Days Since...: Jenny: Day 986

Chapter Ten

Jenny watched the others, one by one, duck through the lower partition of a shattered glass door into the McDonald’s sitting cater-corner to the Depot. Each step through, each crunch of the glass shards beneath their boots gave Jenny pause. She blocked the entrance from Sherman—“Platz!”—then began scraping the fragments away with her foot. After inspecting the floor to ensure the glass wouldn’t find its way into Sherman’s paws, she called him through, “Hier.”

“He listens really well,” Xavier said, the remark sounding more like a peace offering than an actual statement.

“Yeah.” Jenny nodded, twitching her lips into a hasty smile. “Just take watch here. Matt, take the far door.”

Xavier took post with his rifle at the broken door’s entrance, and Matt moved into position on the far side with the pistol Jenny had given him earlier.

“From in here, we’ll need to make sure the Depot’s still good. If somehow the S.A. got here before us, we’re not gonna want to walk into what’s about to happen.”

“And what’s that?” Grant eyed her.

Damn it… Hastily, Jenny unclipped her canine from the lead, and the two of them fled Grant’s suspicion into the back portion of the restaurant.

They rounded the front counter, Sherman sniffing, pacing around the kitchen, past the abandoned deep fryers, grills, stainless steel counters. Mouse droppings everywhere. Filthy. The back door was locked, and she left it that way. Across from it, an open door—the last thing to check. The manager’s office appeared ransacked. Papers strewn about. A safe broken into. Empty. She backed out, then turning around, stepped right into Grant’s chest.

“Spill it, girlie.” His jaw tense, eyes blazing. “Now.”

“What?” Jenny knew damn well what he meant.

“Two things. What’s the S.A. ‘bout to run into, and why you got Sherman?”

“Not so loud,” Jenny tried, but Matt had already heard—he stood leaning over the front counter. They both stared at her, unblinking. Her eyes went to the ceiling, deciding how to break the news swirling in her mind, but more than anything, she wished to ignore them and focus on what needed to be done rather than all the hurt. Do I just say it? A lump in her throat began to choke her. The truth swelling. She tried to swallow it again but couldn’t. The sorrow on her face forced her friends to hang their heads.

“Jenny…?” Matt asked, starting toward the kitchen, toward her.

“Danny died.” Both words spilled out while Jenny struggled to steel herself against the emotion building inside. Grant said nothing. Matt’s lips curled inward. She brushed past both of them and into the dining area. Their faces would do nothing but soften her.

“How did it happen?” Grant’s voice remained strong as he followed closely behind.

“Griffin too.”

“Griffin and Danny? What the hell happened?”

“The S.A. took you guys away, then…” She paused and shimmied her way into a booth before wiping the condensation from the window with her sleeve. Still refusing to make eye contact with anyone, Jenny quickly brought the binoculars up.

“Jenny, please…” Matt sat in an adjacent booth and rested his hand on her back. “I don’t understand.”

“Who attacked us?” Grant asked. “The S.A. was gone.”

“Griffin—” Lowering the binoculars, Jenny offered a shaky glance back toward them. “It’s fine,” she lied. “All that matters is that Danny and Sherman saved me.” The canine perked up at the mention of his name. “You’re good, boy.” Her chest trembled through a short chuckle.

“What about Griffin? Did he do something?”

“Matt…” she started but couldn’t bring the truth forward. “We just have to move on. It doesn’t matter anymore.”

“The fuck if it doesn’t.” Scrambling to get to his feet, Matt banged his thighs against the booth’s table, knocking a napkin dispenser onto the floor. “What did he do, Jenny? I always noticed how you act around him. Never really talk about him. He did something, didn’t he? What was it?”

Xavier sent a few glances their way, but wisely remained at his post.

“You gotta tell me, Jenny.” He slapped his palms down on her tabletop.

“Settle down, Matty.” Grant took hold of his shoulders, trying to pull him away from the table.

