I just had to reach the helicopter at the landing point, and we would be home free.
Then I saw the headlights behind me, the army of cars quickly catching up with us. I didn’t mention it to Shane, who was barely holding on.
I promised Vanessa I would come back, and I had to keep that promise—at all costs.
The Hummer was being pushed as hard as it would go, and I couldn’t do any faster. I was taking turns dangerously, but if I slowed down, they would catch up with us. Shane shifted left to right in the passenger seat, his body getting weaker and weaker. He looked in the rearview and saw them coming. “Shit.”
“We’ll be fine. We’ve been in worse situations.”
“No…I don’t think we have.”
The helicopter was sitting in the dark waiting for us, so I slammed on the brakes and turned the Hummer so it covered some of the chopper. “I can’t carry you, Shane. You need to run in there, get the engine going, and I’ll cover you.”
“Bones, this isn’t—”
“We’re getting out of this alive, alright? You’ve got a wife waiting for you, and now I have someone who promised to kill me if I didn’t come back. So we have to pull through this. Fight the pain. Just get that chopper off the ground. I’ll make sure a bullet doesn’t hit you, but you’ve got to make sure you get me out of here. Alright?”
I popped the door open and pulled out all the guns and ammunition we had. I had a machine gun, a few grenades, and a rocket launcher. “Haul ass, Shane.” I couldn’t look at him anymore because I was focused on the cars coming this way.
Shane clenched his jaw and screamed as he got out of the passenger seat. Half limping, half running, he darted into the chopper and got to work.
I loaded the rocket launcher and aimed precisely in front of the vehicles, wanting the first Hummer to run into the explosive at the perfect time. I pulled the trigger and watched the rocket fly, the smoke erupting out of the back of the tube.
It hit perfectly, causing the Hummer in the front to buck toward the sky and tip over, the engine exploding at the same time.
But that was just one car. I had three more.
The chopper started to hum to life, the power on and the rotors slowly starting to spin.
I launched another rocket, hitting the next big vehicle. I shot it right in the driver’s window, causing the driver to explode in a fiery death and send the Hummer exploding and spinning out of control at the same time.
The other cars were too close now, so I pulled out the machine gun and started firing.
They stopped their cars and got out, blocked by the car doors. They laid a line of bullets at me, forcing me to duck for cover.
The propellers were moving faster, but it still wasn’t quite ready yet.
I grabbed a few grenades and threw them backward over my Hummer, knowing my aim was true even if I couldn’t see it. I saw the explosions in the reflection of the chopper door, debris flying into the air.
I stood up again and kept firing the rounds, shooting the men who were still standing.
Shane opened the back door. “Get in. I’m taking off.”
I kept firing as I backed up, leaving myself exposed to bullets. But there was chaos among the men, the cars still on fire and the rounds hitting them in all different places. I hopped onto the runner then stood up, still firing. “Go!”
Shane pulled the chopper off the ground.
I saw one of the men pull a rocket launcher out of the back of the pickup. “Shit. Shane, we’ve got a rocket launcher.”
“The sniper rifle is on the wall. You better hit him, Bones.”
I dropped my gun and pulled the rifle out of the crate. The helicopter was vibrating so my accuracy wasn’t as strong as it usually was. But I steadied the gun, looking through the scope, and when I saw the man ready the rocket launcher, I fired.
Head shot. “Got him.”
“Good,” Shane shouted. “I need you to take over in a bit…I don’t think I can keep it up much longer.”
“You’ll be fine, Shane.” I shut the door and pulled on my helmet. I got on the radio and told our team we would be arriving soon, and Shane was seriously injured. He was becoming paler in the face by the second.
I took over the controls, and he moved to the passenger seat.
Shane clutched his stomach and breathed hard, his shirt soaked. “I’m not gonna make it, man.”
“Shut up.”
“I’m not…tell my wife—”
“I’m not telling her a goddamn thing. You can tell her when we get back.”
Once I landed at the rendezvous point, the medics took Shane and rushed him into surgery. We had a small medical team, but they’d been trained to handle emergency situations. I stayed behind and sat in one of the chairs in the hallway. I was caked with dirt and blood, and I still had my shotgun over my shoulder. I dragged my hands down my face.