The Chosen Ones: Book 3: The War

21

Shannon prayed Matt and the others were doing better than her team. They themselves were still looking for an opportunity to advance. She cursed herself for allowing them to get fired on first. That alone enabled the guards to stay on the attack.

"Fuck this." Shannon said, having had enough. She reloaded her rifle and stood up. She wasn't going to be the reason they died here tonight.
"Shannon, no!" Phil yelled, a second too late. He watched as she stepped out and advanced on the guards, spraying bullets all over the place. Phil followed her, as did Sam, Gavin, and Shaun, giving her cover.

It was this or wait to be picked off. Gavin tried to stay in front of Sam. He had secretly craved this moment, a chance to fight for the Chosen Ones. He just never thought he would be fighting against the people that had trained him. He always hoped it would be protecting Tyler from outside enemies. Now, after seeing his friends killed he wanted nothing more than to get revenge, no matter who it was against.

Phil's mags ran out on both of his 9mm's. Sam saw this and threw him a a loaded one. For the most part they were shooting blindly. Shaun suddenly took a bullet and fell back onto the marble floor. He crawled back, using the pillar as cover. His eyes were wide, up until now he had thought they might be invincible. This bullet was all he needed to know they were really in this thing. He coughed loudly as he attempted to catch his breath.

Shannon ran over. "You good?" She looked him over.
He nodded. "Yeah, vest caught it." He told her. She helped him up and he got back in the fight.
Sam's ears were ringing and her heart was racing. The thought of just wanting the shooting to stop was trumped by the thought of wanting revenge. She pushed forward.

Shannon saw a guard take aim at Phil, who didn't see the man. She took a knife from her belt and threw it with force and accuracy, sending the blade straight through his neck, entering one side and coming out the other.

"Throw a bomb!" Phil screamed.
Sam got on a knee and opened her black backpack. She took out two pipe bombs and underhanded Phil a grenade. She and Gavin tossed the bombs as Phil pulled the pin and rolled the grenade down the hallway.

The force of the three explosive devices threw them all backwards and they hit the ground hard. It was a massive explosion. Surely Matt and the others had felt it too. They were unfamiliar with the explosives and underestimated the impact. Luckily for them the guards got it much worse, which allowed them to stay down and gather themselves.

There was an eerie quiet in the air, only broken up briefly by the sound of crumbling concrete falling off the walls. White smoke filled the corridors. In the back of her mind Shannon wondered if the explosion had killed the remaining enemy.

Shannon got up off the ground. "Jesus Christ, a little warning next time?" She asked.
"Sorry." Phil said.
"Did we get them all?" Sam asked, hopefully.
"I think they retreated. Stay alert." Gavin told them.

"Oh my God!" Sam yelled. She noticed Shaun and ran over to him. He was slumped up against the wall.
"Are you hit?" She asked him.
He smiled. His breathing had intensified and his face was pale. Shannon knelt down and noticed blood dripping from under his arm, up by his armpit.
"Vest caught it, huh?" She said, shaking her head at him.

Shaun shrugged and smiled. He knew he was shot back there. "Didn't want to stop our momentum."
"We have to get you help." Sam cried.
"Can you walk?" Phil asked.
Shaun nodded. Gavin and Phil helped him get to his feet. Shannon knew his wound wasn't good. They had just gotten into the battle and already had a man down. She examined his wound again. Shaun would need Tyler, and soon. This wasn't a gun shot you lived with.

More bullets chipped away at the white paint on the walls all around them and they hit the ground for cover. Whatever guards were left had returned.

They weren't getting out that easy.