Free Stryker: A Post-Apocalyptic Tale by Bobby Andrews Page A

That’s
my sister in there!” she screamed, the veins in her neck and head bulging. “I
know how to handle a weapon; I’m a better shot than you. I’m going, and that’s
final.” She stomped out of the room.
    “That apple didn’t
fall far from the tree,” Stryker murmured, remembering Sarge’s tirades during
basic training. Sarge just glared at him, giving him the furry eyeball. Stryker
sighed and said, “You’re not going to convince her to stay and we’re wasting
time. We can set her up as a sniper on the hilltop, and if it goes south, she
can back down the hill, get to the truck, and get away.”
    “So, let’s go,”
Erin said as she entered the room. She was wearing a drop holster with a Glock
17.
    “We’re making the
plan now,” Stryker answered quietly. “Why don’t you see if you can find clothes
for the girls?”
    “They have
clothes.”
    “I know, but we may
not have time to pick them up on our way out and I don’t want to embarrass them
any more than they already are. We need a few minutes to plan something,
anyway.” She looked at Stryker and thought it amazing that he displayed any
sensitivity at all. He looked like a wrecking ball.
    “So, I’m going,”
she said. Stryker looked at Sarge.
    “Yes.” He spoke
through clenched teeth and Stryker couldn’t help but laugh. She left the room.
    “Plan?” Stryker
asked.
    “Obvious one is to
take them out from the hill.”
    “How about the guys
in the bleachers?”
    “They might not be
a problem.”
    “You’re taking
their candy away and they will be a problem.”
    “You want to
infiltrate the building and get them from the rear?” Stryker just nodded.
    “So, we’re the
snipers on the hill, and you’re the one taking the risk?”
    “It would seem so.
You don’t want to risk her, and you’re not mobile enough to do it.”
    “I can’t accept
that.”
    “Look, this may be
our last rodeo, so let’s do it right. The right man for the job does the job.”
    “It’s not your
fight.”
    “It became my fight
when it became yours, brother.” Sarge looked away and turned back to Stryker.
    “I don’t seem to be
getting my way much today.”
    “Me either, but both
of us can stand on our heads in a bucket of shit for two days if we have to, so
suck it up and focus on the mission.”
    “You can’t use
grenades. It’s too close to the stage.”
    “Forty-five meter
blast radius.”
    “That’s how far
away they’ll be.”
    “I know.”
    “We can’t deal with
wounds.”
    “Well, we could go
in tonight, take out the guards, and bring the girls back here,” Stryker said.
    “You can if you
want to leave the rest of those assholes alive,” Erin said, walking to the
table and placing a garbage bag on one end. “That’s not an option. What we do
is go in tonight, get my friends and sister, one of us brings them back here,
and the other two wait for the assholes to return. Brody is back tomorrow and
the raping is going to start. You want to wait for that?” She grabbed her
drawing and added, “This road is the only way in. I saw the goodies and know we
have rocket launchers. We set up on the hill and blow the crap out of them when
they return.”
    “I still have to
infiltrate through the second floor.”
    “Probably not,” she
replied. “One of the night guards is a chain-smoker and sits in a chair with
the door open while he smokes.”
    “Boy, that apple really did not fall too far from the tree,” Stryker said, looking at Erin with
admiration. She was smart as hell and obviously started taking note of
everything important from the moment she was captured.
    “It solves a lot of
problems,” Sarge allowed.
    “What are we
waiting for?” Erin added.
     
    The three sat side
by side in the cab of the pickup. They approached the racetrack at an idle,
with Stryker driving. It was a cloudy night. He wore the NVGs and stared at a
landscape of green and black. He stopped the vehicle 200 meters out and got out
of the truck. He