EMP Catastrophe , Hamilton, Grace [phonics readers txt] 📗

debate where he wanted to hit Max next. Wyatt met Matthew’s eyes and gave the nod. It’s time. As one, they set their guns along vantage points in their car-shield. Please don’t hit Patton, Matthew prayed, before he heard Wyatt give a soft countdown. On three, they opened fire on the group.

The trigger responded to Matthew’s light touch and the gun jolted back into his shoulder like being punched in the arm. It was a much different experience than with the shotgun. It felt as though this gun was alive, somehow.

Matthew could barely identify anyone as the group of men dove for cover when the bullets rained down on them. These men were probably used to being fired at, he thought. They probably didn’t even blink when being shot at. He caught sight of Max, doubled over in pain, rushing for Patton. Max grabbed Patton, covering him with his body as they slammed into the ground, scrambling for cover.

It was difficult for Matthew to open fire on an area where his son was so exposed, but Wyatt had promised him that it was the best solution. After Matthew had done so many wrong things thinking he was in the right, he listened to Wyatt’s suggestions, no matter how much it pained him. He shot off another round. He had to trust that Wyatt knew best.

The cartel men reached for their own weapons and sought shelter behind the gas pumps and the concrete pillars holding up the pump’s infrastructure. A sharp ping ping reached Matthew’s ears, paired with a sudden sunburst of light exploding in front of his vision. He realized in a daze that the men were shooting back at them, and their bullets were hitting and ricocheting off of the car-shield. Matthew ducked, as he heard a volley of bullets slam into the cars. His heart pounded in his chest like a galloping horse. Jade checked him over before levering herself back up to shoot back at the cartel.

“Kill them!” Colin cried, his loud and panicked voice cutting through the gunfire. Matthew saw the man’s slender form reach into his waistband and pull out a handgun. Matthew tried to put him in his firing sight, but Colin wasn’t one to hold still, and he seemed to dance around the area. The gun finally pulled out, Matthew expected Colin to start firing in their direction. Horror filled him when he saw Colin turn the gun on Max. Max curled up tighter over Patton, shielding his nephew with his body.

“Don’t think so,” Wyatt whispered next to Matthew. A sharp shot rang out as Wyatt’s shoulder absorbed the blast. Matthew barely saw the shot fly true and slam into Colin’s shoulder. The man let out a wild cry and spun, his gun blasting wildly in every direction, as though the whole world was his enemy. Wyatt ducked behind the car shield. Matthew followed suit, but he heard a zing of a bullet flying too close combined with the wet thump of it penetrating something meaty. Next to him Jade cried out in agony. She flew backwards, clutching her shoulder. Blood bloomed under her hand, soaking through her jacket in seconds. Matthew grabbed her and dragged her closer to the car-shield, making sure she was obscured from sight and any other stray bullets. His hand slammed over the wound, putting immense pressure on it. Jade whimpered and thrashed as if trying to dislodge him, but Matthew held her steady.

Another hand fell over his and he looked up to see David’s grim expression. “I’ll help her,” David whispered. Matthew nodded and slipped his hand away, shocked at the bright blood coating his palm. Swallowing hard and trying to hold himself steady, he took his position again and put his gun to his shoulder. Please don’t die, he thought at Jade as he wiped her blood off on his jeans. Please don’t die. I owe you so much for everything you’ve done for me. Please don’t die.

Colin’s mad shooting continued, and Matthew could make out bullet holes in the concrete surrounding them. A new kind of fury built within him, one that raged against the insensitivity and cruelty of humanity. Colin wanted nothing more than to make people hurt and suffer. He didn’t deserve whatever reward he thought he had coming to him. The man deserved nothing but to be put down for putting Patton’s life in danger, beating up Max, and shooting Jade.

Matthew lined up the sight so that Colin wavered in and out of his vision. He waited, remembering Jade’s instructions to wait for the perfect opportunity. He took in a deep breath. His finger curled around the trigger. Time slowed as Colin disappeared from view and then emerged again, the red splotch on his arm coating his shirt. His arm hung uselessly at his side. He picked up his gun and aimed it again at Max.

Matthew didn’t know how many bullets Colin had left, but he wasn’t going to wait to find out. When Colin swayed into his line of sight, Matthew pulled the trigger slowly, and the sharp bang that erupted felt like the final blow of a long-fought battle. Colin staggered suddenly and jerked to the side. His hands covered his stomach, and when he pulled them back, they were stained red with blood. Colin gave a gurgle, his knees buckled, and he collapsed to the ground.

The frequency of gunshots lessened. In his bubble of slowed time, Matthew counted the bodies on the ground. The burning cigarette had been abandoned and lay in a smoldering pile next to its fallen owner. The big man’s legs could be seen sticking out of the shadows, unmoving. Another man lay in a motionless sprawl face down on the concrete. The other two men clicked empty guns and then bolted down the road. Matthew stopped shooting and Wyatt followed suit. They sat there for a minute, listening, until finally they could hear nothing but silence. Gunshots still rang in Matthew’s imagination, and for a