The group arrived to the surface, breaking into a run the minute the subway door opened. Abbas led the way, calling out to the conductor.

  “Have the subway stationed at central entry! The one under the web of highways!”

  “Got it, Abbas!” the conductor called back. The train quickly backed out of view, leaving the Groundhogs and Xole under the cover of the moon. The air was cold against the older boy’s skin as they bolted through the streets, quickly scaling to the rooftops to avoid watchful eyes. They spied the lights from the Head Precinct to their northwest. From their view, Xole could see helicopters and spotlights showering down on the massive building.

  “What’s going on there?” he called out.

  “Ha!” Salamander laughed, “They panicking dat’s what! They gonna half ta split dey forces, leavin’ one more bare dan da other.”

  “Which is when we’ll split,” Johnny said to Abbas. “My crew will take the precinct once the escort leaves and round back to meet you close to our escape point.”

  “But why are you going to the precinct?” Xole asked, “I thought we were all going to get Skinner? And wouldn’t that be too dangerous—”

  “You talk too much, kiddo.” Sammy said with a grin. “Just trust the process, we’ve been doing this long before you were even born.”

  Sunshine nudged Xole’s shoulder, “Don’t worry, they tell me the same thing all the time.”

  “Sunshine, Sammy, now!” Johnny said sharply. The three twisted a hard right from the group and shot off towards the precinct. Xole couldn’t help but watch the three go, a feeling of nervousness creeping up his back. Suddenly, a hand smacked it and Trix met his side.

  “No nervousness, remember!” she said. “Just focus on the goal, Xole.”

  “Yeah!” Snap agreed, “If anything, I feel more sorry for the Blues who gotta deal with them than us!”

  “Yeah…” Xole said, “Actually, where is he being taken?”

  “We’re not completely sure, “Trix said, “other than the fact he’s for sure going out of state.”

  “Thanks to those guys you were with!” Snap said, “Probably explains why whenever we’ve tried to track any homeless down, their trails’ always went cold.”

  Xole shuddered, ‘That’s why they must be in a hurry to get the other homeless from the Precinct.’

  “Abbas!” called Patchwork, “How close are we?”

  “According to the GPS’s information, they’d already departed about half an hour ago.”

  “Excuse you?!”

  “Yes, but this was in tandem with several other ‘dummy’ vehicles in an effort to draw out any potential resistance,” He continued. He pointed to the multiple dots on the screen. “Skinner’s transport should be leaving for its actual route about now. We’re going to ambush the last van up here.”

  Xole watched a familiar street come into view. He squinted, “Abbas! Is this where I fell?”

  “Fell?”

  “Yeah, where you sorta tricked me into jumping off a building?”

  “I don’t recall tricking you per say, but if you’re referring to the place where we retrieved Spit-Take then yes. This is two way street free of civilians. We’ll have plenty of room to work with.”

  The group stopped atop a six story building on the corner. They peered off, already seeing the flashing lights come into the distance accompanied by a pair of helicopters, which quickly broke off and fell to the sides. On the ground, the saw headlights of two large armored vehicles come into view, surrounded by a total of eight red and blue flashing cars on all sides. Abbas motioned for the group to get down as a spotlight glossed over them, then, back. He poked his head up, catching movement from nearby buildings they were just on

  “Abbas,” Trix whispered.

  “I know,” he replied, “we hold the top until the transport is close enough.”

  “And the rest of the plan?” Patchwork asked.

  “No matter what happens the transport van doesn’t make it over the Empire City Bridge,” He said. “There, they can rendezvous with reinforcements from nearby Precincts.”

  “But why didn’t we use the sewers?” Xole whispered, “They wouldn’t’ve seen us then.”

  “Actually they would’ve,” Snap said. “This isn’t the first time we’ve ambushed them, and we’ve learned the hard way about the habits they’ve picked up from us.”

  He gulped, “So what about now?”

  “Salamander,” Abbas said, “don’t let those helicopters out of your sight.”

  “Gotcha boss!”

  “Everyone else,” he continued, “On my mark, we jump.”

