Nightstalkers

CHAPTER 24

The FedEx truck backed into the driveway with an irritating beeping.

The team was ready, combat gear on, locked, and loaded. Doc got on board the FedEx truck to check the gear he’d requested directly from Support, while the rest of the team piled into the SUVs with the tinted windows. The convoy rolled down the street and turned to the stables.

Comanche wasn’t hard to spot. He was running around the white-fenced pasture, dirt flying under his huge hooves. Every so often he paused and struck out with one of his front hooves, mostly at nothing.

“Geez,” Kirk said to Scout. “You ride that thing?”

Comanche was big. “Yes. He’s always been peaceful,” Scout said.

“Why hasn’t he jumped the fence?” Eagle wondered, turning the wheel and pulling them up to the stable.

“Why didn’t the pool Firefly break the glass door?” Moms said. She looked over her shoulder to Roland. “You ready?”

Roland was unhappy. His beloved M-240 was on the floor, next to his feet. He had a bolt-action rifle on his lap. “If they don’t stop when we blast them and kill them, how are we going to stop them with just a drug? The Firefly will just ignore it.”

Doc’s voice came over the net. “Most likely. The drug will overdose the horse and stop his heart and that might not change anything. But you’ve read the binders, Roland. This has never been tried before. It’s always been an all-out firefight between us and the Fireflies. Black or white. Maybe we’ve been wrong? Maybe there’s a middle ground?”

“That’s a big maybe,” Eagle said.

Kirk was watching the horse through binoculars. “What if we’re wrong?”

Moms sighed. “I know we’re probably wrong.” She looked at Scout. “We’re going to try, but the chances aren’t good. You have to understand that.”

“You’ll do it,” Scout said, the words more confident than her tone.

“No,” Kirk said, “what if we’re wrong about our supposition about the Firefly?” He turned to Scout. “Watch the horse carefully.”

The horse spotted them and neighed loudly. It kicked out once more, then raced hard in a counterclockwise circle. As it came to the fence separating the humans from the horse, it lashed out with its left front hoof and shattered the top board in the fence. It was shaking its head and its eyes rolled wildly. Roland had the rifle to his shoulder, but he also had the machine gun slung over his shoulder and the flamer on the ground next to him.

“It’s the curling iron,” Scout suddenly said.

Kirk nodded. “Right.”

Roland’s finger was on the trigger.

“What are you talking about?” Nada asked.

“Watch him,” Kirk said. “Watch him kick. Notice anything strange?”

They all watched as the horse once more did a hard circle and several kicks.

“Same leg,” Moms said. “Stand down, Roland. The Firefly isn’t in Comanche. It’s in the horseshoe.”

Roland lowered the gun. “That’s a fucking stupid Firefly.”

“Language around the girl,” Moms said absently, staring at the animal. “Actually, it almost got us to kill the horse and miss where it is entirely.”

“This is new,” Doc muttered.

“This is bad,” Nada said. “But good,” he added, looking at Scout.

“You have a tranquilizer?” Moms asked Doc.

Doc nodded. “Yes.”

“Roland, switch out the round. We’re going knock Comanche out. Kirk, get me Ms. Jones.”

The radio clicked and it was as if Ms. Jones was somewhere close by, watching them as she responded immediately. “Go ahead.”

“I’m going to need a blacksmith,” Moms said.

“Did you need to use the resuscitation gear you had Support bring?”

Moms swallowed. “No, Ms. Jones.”

“How interesting. Consider the blacksmith en route.”