From CHAPTER 2:
Felicity stared at the line of windmills to their far right, wondering aloud, "What's his game? What's he waiting for?"
As if on cue, a withering barrage of bullets hailed down on them, turning the quiet, sleepy desert into a killing field.
CHAPTER 3 – There Be Monsters
They threw themselves to the far side of the car's interior and spilled out of the doors to the hard-packed ground. Keeping his back to the shooter, Oliver grabbed Felicity by the shoulders and pulled her just behind the car's front left tire well, using the engine as a shield. Diggle chose the same strategy, with both men placing themselves in front of her. As always, Felicity could count on these two men to protect her at all costs. The shooting was relentless, reminding Felicity of the car shredded by gunfire in the final scenes of Bonnie and Clyde.
When the deafening sniper attack finally stopped, Felicity could hear nothing but high-pitched ringing in her ears. The vehicle was, simply put, destroyed. It had kept them alive and relatively unscathed although they all had all suffered small cuts from flying shrapnel.
After verifying that they were not seriously injured, they stayed in their huddle by the car.
"That was subtle," Diggle dryly observed.
"He's trying to flush us out before he loses daylight," Oliver said, his fingers rubbing with pent-up energy and frustration.
"Could you see the muzzle flash?" asked Diggle.
"Not without losing the top of my skull," Oliver replied dryly.
"I want this made perfectly clear," Felicity began, "I am so not making the call to Hertz."
After the last vestiges of twilight had faded to full darkness, the three left the bullet-riddled wreckage, slipping into the scrubby desert landscape. Crouching as they moved, they stayed parallel to the farm-to-market road in hopes they would reach traffic or at least a signal from a cell tower. Thankfully, there was limited natural light due to a waning moon, lessening the risk of being seen by the sniper.
Oliver and Diggle of course had sensible boots that protected their feet and gave them decent traction. She however had chosen to wear a darling pair of flat-soled sandals that showed off her pretty aquamarine toenails dotted with sparkly rhinestones. This impromptu hike was demolishing her pedicure. Some days, it was hell to be a fashionista and a vigilante's "girl Wednesday."
As time passed, Felicity found it harder to ignore the nocturnal desert creatures that were coming to life around her. She tried to convince herself that the papery, rustling noises were caused by the wind, but her brilliant mind knew better. And having grown up in Las Vegas, she certainly remembered news stories of hapless hikers' encounters with local wildlife.
She struggled to forget images of tarantulas and Gila monsters, but it was impossible to do when she felt something scurrying across her bare toes. She squealed and jumped away from the creepy sensation. As she landed, something moved under her foot, upsetting her balance and throwing her backwards.
"Ow, ow, ow," she yelled.
Oliver and Diggle, whose eyes were now fully adjusted to the low light, found her writhing on the desert floor, but kept their voices low.
"Felicity, what is it?" Oliver asked, his hands reaching for her. "Did you fall?"
"Something hit me," she cried. "Hit my leg."
"Hit you," Diggle repeated, sounding concerned. He pulled a small flashlight from his backpack as he knelt at Felicity's feet. "Oliver, we need to shield this light."
Oliver yanked his jacket off, tenting it over Diggle who flipped on his penlight to look at Felicity's injured shin.
"Oh, god. This night just got so much worse."