A gaze into the past intermission Edward (2)
As the gunshots ring out I can hear low yells and grunts from outside as I take cover behind a wall in the living room. Moments later a hail of bullets rains against the kitchen counter where I stood.
I bend around the corner and return fire until the two handguns are empty. From the sounds of it, those bastards have also been counting and the moment I fire my twenty-fourth shot I hear steps coming down the stairs from the upper floor.
I drop the handguns and break one of the ornate vases in the living room. I grab the shotgun that was concealed with the vase and shoot a hole into the wall and the descending guy's head with the second shot.
A loud thud comes from the back door as someone tries to kick it open. Good luck with that. Our back door is secured by two ironwood beams that need to be raised from the inside. Kicking that open would take someone with an insane strength stat.
Three masked figures charge in through the front door holding handguns and riot shields. I grab a specific book from the highest shelf of a nearby bookshelf, pull out the safety pin, and throw it at them.
It's a book on explosives. A bombastic read especially considering that the back half of the book is a fully functioning bomb.
The bomb blows up into their faces and leaves a large hole with mangled body parts in the middle of the entrance area.
The kitchen window is shattered as the last intruder has given up on the back door and decided to take the fast but stupid way to enter the house. From where I am lying I have a perfect visual of him through the scope of the high-impact sniper rifle I pulled out of the hidden compartment below the sofa.
The last intruder gets his head exploded as a large caliber bullet is blasted straight through his skull. The entire kitchen is covered in blood and brain mass. A shame but I have more important things to do.
I look around and rush up into the bedroom. A walk-in closet that we never used has been repurposed as an armory. I type in the passcode to open the carbon steel door. Behind the door, a true treasure trove of firearms is stacked in neat piles. I grab a new pair of handguns, an assault rifle, and a backpack full of ammunition and a few explosives. After gearing up I close the carbon steel door and go back down.
I disassemble the sniper rifle and take that with me too. The amount of firepower I currently have is enough to kill a small platoon. If they don't shoot back that is.
I leave the house and walk over to my car. Before getting in I search the car for any tampering. And indeed I find a small bomb below the car next to the left front wheel. It's connected to the wheel and set to explode when the car begins to roll. Amateurs!
I detach the bomb within seconds and throw it onto the back seat along with my backpack.
The engine of my Hesperia Twelve comes to life and the car immediately zooms off.
I've never visited the Collins. All I've ever done is meet them at a family gathering at Aisha's school when Jeremy and Mia couldn't come due to their work. Therefore it's no wonder that mister Collins opens the door very cautiously when I ring the doorbell.
Or maybe it's the guns. Judging from his shy gaze towards the assault rifle on my back it is the guns.
"Excuse my sudden appearance but some things happened and I need to bring Aisha home earlier."
No need to tell him that we are probably going to be hunted down. It will only cause him to keep Aisha with him. And if he does that the whole family will become targets too.
Mister Collins is still hesitant about what to do so I try to relax my posture. I'm a member of the military, I shouldn't be showing my nervousness to others.
A set of light footsteps approaches and Aisha spies around the corner from what I presume is the family's living room.
"Grampa? Are you here to pick me up? I thought I would be here for another two days to play with Charlotte."
"Sorry, Aisha, we had a change of plans. Go say goodbye to your friend, we are on a tight schedule."
Aisha isn't stupid. In fact, she's scarily smart. She takes one look at me and immediately her face gets serious. As serious as a child's face can get. She then turns around and runs back to wherever she came from.
Half an hour later we get into the car and I start the engine. Aisha is gushing with joy since I allowed her to sit on the passenger seat. Once we are clear of the city I take the highway to the military base I work at. Once I meet my team and tell them the situation they will surely help me keep Aisha safe.
However, seems like things won't be that easy. About a ten-minute drive away from the military base I see that the highway is blocked by a bunch of black cars. I hit the brakes and make a U-turn. I'm now driving in the opposite direction the lane is going in but this highway is rarely used by anyone but the military.
Not long after I turn I see a few of the black cars give chase. I step on the gas and pull out my phone. I dial the number of my team's captain and send a prayer to whatever deity may be listening that he picks it up fast. And indeed he does pick up after only the second ring.
"Edward, is everything alright? We had an important mission briefing today and you just didn't show up. I heard about Jeremy but why did you only call me now and from your civilian phone?"