Age of Monsters by John Schneider (books to read for self improvement .TXT) 📗

thought, machine-gun fire may not bother the flying giants, but he could personally testify that the ‘normals’ didn't like the caliber of bullet that came out of an F-16.

Lucas began to circle back around where the small group of escapees was trapped on the highway.

But at that moment, his headphones burst alive with static, and General Rhodes' barking voice blared in his ear.

“All surviving aircraft, report in!  Is anyone out there still alive?”

Lucas counted the replies of six call-signs – six survivors out of the entire fleet – before he called in his own.

“Skywalker here, sir,” Lucas responded.  “We have met the enemy and they are kicking our asses, sir.”

“Lieutenant,” Rhodes said, “I need you all to break away from this battle and deliver your payloads.  Nothing has changed.  Your targets are all the continental United States – THAT is our priority.  THAT is what's at stake here, gentlemen.”

“Sir,” Lucas interjected, “we've got survivors on the hill.”

Rhodes' voice was flat.

“Deliver your payload, son.”

Lucas noticed the General made no effort to persuade him by telling him his survivors would be taken care of.  Rhodes wasn't the type to lie.

He gave orders.  He had higher priorities.

So that's how it was, Lucas thought.  Destroy the town where he'd sent his wife, and abandon the woman who had saved his life.

Duty and honor.

Death from above.

Lucas realized at that moment, how much of the immediate future really was up to him.

“Lieutenant?” Rhodes said again.

“Yes, sir,” Lucas responded.

He had a job to do.   His job was to be the hero.

Somebody had to, right?

That meant he had to pull it ALL off.

Perform miracles.  Move Heaven and Earth.

He turned off his radio.  Rhodes had given his orders.  Lucas would follow them.

But first he had a little something to do.

Chapter 40

Rosa thought again of the war-dogs.  It was a more literal analogy than she thought.

It wasn't like that – it was that.

Rosa didn't know if the beasts had seen them yet, or were just charging mindlessly down the hill – the highway south was already cut-off, but they still had 101 North.

Although, she thought, as she watched the trees above them tumble, perhaps not for long.

The wolf-sized sickle-claws had outpaced their ten-ton carnosaur cousins and several darted out onto the road.  And now, the first of them turned in their direction.

Daryl and Bob both opened fire, joined a moment later by Jeremy, and even barista-turned-gunslinger Jamie, who set her feet, firing her bolt-action rifle with strict, freshly-taught form.

Rosa grabbed Julie in one hand and Private Jones in the other and began running for the jeeps.  Private Barnes followed, already fumbling with his keys, with Bud and Allison right behind him.

The wave, however, had saturated both vehicles – the engines choked and sputtered.

Several of the advancing sickle-claws went down before the barrage of gunfire, but the shots attracted the attention of the others.

There were packs of them.  And the big carnosaurs were not far behind.

Private Jones finally gunned the engine to life.

“Come on!” Rosa shouted to the others.

But the sickle-claws were coming in too fast.

One of them closed on Jamie, dodging the coffee-girl's nervous, erratic shots, and leaped upon her.  Jamie fell backward with a scream, even as the seven-inch foot-claw arced towards her throat.

Jeremy, helpless to shoot without hitting her, simply bodily tackled the thing, and the two of them went tumbling.

The creature's claws, however, turned dexterously inward, and Jeremy's voice rose in a strangled shriek as it gutted him.

Jamie, her arms clawed and bloody, let loose a scream of her own – an anguished howl of rage that Rosa could have never imagined from her.

And as Jeremy was disemboweled before her eyes, Jamie – cut-sleeves, bandanna and all – actually charged the thing, firing her rifle, screaming hysterically.

Gone were the tentative, careful shots – she blew the crouched sickle-claw off Jeremy's twitching corpse and continued to blast away, as it kicked and struggled on the ground.

Two more of them landed on her a moment later.

Jamie never had a chance to scream – one of the sickles found her throat, cutting off her voice, even as the other bore her to the ground.

Daryl and Bob both opened fire, dropping both creatures in their tracks – clearly too late.  Daryl took half a step towards Jamie's torn and bloody body but stopped as the first of the big carnosaurs finally burst through the trees out onto the highway.

It was a big Allosaurus – probably close to forty feet long – at least five-tons.

Daryl and Bob exchanged glances, thn turned and ran for the jeeps.

Private Barns was still grinding his dead engine.

“Forget it,” Rosa shouted again from the other jeep.  “Come on!”

Barnes cursed, lurching out of the driver's seat.  Bud pulled Allison out of the back and they all began to run.

The allosaur had caught Daryl – stamping him down with one clawed foot, trapping him, while the hand-claws shredded him from the abdomen out.

Rosa could actually see the creature's throat expanding like a snake as it swallowed Daryl in two pieces.  Then it turned after them again.

Jones gunned the jeep, starting to pull away, even as Barnes and the others ran up alongside.

Rosa and Julie both reached out the rear-window for Private Barnes' hand as he pulled himself up and onto the back.

Two sickle-claws had caught Bob – he shrieked as they tore him into bloody rags.

Bud was cursing aloud, pacing the moving jeep, catching the door and practically flinging Allison inside.  But then he tripped as he tried to pull himself in after her – his hand clinging to the door, he found himself being dragged.

The allosaur was back on their tail.

And not too far behind, more