The Scavengers had made a camp in a forest that overlooked the military's stronghold. It was a small village with which they had erected a huge metal wall around and now Squirrel looking through her binoculars could see that they had a system similar to Serenity's they'd started to get fields outside of the metal wall and inside many non uniformed people walked around, it was probable that these people had been forced to work there are simply had no where else to go. Squirrel wondered how many the military had killed by experimenting trying to find a cure for the plague that afflicted the world so badly.
"Squirrel" A hushed voice said from behind her.
Squirrel glanced round, there sat Mark her second in command holding out a cup of tea, it was in a metal cup but still it was a drink.
Squirrel smiled and took the cup.
"I here congratulations are in order" Mark said smiling.
Squirrel smiled at him as she blew on her tea.
The two were crouched behind a bush and were overlooking the stronghold.
"Any sign of what they're up to?" Mark asked, he'd been sorting out the camp, which was about a mile behind them well hidden in the forest.
"No but they're certainly trying to hide those helicopter they've got." Squirrel replied.
"Choppers? Where?" Mark asked.
She handed him the binoculars and he gazed down at the stronghold.
"See the main buildings and the green metal huts, I think they're armouries any way slightly to the right of them. They've got camouflage over the top of them" She took a sip of her tea.
Mark looked at them.
"Oh yeah."
Something else then caught his attention. He moved his gaze over to the main gates they'd opened and several jeeps came driving out.
"What's going on there?" Mark said bring the binoculars into focus on the jeeps as they seemed to be heading in their direction and were full of soldiers.
"Huh?" Squirrel glanced over his shoulder.
Suddenly Mark looked as though he'd been punched in the gut and he collapsed to the ground crying out in pain.
Then the sound of a rifle shot followed.
"Shit" Squirrel cried out as she dropped to the floor and tried to help her fallen friend.
Although she did her best to help him, Mark died quickly as the blood poured out from the room, he'd been lung shot.
Squirrel stood up and began to run back into the forest, the jeeps were only moments from entering behind her.
She drew her pistol, a classic Mauser pistol she'd always said it looked better than the other guns and it really did pack a punch even if it had a small clip.
She heard the jeeps pull up the forest they couldn't go in the thicket was way to clumped together for them to hope to drive in.
The soldiers piled out of the jeeps and were after her.
A bullet was fired and embedded itself in a tree literally centimetres from her face.
The shots rung out from all around the forest. They were all trying to catch her.
She weaved in between the trees dashing in and out of their views trying to take the safest way back to the camp. No doubt her Scavengers had heard the commotion and were arming up as this was happening.
She dashed behind a tree and leaned around it aiming her gun at the closest soldier.
BLAM, BLAM.
One shot hit the soldier in the leg then next fired his brains all over the canopy of the forest.
That one kill didn't put the soldier off though.
She continued to run and dashed through more trees with gunfire scattering bullets all around. Kicking up the dirt and smashing into trees. It felt like she was stuck in the middle of a Second World War film.
Then the camp came into view she saw that her Scavengers were now all armed and ready to fight. Some had rifle and shotguns but most were just using handguns the Scavengers travelled light all the time.
She reached the camp in a sort of crouching run and by then the two sides were engaged in heavy fighting.
A man took a bullet right next to her and fell to the floor clasping his neck from the now three-inch hole there.
She turned and fired of her clip at the soldiers. She then moved next to a tree and began to reload.
Her head was unfortunately sticking out from behind the tree. That error was her last as a soldier took the opportunity to end her life.
The radio operator was huddle up against the tree and had just made contact with Serenity when he saw Squirrel's head almost explode.
"This is Squirrel's Scavenger squad. We've been found by them enemy. We're taking heavy fire and we have many wounded."
He glanced around and saw that they were fighting a losing battle.
"Squirrel is dead and Mark is presumed dead we're going to try and get awa-" a bullet was fired into the his chest and he slumped to the ground dead.
The rest of the scavengers were not long in joining him.