บท 20: The Fucking Plan
"We could distract the guards at the entrance," Owen suggested, his voice low but urgent. "If we can get them to move, we could get to the cars and create a vantage point."
"That's six well-armed guys," Elliot noted, his tone heavy with skepticism. "Even if we distract them, that doesn't give us much room to get in and out alive."
"But we don't have to face them directly," Manny interjected, his gaze fixed on the kids. "We could use an outside distraction to lure them into the woods."
Elliot arched an eyebrow, crossing his arms. "Weren't you the hero who was against the kids paying the price a moment ago? Now you want to use them as bait?"
"I'm a practical guy," Manny replied with a shrug. "Call it strategic bipolarity."
The kids, who had been silent until that point, exchanged a nervous glance. Elliot watched them closely, and though he saw the fear in their eyes, he also saw something else: determination.
"Okay," Elliot finally said, pointing at Kiara. "If these bastards are waiting for you to bring us in, you might as well live up to their expectations. Go up to them, make up a story, and have them follow you into the woods."
Kiara's eyes widened, taking a step back. "What? I can't do that!"
"Sure you can," Elliot replied with a sardonic grin. "Tell them your brother was kidnapped by… Abby."
"Abby?" Owen asked, frowning. "Why Abby, exactly?"
"Because he sounds intimidating," Elliot replied, shrugging. "And besides, he looks like the kind of guy who could rip someone's head off if he wanted to. That'll make them nervous."
Manny let out a dry laugh. "You have some shitty logic, but I can't argue with the results."
Owen sighed, looking at the kids with a mix of pity and resignation. "This is crazy," he finally said. "They're just kids, Elliot. What if something goes wrong?"
"Something goes wrong?" Elliot turned to Owen with a humorless smile. "Welcome to the apocalypse, genius. Everything goes wrong here. Do you have a better idea? Because if you do, this is the perfect time to share it."
Owen's silence was enough to close the subject. Kiara, though still shaking, clenched her fists tightly and looked up at Elliot. "I'll do it," she said, her voice trying to sound more confident than she really was.
"Good girl," Elliot said, though there was a trace of genuine respect in his tone. "Remember, you have to lure them as far away as possible. Come up with something believable, and for God's sake, don't hesitate."
"And if it doesn't work…" Owen began, but Elliot cut him off with a hard look.
"If it doesn't work, then we improvise. Like always."
Kiara gulped and looked at her brother, who nodded slowly, trying to hide his fear. "Be careful," the boy told her in a whisper before quickly hugging her.
Elliot watched the exchange in silence, feeling a slight weight in his stomach that he didn't want to acknowledge. He looked away and focused on what was coming. "Fine. We're going to move. Kiara, when you get close, we'll get ready to act. Don't expose yourself any more than necessary."
"Got it," she said, her lips pressing together as she walked away toward the factory, her small figure slipping through the shadows.
Elliot looked at Manny and Owen, adjusting his machete in his hand. "If this move goes wrong, I want you to know it was your idea," he said with a dry smile directed at Manny.
"Sure, sure," Manny replied, shaking his head. "But if it works, it will be because of me."
Elliot snorted. "Dream on, genius."
Kiara ran toward the guards with staggering steps, her breathing labored and her face drenched in tears. Desperation was palpable in every movement, and the six men, who were sitting around a makeshift campfire, reacted instantly. One of them raised his rifle, pointing it at her as the others quickly stood up.
"Stop right there!" growled one, a rugged-looking man with scars on his face. "It's the brat. Are you coming alone or are you bringing company?"
"My brother!" Kiara shouted, her voice breaking as she brought her hands to her chest. "They… they have him. The group they told me to bring here caught him. They put a machete to my neck and said if they didn't return their friend, they would kill him."
The guards looked at each other, their expressions swinging between surprise and suspicion. One of them, a younger guy in a dirty cap, cocked his head. "Do you know where they are now?" he asked in a distrustful tone, though his rifle was lowered slightly.
"Yes," Kiara answered quickly, her voice shaking as she shed genuine tears. "They're nearby… in an old grocery store. It's a temporary shelter. They're waiting outside the factory because they don't know where we are… but they have my brother."
The leader of the group, a man with a scruffy beard and a worn military jacket, frowned as he considered the information. "How far away is that store?" He asked, his tone harsh but curious.
"Just a five minute walk," Kiara replied, wiping her tears with the back of her hand. "Please don't let them kill him! They just wanted them to come here. I didn't know what else to do…"
The bearded man clicked his tongue and turned to one of the guards, a thin-faced guy with shrewd eyes. "Go and tell the boss," he ordered. "Tell him the girl came back with news."