What do I say…? If I tell him the truth, he’d never forgive me for hiding it from him, right? And the baby… What if he rejects it? Or me? I can’t risk it. I can’t let him know. “Griffin…” She searched for a reason. Something that would stick. “He—he gave you guys to the S.A., right, but he—” Jenny struggled to keep her voice steady through the lie. Most of this isn’t a lie. Just blurt it out. “Griffin was giving me away. Like a slave or something. I don’t know, but Danny found out, and they fought.” She calmed her words. “Sherman got a hold of Griffin, and he took out a pistol. Just started shooting and Danny got hit. He—”

“You ain’t gotta finish, girlie. We know…”

Grant eased Matt into one of the seats and sat down opposite him at the table. Neither said anything more, burying themselves in thought, in silence. Jenny turned her attention back to the Depot. They need some time…

Through her binoculars, she scanned across the parking lot, past the several-hundred-or-so vehicles placed in a deliberate pattern to slow the approach of unwanted guests. Her view was limited, but up to this point, still no sign of the Second Alliance along the ground. So far, so good. She focused atop the roofline. What the…? Defenses were bolstered—guards riddled the rooftop with rifles drawn toward the middle of the parking lot.

“One thing I don’t under—” Matt started, but Jenny shushed him.

She danced the lenses through the lot, between the cars. The guards’ immediate focus

failed to become apparent. “Lots of guards on the roof focused on something, but I can’t tell what.”

“What they got?” Grant asked, shooting up from his chair and toward her.

“I said I can’t tell right now.” Frustrated, she scanned once more before moving to a different booth to see if it would help. It didn’t. “Damn it…”

“You think it’s the S.A.?” Xavier asked from across the room.

“Naw, don’t think so.” Grant snapped his attention away from the window and over to Xavier. “There was some kinda agreement, or else they wouldn’t’ve taken us away in the first place. No way our guys would be pointin’ guns on them if that was the case.”

“Maybe… What if I went out there? I could scout it out.” Xavier walked away from his post. “At least if they see me, they won’t do anything. I can just say you guys let me go or something.”

“But what if it’s not them? And whoever it is does do something?” Jenny fired back, her eyes still scanning the parking lot through the binoculars. “Even if it is them, it won’t work anyways. The S.A. wouldn’t be able to get close to the Depot like that, it’d be over by now.”

“You gonna tell me why that is now?” Grant asked. “They seemed cozied up pretty good together yesterday.”

“So, about that.” She lowered the binoculars, turned, and allowed her companions to observe the smirk stretching across her face. “The Depot thinks the S.A. were the ones that killed Danny and Griffin. I didn’t see a point in correcting them. Figured it’d be best to let them take the fall for it.”

“Sounds good to me.” Matt stood from his seat, moving toward the window to observe. He gestured for the binoculars.

Jenny obliged but kept her attention on whatever standstill existed in the lot. “The S.A. needs more enemies. So, when Derrick caught me leaving out the backdoor with Sherman. I… I may have mentioned something about the S.A. Didn’t really have time to explain, and it just seemed like the right thing to do.”

A hand gripped her shoulder from behind. “At least you found a way to make us smile,” Grant said. “At least somethin’ good came out of this. I think you’ve done great, girlie, come a long way for sure. Knowin’ what you did all by yourself, I ain’t never been so proud of somebody before. Danny’s lookin’ down on you right now, prouder than ever on what you can do.”

Jenny slid away from the window. “I know.”

“He trained you well. Looks good on you.” He flopped back in his seat. “You’re a leader. How you handle that dog. How you came and got us. You’re meant for this.”

“Meant for what?”

“Stoppin’ the Second Alliance.” Grant stiffened upright in the chair, his voice eager. “Givin’ them what they deserve. They gonna keep comin’. Now, especially. We gotta let the Depot know that. When you walk over there and we’re with you, and you’re tellin’ them what happened, how you got the best of them, they’re not gonna have a choice but believe in you. I’m not sayin’ it’ll be easy or that you’ll be leadin’ some big army, but it’ll inspire them. Get them fired up to make sure what happened to River’s Edge doesn’t happen here.”

Jenny nodded. “Then we warn them. Tell the Depot what’s coming. Xavier,”—he looked to her—“I appreciate you volunteering, but… if you walk out there in that uniform, you’re guaranteed to be shot.” She let a long breath escape her. “I guess I couldn’t blame you if you had second thoughts about sticking with us. Going against your parents would be tough.”

“It’s not about going against my parents. They aren’t out there fighting, they don’t even know what’s going on. Someday I’ll show my mom and dad the truth. Then they’ll know the S.A. isn’t for us. It never has been.”

