The Young Fighters

CHAPTER 21

With The Hidden Reaper's reign of terror over, now made a perfect time to raid Lee's Sporting Goods Store for the supplies they so desperately needed. Jackson and his friends reunited with the rest of Snake's squad and with their map handy, the team made their way towards their destination. Everything went back into silence as it did before the hunt and the feeling of the wind brought back the same eerie feelings it always has during time of divergence.

Only a couple turns down a series of roads and there it was: Lee's. To Jackson it looked the same as it did when he last visited it. The squad approached the front entrance of the enormous store and stopped dead in their tracks to find the glass door shatter. Examining it, Snake told everyone to enter like a ghost and keep a close eye on everything. They each crouched down and went in one by one to find a utopia of clothes and equipment.

Snake instructed everyone a job. Blade: grab some bags and backpacks for the supplies. Blaze and Charlie: grab a some shopping carts. Wolf, End: you guys take care of the bullets; grab them all and place them in ammunition boxes. Everyone else: follow me.

The gun racks remained untouched and collecting dust as if The Hidden Reaper (or Eric Mathewson) only came in to grab a rifle and some bullets. Every single firearm had its trigger protected by a lock that Snake hoped wouldn't cause any problems. They'd need to find a key; which he was guessing was kept in one of the drawers underneath the handgun rack. To their luck, a few hard bashes to the doors and presto! Keys!

The guerrillas felt like little kids inside Willy Wonka's chocolate factory once the locks came off every trigger guard of the tools. Bullets were gathered inside metal rectangular boxes, clothes were piled inside shopping carts, long guns that were unlocked were stashed away inside of large bags that made Jackson, Connor, and Owen's legs feel as though they were ready to collapse at any second. Hand guns were placed inside backpacks along with some of the ammo cases that would jingle whenever someone walked. A perfect day to shop at a place where everything was free. They got together so many supplies they needed to send a few of their guys back to pick up the trucks and four wheelers to be able to carry back their cache.

Within an hour or so the store was picked clean of every firearm, bullet, bow, arrow, camouflaged clothing, hiking tool, first aid kit, and cutting instrument. They'd have enough for their own private army. But was there enough for everyone? And could they still over through Joel and his force? They headed off for Georgetown, Jackson radioed in Caden once in range with wonderful news as did his Village Elder; they got reinforcements.

"I wanna hit them where it hurts." He said with a face of deathly grit.

"What did you have in mind?" Lance Garcia asked. The general was two years older than Joel, though chubby he was experienced in warfare from paint balling, gang members, and what he'd learned from his older brother who'd been a marine for four years. Now his big brother was gone and if he was still here, he'd frown upon Lance's decisions even more. Of all the people who'd been given a high ranking, Lance was the most trusted by Joel.

"You wanna wipe them out?" Ben Phillips asked. Only fourteen and filled with a thirst for destruction. Joel sometimes referred to him as the screw head because of the piercing that left a large gaping hole on the side of his ear.

"No." Joel responded, "Not yet. I wanna see them on their knees before we eradicate them and their town." He's spoken to them as though it was pest control.

"They should be crippled now, seeing their main source of fuel was destroyed." Lance reached into his pocket to pull out a skinny cigar to smoke. "We shouldn't have too much to worry about them using any vehicles. Then again, we have gotten some reports about them having access to some modes of transportation."