reached in for a rifle with an elaborate scope, hefting it against his shoulder. She was about to protest when she heard popping sounds coming from the outside. There were dull impacts against the body of the RV from the gunfire.
"Let's go!" Lot yelled, and Sophie saw that Clive had appeared, now holding a stool. He braced himself against the seats, as the RV jostled from side to side. Whoever was driving sped up even more, and Sophie fell over on top of Corrine who thankfully had not woken, other than to slap lightly at Sophie and mutter something unintelligible. Clive placed the stool on the floor, and knelt down to keep it stable. Lot climbed it and reached up to slide open the canopy above them.
As he was doing this, Rowen dropped his pack to the floor and reached in for his pistol before running to the back window. He pulled it open to take aim and one of the men on the ATV pointed and raised their gun up.
Sophie heard more gunfire, this time from above, and looked up to see Lot, reeling back slightly from the force of his shots. She turned back to the ATV's in time to see one of the driver's heads snap back and go limp. The vehicle swerved to the side and rolled, throwing both passengers violently to the ground.
Rowen ducked as several shots hit the back of the RV, then raised back up again to return fire. He hit the other driver in the shoulder, causing the ATV to slow and turn slightly. She heard Lot fire from above and saw an explosion of blood and matter from the back of the driver's head before his bike turned sharply and flipped, rolling and crashing to a halt.
Sophie detected no movement from the rovers as the wreckage grew smaller in the window.
"All right, stop!" Lot called ahead to the driver, who reached down to honk and flash their lights at the other vehicle before slowing to a stop. Lot jumped out of the RV and everyone stood up gradually, to follow. Sophie bent down to kiss Corrine's forehead and saw that she was awake. She smiled at Sophie and nodded.
"I'll be all right. Go ahead."
Sophie walked out to survey the damage. Lot paced slowly around the RV, taking it in for himself. He did several laps around the vehicle before making his pronouncement.
"I think it's okay. Just body damage."
"So what now?" Clive asked.
Lot looked back at the wrecked ATV's. "Well, they aren't going to be a problem. But I'm sure there are going to be more of those assholes back there, and before long they're going to come looking to see what happened. We can't have more of these guys on our tail like this. I hate wasting the gas and I don't think we can get very far, but I think we need to use what we have."
There seemed to be general agreement as they turned back, eager to put some distance between themselves and the carnage they had left. But before anyone could move, they all heard the sound coming from up the road, the direction where they had just been headed. It was the sound of several large vehicles coming from around the bend. They were just about to make the turn and come into sight. Sophie noticed how dry her mouth had suddenly become and saw her fear reflected in the faces of the others around her.
There was no time to get away.
-22-
Sophie expected to see a small squad of tanks coming around the bend, psychotic idiots hanging off of it and waving their guns around at anyone they could get the chance to shoot at. What she saw instead took her breath away.
Two school busses.
Lot and Rowen seemed equally taken aback as the vehicles rumbled to a stop about a hundred feet away. The two of them raised their guns as the doors opened and a woman who looked to be in her early fifties stepped out.
"Whoa there," she yelled, hands raised as she slowly approached. "Take it easy fellas, you've got no trouble from us."
"Who the hell are you?" Lot asked.
"The name's Meredith. I'd shake your hand but I'm guessing you wouldn't want me to get close enough for that."
She stopped, about thirty feet from
"Let's go!" Lot yelled, and Sophie saw that Clive had appeared, now holding a stool. He braced himself against the seats, as the RV jostled from side to side. Whoever was driving sped up even more, and Sophie fell over on top of Corrine who thankfully had not woken, other than to slap lightly at Sophie and mutter something unintelligible. Clive placed the stool on the floor, and knelt down to keep it stable. Lot climbed it and reached up to slide open the canopy above them.
As he was doing this, Rowen dropped his pack to the floor and reached in for his pistol before running to the back window. He pulled it open to take aim and one of the men on the ATV pointed and raised their gun up.
Sophie heard more gunfire, this time from above, and looked up to see Lot, reeling back slightly from the force of his shots. She turned back to the ATV's in time to see one of the driver's heads snap back and go limp. The vehicle swerved to the side and rolled, throwing both passengers violently to the ground.
Rowen ducked as several shots hit the back of the RV, then raised back up again to return fire. He hit the other driver in the shoulder, causing the ATV to slow and turn slightly. She heard Lot fire from above and saw an explosion of blood and matter from the back of the driver's head before his bike turned sharply and flipped, rolling and crashing to a halt.
Sophie detected no movement from the rovers as the wreckage grew smaller in the window.
"All right, stop!" Lot called ahead to the driver, who reached down to honk and flash their lights at the other vehicle before slowing to a stop. Lot jumped out of the RV and everyone stood up gradually, to follow. Sophie bent down to kiss Corrine's forehead and saw that she was awake. She smiled at Sophie and nodded.
"I'll be all right. Go ahead."
Sophie walked out to survey the damage. Lot paced slowly around the RV, taking it in for himself. He did several laps around the vehicle before making his pronouncement.
"I think it's okay. Just body damage."
"So what now?" Clive asked.
Lot looked back at the wrecked ATV's. "Well, they aren't going to be a problem. But I'm sure there are going to be more of those assholes back there, and before long they're going to come looking to see what happened. We can't have more of these guys on our tail like this. I hate wasting the gas and I don't think we can get very far, but I think we need to use what we have."
There seemed to be general agreement as they turned back, eager to put some distance between themselves and the carnage they had left. But before anyone could move, they all heard the sound coming from up the road, the direction where they had just been headed. It was the sound of several large vehicles coming from around the bend. They were just about to make the turn and come into sight. Sophie noticed how dry her mouth had suddenly become and saw her fear reflected in the faces of the others around her.
There was no time to get away.
-22-
Sophie expected to see a small squad of tanks coming around the bend, psychotic idiots hanging off of it and waving their guns around at anyone they could get the chance to shoot at. What she saw instead took her breath away.
Two school busses.
Lot and Rowen seemed equally taken aback as the vehicles rumbled to a stop about a hundred feet away. The two of them raised their guns as the doors opened and a woman who looked to be in her early fifties stepped out.
"Whoa there," she yelled, hands raised as she slowly approached. "Take it easy fellas, you've got no trouble from us."
"Who the hell are you?" Lot asked.
"The name's Meredith. I'd shake your hand but I'm guessing you wouldn't want me to get close enough for that."
She stopped, about thirty feet from
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