“Yeah, I hope they do figure it out…” Her voice trailed off, her thoughts moving on, trying to piece together some kind of plan. Xavier’s definitely out. Sherman too. Grant… He’d be better off staying behind. She sighed. “So, I’m thinking it has to be just me and Matt going out. Anyone else will be too big of a risk.”

The binoculars dipped from Matt’s gaze. He faced Jenny, but said nothing, a look of doubt greeted her.

“You don’t even know what’s out there…” Grant pointed out the obvious.

“The fact no shots have been fired is a good thing. I’m pretty sure we’ll be able to get the guards’ attention before getting too close. It’ll be fine.” I hope… Jenny stripped her sock hat and kerchief away. “Grant, can you stay here with Xavier and Sherman? I know it’s probably not what you want, but it’s what we need. If for some reason we don’t make it—”

“Don’t say that.”

“Just hear me out.”

Grant nodded.

“Someone will need to vouch for Xavier if the Depot finds you guys. And…” Jenny exhaled, her voice became downhearted. “…if the S.A. for some reason makes it here or whatever, then Xavier can act like he took you prisoner or something. The step beyond that… I don’t know.”

“Well, if I’m staying put,” Xavier said, “then take this.” He offered his Steyr AUG rifle over to Matt. “Here.”

Matt passed the binoculars back to Jenny and shimmied his way from the booth. He took an awkward once-over of Xavier’s rifle, clearly not familiar with some of its features. “I… This thing looks… kinda weird.”

They all work basically the same way, Matt. Come on…

“Here, let me show you.” Xavier motioned for Matt to follow him to the other side of the dining area with the jerk of his head. Jenny set her long gun across the tabletop—double-checking a firearm was never a bad idea, especially when surrounded by increasing unknowns.

While working her M4 carbine, she couldn’t help but eavesdrop on Xavier’s instruction. He had obviously been through extensive training since joining the Second Alliance. His confidence. His newfound expertise. Wonder if he forgot all his maintenance training to make way for all that knowledge. Easing the charging handle back, she confirmed a round sat in the rifle’s chamber. Then, she checked the magazine. Filled to the top. The steel selector switch dimpled her thumb, pushing ‘Safe’ to ‘Semi.’ Once satisfied with her firearm, she hung it over her shoulder and moved toward Matt and Xavier.

Jenny observed Matt’s tentative handling of the Steyr rifle. His expression muted, he listened to every word Xavier shared. Jenny offered nothing. Didn’t need to. Xavier had it covered. If his loyalties still lie with us— If… Stop second guessing him. Grant’s right. It is Xavier. He’s with us again. I can’t keep blaming him for what happened. He didn’t really have a choice, right? Besides, with that training, he’s an asset—his story, his experience will help convince the Depot of what’s coming. He’s still one of us. You gotta quit doubting him.

“Oh, it’s just like… I see.” Matt chuckled, his face taking on a comfortable glow of familiarity which helped allay Jenny’s reservations upon seeing his initial contact with the rifle. “It’s really no different than the others I’ve used. Just never seen a rifle like this or a built-in scope like that.” He studied it for a few seconds. “Where do you adjust it?”

“Don’t think you can. Or, at least I wasn’t shown how. If you don’t like the scope, there are iron sights across the top there. Personally, I like it, but I’ve been training with it for awhile.”

“No, I’ll be fine.” Matt knelt. Lodging the rifle into his shoulder, he aimed it through the broken glass door, steadying it on something in the distance. “Pretty amazing.”

“It’s a pretty versatile rifle. My trainer—”

“What trainer?” Jenny asked.

“I’m in training to be a scout for the S.A.”

“You were in training,” Jenny mocked him.

“You know what I mean.”

“I know.” She smiled, and he returned the same.

“Glad you kiddos are gettin’ along now, but we need to get this show on the road. No tellin’ when the S.A.’s gonna catch up. They had to know we was comin’ here. Had to.” He looked to Jenny. “So, what you got for us, girlie?”

She’d never seen it before, but Grant sought something from her. Direction. Advice. Leadership. Finally, here it was, lining his eyes, and she felt it—being taken seriously—being treated as an equal. Not being a fighter, Grant saw in her what he never could be. Someone to lead the offensive. Someone to take back control of their fate. Doubt escaped her. She could do this.

