anti-climactic,” Coyle said.
Machine gun fire sounded outside as the group turned to look at the lobby’s entrance. Jim looked at Samantha and Annie.
“Stay here,” he ordered.
Jim rushed out to meet Brett and Twink at the door where they watched the scene take place outside. Brett motioned over for Jim to come see.
“Looks like we’ve got company,” Brett said.
The looters scattered and fired shots down the street at two armored trucks driving towards the building, randomly ramming cars out of the way. The trucks came to a stop just outside the building’s steps, where six soldiers from each truck poured out and began firing back into the looters. Two looters with assault rifles ducked behind the engine of a flipped car and began spraying bullets towards the soldiers. Other looters took position and shelter in shops along the street.
One of the soldiers heaved a grenade at the car where the two looters with assault rifles were huddled behind. The thud of the grenade hitting the other side of the car was masked by the looters reloading their weapons. Before the two of them could fire back the grenade blasted through the side of the car sending bits and pieces of their bodies flying into the air.
Five of the looters that had retreated to the shops had run upstairs and smashed through the windows above. They opened fire on the soldiers below, catching them off guard. One of them took a bullet in the shoulder, while another soldier took one right through the eye. He dropped to the ground lifeless.
Jim stood inside the lobby watching the fight take place. Gunshots, grenade blasts, and blood. This wasn’t Phoenix anymore.
“What do you wanna do, Jim?” Brett asked.
“We gotta go help them,” Twink said.
“We don’t know who started firing first,” Jim said.
“Yeah, we do. It was our guys. The soldiers started shooting at the truck the moment they were in eyeshot of it,” Brett said.
Then Jim saw Hult run around the front end of the truck to reload his magazine. Sweat dripped off his chin as bullets rained down on him and his men. Hult only looked up for a split second, but he saw them.
Jim immediately ducked down. “We’ve got to get out of here, now!”
The group took off around the hallway and right before they turned the corner, they heard the crash of glass and concrete behind them. The armored truck rammed into the lobby and Hult rushed out with the rest of his men like a swarm of bees.
Jim and Brett kept back to help provide cover while Coyle and Twink took the front. Annie stayed glued to Samantha. They ran down a hallway to a pair of exit doors that lead to an atrium. Jim glanced back and saw Hult a few hundred feet behind them.
“Stop!” Hult screamed.
Jim fired a spray of bullets sending the soldiers ducking behind whatever cover they could find.
Twink was the first through the exit doors followed by Samantha and Annie. Samantha pointed towards a stairwell to their left.
“That’ll take us to the parking garage at the street entrance,” she said.
“If there are as many cars in there as there were in the street, I’ll be able to hotwire one of them,” Twink said.
“Let’s go find our ride,” Jim said.
When Hult burst through the atrium doors they were gone. His breath was short as he ran around trying to find them. His men finally caught up with him.
“Spread out!” Hult said.
Hult turned around and eyed the stairwell door where Jim had just gone down.
The parking garage door flew open and Twink came barreling out. There were cars everywhere. Coyle, Samantha, Annie, Brett, and Jim came through right after. They trotted down the slope of the garage towards the exit where they saw the fading light hit the street outside. The distant sound of screams and gunfire had increased.
Twink found a truck, smashed the window, and popped the lock. He dropped under the
Machine gun fire sounded outside as the group turned to look at the lobby’s entrance. Jim looked at Samantha and Annie.
“Stay here,” he ordered.
Jim rushed out to meet Brett and Twink at the door where they watched the scene take place outside. Brett motioned over for Jim to come see.
“Looks like we’ve got company,” Brett said.
The looters scattered and fired shots down the street at two armored trucks driving towards the building, randomly ramming cars out of the way. The trucks came to a stop just outside the building’s steps, where six soldiers from each truck poured out and began firing back into the looters. Two looters with assault rifles ducked behind the engine of a flipped car and began spraying bullets towards the soldiers. Other looters took position and shelter in shops along the street.
One of the soldiers heaved a grenade at the car where the two looters with assault rifles were huddled behind. The thud of the grenade hitting the other side of the car was masked by the looters reloading their weapons. Before the two of them could fire back the grenade blasted through the side of the car sending bits and pieces of their bodies flying into the air.
Five of the looters that had retreated to the shops had run upstairs and smashed through the windows above. They opened fire on the soldiers below, catching them off guard. One of them took a bullet in the shoulder, while another soldier took one right through the eye. He dropped to the ground lifeless.
Jim stood inside the lobby watching the fight take place. Gunshots, grenade blasts, and blood. This wasn’t Phoenix anymore.
“What do you wanna do, Jim?” Brett asked.
“We gotta go help them,” Twink said.
“We don’t know who started firing first,” Jim said.
“Yeah, we do. It was our guys. The soldiers started shooting at the truck the moment they were in eyeshot of it,” Brett said.
Then Jim saw Hult run around the front end of the truck to reload his magazine. Sweat dripped off his chin as bullets rained down on him and his men. Hult only looked up for a split second, but he saw them.
Jim immediately ducked down. “We’ve got to get out of here, now!”
The group took off around the hallway and right before they turned the corner, they heard the crash of glass and concrete behind them. The armored truck rammed into the lobby and Hult rushed out with the rest of his men like a swarm of bees.
Jim and Brett kept back to help provide cover while Coyle and Twink took the front. Annie stayed glued to Samantha. They ran down a hallway to a pair of exit doors that lead to an atrium. Jim glanced back and saw Hult a few hundred feet behind them.
“Stop!” Hult screamed.
Jim fired a spray of bullets sending the soldiers ducking behind whatever cover they could find.
Twink was the first through the exit doors followed by Samantha and Annie. Samantha pointed towards a stairwell to their left.
“That’ll take us to the parking garage at the street entrance,” she said.
“If there are as many cars in there as there were in the street, I’ll be able to hotwire one of them,” Twink said.
“Let’s go find our ride,” Jim said.
When Hult burst through the atrium doors they were gone. His breath was short as he ran around trying to find them. His men finally caught up with him.
“Spread out!” Hult said.
Hult turned around and eyed the stairwell door where Jim had just gone down.
The parking garage door flew open and Twink came barreling out. There were cars everywhere. Coyle, Samantha, Annie, Brett, and Jim came through right after. They trotted down the slope of the garage towards the exit where they saw the fading light hit the street outside. The distant sound of screams and gunfire had increased.
Twink found a truck, smashed the window, and popped the lock. He dropped under the
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