ICE
We came prepared for battle,nearly depleting my stock in the underground bunker at my house, unsure what we were driving into as Hawk used the van to smash open the gate. We piled out of the side and back, going kamikaze-style on the guards.
“Ice, you good?” Crush asks before taking off towards the house while I cover his back. Rage and Shadow are covering his side while he’s working the front, and Hawk is beside me, eyes out and a gun aiming at the others who are swarming in.
“Yeah, go get that piece of shit,” I respond into the comms we’re all wearing thanks to my source that’s still involved in the military. It took some fast-talking and greasing of the palms, but we had them within hours of the phone call I made.
“Boy, do not fuck around. You’re free now. Don’t get caught up in somethin’ you can’t come back from.” Shadow’s voice comes through, all of us hearing it. He ain’t wrong. The seriousness in his tone is that of a brother but more as a father. The reason we’re here is because of Winslow taking five years away from Crush after Winslow nearly raped Gigi, Crush’s Ol’ Lady.
“Three down, five more to go. How about you?” Rage cuts through, cutting off anything that gets too personal, so we don’t get lost about what we’re here to do.
“Is that it? Ice and I have ten down. A few are on their knees; I take it we’ll keep them for questionin’?” Hawk responds. I’m busy looking at the guard stand up in the sky. Two riffles are pointed our way, and the sound of gunfire surrounds us. The groaning of men who aren’t dead but were shot is a motherfucking annoyance right about now as I take the two who must have climbed up after we killed the originals. Fuckin’ sad state of affairs this is, and where is Winslow? Nowhere to be seen as his guys get injured or die protecting him.
“Cocky little fucker.” That’s Rocket this time. He finally joins in on the conversation. I tune them all out. The only thing I focus on is shooting to kill. If a dumbass is stupid enough to point a gun in our direction.
“We’re goin’ to need someone to round up the ones that are surrenderin’” I say, once I’ve picked off anyone I can in my scope of range.
“Comin’ atcha,” Rage responds.
“Goin’ in with Crush,” Shadow states. The gunfire is slowly seizing. It didn’t take more than twenty minutes for us to get this under control, which goes to show you that Winslow wasn’t too smart.
“You guys good where you’re at? I’m going to help Rage with the ones on their knees,” I say into the comm to Hawk and Rocket.
“We’ve got your backs.” I sling my rifle to my back, grabbing the zip ties I shoved into my back pocket while loading myself up in the van on the way here.
“Thanks,” I respond, moving to where a few men are still alive, lying down in different positions, and going after the ones who are ready to surrender, kicking guns out of my path just in case one of them gets squirrely enough and attempts to put a bullet in any one of us.
I help Rage work our way through one after another, a completely mindless task until all of them are in the same area. The ones who are dead will have to be disposed of later on.
“If you guys have everythin’ under control, we’re going to need a fuck ton of help in the house,” Shadow states through the comms. Rage and I look at one another, worry plaguing both our faces.
“Be there in five minutes. We’re just wrappin’ up shit downstairs. Tell me what we need. Guns, ammo, a psychiatrist,” Rage’s voice cuts through. I think all of us are holding our breath yet working still as we wait for Shadow’s response.
“No to the first two, but fuck yes to the last,” he cuts out. It makes us work even faster in case something is really up.
“Gonna need someone to watch these fuckers. I want Ice with me, so it’s between you and Rocket,” Rage tells Hawk.
“We’ll stay down here and start loading the ones zip-tied up.” Hawk drove the van. The rest of us were on our bikes that we left down in the tree line.
“That’ll do.” The two of us take off together, watching our backs, me more on Rage’s since he’s the Prez and, truth be told, probably shouldn’t even be here, but try telling him that. This whole fuckin’ night has been nothing but one big clusterfuck.