Jenny took another cursory scan of the parking lot. Nothing different. “Let’s go, you guys.” She led Xavier, Grant, and Sherman to the manager’s office in the back. “Hang tight here, and we’ll be back soon.” Jenny handed Sherman’s lead to Grant and motioned for Matt to give up the pistol and leg holster he’d been carrying since their rescue.

Xavier looked it over. “This was Danny’s?”

Matt offered a solemn nod. “Be good to it.”

Matt and Jenny made their way back outside through the busted-out door, rifles drawn, scanning toward the back side of the restaurant. A sharp wind burst across their bodies. Matt started to raise his kerchief back up and over his mouth and nose. “Can’t,” Jenny said, “they have to recognize us from the roof.” She pulled her hair out from the back of her coat, letting it rest upon her shoulders. “We need to make it obvious that it’s us or this will never work.”

“I know… I just—” The zipper on his coat shook—his body already trembling from the wind. Jenny felt it too, although not to that point. “I swear I can feel icicles forming from the end of my nose it’s so damn cold.”

“You nervous?” she asked.

Matt broke eye contact, glancing toward the ground for a split second. His tell. How she knew when the next words would be a lie. Before he could offer the fib, she raised onto her toes and kissed him. Passionate. Deep. He pulled her in. The clack of their rifles, unnoticed. The wind stilled. The cold gone. Heat between them. They pulled away, both smiling with eyes wide.

“I lov—”

She put her gloved finger over his lips. “Don’t. That’s not good-bye just foreplay.” Jenny offered a coy smile.

“I do, though.” Matt wouldn’t break eye contact.

“I know you do.” She took a step toward the rear parking lot, but Matt grabbed hold of her rucksack.

“That’s it?” His lips bent into a disappointed frown. “All you’re going to say about it?”

“Do I really have to say the words?”

“It’d be nice.”

“You’re acting like this is the end, Matt. All we have to do is walk over, let them see us, and we’re in.”

“What if it’s not that easy…” His eyes read nervous.

“It will be that easy. At some point, shit has to turn around for us. Everything has happened for a reason. We can’t let it all be for nothing.” Slightly agitated, Jenny broke from the conversation, raised her rifle level—the muzzle leading her past the drive-through and into the back side of the McDonald’s parking lot.

They crouched behind a vehicle, and Jenny flipped the binoculars to her eyes. “We’ll have to take the approach wide.” Each rifle visible along the Depot’s roofline remained tilted toward whatever it was in the parking lot below them. “Going in at this angle will be too dangerous unless you’re seeing something I’m not.” Jenny handed the binoculars over to Matt to get him involved, to get his head right.

Expelling a deep breath, he glassed over the Depot. “I swear if it weren’t for all those damn trucks, we’d be able to tell who it was from here.” He took a moment before continuing, “You’re definitely right about a wide approach. We’ll probably need to take it from that side, maybe from over there.” Matt indicated the eastern half of the Depot’s parking lot, but then flashed the binoculars along the back side of the car wash and the strip mall to their immediate right, opposite the target area. “I think if we slide back that way, we should have the angle to see whoever’s standing out there.” He returned the binoculars. “What do you think?”

“Sounds like a good idea.”

They stole for the first car wash bay nearest them and past the remaining five, beating the snow into slush with the soles of their boots. Continuing in this manner, racing in and out of cover behind the strip mall, they finally emerged on the far side, slipping behind a row of yew bushes—barely a breath between them.

“Almost there,” Jenny huffed. “Here, I’m gonna—I’m gonna take a look real quick. Take the ruck so I can get through here.”

Matt hoisted the rucksack onto his back as Jenny dropped into a prone position and wriggled beneath the shrubs. “What do you see?” he whispered.

Jenny ignored him. Shit… A group of men, not Second Alliance, stood in formation within the maze of abandoned cars. Two facing the Depot with rifles angled toward the ground. Three others behind them holding the same, but toward their rear. The last of the men remained in the middle, handling the unknown conversation with the Depot. Who are these guys? No uniform, just coats, blue jeans, bags strapped across their back. Dressed like anyone else. Nothing to indicate who or what they represented. Never seen anyone come at the Depot like this before. What the hell could they want? Who the…? Then, she knew. Her heart sank with worry. Griffin’s people. They came here for me. Shit! The Second Alliance and now, these guys. She retreated back through the bush.