"What? What are you planning to do?" the guard asked with a hint of doubt in his voice.
"I'm going to check it out," the bearded man replied, picking up his rifle and adjusting the strap on his shoulder. "I don't care if we're monsters, I'm not going to let them kill a child for something he had no control over."
"What about Grandpa?" another guard asked, this one with a face marked by burns. "If it's a trap, they could be using the girl to throw us off. We have what they want."
"Yeah, and they have a hostage we weren't expecting," the leader replied, his tone sharp. "I'm not going to risk losing everything because you want to stand here scratching your ass. If it's a trap, we might as well just face them and get this shit over with. Now, get moving."
Without further discussion, five of the guards prepared to follow Kiara, while the sixth ran into the factory to warn the leader. Kiara, heart racing, maintained her panicked stance as the men surrounded her, leading her into the woods. Her small body trembled, but her mind worked frantically.
"Show us the way," the bearded man growled, tightening his grip on his rifle as he walked behind her. "And you better be telling the truth."
"Yes, yes," Kiara replied in a small voice, pointing in the opposite direction from the factory hideout. "It's this way. Please hurry. I don't know how much longer you're going to wait before… doing something."
The men moved forward, their attention divided between Kiara and the sounds of the forest around them. The girl led them with quick steps, though her eyes constantly strayed to the nearby bushes, where Elliot and the others waited.
From his hiding spot, Elliot watched the scene with a satisfied smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Good job, little girl," he murmured, adjusting his grip on the machete as his companions watched him tensely.
"This may work," Manny said quietly, his tone heavy with hope.
"I hope so," Elliot replied, his voice barely a whisper. "Because if not, we're going to have to rip their guts out one by one."
As the five guards passed the position where Elliot, Manny, and Owen were hiding, the air grew thick, tense. Elliot raised a hand, his fingers signaling a silent count: three… two… one.
Without hesitation, the three men emerged from the bushes like unleashed beasts. Elliot was the first to move, his enhanced body reacting with brutal precision. He threw his knife in a fluid motion; the blade flew straight, gleaming in the dim nightlight, before sinking deep into the first guard's neck. The man had no time to react, falling to his knees as a jet of blood poured from his throat, gurgling through the air as he struggled to breathe.
"Sons of bitches!" another guard roared, raising his rifle, but Elliot was already upon him. With a swift, ferocious movement, he unsheathed his machete and plunged it into the man's abdomen. The blade tore through flesh and viscera, and the guard let out a gasp as his hands futilely tried to stop the bleeding. Elliot twisted the machete inside the body before pulling it back, a wet, grotesque sound filling the air. Hot blood splattered across his face, but he did not falter.
Manny charged at two guards at the same time, a rusty metal pipe in his hands. His first blow was brutal, crashing into the skull of the nearest one. The impact echoed like thunder, and the man fell backwards, his skull fractured and his eyes open in a vacant expression. Without giving the other guard time to react, Manny swung the pipe downward, striking the man's knee hard. A terrifying crunch accompanied the guard's piercing scream, as he fell to the ground, writhing in pain. Manny did not stop; He raised the pipe once more and brought it down on the man's face, crushing it with a sickening sound.
Owen, armed with a hunting knife, faced the last guard, a larger and clearly more experienced man. The guard swung with the barrel of his rifle, but Owen narrowly dodged it, countering with a clean cut to the side of the man's torso. The blade tore through flesh, and the guard let out a growl of rage before attempting to strike again. Owen blocked the blow with his forearm, ignoring the pain, and plunged the knife straight into the side of the man's neck. A gush of hot, black blood washed over him as the guard staggered back, clutching his neck uselessly.
"Let's end this quickly!" Elliot growled as he spun around to make sure no enemy was left standing.
One of the guards Manny had attacked was still trying to get up, groaning in pain as he held his bloodied head. Elliot advanced on him without hesitation, raising his machete. In one motion, he brought it down on the man's skull, splitting it as if it were a ripe fruit. The body collapsed with a dull thud.
Grunts, screams, and gasps filled the forest for a moment, but soon, silence returned, interrupted only by the sound of blood dripping to the ground and the ragged breaths of the three men.
Elliot, his face covered in blood and his eyes alight with adrenaline, wiped the machete on the shirt of one of the corpses before looking at Manny and Owen. "It's over," he said quietly, though his tone still vibrated with the energy of the fight.
