Free Books of the Dead (Book 1): Sanctuary From The Dead by R.J. Spears Page B

them.  Things were just too vague and the whole situation could spin out of control in seconds.  We did the best we could and hoped the situation didn’t turn to shit.  Too bad it did.

 
    CHAPTER 12
    Shootout
     
                 
    My watch ticked away counting down the seconds until we were to start shooting.  Sweat rolled down my back and the muscles across my body were so tight I thought they might burst out of my skin.   It was bad enough to fight zombies , but now I found myself in a paramilitary militia.
    Th e one thing I was sure of was I wouldn’t be the first one to fire unless someone fired on me.  Fortunately or unfortunately, Brandon had an eager trigger finger. 
    I had a line of sight on Mike who was hiding behind a bush at the corner of the house next to me.  I checked my watch again and it was time.  I looked to Mike as he used the walkie-talkie to notify Logan that we were ready to attack.
    My prediction was correct.  Off to my left a burst of shots rang out before even Mike lowered the walkie-talkie.  A shower of bullets tore into the car a group of rednecks were using for cover.  At least one of the rednecks went down while the others scattered.   As they ran for cover, someone from inside the house started firing and two more of them went down. 
    So much for this not being a slaughter.
    Mike fired, but his seemed shots targeted the car in front of our position and none of the rednecks were hit.  After witnessing what happened to the other group, our group of rednecks couldn’t decide whether to shit or go blind.  I’d have to say that I couldn’t blame them.  One moment, you have the upper hand, the next, you’re running for your life.   
    The third group panicked and scattered in different directions.  One man climbed under a pickup truck and two others ran towards a house next to where Logan’s team was holed up.  One of the men was hit, but continued to limp for cover.
    If something didn’t change soon, this was going to be a bloodbath.
    “We have you surrounded!”  My words even surprised me.  Where they came from I had no idea.  Maybe an old cop show on TV?  Maybe out of sheer desperation?  Whatever their source, the shooting stopped and no one moved. 
    “You need to drop your weapons and come into the open,” I shouted.  I peeked over at Mike, and while he looked somewhat bewildered, he made a hand gesture, urging me on.  
    Nothing happened, which was both a good and bad thing.  No one fired, but the rednecks didn’t move.  It was a proverbial Mexican stand-off.  They had been in control when they had Logan’s team pinned and now they were boxed in with enemies both in front and in back of them. .
    “We have you outnumbered and outgunned,” I shouted again.  “If you don’t surrender, none of you will get out of here alive.”  I wasn’t sure I didn’t believe what I just said, but at that point, I didn’t have to back it up. 
    “The clock is ticking,” I yelled.  I looked to Mike and he shrugged. 
    The stand-off continued.  My bluff was just that.  We had the advantage now because they were pinned down, but if they dispersed then we would have a whole new ball game in which we were outnumbered.  We had to end this now.
    I aimed at the window of the truck the one guy had crawled under and squeezed off a single shot.  My aim was getting better because the window shattered sending a shower of glass tinkling off the asphalt. 
    Before things could escalate, I said, “That could have just as easily been the man under the truck rather than the window.  We have thirty men surrounding you now.  All of them have their sights trained on each of you.  You have ten seconds to come out and surrender your weapons or we will open fire.”
    “How do we know you won’t shoot us?” A shout came from the shadows of a house.
    “Because if we had wanted to do that you’d already be dead,” I shouted wondering what movie script I was