Eden Lost by Andrew Cunningham

Author:Andrew Cunningham [Cunningham, Andrew]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Literature & Fiction, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Science Fiction, Dystopian, Post-Apocalyptic, Teen & Young Adult
ISBN: 1499129270
Amazon: B00JJ2QN1K
Publisher: Arcnovels
Published: 2014-04-06T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 17

“Can you really live with that on your conscience?” said Tom.

Lila noticed that even though Tom was doing all the talking, he wasn’t in charge. The other one in the Jeep—the driver—was quietly calling the shots from the background. He was the one she had to take out. With him gone, the rest would have to make decisions for themselves, and she didn’t think that would happen. In this case though, she would have to take out both the leader and Tom, who was the obvious second-in-command.

“Twenty seconds.”

It was up to her. She knew the others would follow her lead.

“Fifteen seconds.”

She couldn’t let the girl die.

She laid her rifle on the sill of the open window. She had yet to shoot, so they wouldn’t be expecting it from that house.

“Ten seconds. C’mon people.”

She lined up Dorothy in her sights, using her good left eye.

The moment of truth, she thought.

“Five seconds.”

She fired. The teenager screamed and dropped from a stunned Dorothy’s arms.

“Shit, shit, shit,” cried Lila. She had hit the hostage. She quickly took aim again and fired. This time the bullet caught Dorothy, who no longer had her human shield, in the center of her chest. She flew back against the truck and dropped to the ground, a puddle of blood quickly forming around her.

“No!” yelled Tom, who stood up from behind the Jeep.

Lila redirected her rifle and hit Tom in the upper chest. The leader of the group, not expecting fire from Lila’s building, had left himself somewhat exposed from Lila’s direction. He turned to jump behind the Jeep. She fired and caught him in the butt. He jumped in pain as she quickly changed magazines. She put two more bullets into him before he could scramble over the side of the Jeep, and he went down.

Meanwhile, the battle in the street had started up again. A couple more men fell, but the others were fairly well hidden. The machine guns were silent. The two men manning the large guns were the first to fall in the initial shooting and no one had taken their place.

Suddenly, a bright light almost blinded Lila, and she went momentarily deaf, before hearing the “whump” of something blowing up. The blast blew her from her spot in the window. She fell to the floor, dazed. Slowly, she came to her senses and shakily got to her feet. The ringing in her ears was intense and a black smoke filled the air. She made her way to the bathroom to check on Katie. She and Ralph were fine.

“Stay in here.”

“What was that, mommy?” asked Katie, but Lila didn’t hear her and went back to the window.

Through the smoke she could see the tanker truck—or what was left of it—smoldering in the center of the street. The remaining Nebraska crew were wandering around, holding their ears, no longer carrying their weapons. The armored truck directly in front, and the canvas-covered truck directly behind the tanker were also destroyed. She could see hostages falling out the back of the second canvas-covered truck.

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