Chapter Sixteen: Ready, Set, Go!

"Mom, no!" Shouted Ariadne as her mother collapsed to the ground.

Time seemed to slow down as Ariadne knelt beside her mother as she searched her own belongings for a Stimpak. She could feel her heart pound in her ears as she watched the color drain from her mother's face. People shouted nearby, but to her, they appeared a million miles away.

"Ree, don't," her mother gasped as she clutched her chest. "It won't help."

"You don't know that," Ari said, as tears spilled down her cheeks. "If I could just find a damn —"

"Ariadne," her mother said firmly as she grabbed one of Ari's wrists. Ariadne felt her throat constrict when she saw the amount of blood covering her mother's hands. "I'm sorry we didn't have more time together." Her mother whispered as she squeezed her hand. "Your father and I love you very much."

Ariadne watched as her mother's green eyes glazed over at the same moment her grip loosened. Ariadne removed her mother's hand and stood up. She withdrew her cedar baseball bat and pushed past the other group members.

"Hey, Mohawk guy," she said as she approached the man who'd shot her mother. He briefly shifted his attention away from Travis and toward her. "Wrong move, asshole."

She then swung her baseball bat as hard as she could at the man's head. A loud crack rang throughout the forest as Mohawk man and his combat shotgun fell to the ground. The other leather-clad men's eyes widened before Travis yelled to the others.

"Everyone, spread out and take cover."

James followed Travis' instructions and hid behind a thin pine tree. It wasn't a great source of cover, but it would do for now.

This is insane, thought James as he peered out from behind the tree to fire at a man with a 9mm pistol. How the hell did they even know we were here?

His shots just barely missed, and he moved behind the tree again as the man began to fire. When he heard grunting and cursing in proximity, he glanced up to see Virgil climbing one of the Sunshine Wastes pines.

Well, I guess I shouldn't be surprised, thought James as he aimed his .45 pistol at the man with the 9mm again. He's not really a Guns and Bullets kind of guy.

He fired twice, with the first bullet finding its mark right above his chest.

Then again, neither am I, he thought as the man with the 9mm pistol charged at him.

James held out his pistol and fired again, aiming for the man's chest. This time, both bullets hit, and the leather-clad man fell to the ground beside his weapon. James then moved out from behind the tree and searched the battlefield.

Saoirse, Noelle, and Ariadne took on two of the Doyle men by themselves near Natasha's body. Ariadne was fighting particularly hard, with beads of sweat appearing on her forehead as she hit one of the darkly dressed men in the forehead. He inwardly winced at hearing the crack that followed.

Travis was using a Ripper against one opponent with a Chinese sword and the other a 10mm pistol, while Milton and Zeke fought three men side by side.

"Hey, if you need some help," Virgil called as James looked up at him. He watched the ghoul remove a few frag grenades from his pocket.

Where the hell did he get so many explosives, thought James.

He shook his head. "Keep those for now. If we get desperate, that's when we'll need them."

"Roger," said Virgil with a mock salute as he pocketed the grenades.

"I could use some help here," Travis called.

James rushed toward Travis, as his companion just managed to dodge a bullet while his Ripper clanged against another man's Chinese sword. James aimed his pistol at the man with the sword and fired in between his eyes. The man with the Chinese sword turned to James but was unable to avoid two bullets to the head. As he landed to the ground, Travis and James turned to the man with the 10mm pistol.

He fired at James and Travis as they charged him. James ducked while Travis moved to the side. Both men kept moving closer and closer to the man with the pistol. As Travis approached the man with the 10mm pistol, he fired a shot. Fortunately, Travis moved his Ripper just in time to deflect a bullet.

Man, I should get one of those for myself, thought James.

As Travis approached the other man, Travis sawed the man's head clean off his shoulders. The head, body, and Chinese sword fell to the ground. Travis swiped the blood off before he turned to James.

"Thanks for the save," said Travis with a nod. "Let's try and help the others."

"Right behind you," James said.

He reloaded his pistol and followed Travis as they joined Zeke and Milton. Two leather-clad men lay on the ground, as four darkly dressed men fought.

"Is there any other route back to Miami?" James asked as he just managed to avoid a spiked baseball bat.

