Free Wasteland Rules: Die Fighting (The World After Book 4) by J.G. Martin

she listened he charged
out from behind the building. In the intersection there were two surviving
pickup technicals firing on the Rangers and two more wrecks burning nearby. The
bodies of gunmen littered the street but there were still at least a dozen
still fighting. They were firing from behind the cover of the surviving
technicals and from behind piles of rubble. Derek shot one from behind as he
readied an RPG-7 to fire. The gunman pulled the trigger as he went down and the
rocket shot into the sky and disappeared. Derek quickly switched his aim and
dropped a grenade into the bed of one of the surviving pickups. The gunner and
machine gun were sent flying by the explosion.
       The gunner on the second pickup tried to bring his
gun to bear on Derek, but it wouldn’t swing around that far. Derek cut him down
with a short burst. The other gunmen recovered from the surprise attack and
began firing on their ambusher. Multiple rounds struck Derek as he scrambled
for cover behind one of the burning pickups. His new vest stopped most of the
rounds but a few punched through the vest or struck him in the arms and legs.
       The wounds slowed him down and tripped him up. He
fell to the ground and rolled behind the pickup, taking cover behind an
oversized tire. Bullets whizzed all around him ricocheting off the pickup and
the ground. Sparks flew as the gunmen concentrated all of their fire on him.
They had him pinned down and he could tell some of them were advancing on his
position. If he didn’t move they would soon catch him in a crossfire that he
wouldn’t survive. He reloaded the grenade launcher and put in a fresh clip.
       Gathering himself and ignoring his wounds, he
jumped to his feet and dashed for the alley. As soon as he popped up he fired a
grenade into his attackers, killing and wounding several. He fired blindly as
he ran until his clip ran dry. Bullets flew all around him and he felt a few
pass through him, but he kept running. He was almost to the alley when a burst
struck him in the back and knocked him down. The vest stopped the rounds, but
he couldn’t breathe.
       Derek was lying there waiting to die as the gunmen
approached. Then, suddenly, the Ranger SUV burst through the smoke like an avenging
angel with its heavy machine gun firing on full auto. The few remaining Rangers
on foot came charging after with their guns blazing. The gunmen were caught
completely by surprise and quickly gunned down by the heavier firepower of the
Rangers. They disarmed and secured the few gunmen who had survived the sudden
assault and the town fell silent.
        Derek was grateful they hadn’t turned and run once
the gunmen had stopped firing on them. He had been pretty sure they would rise
to the occasion, but you never knew. These Rangers were impressive, Derek would
be grateful to have them by his side any time. That was his last thought before
he succumbed to his wounds and passed out. That seemed to be becoming an
annoying habit.

Chapter 7
    Deming, New Mexico
    September 13, 2029
       The first thing Derek saw when he regained
consciousness was the face of a Ranger medic. The man had a confused look on
his face as he examined Derek’s wounds. Derek sat up and looked around. The
Reconquistador and Ranger technicals had stopped burning and the air had
cleared. He could see that the Rapid Reaction Force had arrived and secured the
town. Heavily armed Rangers backed by more armored cars had formed a cordon
around the area. A gunship circled slowly above them, its gunners constantly
seeking targets.
       “I heal fast.” Derek told the medic with a smile as
he jumped to his feet.
       A tall Texas Ranger saw Derek get up and moved
towards him. He was surprised to see the Ranger was a young black woman. It
looked like the Rangers were truly a color and sex blind organization basing
their promotions on ability and not politics. His estimation of them rose even
higher, which he hadn’t thought possible. The Ranger