  Xole looked over the edge. His stomach filled with knots at this sight of it all—the height, the lights, accompanied with the sour smell of pollution. This time he didn’t care, he couldn’t afford to. Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye his saw four armored men climb to the roof behind them, talking to one another until one pointed at Abbas.

  “Hey!” he yelled, “Is he homeless—?”

  Then, everything became a blur of movement.

  Snap’s hand flew in front of him as the cop’s reached for their weapons. Trix’s body stuttered, appearing behind the men and slashing their throats just as one of the helicopter’s spotlights shone on them from overhead. The PA system crackled.

  “HEY!” it boomed, “WHAT’S GOING ON—”

  ‘WHOOOOOOSH!’

  The chopper was engulfed by an enormous stream of fire, blowing the back propeller out and sending the chopper spiraling towards them in a tremendous ball of fire.

  Snap looked at what he’d thrown, “Abbas! My explosives!

  “Now!” He yelled.

  The group leaped from the building just as the helicopter hit the roof, exploding on impact. The bright light illuminated the block for a brief moment.

  ‘BOOM!’

  Abbas landed first, smashing into the hood of the armored van, crushing it as glass from the building rained overhead. The driver swerved and slammed the breaks, causing the car behind to crash into it. The back armored vehicle hit it’s brakes. Sirens began shrieking. Angry yelling erupted as all four doors on one of the rear cars flew open. Armored cops bust out, already aiming their red scoped rifles to the large man—only to be engulfed by flames from above.

  ‘WHOOSH’

  Salamander’s laughter echoed as the angry men looked around, quickly blindsided by a flash of silver shooting down through the fire and zipping around them. One of the men croaked, reaching for his bloodied neck as him and men collapsed. Trix rose over their fallen bodies.

  “That’s four more for me, Michael!”

  “Aww, c’mon!!”

  If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  Snap and Xole landed on the sidewalk—Xole fumbling but quickly rolling to his feet. “Hey, he asked, “What are they counting for?”

  “Eh, don’t worry about—look out!”

  The young man tackled Xole as a cop car swerved into the curb, quickly twisting back to the glass filled road and taking off followed by two others, their tires screeching to catch up and leaving the front tuck unguarded. Xole’s head spun back.

  “Hey!” he called, “They’re getting away!”

  “Don’t worry about them!” Snap replied. He ran to the street, reaching for a mass of wires in his pocket, “They’re going back to the precinct for backup. Ha! If only they knew what was waitin’ for them!”

  Abbas tore the door off the armored truck he’d crushed, the terrified officers inside blasting him with their assault weapons, to which the man simply shrugged off and yanked them out of the vehicle, one in each hand.

  “You poor fools, shackled upon the burden of responsibility. Allow me to free you!”

  He crushed the two men’s heads in his hands.

  ‘SPLURSH!’

  Xole nearly choked at the sight, bur quickly shook his head, ‘This is what they do, this is their justice. Skinner, find Skinner.’

  “Wahoo!” Salamander cheered hopping atop the rear police car, which had drove ahead to combat the homeless. One of the officers on the passenger side learned out his window, a bazooka in hand.

  “EAT THIS HOMELESS SHI—!”

  “No, YOU! Hahaha!” Salamander laughed, leaping high into the air and spraying fire downwards, engulfing the car while setting off the explosive weapon.

  ‘BOOM!’

  The burning car flew over Xole’s head, leaving a trail of black smoke in the air. He shook his head and ran for the damaged truck first, outstretching his arms and focusing on the back doors.

  “C’mon, c’mon!” he said.

  The door snapped open and he ran towards the opening. “Ok guys,” he asked, “What does this Skinner guy look like again?!”

  ’XOLE!’ Yesfir’s voice shouted.

  ‘BLAM!’ ‘BLAM!’

  Xole froze. He then slowly looked down to see two bullet holes in his stomach, his jacket turning red from blood. He looked to two see a truck full of blue collared cops, four small and four large, all grinning from ear to ear.

  “Tell the precinct,” the one in the front with the smoking weapon spoke, “We got one—”

  ‘CRASH!’

  Abbas smacked the side of the van hard—so hard it flipped dozens of times in the air over through the curb and into the side of a building, landing on its top. His head shot back to Xole, who’d fallen to his knees.

