I squeeze out several shots, the sound deafening in the still night. Theo fires as well, followed by the others. I even see an arrow fly through the air, hitting its target. Below us, men shout and scream as they’re showered by a hail of bullets. And then Simon’s shotgun joins the mix, blasting at anything that moves in the dark.
“Like shooting fish in a barrel,” Theo laughs, a manic gleam in his eyes as we rain down hell on the Scourge.
A feral smile of my own stretches across my lips. These bastards wanted to flush us out, but didn’t expect us to fight back like this. Idiots.
The first of our group trickles out, following Simon as he cuts a path through the open field. More follow, some not following as closely as they should, with some even hesitating in the middle of the fucking field when they come across dying or dead men.
“Move it!” I boom from above, causing them to jump and hurry along.
This unfortunately makes it difficult to keep up covering fire since we can’t afford another blue on blue incident. Even from the other room, I can hear the others cursing as we hold our fire.
And then more Scourge emerge from around the side of the house.
“Shit, left side!” Theo shouts as he whips in that direction and fires two shots. I follow with my own shots.
The first few bullets hit, but the rest miss, instead hitting the ground and causing our group to panic. They scream and shriek as they scramble away from the people they’re supposed to be following and straight into the waiting arms of the Scourge. The only thing saving them is that the gang members seem intent on grabbing these people alive.
“We need to get down there,” I say, already moving away from the window and towards the hallway.
Theo is hot on my heels, and it seems the other three could hear me through the window because they meet us in the hall. Unfortunately, that’s when things go from bad to worse.
There’s a groan followed by a loud crack that almost sounds like a bomb, causing the house to shudder. Thick, black smoke bursts upward from the stairs, billowing straight towards us like a malevolent entity and bringing with it our impending death.
Because the kitchen door just gave way and now the fire is spreading.
This Changes Nothing
Alex
We’re out of time.The fire is spreading through the house, consuming everything in its path and pouring out noxious smoke that burns my eyes and throat.
“Back in the bedroom!” Rhys orders, shoving us in the direction he wants us to move.
As soon as the five of us stumble into the bedroom, Rhys slams the door closed behind us, cutting off most of the smoke. Tears stream down my face, and my stomach twists with dread and terror. We’re trapped in this small bedroom with no way out and a fire raging on the other side of a flimsy wooden door. Panic flutters at the edge of my consciousness, but Irefuse to give into it.
Rhys has already figured out how to get us out of here, producing a length of rope from his pack and setting about finding an anchor point for it. He barks at us to move the bed and the four of us jump in to do as we're told, sliding the heavy piece of furniture until he has the perfect anchor point. His movements are quick and precise as he ties a complicated knot around the thick wooden headboard of the bed.
“See, princess? Rhys is very good with ropes,” Theo says with a teasing wink to lighten the mood.
Ollie offers him a smile, but it’s strained. She’s pale and a little shaky, her eyes darting to the door and the smoke billowing from around it. It’s thicker and darker now; the fire is drawing near.
Rhys finishes his tie and tugs hard at it. Neither the knot nor the bed budge. He straightens, strides over to the window, and throws the spool of rope outside.
“Who’s going first?” he asks as he turns around to face us.
“I’ll go,” I say as I move to the window, wanting to get this over with.
Outside, there’s pandemonium, with our group running from various Scourge members hungry to capture them. Simon and Tobias are trying their best to corral people towards the south hedgerow, but people are too terrified to listen.
Rhys helps me open the window further since I’m not a small man. He tugs the rope again, making doubly sure it’ll hold before turning to me. “Ready?”
I nod and start the annoying process of shoving my body through the window.
Once my ass is hanging out, I move my grip to the rope and, with a deep breath, push myself fully out. The rope burns against the skin of my palms, and my shoulders and arms strain against my weight, but the rope holds. Climbing down sucks, especially for my hands, which get ripped up, but it’s worth it to have both feet finally touch solid ground.
Unfortunately, the Scourge don’t give me any time to recover before they’re on me.
Two tackle me from the side and slam me into the ground. I shout in surprise as my shoulder collides with the slick mud and grass, only barely softening the blow. One guy tries to manoeuvre around to get me into a chokehold while the other tries to hold me down. Too bad for them, I’m used to wrestling in the mud.
