What the fuck did Ollie and Alexdo?
“This was not part of the plan,” Theo mutters as we pause and assess the situation.
I nod in agreement, dread and fear churning in my stomach. It shouldn’t surprise me. If there’s one thing I learned in my time in the military, it’s that no matter how hard you try, no plan survives contact with the enemy. I just wish this has happened to me and Theo, not the other two, since we’re better equipped to deal with this shit.
But I should have known. Damn woman is a magnet for trouble.
“Guess this just means we’re moving on to the next of part of our plan a little sooner than we expected,” I murmur back, already scanning the edges of the camp for those watchtowers.
“At least we don’t have to worry about our gunshots being heard.”
Of course, Theo would find the silver lining to this shit show.
“What the fuck is going on?” Ollie’s brother demands as he comes up behind us.
“Alex and Ollie may have been compromised,” I tell him as I turn to face him.
The colour drains from his face and he stares at me with a look of pure horror. “Oh God,Liv…”
As much as I wish I could freak the fuck out with him, I can’t. I have to trust that Alex and Ollie will keep each other safe, even if every part of me is screaming for me to run to them. Judging from his tight, grim expression and clenched hands, Theo feels the same way.
I shove aside the terror clawing at my insides. “Remember what I said; organise your people and make sure the weak are protected. Try to stay in cover as much as possible until either me or Theo give you the go ahead,” I order at Tobias before I turn to Theo. “You ready?”
He nods. “I’ll take west,” he says before melting into the darkness.
“Where the fuck are you going?” Tobias asks with a frown.
“To take out the fuckers in those towers. They have rifles and need to be eliminated before we can move deeper into the camp. Remember what I said and stay safe.”
“But what about Liv? Aren’t you going to help her?”
I wish. I shake my head. “We have a plan and we need to stick to our side of it and trust that she and Alex will stay safe.”I slink into the shadows of the forest before he can reply.
Since most of the guards have moved toward the front gate, moving around the outskirts of the camp is much easier. I cover double the distance in half the time and before I know it, I’ve found my first target.
The guard in the watchtower is much more alert thanks to the chaos in the camp, but he’s looking in the wrong direction. It’s almost too easy to line up my shot and squeeze the trigger to put a bullet in his brain. The shot is loud, especially in this part of the forest, but it’s a risk I’m willing to take to get rid of that rifle.
With the guard dead, I clamber up to the tower and grit my teeth against the fiery pain pulsing in my shoulder and arm. I already know I’ve ripped out more of my stitches when warm liquid trickles down my arm. Maybe climbing up here to grab the rifle wasn’t a good idea, but there’s not much I can do about it now. Hopefully, one of the captives has military training and can make use of it. I grab the gun and ease my way back down the ladder.
As soon as my feet touch the ground, I’m off running to the next watchtower. However, unlike the previous guard, this one is looking in the correct direction. I dive behind a tree for cover just as shots ring out. Several bullets embed themselves in the trunk I’m hiding behind, causing splinters of bark and wood to go flying.
I wait for him to stop firing before peeking around the tree. He’s standing on the platform of the watchtower, eyes narrowed and rifle ready to fire again. He spots my face, my pale skin probably standing out against the dark backdrop of the forest, and shoots again. I dart back into cover just as more bullets fly past to dig into the dirt and trees around me.
“Show yourself, asshole!” he shouts, then fires another shot at my tree.
I peek out again, and he shoots several more bullets at me. By this point, I’ve counted around twenty rounds fired and from the look of the rifle I stole from the last watchtower, they’re using standard issue service rifles. At best, this guy has ten more rounds to go and from how trigger-happy he is, he has no idea.
While I’d prefer those precious bullets didn’t go to waste, I have no other option. I’m pinned behind a tree and my next nearest cover is ten metres away with a large open space between me and it. The guard also has decent aim, so the chances of me covering that distance without eating some lead are too small to consider.
I bait him twice more before I hear the telltale click of an empty mag. I whip around the tree, aim and fire, putting a bullet straight between his shocked eyes. With him dead and the rifle empty, I leave to go to the next watchtower.
The guard in the next tower is easy enough to take down, and I don’t bother trying to get his weapon. However, it’s the final watchtower that gives me the most trouble.
The guard is shooting at the infected stumbling through the forest, drawing even more attention to himself. I could take him out, but the shot will draw all the infected toward me, and there’s way more than I can handle right now. Leaving the guard isn’t an option either, since once he’s done with these infected, he’ll start firing at me and the captives. Judging from how good his aim is and how calculated he is with his shots, he also understands the importance of conserving his ammo.
Unfortunately, before I can decide what to do, my choice is ripped away from me as an infected tackles me to the ground.
I bite back a cry as my injured shoulder slams against the frozen ground, causing waves of agony to tear through me. The infected moans, dirty nails biting into my flesh as it scrambles to find a place to bite me. Through the stench of rot and blinding pain, I focus enough to grab my knife and slam it into the infected’s skull.
