Chapter 36 Mila
Mila
Location: Forest Ridge — Active Engagement Zone
They think they’ve got us. That’s the first mistake.
I scan the terrain in one sweep—ridge line, slope, tree density, angles of approach. My brain maps it instantly, the same way it used to at thirty thousand feet. Only difference now? I’m the one in the crosshairs.
“Two lines,” I say, low and fast. “Front and rear. They’re trying to compress us.”
Jase steps in beside me. “Options?”
I point slightly to the left. “Slope drops there. Narrow choke point. If we move right, they tighten the net. If we push forward blind, we get pinned.”
Cal glances ahead. “So we’re boxed.”
“No,” I reply, shifting my stance as the plan locks into place. “They think we’re boxed.”
That gets their attention.
Ronan watches me closely. “You see a break.”
“I see a weakness,” I correct.
I look at Jase. “They’re expecting us to keep moving. Stay defensive. Retreat.”
He nods once. “We don’t.”
“No,” I say. “We hit them where they’re not ready.”
Jonah exhales. “Which is?”
I point again, sharper this time. “We split their front line before the rear can close. Fast. Aggressive. No hesitation.”
Lance frowns. “That’s a gamble.”
I meet his eyes. “Everything is.”
Then I look back at Jase.
He doesn’t hesitate. “Do it.”
That’s all I need.
“Jase looks at Ronan, you stay high. Pick off anyone trying to flank. Cal, Jonah—push right, draw their fire. Make them think we’re breaking that direction.”
Cal grins slightly. “I like where this is going.”
“Don’t get shot,” Mila shot back.
“No promises.”
Jase turned back to me. “You’re with me.”
“Wouldn’t be anywhere else.”
“On my mark,” he says.
I’m tracking movement ahead, counting timing, controlling my breathing.
“Three… two… one… move.”
Everything explodes.
Cal and Jonah break right, firing hard. The enemy reacts instantly, shifting toward them just like I knew they would.
“Now!”
Jase and I surge forward—low, fast, precise.
The front line isn’t ready.
Not for this.
I take the first one clean—two shots, center mass. Jase drops the second before the man even clears his weapon. We don’t slow. We don’t stop.
“Push!” I call.
We drive straight through the weakest point in their line, forcing them to react instead of control. That’s the key. Always the key.
Gunfire erupts behind us. Ronan is picking them off from above. Lance and Jason cover the rear, keeping the second line from closing in.
“Left!” Jase snaps.
I pivot instantly. Another hostile comes into view—I fire. He drops.
We break through the line clean.
“Move to the slope!” Jase calls.
We hit the incline fast, boots slipping slightly on loose dirt, but momentum carries us through. Behind us, chaos spreads exactly the way I planned.
“They’re scrambling,” Cal’s voice comes over comms.
“Good,” I reply.
Because now they’re reacting.
And that means we’re winning.
We reach the lower ridge and regroup quickly. Everyone accounted for. No major hits.
I finally let out a breath.
Just one.
Jase steps in close, his eyes locked on mine, something intense burning there.
“That was insane,” he says.
I shrug slightly. “Worked, didn’t it?”
A corner of his mouth lifts. “Yeah.” His voice lowers. “You always like that?”
I hold his gaze. “Only when it matters.”
His eyes darken just slightly. “Good. Because it matters.”
Gunfire echoes faintly in the distance. They’re still out there. Still hunting.
But now?
We’re not running anymore.
We’re ahead of them.
And for the first time since this started—
We have the advantage.