An Alliance Forged in Blood

[Strazio Rockwell]

The Jeep chugged through the dense cover of night. Its age combined with the harsh terrain put a strain on every component of the machine. Isaac could feel the sluggish choppiness of the engine as it was pushed to the limit. Their pursuer kept just out of sight, using the rocky terrain and clouds of dust as cover from Christa’s rifle. Sand began to clog the radiator and overheat their jeep, the temperature gauge threatened to redline. Isaac groaned, but kept pressure on the accelerator. One moment of weakness was all Damien needed to catch the duo.

“Come on Christa, we can’t keep this pace up” Isaac reported to Christa.

The girl fired a shot and missed, she swore and snapped back at the Bloodlance “I fucking know that!”

Adrenaline pumped through Isaac’s veins, this was a bad situation and both soldiers knew it. His intestines tied themselves in knots while his heart tried to jump from his chest. A bullet whistled past his head and cracked through the windshield, creating a spiderweb of almost shattered glass. This wasn’t the first time he found himself in a dicey situation, but experience did little to ease his worry. Another bullet tore after them, this time shattering the windshield entirely. The sheet of glass erupted into a million tiny chunks, covering them in small bits of harmless safety glass. Christa ducked to avoid another fusillade of machinegun fire, the red-hot tracers cutting a line of death above the two soldiers.

“Fuck, your friend is an asshole” Isaac quipped.

Christa ignored him and took a deep breath. Her eyes focused and the world seemed to slow down as she took aim. Their hunter’s vehicle came into view for only a moment and a moment was all she needed. A burst of three shots ripped forth from the muzzle of her rifle. Each bullet peppered the pursuer and forced him to swerve and skid in the sand. Another pull of the trigger sent another three bullets at their foe, cutting through his engine block. Coolant and fluids poured from the holes and placed him on a timer. He only had a few minutes to catch the two before his vehicle would become inoperable.

“Good shot” the Bloodlance complimented his friend.

Damien had decided to cut his losses and turn around. He didn’t want to become stranded in the middle of the desert at night. Christa laughed and sat back down in her seat, she loved the thrill that a good chase provided. Isaac slowed down to a more manageable speed, giving the old jeep a chance to recover. He looked over at Christa and grinned, a silent celebration of their escape. The two had managed to survive quite a bit of strife in the past day and this only strengthened their alliance in the crucible of battle. These two, despite being quite different found kindred spirits in one another. They both were soldiers, not only accustomed to danger, but also to sacrifice. The Omniverse had taken from them their peace and now they were going to take it back. Their next stop would be The Tangled Green, quite a different change of pace from the sandy Dunes.

Whether they would survive would be up to the gods of fate to decide.