"There is," Travis replied as he kicked the man with the baseball bat in the knee. The man grunted as he slid back. "But I'd prefer not to let our opponents know where we're headed."

James nodded as the man with the baseball bat charged at them again.

Guess I'd better focus on staying alive long enough to make it back to Orlando, he thought as he aimed his .45 pistol at his foe's head and fired. The round missed and James ducked in time to avoid the baseball spikes. Travis came up behind the man and severed his head from his body.

"Shit," said James as he narrowly avoided a bullet to the leg.

He and Travis turned toward a man with a double barrel shotgun who was rushing toward them. James raised his pistol, but Travis lowered James' arm and shook his head.

"I have a better idea," he said. "When he comes running, stick out your leg."

James raised a brow but followed Travis' instructions. As the man with the shotgun grew closer to them, he tripped over James' leg. The man fell to the ground, and Travis used the opportunity to run him through with his Ripper. The man gargled as blood gushed out of his back and onto Travis' weapon before he stopped moving altogether.

James turned around just in time to see a bald man with his weapon aimed at James' chest. Before he could use said weapon, however, the man was shot twice in the back. Standing behind the bald man as he fell over was Saoirse and Noelle.

"Thanks for the assist," he said.

"You're welcome," Saoirse said with a nod as she reloaded her pistols. Her gaze moved over the fallen bodies. "Once everyone's ready, we need to get moving again. My dad and I know quite a few different routes to Miami, which should help us avoid more men from the Big Three."

"I'll get Virgil," Milton volunteered with a sigh.

This is going to be a long and dangerous trip back, thought James as he reloaded and holstered his pistol.

It had been several weeks since Natasha's death. Conversation between group members had been quiet and to the point, as if they were afraid more armed men might pop out of the woods any second. They hadn't had anymore run-ins with any Miami Big Three associates, but they'd also taken certain precautions.

"Hey guys, is there any way we can take a break?" Asked Virgil. "I really need to tinkle."

Zeke sighed as he and Milton rolled their eyes.

First, they took routes only Travis and Saoirse knew. Unfortunately, this meant they clashed with more Mutated Gators and Sunshine Diamondbacks.

I swear if I never see another giant, poisonous snake it'll be too soon, thought Zeke as they trudged through the forest.

"We're almost to Miami," Travis said as he looked to the ghoul. "Can you at least hold it until we get there?"

"You said that roughly a half hour ago," Zeke added.

The setting sun filtered through the thin, tall pine trees. Zeke's boots crunched on the layer of long dead twigs and branches as they walked. In the distance, the splashing of water mixed with the growls of Yao Guai and shaking of rattles. Zeke's gaze briefly shifted around the eight group members.

Another protection they'd taken was that no one walked ahead or behind the group. If the terrain ahead looked precarious or someone heard something, a scout was sent. It meant quite a lot of waiting, but they couldn't afford to take any chances.

Travis sighed and glanced at the map on his Pip-Boy once again. "If you want specifics, we're a half mile from the northern gate."

At least we're not too far from Miami, thought Zeke. But getting inside the city is going to be another matter entirely.

An additional safety measure they'd taken was increasing their travel time. It was harder to track someone or something when you didn't know where it was. While Zeke, Travis, and Saoirse were accustomed to waking up before the sun, the others grumbled under their breath.

"Wait, I thought we were going in through a side entrance?" Asked Virgil.

"We are," Saoirse replied. "The guard access is close to the north gate. You can't even tell where it is if you're not looking."

Handy, Zeke thought as the surrounding gates of Miami came into view. Guess we'll find out.

Travis led the party out of the forest and down the path toward the north gate. Zeke counted at least five figures on the wall as Travis steered to the right.

"Everyone get ready to run, just like we talked about," Travis whispered.

Everybody nodded as they followed Travis several feet away from the northern entrance. Zeke folded his arms as he scanned the surrounding area. They were the only ones on this side of the wall, and the other guards were either pacing or fiddling with their weapons. He looked to the main entrance but didn't see anyone heading in that direction. It was growing late, and Miami didn't let anyone inside past sundown.

I hope this plan works, thought Zeke, not for the first time. Otherwise, we're screwed.