“Well?” Matt’s voice impatient.

“More trouble,” she said before squatting down.

Matt dropped too. “Who?”

“Not sure exactly, but I think it’s the people Griffin planned on giving me to.” Jenny began drawing in the snow, mapping out the lot, the cars, the men. “That’s the only thing I can think of right now.”

“What the hell do we do?” Matt waddled backwards to give Jenny more room to continue her sketch. “What if the Depot hands you over?”

“No, I don’t think so. By the looks of it, I don’t think the Depot knows anything about that deal.”

“Why?”

“Cause they’re holding those people at gunpoint. Not letting them move a muscle out there. It’s like a standoff. Can’t you hear them? They’re just shouting back and forth.”

“Well, what the hell are they saying?”

“I don’t know.” Irritated, she swiped across the drawing. “It doesn’t fucking matter right now!”

“Of course it matters!”

“Look…” Jenny lifted Matt’s chin away from the ground. “I trust the Depot now. They’re being careful, especially now with what happened to Danny and Griffin.”

“They probably think the S.A. took us, because we’re outlaws or something.”

“The Depot doesn’t know why they took you. I’m pretty sure nobody saw them head out with you guys. They think the S.A. killed Danny and Griffin. Beyond that, your guess is as good as mine. I’m sure they’ve noticed you guys missing but have no idea why the S.A. decided to run off with you.”

“We’ll just tell them they took us,” Matt said.

“Exactly. No big deal.”

“Alright, let’s go then.” He stood to leave, but Jenny snatched the sleeve of his coat.

“I’m first. To them, you might look like just another guy with a rifle. I’m one of eleven women in the camp. The guys will definitely recognize me.”

Matt conceded but glared at her.

“It’s true…” she pressed him.

“I know it is,” he grumbled.

Jenny nodded to him with a weak smile, knowing the jealousy hidden in his voice. Alright… Again, she swept her hair free from inside her coat. Can’t afford not to be recognized. Sherman would have been a dead giveaway, but he’d be no use in an all-out firefight. Can’t afford to lose him. I hope this is the right thing to do. Breathing out, she looked to the sky. Danny… get me through this.

“You good?” Matt asked.

“Yeah.” She nodded. “I’m thinking we head left to cut off the other group’s view of us before moving across the street.”

The two of them cut through the bushes and along the shop fronts of the strip mall before crossing the six-lane road toward the Depot’s parking lot. Continuing to their left, they managed to remain out of view from the group of outsiders with the assistance of some opportune vehicles.

“Depot’s still not seeing us.” Matt forced the whisper through clenched teeth, clearly upset the plan hadn’t worked now that they were standing well within the parking lot.

“They will. Just—”

“Like I said, we just need to see Griffin!” one of the outsiders shouted.

“Already told you he ain’t comin’ out!” An unknown voice responded from atop the Depot’s roofline. “Says he don’t know who you are. Says you need to identify yourself first.”

“Tell his bitchass to get out here. He missed our damn appointment and forced us to come all this way.”

No reply from the Depot.

Jenny and Matt trudged deeper into the parking lot, careful not to cross into view of the other group.

“Jenny!?” someone from the roof shouted.

“Yes!” she shouted back. “Me and Matt, both!” Reassurance swept over her, but nearly as fast as it came, it evaporated.

Two of the men stepped from behind a nearby car, rifles bearing down on them. “Don’t move!” one of them barked.

Jenny eyed them, gauging an appropriate response. Fuck… seemed all she could muster in the moment. Unfazed by Matt and Jenny’s abrupt appearance, the two men stared at them, battle-proven. What now?

If she moved, warned Matt to do the same, it might not be enough. Even if she were to make it down and behind cover, he might not. The two men’s rifles needed not to convince her more of that reality—one pointed at each of them, freezing them in place. She gulped. This can’t be it…

“Stop!” one of the Depot guards warned the group of outsiders. “They’re coming in. Touch ‘em. Hurt ‘em. We lay all of you down in the snow. Permanently! You’ll rot right there!”

The two seemed unimpressed with the threat of force. Coolly, one swept a piece of blonde hair back underneath his sock hat before pressing his cheek back onto the butt of the rifle, a sinister grin showing, impatience consuming his eyes. His partner glanced back toward their group. Jenny held her breath for what felt like an hour. The man cocked his head sideways. “You sure?” His proud demeanor folded, and he clasped the blonde man’s arm, tugging, signaling for him to let Matt and Jenny pass.