  “Patchwork!” he shouted.

  “Way ahead of you,” the doctor replied sliding in and throwing his briefcase opening in a mess of bandages and ointment. He snapped on a pair of bright orange gloves. He eyed Xole, “Count to three for me.”

  “Why—”

  His hand swiped over the wounds, snatching the bullets out.

  “AHHH—wait!” Xole felt the pain in his stomach subside instantly, “The pain is…it’s gone. What the…?”

  “I applied an enhanced sedation anesthetic when I pulled the bullets out,” he said, applying ointment covered bandages over his stomach, “But would it kill you not to be more careful?”

  “I-I’m sorry! I-I was—!”

  “The fault is mine,” Abbas said, eyes still on the toppled van, “I should’ve known one of the two were booby trapped.”

  Trix’s looked around, “Wait, then what happened to the second armored vehicle?”

  “Over there!” Snap pointed.

  The group looked to the back of the former escort line to see the armored truck had reversed to the end of the block, spinning to its front. Its engine then screamed, flames fired from the exhaust and it blasted down the road, making a tight right. Abbas’s brow rose, ‘Hold on a second,’ he thought back, ‘the three cars that abandoned the front!’

  “The real transport,” he said. He looked back to the toppled armored car, watching one of the Bodily cops weakly pushing the door pen. He darted to the vehicle and kicked the man back in, “Snap, explosive!”

  The younger man’s head shot in Abbas’s direction. He reached behind him and hurled several sticks of dynamite all wired together inside the vehicle. Abbas slammed the doors, holding them shut. The officers inside screamed as a bright light beamed from the doors seams, followed by the muffled sound of explosives echoing within it. The other Groundhogs ran up to the large man, who shook his head.

  “We’ve been faked out,” He said with a sigh. “Unfortunately they’ve bought time to escape.”

  Salamander cursed, “Damn it! For all we know, that van coulda been a dummy too!”

  “No,” Trix said, “That means he could be anywhere!”

  ‘Gra!’ Xole thought, ‘My shot, my one shot and I blew it!’ His fingers clenched the ground. A strong pressure throbbed throughout his body again, causing him to quickly tense, remembering the countless times Spit-Take blew him up.

  ‘He’s not even here,’ He told himself, ’Wait…he’s not here. Then what was that?!’

  Holding his stomach with one hand, he carefully rolled to his front, brushing some glass to the side and pressing his ear to the cold concrete.

  ‘Can you hear them?’

  “Wha?!” he shot up, “Who said that?”

  The Groundhogs gave him a weird look making him turn away, face flushed. He lowered his head, “Ok, let’s try this again…”

  ‘Listen!’

  ‘There it is again!’ he thought. ‘That voice. He’s definitely not Yesfir. Hopefully so cause I really don’t need any more voices. No, it feels more like a memory—wait, bad breath?’

  A skunk-like odor filled his nostrils. He tried to cover his nose, but it only grew stronger, making his head pound. His eyes began to water.

  Patchwork looked over to him, “Hey, take it easy! What do you think you’re doing?”

  ‘That stench!’ he thought. He gagged and his eyes started to water, ‘I recognized it from the bank. But I also remember it from someplace before…’ he thought. More sensations came to him, rustling which led to scampering, which then led to the sound of an engine, all leading up to a single sound.

  ‘Squeak!’

  His eyes shot open, gasping. He looked up to see the Groundhogs all looking down on him, their faces littered with questions. Snap was crouched next to him, “You ok there, bud?”

  “I heard him!” he said, quickly climbing to his feet. “I-I think I know where Skinner is.”

  “Young one,” Abbas said, “What exactly did you hear?”

  “Some kind of running at first—” he said, “then it turned into an engine, and then a-a squeak—like a rat!”

  The group was in shock, notability Trix, who looked at the large man, “Abbas, he…”

  “Yes, he did.” He replied. He looked down to the older boy, “Can you still hear them, young one?”

  He nodded, “I can smell them to. Kinda like a skunk!”

  “Try not to breath too much of that,” Patchwork said.

  “This is very good,” Abbas said, “hold on to both sound and smell—we’ll need to be quick.”

