Status: Updates are sporadic and may occur at whim, but I do try to add chapters regularly.
Silent Nights
Backup Plan
“We have to leave,” Drew concludes. He backs away as Matt nods and then takes my arm so I’ll follow him to the study. The girl is already in there, loading up all the stuff she took out when she was looking for the flashbangs. She finishes with that bag and tosses it to the couch from across the room. I wonder if that’s a good idea with all the ammo I saw her shove in there, but she’s already onto the next pile of stuff. She dumps the case of water into another duffle and drops that by the couch. It makes a loud noise, and she doesn’t even seem to care. The car alarm goes off for a second, but Matt fires off another shot and it starts up again.
Drew reaches for her arm then, but she sidesteps him and strides to the desk. She pulls something from a black backpack on the floor. Without pause she kicks off her boots, pulls off her shorts, steps into a pair of black cargo pants, and shoves her boots back on. It all happens so fast that Drew hardly even reacts before she’s clothed again, but I see the slight blush on his cheeks. At any other time I’d probably mock him for it, but I recognize the urgency in her movements and remember that I should be packing too.
I cross to the desk and grab the leftover gauze and peroxide. Our bags are dumped by the window. I zip the stuff inside mine and toss the other two to Drew. He slings one over his shoulders and nods to the shotgun still propped against the window. I hesitate, but the girl picks it up and shoves it into my arms as she walks by. She opens one of her bags again to pull out a box of shells, then comes back to me and tucks the box into the pocket of my jacket.
“You know how to use it?” she asks. I nod and grip the gun a bit firmer. I may not like using guns, but I do know how. Matt and Drew have made sure of that. She nods once and returns to her pile of bags.
“What the best way out?” Drew asks. The girl puts on the backpack and slings the strap of one of the duffle bags over her shoulder.
“There’s a pickup parked out back, full tank, supplies in the bed,” she answers. She picks up another bag with her left hand, but I grab the last one for her. She nods at me in thanks before finally looking at Drew. “There’s a window downstairs we can use, leads right into the cab.”
Drew calls for Matt, who fires off one more shot before shutting the window and jogging over to us. Drew passes him the other backpack and holds out his hand for the girl to let him carry her other bag. She only hesitates for a second before passing the bag in her hand to him. A loud crack sounds from the door downstairs, and the girl starts down the stairs. With one hand on the strap of the duffle, the girl pulls her gun from the holster and clicks off the safety.
Drew reaches for her arm then, but she sidesteps him and strides to the desk. She pulls something from a black backpack on the floor. Without pause she kicks off her boots, pulls off her shorts, steps into a pair of black cargo pants, and shoves her boots back on. It all happens so fast that Drew hardly even reacts before she’s clothed again, but I see the slight blush on his cheeks. At any other time I’d probably mock him for it, but I recognize the urgency in her movements and remember that I should be packing too.
I cross to the desk and grab the leftover gauze and peroxide. Our bags are dumped by the window. I zip the stuff inside mine and toss the other two to Drew. He slings one over his shoulders and nods to the shotgun still propped against the window. I hesitate, but the girl picks it up and shoves it into my arms as she walks by. She opens one of her bags again to pull out a box of shells, then comes back to me and tucks the box into the pocket of my jacket.
“You know how to use it?” she asks. I nod and grip the gun a bit firmer. I may not like using guns, but I do know how. Matt and Drew have made sure of that. She nods once and returns to her pile of bags.
“What the best way out?” Drew asks. The girl puts on the backpack and slings the strap of one of the duffle bags over her shoulder.
“There’s a pickup parked out back, full tank, supplies in the bed,” she answers. She picks up another bag with her left hand, but I grab the last one for her. She nods at me in thanks before finally looking at Drew. “There’s a window downstairs we can use, leads right into the cab.”
Drew calls for Matt, who fires off one more shot before shutting the window and jogging over to us. Drew passes him the other backpack and holds out his hand for the girl to let him carry her other bag. She only hesitates for a second before passing the bag in her hand to him. A loud crack sounds from the door downstairs, and the girl starts down the stairs. With one hand on the strap of the duffle, the girl pulls her gun from the holster and clicks off the safety.