Relieved with the immediate change in fortune, they tore through the snow, dipping between vehicles, not leaving anything to chance. Not giving the outsiders the opportunity to reconsider and grab them. Weighed down by Jenny’s rucksack, Matt slogged behind her. She looked to him, but he waved her on. “Just go. I’m com—”

Crack! Crack! Crack!

Gunfire sent Jenny spiraling into the snow, clawing for cover behind an oversized SUV. “Matt!” Her immediate concern. She slid her rifle into a low ready and hunched alongside the vehicle. Crack! Crack! Crack! Glass showered her from above. Crack! Crack! She slammed her body against the door frame. Fuck! Edging her eyes beyond the partition, through the broken window, she caught glimpse of the outsiders pinned down—their position perhaps worse than hers. She looked to the roofline. Their attention, too, was drawn away from the parking lot. “Matt!?” Her voice barely rose over the trill of gunfire.

Fear passed through her. Where the hell is he? Their paired footprints split barely twenty yards back—his trail cutting to her left, away from the firefight, between two sedans sitting bumper-to-bumper. Closing her eyes, she focused, listening to the panic in the air. Screams. Cries for where the shots were coming from surrounded her. Through joint terror, the outsiders and the Depot seemed to be coordinating their effort.

Crack! Crack!

“Damn it! Matt!” she screamed. “Answer me!”

“I’m good! I’m good!” he shouted above the volley of additional gunfire. “Stay down! I’m coming to you!”

“Where?! Where are you?!” She caught his stare over one of the hoods of a sedan. He appeared shaken, eyes wide. “Be careful!”

Crack! Crack! His head disappeared.

A lull in the gunfire and Matt leapt from between the cars. The rucksack rose up and then fell against his back, the weight pushing him forward, spilling him into the ground.

“Hurry!” Jenny shouted, relieved to see him in one piece.

He scrambled to gather his gear, collecting his rifle from the imprint left in the snow. A few more shots skimmed overhead. Another pop and crash of a car window in the distance. Come on! Come on! Her attention bounced from Matt and the collapsing scene behind her. She dropped her ass into the snow, back against the front wheel. Her eyes affixed to his. “Just a little further!” His boots slipped, feet to knees to feet, skittering toward her. Finally, his back met the rear wheel of the SUV. They exchanged fleeting smiles, each of their chests heaving.

“What’d you see? Anything?” Jenny asked between breaths.

“Their shooting—shooting at something. Can’t tell what.” Matt swallowed. “Not sure they know either.” He pointed to the Depot. “Up top there. They—they moved too, all of them moved to the far side.”

“And?”

“And what?” Matt gave her a look of disbelief.

“Never mind. Just—” Another pop of glass, the ping of metal interrupting her as the familiar sound of gunfire erupted again. The rattle sent both cowering further into the side of the vehicle. Jenny felt her cheeks twist into a frown, worry. She drew in a breath, the largest she could manage. Her lungs felt as if they would burst. Closing her eyes, she let it out in a slow leak.

“You’re not hurt, are you?” he asked.

“No!” Jenny said, forcing the last bit of air from her lungs. “Gimme a sec.” Gathering her nerves, she stood then inched back toward the busted window. What the hell happened? She snuck a peek—the outsiders still occupied with a threat in the distance—the Depot’s guards all on the far side as Matt described. “You didn’t see anyone else?”

“Already said no. Nothing.” Matt puffed. “It’s gotta be the S.A. though, right?”

“We just need to find out where they are.”

Another shot rang out before an absurd silence spread across the parking lot. The stillness, eerie, not even a scream. “Is it over?” she whispered to Matt.

“I don’t know…”

It took only a few more seconds for the welcomed silence to shatter—a cry for help. Not a crack of gunfire in response. She snuck another few peeks through the broken window. One of the outsiders sprawled out in the snow. Another at his side, pumping up and down upon his chest. Might not get another chance. Think, Jenny, think. Look at the outsiders, their position. Shots keep coming this way from that angle. That angle places the S.A. in the far corner, right? Or at least over that way. Only misses from over there would rip through here like that.

She rocked her rifle up and across her chest, tiptoeing around Matt. “What is it?” Jenny disregarded him—his curiosity followed her to the back of the vehicle.