Manny, breathing heavily, leaned on his bloody pipe and nodded. "Fuck, these guys were tough. But not tough enough."
Elliot wiped the machete against his pants, leaving a dark smear as he took the rifles from the fallen guards. They weren't military weapons, just old hunting rifles, but they were enough for what they had in mind. His gaze landed on Owen, who was still breathing hard after the fight.
"Fine," Elliot said coldly, as he loaded one of the rifles and handed another to Manny. "We're going to stick to the damn plan. Owen, you take one of these morons' cars. If we're lucky, the keys will be somewhere in plain sight. You take the wheel, accelerate like your life depends on it—because it will—and make sure you lure as many of these fuckers out of the factory as possible."
Owen raised an eyebrow, staring at Elliot in disbelief. "What if they kill me while I'm at it? What if the whole damn plan ends up with me full of holes?" he asked, anxiety seeping into his tone.
Elliot stared back at him with a half-smile laden with cynicism. "Then I guess we'll pray for you," he replied without a hint of compassion. "But, if you do things right, they won't have time to get to you."
Manny leaned forward, adjusting the bloody pipe on his shoulder like it was a war trophy. "Okay, genius," he said with a hint of sarcasm. "And then what? What do we do while Owen plays fucking human bait?"
"Simple," Elliot said, looking back at the factory. "We infiltrate. We take out whoever is left and rescue Leah and Grandpa from these brats." His tone left no room for doubt: there was no room for error.
Kiara, who had been listening silently with her brother beside her, stepped forward. Her expression was a mix of determination and defiance. "We want to go too," she said, her voice sounding much more mature than her age suggested.
Elliot turned to her, gritting his teeth. "No," he said in a firm tone that brooked no reply. "You're going to stay here with your brother and take care of him. The last thing we need is two brats slowing us down. Leave the adult work to us."
"But—" Kiara began to retort, her face flushed with fury and frustration.
"No buts, no shit," Elliot cut her off, glaring at her. "Your grandfather is already in danger thanks to all this, and I'm not going to take the blame if you two get killed too. Stay here, watch, and don't make any noise."
Kiara pursed her lips, visibly upset, but didn't say anything else. Her brother, meanwhile, was holding on to her hand tightly, as if trying to reassure her.
"Fine," Elliot said, turning to Owen and Manny. "We're going to get closer to the factory. Owen, we'll cover you while you get into one of the cars. Do it quickly and without screwing up."
Manny snorted as he picked up his rifle and checked it over. "You know, for once, it would be nice if you weren't so calm when we get into this shit," he commented with a nervous smile.
"That would be boring," Elliot replied, waving a hand to signal that they should move on.
Carefully, they edged closer to the factory, moving through the bushes and shadows. The remaining guards were focused on their posts, not yet noticing the absence of their fallen comrades. In front of them were two vehicles: a beat-up pickup truck and a compact car that looked in better shape.
"The car will be faster," Elliot whispered, nodding toward Owen. "It's yours."
Owen gulped, clearly nervous. "This is fucking crazy," he muttered as he eyed the vehicle and the nearby guards. But he knew he had no choice. With one last glance at the group, he prepared for the ride of his life.
"Go," Elliot ordered in a whisper, raising his rifle to cover him.
Owen took a deep breath and bolted for the car. In three quick leaps he reached the vehicle, throwing himself into the driver's seat. He yanked open the door, his shaking hands searching for his keys. To his relief, they were hanging from the ignition. "Thanks, morons," he muttered as he turned the key.
The engine roared to life, immediately attracting the attention of the nearby guards. One of them yelled, "Hey, what the hell!" as he raised his gun.
Elliot fired first, his hunting rifle echoing through the night air. The bullet hit the nearest guard in the chest, knocking him down instantly. Manny followed suit, aiming for the next one and firing with deadly accuracy.
"Speed up, Owen!" Elliot roared as they covered his escape.
Owen hit the gas, the car skidding on the ground before lunging forward. The guards began firing at him, but most of the shots missed, hitting the ground and the vehicle without causing serious damage.
"The fuckers are getting away!" one of the guards shouted, as they ran to their vehicles to give chase.
Elliot watched as the plan began to take shape. "There they go," he muttered with a satisfied smile as he watched the guards climb into the remaining truck and take off after Owen.
"You think he'll make it?" Manny asked as he lowered his rifle, sweat running down his forehead.
Elliot glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, shrugging. "That depends on how much luck he gets. But it's our turn now."
He pointed towards the factory entrance, now much less guarded. "Come on. Time to get in there and put an end to this shit."
End of Chapter 20
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