Too much of it had passed already, though it was only a few minutes since the ambush. Jason could beat himself up later for driving right into it, if he was alive long enough to regret it.
“How’d they know we were coming?” Devon whispered as he dropped down next to Jason.
They were positioned off the side of the road, before the wreckage, in the middle of the curve and about fifty feet away from the car used to block them. He watched with satisfaction as Eddy took up a spot on the opposite side of the road, near the apex of the curve.
“I don’t think they’re here specifically for us,” Jason said, mulling the scenario over in his head. “This is a standard guerilla tactic. They’re probably after our supplies and weapons, and I’m guessing they’ve chosen this spot for a reason.” He looked back down the road, toward the preserve. “Maybe the Libi Nati has become known to the local survivors for having resources.” In spite of their current situation, he found the thought encouraging.
“Maybe they’re the security system for the preserve,” Devon suggested.
Jason shook his head. “No, this isn’t security. This isn’t about deterring people. It’s about killing and conquering. And I’m guessing their numbers are very limited, or else they would have had shooters ready to take us as soon as we crashed. Instead, whoever moved that car is waiting for the people in the other vehicle to get into place.” He smacked Devon on the arm. “I imagine seeing that AR you had pointed out the window made them a little wary about rushing in.”
Devon’s grin came out more like a grimace. “Good to know my heroics count for something, but I’m not sure why Eddy got to take it.”
Jason wasn’t about to explain field tactics to him. “Just stick with me, and watch our back. They could try and circle around.”
Movement. Behind the car.
He slammed a hand down on Devon’s back as the first shot ricocheted off the ground a few feet in front of them. Instead of reacting, Jason took a steadying breath and lined up the shot through the open windows of the car.
Crack!
The shadow disappeared.
Throwing himself backwards as a fresh round of gunfire erupted from another location and peppered the foliage where he’d just been, Jason flipped over onto his stomach and dragged Devon along with him. They crawled behind a tree, and he ignored the smooth skin of whatever creature slithered away from under his hand.
Rifle fire. Eddy was exchanging shots with them. It sounded like one of them had a standard bolt-action, while the other was some sort of large-caliber pistol capable of more rapid fire. The attackers were vastly outgunned, and already down a man.
“Lay some fire for me,” Jason whispered, getting ready to run.
“Huh?” Devon was staring at him, looking somewhat in shock. “You’re gonna have to be more precise.”
“Point that gun around the tree, and shoot anywhere except at Eddy while I get into a better position.” When Devon nodded in understanding, he waited for the first shot and then pushed away from the tree.
The distraction was successful, and Jason moved rapidly through the underbrush until he was abreast of the car. Ignoring the body, he crept silently past him and focused on the area across the road, where the shots were coming from.
Dropping to a knee, he used the infra-red sight to confirm his targets before opening fire. Two short bursts and the threats were eliminated.
The silence that followed was heavy, and Jason took a moment to accept that even in a world where the only opponent should be the elements, there would always be a more lethal adversary. It was in their nature, and he knew better than anyone how fear and desperation drove humankind toward the more primal, predatory instincts of survival.
Hanging his head, he fell back into his old routine of pushing it down. Burying the questions, remorse, and guilt into a tight little ball of darkness he would slowly release when he was in a bright enough place to cope with it.
“Jason!” Peta called out from somewhere nearby, sounding alarmed. “Jason, are you okay?”
Pivoting, he could just make out her shadow as she scurried onto the road, gun drawn and moving in an arc, looking for potential targets. He grinned. Good to know she followed orders so well. “Don’t shoot me.”
Freezing, Peta’s shoulders sagged as she processed it was Jason that had spoken. “You okay?”
Stepping closer, he reached out and gently pushed the muzzle of the Glock toward the ground. “Yeah. I think it was just the three of them, but we should get moving ASAP, just in case there’s more coming.”
Peta looked down at the body lying a few feet away, and then back at Jason. “I don’t understand this.”
“Good,” he said sharply. “I hope you never do.” Bending down, he retrieved the hunting rifle the man still had clasped in his cooling hands.
Eddy was already waiting near the Jeep, holding an extra rifle. “They didn’t have much,” he explained as Jason and Peta approached.
Devon was pulling things out of the wreckage, and Jason was relieved to see Marty running over, with Tyler close behind him. It was a small miracle none of them had been seriously injured in the crash, but he knew they’d all be feeling it once the adrenaline wore off.
“Are they dead?” Tyler was staring at Jason. He didn’t sound accusatory, but the brutal encounter had left the teen visibly shaken.
“They’re taken care of,” Jason said flatly, burying his fingers into the thick hair of Marty’s neck. Turning from the eager kisses of
