29

“I don’t know, shooting a movie like that just seems to only work for really kitschy films. I mean sure there are some art house,” you swerved out of the way of a careening truck. They were coming right for you. “F**k, I mean it’s not a choose your own adventure show, they’re forcing you into the void” You kept your self on four wheels, Jane and Kaite dodged you. Machine gun fire bursting out of the window into the wrecking ball that was hunting your head. Blood spatter on the pot marked windshield. They weren’t moving anymore, more trucks, roll cages, came out of driveways and over lawns. You threw it in reverse, flipping three point and behind the your gunner, Kaite out of the sunroof, a magnetic mount straddling the hole, she steadied a heavy machine gun to the rig. You leaned on the horn to get them going again. “Get the rear window” Ren slipped into the backseat, the sound of bullets dinging against the door panels and against the bulletproof glass. You kept in line with the caravan, your car the cover for bullet proof Kaite. You followed Jane on a sharp left. She crushed a brick mailbox whipping over a lawn, you knocked ornamental statuary through a breakfast nook keeping up. She whipped a donut and was back around heading headlong into traffic. You anticipated her steering, keeping it close while on comers chickened to the sides of the road. You drove past exploded windshields. The pursuit trying to right themselves, Ren fired off from the grenade launcher cratering the sidewalks and blowing the sides of the SUV in on themselves. You checked your mirrors, flames swerved into the front of a house.

“I think we’re through here.” Ren called up to you, “That was all the cars.” She was climbing back to shotgun. Kaite was back inside the car. You pulled forward running side by side with Jane.

“I’ll race you to the Pizza Hut.”

“Everybody wants a piece of the pie!” Jane

“Divide and conquer,” your two fingers in the air, you took a right up onto the curb and around the back of a corner lot. You clipped the side of a tall wooden fence breaking into the alley. No cars moving through, you rolled slowly trying to close the gap between you and the next wave. “It started out with videogames, you get to be the shooter that’s a big part of the subversive aspect. I mean if kids are throwing puppies into rivers and burning down villages, its just that the environment is different so critics consider themselves above the fray of the average consumer but really let them sit down with a f*****g bible and if they wanted to give a great plug for a union that backed or didn’t back their paycheck.”

“I’m gonna let you finish, but I have no clue what you’re talking about anymore.”

“I’m talking about satisfaction. I mean, cult classics wouldn’t be that way if they were wildly successful in their lifetime, but there are exceptions to everything.”

“This is all very meta.” “Shut up.”

“Don’t get snippy, I just think we have something a little more pressing on our hands.”

“I wonder what soldiers talk about before invasions?”

“Probably the same thing athletes talk about before going into the huddle.”

“Tactics.”

“Strategy is background at that point.”

“I mean its all present.”

“Yeah but this isn’t world war one, m**********r aren’t running from trench to trench trying not to get their heads blown off.”

“Right, they’re jumping out of helicopters guns blazing.”

“Swinging from ropes over pits and delivering the coupe de grace with a tripod from a machine gun mount.”

“Stop here.”

“Why?”

“Smoke break, I don’t see anyone coming”

“Word” You parked in the back driveway of a house that looked like it was on the market. These neighborhoods repeated designs so often, the motif was generally the same throughout the neighborhood, this one didn’t seem too popular, a bit on a far end of the spectrum, just give it a season. “Do you have anything to roll with?”

“I’ve got a f*****g sawed off double barrel shot gun” Ren brought it up to eye level.

“You know, I’ve always wanted to do this” You. Ren loaded a nugget into the chamber while you sucked on the barrel. The gun locked closed you could pull to your hearts content a trigger pull releasing the smoke into your lungs through cartridge ejection. You traded with Ren, sucking air and trigger click, she choked on the inhale coughing violently.

“That’s a hell of a pipe,” Ren composed herself. “Lets keep riding. Turn on the stereo.”

“Right Chief.” You backed out of the driveway. Still clear out, you rolled down the window to let some of the smoke diffuse. You came out on the other side of the alley. The street deserted, you were at the edge of the neighborhood. You kept it below twenty‐five going around blind corners and rolling through stop signs.

“We must have found a good spot.”

“Yeah the high road,” Ren giggled. Twists and turns brought you to areas constructed but void of occupancy. These were investments. Insurance alone would keep the builder happy if the earth caved in under the foundation. A block of homes that all looked the same, grass cut to precision height, regulation picket fences, mirrored windows, one way glass, detached breakfast nooks. Homes far off the street shoved to the back of the property line wrought iron gates and obelisk mailboxes. Water features stretching out to infinity, nothing but flowers filling lots in every color mosaic. You rounded onto Jane and Kaite’s block, the fight coming into view.

“Put on your seat belt,” you floored the pedal. Three jeeps were laying down heavy fire on your friends. Ren out the window fired a volley into one of the attackers, the jeep combusting throwing bodies across the street. You plowed over a man in the street readying a rifle and kept rolling effortlessly, a glimpse of the mangled speed bump; you slammed into the side of one of the enemy crushing shooters between grill and pick up body. You jumped out shooting. The stun of the collision left many of the fighters dazed, your bullets cleaning up the mess. You were getting good at this. Slide behind a parked car, fired two shots into a combatant trying to enter and take you by surprise. Ren threw something disc shaped into a boxed cluster of cars. The mess slammed together in pile of twisted metal leaking limbs. Must have been a magnet. They were scattering, it couldn’t have been more than 15 people left on the lines. They ran to the house for cover. They had already made it inside, Jane and Kaite must have stirred the nest, they had enough raid to stop most of them mid flight. You picked off some of the stragglers too slow to make it through busted windows and doors. Jane sprinting past you.

“Wrong castle.” She dove through the curtains into the dining room sub machines drawn, the burst of gunfire. You took your charge full shoulder through the front door. You fired down on those trying to make it to the underground, brain splattered on the stonewalls of the staircase. You caught a grenade rolling towards your foot snatching it and letting it fly out of the patio window, shrapnel shooting back in, you threw up an arm to block the bigger bits. You rounded on the kitchen and dining room where Jane was blasting away. The battle over in that room, she followed you back out. Kaite moving down the stairs, Ren stood posted on the balcony, picking off those trying to make it out of the backyard.

“I think we’re almost done here,” Jane moved to cover her in the gallery. You held your gun at the ready, a fist thrown at you as you made it down the stairs, Kaite dropped the attacker with a bullet to the torso, you finished it with a few more up to his neck. The wall popped with bullet holes, the both of you ducking, the gunners out of sight. You kept low moving on the stairs. You popped a round in a face looking for a clear coast, then sped to attack. You were narrowly missed, a round ricocheting off the wall next to your trigger arm. You gathered yourself and dove down the slope full automatic burst into the bodies of three masked intruders. It was quiet

“Well s**t,” Kaite, “I guess it’s good they didn’t burn the whole f*****g place down. You stood looking out the crushed sliding doors into the backyard, bodies face up in the koi pond and twisted over the grass. “If they killed any of my fish I’m gonna be so pissed.”

“And then there were none,” Ren put an arm around your shoulder.

“I don’t think they’ll be back here unless they have a tank with them.” Jane

“They had some heavy metal,” You kicked an m16 fallen from the hand the dead. “If we need any extra rounds I think we’re covered.”

“Damn they sure can make a good gun,” Ren shouldered an AK‐47 letting off a round into the wall.

“No harm no foul.” Jane

“Lets make this quick we’re on a roll.” Ren

“What’s in this MAG anyway?” Jane

“Controls on the lower levels. You break nine then five to one are clear.” You

“The best offense.” Ren