
Already I can hear the goons on the other side of the rock shouting at each other to move up, to get closer so they can flush us out.
One brave idiot decides they’re going to play hero and darts around the rock to catch us off guard.
Unfortunately for him, we hear him coming and he’s shot dead before he can even get his weapon up.
But where there’s one idiot, others will follow.
Several more run out to us, and while we gun down all of them, they keep coming. Some get shots off, but the bullets go wide, spraying us with pieces of rock, bark and mud whenever they miss, while others charge with whatever melee weapon they’re holding.
And then the worst happens.
My gun clicks.
Alex squeezes out one more shot and then his does too.
We’re out of bullets.
“Fuck,” Alex says softly as our wide eyes meet in the dark. “Well, it was nice knowing you, Theo. You were a good friend.”
I swallow hard and nod. “Yeah, you were pretty decent, too.”
Alex chuckles, but there’s no humour in it as mud squelches behind us from the incoming enemy and our eventual death.
And then the last person I expect appears from around the rock, a grim expression on their face. “Nice to see you again, boys. Shame about the circumstances.”
Rhys
“We need to go save them!” Ollie snarls, her eyes wild with terror as she lunges to her feet.
I grab her before she can leave the safety of the bushes and drag her back down. “And we will. But we need a damn plan first.”
“But the longer we wait, the more danger they’re in!” She tries to throw off my hold, but I tighten my grip. Harlow growls at her side, feeling her owner’s distress but not understanding who or what is causing it.
Fear, dread and guilt ride me hard, and while I’d love nothing more than to run off and save my best friends, I know that’s not the best thing to do right now.
“I know, princess, but if we run in there half-cocked, we’ll be as fucked as they are.
We need a plan.” I say the last part more firmly, imbuing dominance into my tone.
That seems to do the trick because she settles with a huff and sinks a hand into her dog’s fur.
Satisfied that she won’t run off and get herself killed, I turn to Rachel and Tobias. “Did you count how many gang members there were when you were running back here?”
Tobias grimaces and shrugs. “I wasn’t really counting.”
“About ten to twelve if I have to guess, but it’s hard to make out numbers when you’re running for your life,” Rachel says after a moment of thought, her military training kicking in. “If the guys are sensible, they’ll hide out behind cover and return fire until we come to help.”
I nod. “That’s pretty much what I taught them.
” I just hope they remember that lesson.
“The location that they’ll most likely be in is rockier and less covered in trees than here.
It’ll make it harder for the guys to hide out but easier for us if we stay in the trees and fire on the assholes shooting at them. ”
“Won’t that get us caught and pinned like them?” Ollie asks with a frown. I can still see the fear in her eyes, but it hasn’t overtaken her like it did before. She’s actually thinking now rather than just reacting.
Good. This woman is kind of terrifying when she thinks.
“Maybe,” Rachel answers. “But it’s our best chance of getting them out of a tough spot.”