G Hopf - Driver 8 - A Post-Apocalyptic Novel

Portia began to wonder if she should find a way to kill herself. Dying the way Earl did wasn’t something she wished to experience. She thought about taking a knife from one of them and slicing her own throat and even leaping into the center of the bonfire. Both would be painful but only for a brief moment compared to the torturous death she’d just witnessed.

The Generate leader approached the women. He slowly walked past each of them, stopping in front of a couple. He reached the end of the line, turned around and began another pass. He stopped in front of Nancy, who had become hysterical, and said, “You’re next.”

“No, please, someone help me!” she cried out.

He pulled out his knife, cut her away from the cable and lifted her to her feet.

A combination of fear and shock made it hard for Nancy to stand. She went to take her first step but her legs wobbled and buckled. She collapsed to the ground and began to cry.

The Generate leader didn’t need her to walk. He’d get her to the post any way necessary. He bent down, took a handful of hair and pulled her behind him kicking and screaming. When he reached the post, he secured her to it like Earl was and pulled out his knife. He went to go remove one of her ears but stopped when he spotted the locket. Curious, he ripped it off her neck and opened it to discover Kyle and Portia’s pictures. With no real value, he tossed it on a table near him.

“God please, someone help me.”

He got in her face and smiled broadly showing his brownish yellow teeth.

Repulsed she turned her head away.

“Are you ready?” he asked.

Unable to control her bodily functions, she wet her pants.

Taunting her, he said, “I’m going to enjoy eating you later.” He took her left ear in his hand and with a single precise slice, removed it.

Dana stopped at the corner in the hallway and peered around. The three remaining guards stood talking as she had left them, unaware that their comrades were dead. She looked back at the men and said, “Its show time.”

Cal reached up and touched her arm, “Be careful.”

Her face scrunched and with a tone signaling her annoyance with his persistent concern said, “Calvin, I’ll be fine, stop always saying that.”

Cal nodded.

Kyle watched the two interact and could tell they must have a romantic relationship or at the minimum he cared for her more than she did for him.

Before Dana stepped off she gave Kyle a look and winked. This wink didn’t go unnoticed by Cal, but before he could say anything, she was already heading down the hallway.

Cal scooted up to the corner and listened for her cue, with Kyle just behind him.

A guard named Mat saw Dana coming first and asked, “Where are the guys?”

“They’re coming, I thought maybe I could entertain you guys too. They weren’t enough for me,” she said seductively.

One of the guards raised a brow and asked, “I smell bullshit.”

Mat turned to him and asked, “What do you mean, Brad?”

By this time, Dana came to within a few feet of them and stopped.

“That I don’t trust her,” Brad said skeptically.

“Oh, come on, Brad, I know your wife and I bet she can’t take care of you like I can,” Dana said.

Mat ignored Brad’s skepticism and approached Dana, he went to touch her but she backed up just out of reach. “Where you going?”

“No touchy until we get back to the room,” Dana said.

The last guard stood in front of the door, he was young, about seventeen and this was his first detail working the Lair. He’d seen the older guards play around and violate their oaths but he was too scared to do so.

Mat spotted something unusual on Dana’s white shirt. “What in the hell is that?” Mat said pointing at the front of her shirt.

Dana looked down and saw blood splatter. Fear gripped her. She stuttered, “Oh that; it, it, its pasta sauce I’m preparing for dinner tonight.” While she spoke her right hand slowly drifted towards her back.

Brad stepped forward, leaned in and looked, “Pasta sauce, that looks like…” he said but was unable to finish as she pulled the pistol from her lower back and shot him in the face.

Mat watched in shock as his friend’s head exploded. He began to raise his rifle but was too slow. She turned the pistol on him and shot him twice, once in the chest and once in the side of the head. He dropped to his knees and fell to the ground dead.

Dana swiveled to confront the last guard but this time her luck had run out. He had his rifle trained on her. “Drop it!” Dana could see his hand was shaking. He was terrified and rightfully so, he had just witnessed two of his colleagues get gunned down.

“Here’s what we’re going to do, we’re both going to put down our guns and talk about this,” Dana said, her pistol still pointed in the direction of where Mat had stood.

“Put it down!” he yelled.

Back at the end of the hall, the others heard the commotion. Cal peaked around and said, “Shit, she’s in trouble.”

“Did she give the cue?” Kyle asked.

“No, trust me, she’s in trouble,” Cal said and bolted from around the corner.

With no other choice, Kyle and the others had to follow. They cleared the corner and began to race down the hall, covering the distance quickly.

The guard saw them and yelled, “Everyone fucking stop, freeze!”

“You’re outnumbered. I’m sure you don’t want to die!” Dana said.

“Please put down you gun!” the guard urged Dana, his hands shaking uncontrollably.

“You’re a young guy, I’m sure you don’t want to die. If you put the rifle down, I promise my friends won’t hurt you,” Dana lied, she had no intention of keeping him alive.

Cal and the others were closing in fast.

The guard stepped away from her until he walked into the door. His eyes darted between her and the men coming fast. In his head he debated what to do. If he surrendered and they killed Number One, he’d forever be known a traitor and a coward but if he fought back and died, he’d be hailed a hero of The Collective and there was no greater honor than that. He stiffened his back and said, “For The Collective!” He squeezed the trigger and unleashed a burst of rounds directed at Dana, striking her in the chest. She reeled back and dropped to the floor. He pivoted to engage the men but Kyle had the guard sighted in through the Trijicon MRO on his rifle and shot several times.

The rounds the guard squarely in the chest. He fell back, hit the door and slid down but was still alive. Thinking quickly, he keyed his radio handset and sounded the alarm, “We’re under attack, level five. Repeat, we’re under attack, level five.”

Kyle reached him first and without saying a word put two rounds in his head.

Tommy came up beside Kyle, turned towards Cal and Eric to see where they were. He found them kneeling next to Dana’s body. Cal had her in his lap, his trembling hand stroking her hair. “Oh baby, I’m so sorry this happened to you.”

Eric knelt next to him, holding her hand.

“There’s not time for this, I need the charges,” Tommy snapped.

The guard’s radio crackled to life. “Who was that? Come back. Who was reporting an attack on level five?”

“Eric give me the charges, we’re going to have company soon,” Tommy barked.

Gunshots ripped through the door, one grazing Tommy’s leg.

Kyle stepped out of the way while Tommy crawled to clear the gunfire punching through the door from inside. “Looks like he knows we’re here.”

“Who is it?” Barry yelled at Cisco who was awkwardly holding the AR platform rifle at the hip.