Free Wormwood Dawn (Episode IX) by Edward Crae Page B

glaring at Drew, and the other two began pacing. They held their rifles in a strange way, though, as if neither of them had ever held one before. In fact, as one of them turned to his left, Jake could see that the bolt of his rifle was open. He could see the brass inside, off-kilter and slanted instead of snug inside the barrel. The asshole’s rifle was jammed.
    So much for M4 feed ramps, Jake thought, smiling.
    “What are you smiling at?” the other asshole asked him, walking his way.
    “Nothing,” Jake said. “It’s a nervous tic.”
    The guy walked over slowly, keeping his eyes on Jake. There was a slight creak from Eric’s position, and the quiet sound of a screw being pulled tight. Jake gritted his teeth, readying himself for what was coming next. Just as the asshole got in front of Eric, the man let loose.
    With a grizzly bear growl, Eric ripped the top shelf from the wall. It came loose from its frame, swinging around in an arc, bashing the asshole’s head with a loud crack. The man went down in a bloody pulp. Drew leaped up, dragging his chair with him, and shoved the table toward manbun, knocking him onto the floor and jumping on top of him.
    The remaining guy shouted just as Eric ripped himself free and swung the heavy shelf at him. He raised the rifle just as the heavy steel clipped him in the shoulder. He went down, flung in Jake’s direction. Jake kicked him in the gut with enough force to make him puke, and Eric finished him off with his shackled weapon.
    Drew rolled to the side, still handcuffed, just as manbun threw the table off of him. Eric grabbed him by the throat, lifting him off the ground by his neck. Manbun struggled and gagged as Eric squeezed.
    “Kill him,” Jake said. “Break his fuckin’ neck.”
    Eric closed his eyes and growled again, the veins in his hands popping out as he put more pressure on Manbun’s neck. Then, with a crack, Eric’s vise-like grip did its job, and manbun fell limp. Eric dropped his body to the floor, putting his hands on his knees and spewing vomit on the floor.
    “Find the keys,” Jake said. “Get us out of here.”
    Eric wept loudly, sounding like a tortured dog. Jake felt bad for him, knowing that the man had basically popped his murder cherry. Eric was a gentle soul, and now that aspect of his being was gone. His life would change forever, Jake knew, but now was not the time to dwell on it.
    “Eric,” Drew said, hopping around with the chair dangled from his shackled hands. “Get the keys out of his pocket and unlock us.”
    “Oh my god,” Eric moaned. “Fuckfuckfuck.”
    “Dude!” Jake shouted. “Focus.”
    Eric stood, grasping his hair as he looked around. He reached down into manbun’s pockets, rooting around and finding a set of keys. He unlocked Drew first, handing the keys to him and squatting on the floor. Drew unlocked Jake’s shackles, giving Jake a look that showed he was sympathetic to Eric’s plight. Jake rubbed his wrists, going to Eric and putting his hand on the man’s back.
    “Come on, brutha,” he said. “Let’s get the fuck outta here.”
    “I just killed three people,” Eric said, nearly choking.
    “So what?” Jake said, picking up the jammed rifle. “Let’s go. Grab a gun and let’s find our way out.”
    Jake cleared the rifle’s chamber, unjamming it. He searched its owner’s pockets, finding two mags in his thigh pocket. “Sweet,” he said.
    “I want that fuckin’ Seth’s head,” Drew growled, grabbing manbun’s gun.
    “Later,” Jake said. “Let’s just focus on getting out. We can come back with a larger force and erase these mother fuckers for good.”
    Jake dragged Eric to his feet, handing him the remaining rifle. Eric took it reluctantly, making sure it was loaded. After a moment, he nodded sadly. “Alright,” he said. “Let’s go.”
     
    Dan and his two female companions crept through the abandoned warehouses on 450W. They had parked at the intersection to avoid being seen and were