16. Kill or die
Lori woke up, dazzled by the lights and stunned by the engine of the truck that was heading towards them. They had been completely surprised. She reacted immediately, but they had only a few seconds to escape.
Actually, they hadn't neglected. They were on a stretch of road surrounded by trees that had formed very dense forests. The floor was still covered by shreds of wood and rotted leaves; so the cart couldn't pass between the trees. They pressed on across the night to reach some clearing or a passage between the trees, but fatigue made them give up. Lincoln fell asleep immediately, but Lori tried to staying alert; because they were just a few steps away the road.
Unfortunately, was very tired, too. The heat from Lincoln's little body was very pleasant; and soon, she was sleeping as deeply as the kid.
Now they faced a critical situation: the truck was less than a hundred yards away, and its headlights were powerful, so it was impossible that they hadn't seen them. Lori took her backpack and shook Lincoln, who wake up dizzy and confused.
"Lori? What...
"Get up and run, Lincoln!" The girl shouted in anguish, pulling the boy.
"But, our things!
"Run and leave everything! Come on!
The boy obeyed mechanically. He sat up and started running. Lori held him by the hand, but suddenly, he stopped and shouted in anguish.
"The food! The weapons! We have almost everything in our backpacks!
He detached himself from Lori, and ran back to take it.
"Lincoln! Don't!" Lori shouted.
He hesitated for a moment, and ran behind him. The truck had come very close, but it was still a few yards away. Lincoln had already taken the backpack. He put it on, and ran quickly towards Lori. Unfortunately, neither of them looked at the whisk that went ahead of the truck and held Lincoln from backwards.
"Don't! Lemme go!" the kid shouted.
The man picked him up and placed a knife on his neck.
"Shut up, little bastard! Or I'll slice your throat!
Lori reacted immediately. She took her gun and pointed at the man. Unfortunately, he had covered himself behind Lincoln's body.
"Don't even think about it, n bitch! No matter where you shot me, I'll resist enough to kill this stupid brat.
"Release my little brother, bastard!
The man smiled, showing his almost toothless mouth.
"Wow! You have moxie, bitch! You two should come with us. We need women and children like you.
The man saw her with lewdness, and Lori made a face of disgust.
"Do you think I'm idiot, you bastard? Do you think I don't know what you want do to with us?
"Oh, nobody will hurt you, as long as you are good to us. I told you: we need women. And you look very good for me, little bitch.
Lincoln understood very well that situation. He looked at Lori's face. She was pretending to be courageous, but he could read the anguish in her eyes. There was only one thing to do.
"Run, Lori!" he shouted. "Save yourself!
"Shut up, you idiot brat!" shouted the man in his ear. Lincoln felt his smelly breath, and he thought he would vomit.
"It's the last time you insult my little brother, son of the bitch! Release him, and go to fuck with your mother!" said Lori, looking for the slightest gap to shoot.
The man was about to answer, when a distant voice groaned.
"Nat? Who do you argue with?
"Bill! Slick! Come here, and look what I found!
Lori felt really anguished. As soon as the others arrive, she and Lincoln would be condemned. It seemed that there was only one way: she would shoot at that bastard; and if failed to kill him, she would shoot at Lincoln, and then on herself.
Fortunately, feeling how desperate their situation was, something turned on in Lincoln's head. An instinct that he didn't know he had. When shouted at his buddies, the man separated the knife from his neck. Lincoln realized, and took the opportunity to put his hand between the knife and his neck; presenting the back, as Lori had taught him. Immediately, he threw a blow to his attacker's nose.
The impact failed to break the nose, but it was enough for the guy to throw his head back. Lori, who was very attentive, took the opportunity and shoot.
The shot went through the man's forehead, and caused him to release Lincoln. Lori didn't lose a second: took the boy by the hand, and entered with him between the bare trunks.
The other men heard the shot, and ran to see what happened. When they saw their comrade were baffled for a moment, but soon deduced that the attacker was running through the trees. Then, they took their weapons and went in persecution. Despite the truck's lights, the darkness was almost total. Lori and Lincoln had a difficult time trying to evade the mounds, and the hidden rocks in the leaves and humus.
Lori listened when her pursuers went across the trees. Their steps were heavy. No doubt, they were faster and stronger of them. It was impossible to escape.
For a moment, Lori thought about face them and shooting, but it was very difficult to see anything in the darkness. They couldn't shoot while fleeing, because Lincoln was still scared and dizzy.
Then, she remembered something that hadn't used for years. A tactic that would turn persecutors in persecuted. She took Lincoln by the neck, forcing him to stop. Then, spoke at his ear as clearly as she could.
"Lincoln, throw yourself on the yard, and don't get up; no matter what happens! Right?
The boy obeyed immediately. He barely raised his head to see that Lori was on her knees, with the gun ready and resting against her forehead.
The young warrior closed her eyes, took two deep breaths, and concentrated; trying to stop listening to her own heart. The sounds came to her clear, without reverberation. There were four different types of tread that came together: she had a clear shot. Lori turned sharply in direction of the sound, and shot.
The shot failed for a very narrow margin. It passed a few centimeters from the head of one of the men; went on a tree, and the wood chips hit their faces.
One of them shout a course, and Lori heard him clearly. She corrected her pointing in an instant, and shot again.
This time, the one who cursed gave a cry of pain. One of their companions tried to help him, and moved the dead leaves with his feet. Lori's sharp ear detected the sound, and shot for the third time; wounding another man who screamed in pain.
Only at this moment, the men did realize the danger they were in. They stopped and looked for their attacker. It was impossible to see anything, and the distant fans of the truck were useless through the dead forest.
One of the unharmed men tried to move carefully and answer the shots. To his misfortune, he tripped over a rock, and Lori's attack was swift and mortal.
After shooting, Lori heard the dry sound of a falling body. She couldn't help a smile. The shot had hit the head or the heart of their enemy, and killed him instantly. Those guys were dangerous and cruel; but very stupid, and they hadn't serious military training. For Lori, all were as clear as if she were seeing them. They had fallen into her game; in which not even Lynn or Pop-Pop could overcome her.
But it wasn't time to boast: there were one dead man and two injured. Another was missing.
A few seconds passed, and she heard the sound of steps moving away. The last of their "attackers" now intended to flee and was moving to the left. Lori shot for the fifth time, and immediately heard a gurgling sound, and the heavy blow of a body collapsing on the ground. Almost immediately, she heard another body falling on the humus. Surely, was one of that she wounded before.
Two dead, one disabled and one injured. It was time to finish them.
She drew her hunter's knife, and made a wide circle around the left flank. There, she heard the erratic steps of the last one standing. Lori walked as crouched as she could, so that the man silhouette was visible against the clouds. She soon saw the wounded man who was holding his arm, and her expression became as cruel and determined as that of a hungry wolf.
The man didn't have time to react. Lori took it from behind and stabbed the knife at his kidney. The pain was terrible, but the girl didn't let him scream. She covered his mouth, and cut his throat to the larynx.
The last man left alive saw his attacker coming, but he could do nothing to save his life. Lori fell on his chest, using her knees to snatching the air he struggled to retain. He couldn't scream, because Lori covered his nose and squeezed it violently, preventing him from breathing. His agony lasted for endless seconds, until two stabs in his neck prevented him from feeling anything else.