The wolf yelped, my radio shattered on impact, and I ducked to the side before I pulled out my handgun and shot the wolf in the flank.
This is bad. I’m starting to get sloppy.
Rather, the mercenaries were pushing us so hard we didn’t ever get even a moment to recover.
I confirmed the wolf was down before pointing myself towards my team. While I’d been focusing on my wound, a mercenary must have reached April—there was a new tear in her uniform. Brody and Tetiana were also looking battered.
We need help. Or we need to escape.
But even as the thought registered, a cluster of four mercenaries—all in their human forms—ran at us.
I shot the first two, but they were wearing body armor, so it slowed them down but didn’t stop them.
April threw balls of fire at the back two, but one of them dodged it while the second one flung himself to the ground to roll out the flames.
“Someone needs to get back to Sarge.” I holstered my gun before moving out to meet the werewolves.
I threw a dagger at the mercenary that had dodged April’s fire getting him in the thigh.
He growled and took a swipe at me. I avoided his arm, then kicked him in the throat. That made him stagger to a stop, and another kick that landed on the side of his jaw made him collapse.
Brody was wrestling with the third mercenary, while Tetiana and the last mercenary were circling each other.
Tetiana’s distance from the mercenary would give April plenty of room to work with, so I approached Brody and his enemy crouching low and zig zagging to stay in his mercenary’s blind spot as the two exchanged blows.
The mercenary landed a brutal punch to Brody’s side, leaving himself wide open. I launched myself at him, securing my arms around his neck in a chokehold.
The mercenary tried wedging his fingers under my arm, but he couldn’t find a place.
Brody clenched his fists before he pummeled the mercenary’s stomach. When I released the mercenary, Brody finished him off with a blow to the side of his head while April fried the last mercenary with a lightning bolt.
There were no more incoming mercenaries, but some of the ones we’d knocked out/injured were starting to recover.
If we don’t get out of here, it’s going to be a blood bath. At least there aren’t any new waves—we must be reaching the end of their numbers.
“I’ll call Sarge,” April offered.
“Brody, carry her—we’ve got to move out,” I said.
Brody’s breathing was deep and a little strained, but he gave me a thumbs up. “You got it—” The rev of an engine covered whatever else he was going to say.
No—there’s more?
A truck barreled up the street, its headlights blinding us.
“Get out of the road!” I yelled.
Brody scooped up April, then he and Tetiana followed me as we raced across the street—away from the regrouping mercenaries.
I used three of my bullets on the truck, shooting at the front two tires. I got the first tire with two bullets, but I took too long to switch targets to the other tire and my last shot went wide when I realized I needed to bolt after my teammates or I’d be run down.
We followed the cracked sidewalk, sprinting north. Unfortunately, we were somewhat hedged in by a chain link fence.
“Look out!” Tetiana shouted.
The truck veered, tires screeching. The engine roared as it jumped the curb, cutting across the sidewalk and narrowly missed flattening Brody before it rammed the chain link fence.
The windows were tinted, but there was just enough light that I could make out four silhouettes crammed inside the truck’s cab.
