that," said Kim. "You're creeping me out, old man."
I hadn't realized I was staring at her, and I bashfully turned away.
The squadron stayed low, and the tops of the hills danced from the wind. Dust curled behind the helicopters as they came over the horizon until they descended into our carcass-laden valley. Then they slowed, rearing back and kicking dust up over the hill and forcing us to lower our heads to avoid being stung by the debris.
Each helicopter was loaded with men in black armor that gleamed like obsidian in the sunshine. They dropped ropes down near our parked trucks and started to slide down. Within seconds, there were men gathering below us, just twenty yards away. Each of them carried F2000 assault rifles and swiftly mounted a search for the drivers of the vehicles.
Kim glanced at me and raised her eyebrows. She didn't have to explain what she was thinking, because I was thinking the same thing: We were fucked.
"We've got to move," said Kim. She had to yell over the sound of the helicopters, but the noise was loud enough that neither of us were worried the soldiers could hear.
I nodded and looked back, over my shoulder, at the empty plains to the east. We were near the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. Directly to the west, past the soldiers, the terrain was ideal for hiding, but to the east, in the direction that we would have to flee, there was nowhere to hide. I looked back over to Kim, hoping she had a plan, and noticed that she wasn't paying attention to our escape route. She was staring down at the soldiers.
"What are you thinking?" I knew what she was thinking, and I didn't want any part of it.
She scooted closer to speak directly into my ear. "They didn't just blow up the truck. That means they're probably looking for their pilot, and they want him alive. We need to get down there, and get in that truck before they realize we don't have him." She was talking about the pilot we'd captured from the wrecked helicopter - the man who was taken to the High Rollers' campsite.
"And then what?" I asked, befuddled by her plan.
She looked at me as if I should've already figured it out. "And then we get the fuck out of here. Those helicopters can't have as much fuel as the truck. We just get in and drive as far as we can up into the mountains. They can't follow us forever."
"Kim, God love ya," I snickered as I pointed down at the soldiers. "But you're forgetting about the mother fuckers down there with the assault rifles."
There were a growing number of soldiers below us, and they were gathering around one man that was holding a computer tablet of some sort. Then the one with the computer looked up in our direction, and pointed.
"Oh fuck," said Kim as she crouched to the right of me.
Celeste crawled over to my left side and said, "They're not looking for the pilot."
I looked at her, stunned and confused.
"They're looking for me."
I had no way of knowing if she was right, but her confidence convinced me.
Celeste apologized to me, for reasons I didn't quite understand, and then stood up. I tried to grab her to keep her down, but she pulled away from my grip. She walked to the apex of the hill and held her blanket over her with her left arm while raising her right into the air to wave at the approaching soldiers.
"What the fuck is she doing?" asked Kim.
I shushed Kim and started to crawl backwards down the hill. There wasn't anything we could do to protect Celeste now, and I grabbed onto Kim's arm to get her to come with me. She reluctantly complied as Celeste moved away from us, headed towards the soldiers that I couldn't see anymore.
"What the fuck is she doing?" asked Kim again.
"They're here for her."
"What makes you think that?"
"That guy was using some device to track something. Maybe they can track her somehow."
Kim's eyes darted between the helicopters above and me as she considered the possibility. "Is that why they attacked Vineyard?"
"I don't know. They had trucks filled with
I hadn't realized I was staring at her, and I bashfully turned away.
The squadron stayed low, and the tops of the hills danced from the wind. Dust curled behind the helicopters as they came over the horizon until they descended into our carcass-laden valley. Then they slowed, rearing back and kicking dust up over the hill and forcing us to lower our heads to avoid being stung by the debris.
Each helicopter was loaded with men in black armor that gleamed like obsidian in the sunshine. They dropped ropes down near our parked trucks and started to slide down. Within seconds, there were men gathering below us, just twenty yards away. Each of them carried F2000 assault rifles and swiftly mounted a search for the drivers of the vehicles.
Kim glanced at me and raised her eyebrows. She didn't have to explain what she was thinking, because I was thinking the same thing: We were fucked.
"We've got to move," said Kim. She had to yell over the sound of the helicopters, but the noise was loud enough that neither of us were worried the soldiers could hear.
I nodded and looked back, over my shoulder, at the empty plains to the east. We were near the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. Directly to the west, past the soldiers, the terrain was ideal for hiding, but to the east, in the direction that we would have to flee, there was nowhere to hide. I looked back over to Kim, hoping she had a plan, and noticed that she wasn't paying attention to our escape route. She was staring down at the soldiers.
"What are you thinking?" I knew what she was thinking, and I didn't want any part of it.
She scooted closer to speak directly into my ear. "They didn't just blow up the truck. That means they're probably looking for their pilot, and they want him alive. We need to get down there, and get in that truck before they realize we don't have him." She was talking about the pilot we'd captured from the wrecked helicopter - the man who was taken to the High Rollers' campsite.
"And then what?" I asked, befuddled by her plan.
She looked at me as if I should've already figured it out. "And then we get the fuck out of here. Those helicopters can't have as much fuel as the truck. We just get in and drive as far as we can up into the mountains. They can't follow us forever."
"Kim, God love ya," I snickered as I pointed down at the soldiers. "But you're forgetting about the mother fuckers down there with the assault rifles."
There were a growing number of soldiers below us, and they were gathering around one man that was holding a computer tablet of some sort. Then the one with the computer looked up in our direction, and pointed.
"Oh fuck," said Kim as she crouched to the right of me.
Celeste crawled over to my left side and said, "They're not looking for the pilot."
I looked at her, stunned and confused.
"They're looking for me."
I had no way of knowing if she was right, but her confidence convinced me.
Celeste apologized to me, for reasons I didn't quite understand, and then stood up. I tried to grab her to keep her down, but she pulled away from my grip. She walked to the apex of the hill and held her blanket over her with her left arm while raising her right into the air to wave at the approaching soldiers.
"What the fuck is she doing?" asked Kim.
I shushed Kim and started to crawl backwards down the hill. There wasn't anything we could do to protect Celeste now, and I grabbed onto Kim's arm to get her to come with me. She reluctantly complied as Celeste moved away from us, headed towards the soldiers that I couldn't see anymore.
"What the fuck is she doing?" asked Kim again.
"They're here for her."
"What makes you think that?"
"That guy was using some device to track something. Maybe they can track her somehow."
Kim's eyes darted between the helicopters above and me as she considered the possibility. "Is that why they attacked Vineyard?"
"I don't know. They had trucks filled with
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