The Chosen Ones Book 4: A New Enemy

Chapter 11

Tyler decided to take the truck into town the next morning with Sierra. Matt objected, knowing Gabriel could be anywhere, but in the end agreed after Shannon said she would tag along.

She sat in the back, flipping through a magazine as Tyler drove. She was there to watch out for Tyler and her sister. They both knew it, and weren't happy about it, but they played along. They were both untested in battle and Shannon knew more than anyone the first time you have to fight is the scariest. She wished she had someone to look out for her all them years ago. Instead she was thrown right to the wolves.

The small town was perfect, well, according to Matt and Casey. Shannon herself preferred a little more going on around her. The center of town, where they were currently, had a hardware store, a hair and nail salon, a few small clothing boutiques, and a typical small town diner. If you wanted the bigger corporate stores you needed to drive another ten miles down the road.

Tyler parked and the three of them got out.
"I'm gonna go into that hardware store, I'll meet you guys in the diner." Shannon said.
"What are you getting at the hardware store?" Sierra asked.
"A nail gun."
"What do you need a nail gun for?" Tyler asked.
"To shoot people with nails." Shannon replied, matter of factly.

Tyler took Sierra's hand and they walked toward the diner. Sierra stopped suddenly as she noticed an animal walking by.
"Oh my God!" She gushed.
The animal, which was a dog, an ugly old pug to be exact, was panting hard with its tongue hanging out of the side of its mouth.

"That's the ugliest dog I've ever seen." Tyler said.
"Ah Ty, he can hardly walk." Sierra noticed. She gave Tyler a sad look. He knew what she wanted him to do, and he happily obliged.
He bent down and massaged the dog's hips. He could feel the animal didn't have many days left. Its health was in rapid decline. He scanned the parking lot to make sure nobody was looking.

When he finished the old dog went galloping away with a new lease on life. They both smiled as they watched him go.
"I love you." Sierra told him.
"Yeah yeah." Tyler replied, smiling.
She locked her arm in his and they headed for the diner.

They were scanning over the menu when Shannon slid in the booth next to her sister. She put her paper bag on the floor at her feet, presumably with the nail gun in it.
"I just saw the ugliest dog I've ever seen. At least I think it was a dog." Shannon commented as she looked over the menu.

Tyler and Sierra looked at each other and smiled, not mentioning their interaction with the dog moments earlier.
"Matt said this place has the best burgers." Shannon told them.
"I'm gonna tell them they sucked just to mess with him." Tyler said, grinning.
"He'll never let it go." Sierra said.

They ordered the burgers. It was like their groups go to food. Everywhere they ordered from they all had to get the burger. Was it a Chosen One thing? I mean, each of their favorite food couldn't all be a cheeseburger could it? Either way it was a fun inside joke of the group.

They finished up and decided to head back. The consensus was Gabriel would be arriving today. That wanted to make sure they were prepared if he attacked.
The three of them couldn't complain about the day though. It was nice being able to go into town. Shannon cherished the time she got to spend with her sister and she couldn't be happier that Sierra had ended up with Tyler.

Shannon hopped into the backseat. As Sierra went to get into the passenger side the old ugly pug came bouncing over.
"Aw, he came to say thank you." Sierra said to Tyler. She looked at him with her sad eyes. Again, she didn't need to say anything, he knew exactly what she wanted.

Tyler scooped up the dog and threw it in the backseat with Shannon.
"No! No way Tyler!" She protested.
He laughed as he got behind the wheel.
"If he drools on my Coach boots I'm throwing him out the window." Shannon swore.

"He likes you." Sierra told her.
Shannon looked down at the dog staring up at her, drool dripping onto the interior of the truck. It let out a loud snort, forcing Shannon to pin herself up against the door.
"Your dad is going to kill you." She stated.

Tyler headed for home. He would deal with his dad when he got there. Most likely he would protest then come to love the old dog. That's usually what happened. He turned to look at the little guy who was breathing rather heavily. That's when Sierra let out a scream.

Tyler turned just in time to see two men come out of the woods with automatic rifles aimed at the truck. They were dressed in all black with scarves wrapped around their necks and covering their mouths.
He swerved and sent the vehicle into a tailspin. Shannon opened the door and rolled out into a ravine on the side of the road before the truck even stopped. Even with the long gap between action she was always ready for anything.

Tyler and Sierra froze as the truck came to a stop in the middle of the road.
"Get out!" Shannon yelled.
They each grabbed a gun off the seat and ran to Shannon. Sierra was shaking as she took cover next to her sister. Both her and Tyler were new to these situations.

"Hey, both of you! You're ready. You got this. Now shoot to kill." Shannon instructed.
"Was that Gabriel?" Tyler asked.
"I couldn't tell." Shannon answered.
Just then they heard the pug barking from the center of the road. The two men who emerged from the woods were already firing in their direction.

"Oh you gotta be kidding me." Shannon groaned as she looked at the helpless dog. She looked at Tyler and Sierra, who were staring hopefully at her.
"Really?!" She replied. She ripped open her brand new nail gum and loaded it with fresh six inch nails.
"Cover me." She ordered.

She ran for the truck and in one motion slid and grabbed the dog, throwing it in the backseat without hesitation. Then.. she went off. Fearlessly, she walked toward the two men, firing her nail gun with precision. She struck the one man in the neck and the other right between the eyes.

More men emerged from the woods now. Shannon sprayed nails everywhere now while Tyler and Sierra fired in the enemies direction.
The men were dressed in tactical gear. They seemed to be highly trained by their movements and the weapons they were using.

When her nails ran out Shannon used knives from her belt to kill two more, throwing them with incredible aim.
"Get in the truck!" She yelled.
Tyler and Sierra ran and got into the back as Shannon got behind the wheel. She didn't know how many more men would be coming and wanted to get out of there before they were too outnumbered.

She made a quick u-turn but was blocked by a man wearing a mask covering his mouth and nose. He aimed a rifle right at her.
"Tyler you need to do something." Shannon whispered.
Matt had told him the story how he once twisted a monster's neck around until it broke, when he was a child. They needed something like that now.

But he had never tried it as he got older.
"Tyler!" Shannon yelled.
Suddenly a shot rang out and the man dropped to the ground. Shannon and Tyler turned to see Sierra outside the truck with her 9mm pointed out in front of her.

"Did you guys see that?!" She exclaimed. Her eyes wide with wonder, a smile on her face.
Shannon went to drive away but it was too late. About twenty more men emerged from the woods. But it was only one man who stepped forward. He pulled his mask down and pulled his hood off.

They knew the face from the file Milligan had given them. Gabriel.