“We’re not going to make it!” she shouted over the grinding gears.
“Got to! No time to escape on foot!”
The Ranger fired again and started toward them when a much larger explosion rattled the building to its foundation. Fireballs blew out of every ground-floor window, then the side of the structure became canted, angling dangerously as more detonations shook the building again and again, ripping apart the inner walls.
Smoke washed over the street, the squat body of the tank barely visible through the swirling clouds.
“Here it comes!” Ryan shouted as a gigantic shadow engulfed both machines.
Acting on impulse, Dean put a stream of 40 mm shells into the street directly in front of the Ranger. The HE rounds blew apart the ivy and asphalt, chewing a gaping pit in the concrete foundation. Shifting treads, the Ranger dodged the blasthole just as the building finished its brief journey downward. The whole world seemed to jump as the irresistible force met the immovable object with disastrous results. The robotic tank disappeared as countless tons of brick and concrete deafeningly crashed onto the street. Windows shattered from the thunderous concussion as the smashed road buckled and sank. In every direction, sidewalks splintered, cracks racing off like crazed lightning bolts. Telephone poles toppled, as dirty water erupted from a score of burst hydrants.
Debris pummeled the back end of Leviathan as the craft was shoved forward into the alley. Standing on the brakes, Krysty managed to bring the tank to a halt just as they were completely enveloped by the swirling dust storm.
The rumbling of the crash echoed throughout the dead city, reverberating along the concrete canyons. Then an eerie stillness descended, filling the void with a ringing silence louder than any possible detonation.
Getting stiffly off the floor, the friends checked to make sure none was injured, then grabbed weapons and headed for the door. Half climbing, half falling out of Leviathan, they stood beside the vehicle and stared dumbfounded at the broken building lying sideways in the street, blocking the mouth of the alley.
“Missed us by feet,” J.B. whispered, respectfully removing his fedora.
Doc made the sign of the cross, and somebody else said amen. Dean started forward, and Ryan grabbed his arm, stopping the boy.
“Careful. The ground is still shaky.”
Accepting the wisdom, the group waited a few minutes, closely watching for any additional destruction from the endless little aftershock quakes caused by the titanic pounding. All around them, the bedraggled fields of ivy were shaking madly, waves of agitation moving out over the city like ripples in a pond.
Minutes passed, and finally Ryan permitted himself a satisfactory grunt. “Sounds like it’s over.”
“I certainly hope so,” Mildred said, licking dry lips.
“Hot pipe, I never saw anything like that!” Dean gushed.
“Not want again,” Jak said, scrutinizing the sideways building.
Beaming delight, Doc patted Ryan on the back. “That was inspired, my dear Ryan. Inspired! A tactic from The Art of War, perhaps? Or the ruminations of Julius Caesar?”
Ryan looked at the man with no amusement. “You never swatted a fly?” he asked simply.
Doc opened his mouth, then closed it with a snap. “I stand corrected,” he said, bowing. “It was genius born, not borrowed.”
“Good shooting,” Krysty said to Ryan. He shrugged. “Kind of hard to miss a stationary building.”
Muffled detonations sounded from within the collapsed structure and with a grinding screech, the middle of the skyscraper tumbled apart, sending another plume of dust into the murky sky.
“Is there enough room for us to get out?” Krysty asked, studying the mouth of the alley.
“Sure, plenty,” Mildred said confidently. J.B. started for the street, both hands tight on the strap of his bag full of explosives. “More important, let’s go make sure the bastard thing really is dead.”
And that was when the ivy attacked.
Chapter Seven
Vines lashed out from every direction. Ryan dodged and only got a stinging gash across his cheek. His Steyr was leveled in a second, firing into the thrashing ivy. Movement out of the corner of his good eye made the man spin, firing instinctively. The plants were crawling over Leviathan, wrapping around the wheels and covering the windows in a thick protective blanket of living green.