Descent into the Abyss

Chapter 28

"Have you been here since yesterday?" Blake asked, his eyes glued to the complex on the nearby street corner.

"Yeah," Lopez replied, handing him a pair of black binoculars. "Been keeping an eye on the guards and their rotations."

"You got a count on how many inside?"

Lopez paused, his fingers flicking up as he mouthed off a count.

"If no one has slipped in without us seeing, should be four. Looked like two gringos, a chica, and a black guy from what I saw."

"Yeah, the girl and black dude are outside right now. Looks like they got some serious firepower down there. Rifles and Kevlar," Blake replied, focusing the lens of the binoculars.

"Wait until you see the gringos," Lopez laughed. "One of them was packing around an old school Thompson, like he was some mafioso."

"Their bullets still do the same damage, regardless of who or what they think they are. We can't go in careless or overconfident, Lopez. Not if we want to make it out alive."

"Yeah, I get ya, amigo."

Blake held his tongue, trying not to alienate his ally, but at the same time, worried about Lopez's professionalism.

"You're not in the military anymore," His thoughts retorted. "Everyday civilians don't have that rigidity."

"I'll take point,"Blake decided, handing Lopez the binoculars. "Don't miss."

A grin shot across Lopez's face, his eyes flicking towards the rifle lying between the windows.

"Stay to the right," He chuckled back.

Four hostiles stood between them and the shopping complex, between them and crippling the Ravenport's offensive force. Cool air slithered through his hood, chilling his bones as he crossed the street, heading straight towards the two guards.

Black and grey Kevlar lined their torsos, visible through the opening of their jackets. Each held a rifle, one a modified AR-15 and the other a hunter's rifle, fitted with a mid-range scope. Blake almost felt pity for the judgement about to be inflicted, but it was all for the greater good...

"Not the first time we've heard that," His thoughts retorted.

"Don't miss," He whispered, his right hand slipping out of his coat pocket and reaching to the small of his back.

The guards went rigid.

"They still haven't looked at me? Why? What's wrong?"

He stepped closer, hearing the crackling squawk of a radio calling out, both guards turning to see him.

"He's here!" The woman, a weathered brunette with her hair pulled back tight, hidden by her hood, called out and pointed.

The second guard, the AR wielder, dropped to a single knee, his rifle brought up.

"Training? My luck..." Blake commented, stepping back and around the stone corner of the building.

Two shots slammed into the corner, chunks of stone flying through the air as a third shot echoed through the streets. A scream, feminine and high, filled his ears, his body flat against the wall, inching back towards the corner. Mimicking his opponents, he dropped to a crouch, spinning around the corner and lining his irons up. His heart skipped a beat, seeing the glare of the scope already aiming his way.

A single shot.

Her body recoiled, while his fell to the sidewalk as dust and pieces of stone rained down. His chest aching, he rose to his knees and feet, staring down towards the limp bodies of the two guards. True to Lopez's report, shouts began filling the air, two more men running through the entrance of the complex towards their comrades. His head tilting to the right just a hair, he lined up the irons once more, this time squeezing off three shots before they returned the favor.