Shifting gears and fighting for control, Krysty finally reached the bottom of the road and floored the wag. The Hummer surged forward in a burst of speed, and almost immediately there was a bang, the vehicle veering to the left.
“Gaia!” she spit, fighting the wag to a stop. “That tire finally blew.”
“Better here than up there,” J.B. said, climbing from the rear seats. “Well, we got almost fifty miles out of it. That’s not bad. Time to use the spare.”
Dean stepped into the bushes for a moment, while Jak stood guard at the M-60. The road ahead was level and straight, going directly to a predark bridge.
“Bridge looks in good condition,” Mildred said, adjusting the focus on the binocs.
“We’ll have to check for traps,” Ryan commented. “This is close to Shiloh, and the blues could be anywhere.”
The words were still in the air when a volley of bullets chattered across the armored chassis of the Hummer, closely followed by sound of a distant rifle cutting through the peace of the forest. Everybody dived for cover.
Lying in the dirt, Ryan worked the bolt on his Steyr SSG-70 rifle, chambering a round for immediate use. “That sounds like an AK-47,” he said, sighting through the scope on the longblaster, sweeping the trees. “Yeah, it’s a blue. I caught a glimpse of a muzzle-flash in the trees.”
More rounds hit the wag, two impacting on the jack supporting the vehicle. The flat was lying on the ground, the new tire resting against the Hummer waiting to be attached. The jack was hit again and shook, but didn’t fall.
“There seems to be only one sniper,” Doc said, moving away from the wobbly vehicle.
“Only one firing,” Ryan corrected him grimly. “There could more.”
“Bastard’s smart, too. He waited until I had the flat off, then started firing. We’re not going anywhere,” J.B. stated, adjusting his wire-rimmed glasses to sit more firmly on his face. Last thing he wanted was for them to slide off in the middle of a battle.
“Anybody hurt?” Mildred asked from the bushes.
Just then another wave of bullets pounded over the armored hull of the Hummer, sounding like hail on a tin roof. Several rounds hit a tire, but didn’t puncture the military rubber.
“Undamaged so far,” Ryan answered, as trained hands fired the Steyr and worked the bolt, loading another round. “But not for long. This guy is good.”
“Too good,” J.B. added, firing the Uzi twice at random trees on the distant hill. Return fire kicked up dust directly in front of him, and the Armorer dived off the road into the bushes, crawling hastily away from the spot at which he entered. Seconds later, that location shook from a hail of incoming rounds.
“Much too bastard good,” J.B. muttered.
A figure appeared from the trees, holding a silvered revolver. “Want me to try a LAW?” Krysty offered, the plastic tube draped over her back.
Targeting the tops of trees, Ryan shook his head, firing again. “Don’t waste it. We still have a long way to go.”
“Besides, he’s not going to hurt us with an AK-47.”
J.B. retorted, firing the Uzi randomly at the hilltop. “Not at this range, anyway.”
“Incoming!” Dean shouted, and a split-second later, a fiery dart riding a contrail of smoke flashed by them, heading for the Hummer. A wave of heat from the exhaust washed over the companions as the rocket missed the wag by a foot and disappeared into the woods. Silence ruled the area for long tense seconds, then the forest erupted into a fireball of thundering flame.
“That was a LAW!” Ryan growled. “Okay, anybody got a gren?”
“At this range?” Krysty asked, puzzled.
“Just throw it as far as you can!”
Pulling the pin, the redhead dropped the handle and heaved the sphere with all of her strength. The ball hit the road roughly thirty yards away and rolled a few more before the charge exploded, throwing a cloud of smoke and dirt into the air.
“Camouflage,” Ryan said, throwing his own slightly to the left of the first Another huge cloud of dirt covered the roadway, completely masking the Hummer.