James Axler – Bitter Fruit

Throwing himself on the ground, his upper body out over the edge of the cliff, Ryan caught a stout-looking bush growing at the top, then extended his other hand toward the falling albino. “Jak!”

As lithe and quick as a big mountain cat, the youth managed to twist his body in the air and grab Ryan’s proffered hand.

“Hang on,” Ryan growled. But it was as much to himself as Jak. The weight, though expected, was more than he’d thought, and his center of balance wasn’t the best it could have been for making such an effort. His arm and shoulders burned as he lifted Jak toward the top.

Prone beside him, Krysty used the M-16 she’d taken from the redoubt to deliver a barrage of fire into the group assembled below. Even firing 3-round bursts, the assault rifle emptied in seconds. She followed up with the .38.

The group broke up, and the shots became sporadic.

Ryan hauled Jak in close enough for the albino to seize the brush and pull himself up. Black spots were whirling in Ryan’s eye. “Fireblast, that was close.”

“Know,” Jak agreed. “Lot men, too.”

“Doc and J.B.?” Ryan asked.

Krysty slapped a fresh magazine into the assault rifle.

Jak pointed. “Last saw there.”

Ryan squinted in the distance, looking for the Armorer and the old man. He didn’t see them. But that wasn’t surprising because they’d probably gone to ground with the sound of the first gunshot. “Mildred?”

The look in the albino’s eyes was stony. “They took her.”

“Dead?” Ryan’s throat tightened as he asked it. The group had lost people before. Death wasn’t a new experience for any of them.

“Not know. Mebbe tried to take alive. Disappeared with man on top her. Couldn’t do anything. No gunshot. Mebbe knife, but man had gun in hand.”

“They weren’t trying to take you alive.” Ryan took point, holding the Steyr in both hands, and headed back toward the cave. If J.B. and Doc weren’t captured and didn’t know where any of the group was, it was logical they’d return there as long as none of their attackers had taken up a position there.

“Who are they?” Krysty asked.

“Man say Celts,” Jak answered.

“Celts?” Ryan asked, making sure he got it right. Something stirred in the back of his mind, but he couldn’t nail it down. He was sure he’d heard the name before, but he couldn’t figure if it was past or present, or put anything else with it.

“Yeah. Man tell me they own land. Say we’re stealing and trespassing.”

“I didn’t see any signs,” Krysty said.

“Yeah, you did,” Ryan replied. “The men hanging in the tree were the kind of advertising these people probably do. Covers pretty much all they need to say.” He followed the line of the land, going downhill slightly as they made for the cave. There was no sign of the green-clad men. “You hit, Jak?”

The albino brushed at the blood covering his chest. “No. Took deer. Right before they showed up.”

The cover offered by the trees and brush disappeared forty yards before they reached the cave. Broken stone littered the hard ground, still frozen in the shady areas.

Ryan held up a hand and halted the group at the edge of the tree line. He scanned the landscape ahead of them. Nothing moved. However, if he’d been in charge of a large group laying siege to the mountain and had known of the cave’s existence, he’d have directed a flanking action to come up on this side, as well.

“Nothing to do but try it,” Ryan said. “Hold steady here.”

Jak nodded.

“Be careful, lover,” Krysty said.

Ryan went low and fast, which saved his life. Bullets popped into the ground around him immediately. He doubled back at once, throwing himself back to cover.

More bullets slammed into the foliage around them and ripped leaves free.

Bringing the Steyr to his shoulder, Ryan peered through the telescopic sights. When the cross hairs fell over a man reloading his single-shot hunting rifle, the one-eyed man squeezed the trigger.

The Celt, if that was what he was, died the heartbeat it took for his head to go to pieces. The splatters dropped on some of his companions, causing them to flinch and break their concentration.