A few glances around the bumper. Nothing. No activity other than what she had seen only moments ago. Then, tumbling across the graying sky, an array of bottles, of spinning flames. They crashed into the snow. A burst of flame engulfed the outsiders, sentencing their frigid bodies to death. Each tormented form collapsed to the ground writhing like cockroaches. A couple of shots fired into the air, unintentional from seizing bodies. Their voices transformed to shrieks, to cries that knotted her stomach. Holy…

Jenny hurried to leave, backing into Matt’s horrified stare.

“We gotta get the hell out of here.” His words direct, ironclad.

She could only bring forth a nod.

“Hey!” A woman’s voice came from behind them.

The woman’s call ripped Jenny from the scene, her attention drawn toward the Depot—the entry opened slightly. Only a hand waved them forward, the body hidden behind cover.

“Forget the ruck. We’ll get it later.” Jenny peeled the heavy bag from Matt’s back, and he jerked open the door of the SUV to stuff it inside. He stood longer than she liked. His gaze locked back onto the flailing bodies thrashing against the black asphalt where the snow gave way to heat. “Come on! This might be our only chance.”

Both sucked a deep breath in, staring across the frozen parking lot. Only forty yards. But the distance was riddled with cars and the threat of gunfire.

“Ready?” Matt squeezed her hand.

She squeezed back. “Always.”

Clutching their rifles, they charged for the opening to the Depot, for safety. Crack!… Crack!… Crack! Three deliberate shots, then the Depot let loose from the rooftop, responding with authority. The gunfire scattered Jenny’s intended path. Diving headlong into the snow, her elbows bit into the pavement. The adrenaline pushed the pain somewhere deep and forgotten, her mind fixed on the two vehicles only a few feet away.

From behind the two cars, Matt and Jenny swung their rifles up and over the hoods. She scanned. There we go. Finally. The mystery was over. Black uniforms of the Second Alliance slunk across the lot—heads peeking from vehicles, rifles following with muzzles firing. This is it! Take a stand! This world isn’t for the S.A. to take. With anxious breaths, scanning the landscape above her sights, her finger rested on the trigger with every intention of using it. She only needed the opportunity.

Just to her left, at the perfect angle, a Guard hunkered down against a car’s bumper presented Jenny with a clear shot. She leaned her face into the stock and exhaled, taking the slack out of the trigger. Smooth press. She took it. Sparks flew from the steel bumper of the old Buick. Shit! The Guard retreated, taking with him any chance of redeeming herself with a follow-up. Damn it. Should’ve double tapped.

Crack! Crack! Two shots from the Depot and a different black uniform fell into the snow.

“Come on!” The woman from the door yelled to them again. “We got you covered! Move!”

“Jenny, let’s go!” Matt shouted, backpedaling toward the door.

“No!” Her eyes never left the sights of her rifle. “No more running! This is the turning point! The last time we’re on the defensive!”

Matt released a guttural roar of frustration into the air, then yelled, “I’m not asking!” He tried to pull her away from the vehicle, but she refused. Instead of protesting longer, he took to the other end of the vehicle, throwing his rifle over the trunk. “Damn you, Jenny!”

She blocked his anger and focused her attention deeper into the lot. Just need another one of them to slip up. That’s all I need. Just one and I’ll go.

Crack! Crack! The Depot fired again. At what, Jenny couldn’t tell, but someone else out there was becoming restless besides her.

Sharpening her glare, she spotted another Guard sliding between a couple vehicles. Again, she leaned into the rifle and expelled every last breath in her lungs. Smooth. Keep it smooth. Her rifle tracked his movements. Crack! Another shot from the Depot, but a miss. The Guard stopped in his tracks, burying himself against the wrong side of a car, exposed to Jenny’s rifle. She pulled. Crack! The Guard doubled over, clutching his gut. Another shot hit his shoulder, then another ripped through his skull. Finished, he slumped from a seated position and onto his side.

“Is that enough for you?” Matt took hold of her arm, bringing her eyes from the rifle. “It’s time to go.”’

“Wait!” Jenny smiled.

In the distance, a small band of Second Alliance Guards retreated, their black uniforms slipping in and out of view. A few shots from the Depot’s roof chased them further into the woodline.

Cheering broke loose.