  He spread his legs slightly and bent his knees. “Now that the Blues know we’re after them. They’ll either retreat back to the precinct for backup or make a beeline for the bridge.” A reddish color began streaming from his thighs up to his back, rumbling the air around them, “Meaning we must to do everything in our power to stop them from even thinking about returning to that Precinct.”

  He grabbed Xole under his arm and the ground burst under his feet.

  ‘WH-BOOM!’

  They took off, followed by the rest. The immense wind resistance nearly took Xole out as the Groundhogs leaped through the city. Being in the front, Xole could barely keep his eyes open as everything around him was a blur, smells and sights all became merged into a chaotic blend that whipped his face over and over again. Despite the wind, he could make out Abbas’s voice to above him.

  “Young one!” he called, “How close are we?”

  Xole forced himself to focus on the sound of the squeaking of rodents, then the squeaking of tires, finally, the sirens. He forced his eyes to squint open. They were high—even more than before. The city below—streets and smaller buildings—were nothing more than a collection of tiny lights and lines. He was already nauseas. This was too high.

  “T-there!” he pointed below them towards an armored van weaving through a busy intersection, “He’s down there!”

  “Abbas!” Trix called, “That means they are going for the Precinct!”

  “Snap!” Abbas said, “Is Johnny’s group ready or not?”

  “I didn’t get an all-clear so no!”

  Abbas looked ahead, his gaze narrowed. “Salamander…”

  “What is it, boss?”

  “Time for some collateral,”

  “Teh, ‘been waitn’ fo’ this!” The group stopped as the man leaped ahead, looking down to the city, throwing his chest back.

  ‘WHOOSH!’

  A bright beam of orange flames blasted against several buildings, blasting away glass. Suddenly the building there were on rumbled and an earsplitting sound greeted them with a blinding white light. Xole covered his ears, watching the form of a helicopter rise into view.

  “GUYS!” he shouted, “THAT’S THE—”

  Weapons pointed out the open doors, immediately followed by a spray of high powered bullets, tearing into the ground. The group spun around to run, but Xole could see the chopper gaining speed. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the old Amesworth building and his mind flashed, watching the same light blind him again as Brandon ran for it. His arms felt as if they were on fire.

  “NO!” he shouted, reaching for the helicopter. His body filled with chills as he heard the sound of bending metal.

  ‘CREEEAK!’

  “WHOA!” Snap yelled.

  The Groundhogs stopped running, Xole looked in awe. The helicopter’s gunfire had pelted the roof just feet away from them, and the chopper itself had now gone lopsided, tilting to its side and spinning out of control to a fall. Xole’s teeth gritted.

  “Wait stop!” he cried. He tried to force his arms to move the falling vehicle, but felt himself grow sluggish more weak, “Abbas! Guys, we’ve got to stop it! It’s gonna hit the city!”

  The bunch looked down, but their gaze was fixed on the police transport.

  “Guys!”

  “Xole,” Trix said, “Our priority’s the transport van. Remember what I told you earlier about not losing focus?”

  Xole gawked, “B-b-but t-the people—!”

  “The surface abandoned us a long time ago,” Salamander said, “So we abandoned it.”

  ‘BOOM!’

  The building they were on shook. Xole’s entire body froze to the sound. He slowly looked down to see the wreckage of the destroyed helicopter—still on fire—all over the street, it’s debris littering the entire intersection. The police van however, drove even faster away from the sight.

  “Hey!” Snap said, “The cops are still runnin’!”

  “Hmhp!” Salamander huffed, “even afta’ one of they own was taken out! Some cops!”

  Abbas looked at the transport van slipping out of distance, then at Xole. “Young one, if we get close enough can you stop that van? For even just a moment?”

  Xole looked down at the city. His stare blank and his body shivered, the growing sounds of screams bellow flooded his ears. His trembling fingers reached for the wreckage.

  ‘What…did…I…just—’

  “Xole,” the large man said, placing a hand on his shoulder, “You did what you could in the moment. Nothing else can be done. However, we still have a mission.”

  He nodded slowly, “Yeah…yeah I’ll try.”

  Trix gave a lighthearted expression under her mask, “Alright, let’s move!”