Thirty-two (part 3)

They skirted the edge of the woods along the city’s northern border, where the buildings thinned out and began to give way to woods and rocky rises and hillocks.  Lindsay’s heart thudded hard against her ribs as they ran as fast as they dared, staying low and trying to remain well beneath the notice of anyone or anything  flying above them.  The bombers seemed to just keep coming out of nowhere, chased by the meager fighter forces that they’d been able to scramble.

“Hellfire,” Kara cursed, her eyes following a bomber as the dying craft spun off toward the shallows offshore.  “We played at pacifism for too long.  We’re not prepared for this.”

“Uncle Adam and the other Marshals have been trying,” Lindsay said.  “It’s not their fault the Council’s tied their hands.”

“They didn’t try to argue for it very loudly.”

“Not until lately anyway.”  Lindsay smiled grimly.  “They didn’t have anything to back them up.  Spontaneous visions of death and destruction in front of the entire Council…that tends to help their case.”  Her gaze ranged down the treeline, toward the edge of the vineyard.  “We can’t keep to the trees.  We have to leave them.”

Kara nodded.  “City’s like a bloody ghost town.”

“No one’s stupid.  They’re all under cover.”  Except us, and Brendan wasn’t.  He must have been desperate to find the Inspector.  She should have been furious with her uncle for sending him, whether Winston was important to their futures or not.  It was stupidly dangerous to leave cover to find anyone.

And what the hell am I doing?  She suppressed the urge to sigh at herself.  Well, I guess my husband and have the same streak of stupidity in us that makes us do things that are ridiculously dangerous.

Kara squeezed her shoulder.  “Come on.  We can make a run for it now and I think we’ll hit the gap in the waves.”

Lindsay took a deep breath and nodded.  “On your count.”

“Two, one, go.”

They sprinted for the vineyard and the still-smoldering wreckage beyond it.

One thought on “Thirty-two (part 3)

  1. Seems rather odd that the “good” side isn’t taking more losses. I am still of the opinion that whoever it is; they want the resources saved … so, they don’t want to destroy much of the planet.

    Time will tell.

    Thanks for the new post. Enjoying your story.

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