"Travis, is that you?" Came a masculine voice in Spanish.

Zeke shifted his gaze toward their section of wall, where a man in leather armor now approached Travis.

"It's good to see you again, Diego," replied Travis, also in Spanish. "How's your leg?"

Diego nodded. "It's much better." His gaze then moved to the rest of the group. "I'm guessing this isn't a social call."

"We need a favor," Travis replied. "Could you help us get into the city through the guard's entrance?"

Diego sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"Shit, man, you know there's a bounty on all of your heads?" Diego asked. "One thousand caps a piece."

Shit, thought Zeke. It didn't surprise him, as the Big Three often used bounties to obtain difficult items they wanted. Which meant their job just became a hell of a lot more difficult.

"Look, we just need your help getting into the city," Travis said. "After that, we'll be out of your hair. You owe Saoirse and I that much, Diego."

Diego sighed again and swore under his breath.

"Alright, tell your people to hold tight," he replied. "I'll be down in a minute."

After Diego disappeared, Travis partially turned to Zeke and the others.

"We're in business, guys," Travis whispered.

Zeke and his companions waited until the door creaked open. Diego appeared in the doorway and motioned for everyone to come in.

"Thank you," Travis said in Spanish as he looked to Diego. "We really appreciate this."

Diego nodded. "If anyone asks, I didn't see you."

Zeke and the group rushed through the guard's barracks, which were devoid of guards, and into Stackton. The familiar scent of Brahmin dung combined with Gator meat and human piss and vomit flooded Zeke's nose. The streets were completely devoid of life, yet Zeke could still see the lights and hear the music from the Shangri-La.

"Looks like they were expecting us," said Travis as he stopped and turned to them. "We're going to have to work fast. First—"

At that moment, Travis was cut off by voices yelling in the distance.

"Okay, new plan," said Travis. "Everyone, split up and run to the Opal Garden. It's located within Waterside. There should be a sign in front of some plants, you can't miss it." He looked to Zeke as the sound of footsteps and voices grew closer. "The next time you encounter one of us, give that person the vial and keep running. Even if you no longer have the virus, keep going until you reach the Opal Garden. We'll meet there and take down any remaining guards if there are any."

If we live that long, thought Zeke.

"Does everyone understand the plan?" Asked Travis and the whole group nodded. "Okay, good luck."

With that, the group dispersed as the guards ran toward them.

Milton kept his dual .44 Magnums at the ready as he ran through Stackton. After James had given him the vial, he'd stuffed it into the pocket of his dress pants. He'd had to occasionally holster one of his pistols just to ensure the container hadn't cracked. So far, it hadn't.

He glanced over his shoulder and slowed his pace when he didn't see any guards. He holstered one of his weapons and briefly put a hand to his side when he felt a cramp.

The gate to Little Plaza is just ahead, he thought. Shouldn't be too much further.

As he rounded a street corner and the gate to Little Plaza came into view, so did two Miami city guards. Both were several feet away with leather armor and weapons. One wielded a machete, and the other a baseball bat.

"Damn," he muttered as he pressed himself behind the nearest building.

He tried to remember if any of his group members was nearby, but after James had passed him the flask, he hadn't seen anyone. His heart pounded in his chest as he withdrew his other magnum. He moved out from behind the building and aimed his pistol at the man with the machete.

Here goes nothing, he thought as he pulled the trigger.

The man with the machete landed face first on the ground beside his weapon. The second man whipped his head toward Milton as his comrade fell. When he began to move toward Milton, a frag grenade landed at his feet. Milton's eyes widened as he watched the man's legs get blown off his body.

"Well, don't just stand there, dumbass," said a familiar rasping voice.

Milton shifted his gaze to see Virgil approach the dead men. The ghoul extended his hand toward Milton.

"Give me the death vial so we can get on with it already. I'd rather not learn what dead ghouls look like, alright?"

Hey guys, I know it's been a spell since I've updated, but I hope this keeps you going until the last couple of chapters are posted. This chapter, as well as the next few, have spent some time in the editing process not only by myself but also my beta, Solar Surfer.

I would like to thank everyone for reading and don't forget to leave a review!