Rufus gripped his pistol and ducked down. Tremaine charged from the woods and opened fire. The first shots from the machine gun hit the tailgate of the truck, blowing out one of the lights and riddling the frame with holes. A cone of dirt kicked up in the trucks wake and momentarily blinded Tremaine, who stopped shooting and ran forward, trying desperately to get a clear field of fire on the truck. Sensing what Tremaine was trying to do, Josh cut the wheel to the left and the truck went off-road and onto what appeared to be the dry remains of a shallow creek bed. It was a good move for another reason, as Rayfield came flying down the road in the Jeep from the other direction, trying to box the truck in. Rayfield stopped to let Tremaine climb in and they went after the truck.
How in the hell did they catch up to us? Rufus wondered aloud.
Aint no sense wasting time thinking about that. Theyre here, Josh shot back. He glanced in the rearview mirror and his eyes narrowed. The Jeep was more nimble and better built to maneuver through the woods than the bulky truck.
Theyre going to shoot out the tires and then they got us like sitting ducks, Rufus said.
Yeah, well, Vic shouldve shot those tires out first thing. That was his second mistake.
What was his first?
Letting the sunlight hit his binoculars. I saw that long before I spotted that little bastard.
Lets hope they keep making mistakes.
We count on ourselves, and hope thats enough.
Back in the Jeep, Tremaine hung out the side and fired his weapon. The machine gun wasnt really worth a spit long-range, although in close quarters it could take out an entire platoon of men in a few seconds; he wanted just two. He slipped the machine gun strap off his shoulder and pulled out his sidearm.
Get as close as you can, he barked to a very nervous-looking Rayfield. If I can take out one of their tires, theyll plow right into a tree and our problems are over.
Rufus looked back through the window in the camper and saw what Tremaine was attempting to do. He slid open the glass separating the cab from the interior of the camper and drew a bead on the Jeep. He had not touched a gun in almost thirty years, basic training with a rifle his last experience with a firearm. When he fired, the explosion pierced his ears, the trucks cabin immediately full of the sickening fumes of burned metal, flashed powder. The bullet shattered the rear glass door of the camper shell and then flew at the Jeep like an angry, metal-jacketed hornet. Tremaine ducked back into his vehicle and the Jeep swerved a little.
Hit anything? Josh asked.
Bought us a little time. Rufuss hand was shaking, and he rubbed at his ears. I forgot how loud these things are.
Try firing an M-16 for three years. Theyre real loud, especially when they explode in your face. Hold on.
Josh cut the wheel to the right and then to the left to avoid several trees that had toppled across the creek bed. Beyond was a mass of scrub pines, oaks and brambles. With the Jeep closing in, Tremaine was again taking up his shooting position. Josh cut the truck to the right and through a narrow cleft in the trees and brush, leaves and slender branches slapping and tearing at the truck. But the maneuver had its intended effect because Tremaine had to duck back inside the Jeep to avoid having his head torn off by a tree limb. The Jeep slowed down. The narrow lane ahead opened up a little, and Josh decided to take advantage, hoping Rayfield was losing a little of his nerve.
Hold the wheel, he shouted to his brother. Rufus gripped the steering wheel hard, alternating between looking at his brother and eyeing where the truck was heading. Josh pulled his pistol and scanned the trees ahead. They were on a fairly level bit of ground now, so the truck didnt rock as much. He gripped the pistol with both hands, doing his best to figure distance and speed, and then selected what he wanted: a thick oak branch high up on a forty-footer. The branch was at least twenty feet long and four inches thick, with other, smaller branches growing from it, and it hung directly over the narrow lane. What had drawn Joshs attention was the fact that the branch was so long and heavy it had started to crack where it was attached to the trunk. Josh slid his arm out the window, kept it parallel to the truck, took aim and started firing. The first bullet hit the tree trunk directly above where the branch joined it. Having now gauged the trajectory, Josh continued to fire, and each bullet after that hit squarely at the juncture of branch and trunk as the truck hurtled closer. For him it wasnt that extraordinary a display of marksmanship. As a game, he had been shooting at tree branches since he was old enough to carry a.22 rifle. Scaring coons and squirrels, having fun. Still, he had never attempted it in a moving vehicle with two men shooting at him. Rufus had to keep his eyes open to steer, but he scrunched up his face with each shot. His ears were ringing so loudly you could have shouted in his face and he would not have been able to hear you. The heavy branch dropped a couple of inches as its support weakened. Josh kept firing, as sprays of wood chips shot off the oak like steam from an old train engine. Tremaine saw what he was doing. Gun it, gun it.
Rayfield hit the gas. Josh never took his eyes off the branch as he kept firing. It gave some more, and finally gravity took over and it cracked and swung down. A layer of bark clung to the tree, then the branch slapped hard against the trunk, broke free completely and started coming down. Josh slammed on the accelerator and took the steering wheel back, passing by the tree as he did so.
Go, go, Tremaine screamed at Rayfield. However, Rayfield slammed on the brakes as about a thousand pounds of tree branch smashed into the middle of the narrow lane directly in front of them. Tremaine was almost thrown from the vehicle.
Dammit, why in the hell did you stop? Tremaine looked ready to turn his pistol on the man. Rayfield was breathing very hard. If I hadnt, that damn thing wouldve crushed us. This Jeep doesnt have a hard top, Vic.
Josh looked up ahead and then to the right where the path opened up some. He braked hard, swerved to the left, swung the truck around and then headed right and gunned the motor. The truck broke free from the brush, lifted a little off the ground as it went over a shallow gully, and landed in a clearing. Rufuss head hit the top of the cabs interior as the truck came back to earth.
Damn, whatre you doing?
Just hold tight.
Josh slammed on the gas again and Rufus looked up in time to see the small shack ahead of them that his brother had spotted seconds before. Josh looked back and saw what he expected to see. Nothing. But it wouldnt take Tremaine and Rayfield long to work the Jeep around the obstacle. Josh looked past the shack at an angle and could see the road that lay beyond it. He had been right. Where there was a shack in the woods, there usually was a road. He pulled the truck around onto the other side of the old structure. Both brothers hearts sank. There was a road there, all right. But it had a large steel barricade blocking any passage. And on either side of the barricade were impenetrable woods. Josh looked back. They were trapped. Maybe he could hoof it, but Rufus wasnt built for speed, and Josh wasnt leaving his brother behind. Joshs eyes narrowed again as he looked at the shack. The Jeep would be on them in another minute or so. Even now he could hear the machine gun efficiently tearing the tree limb apart so the Jeep could shove it aside. A minute later the Jeep scaled the gully and made its way to the clearing. Rayfield slowed down as they scanned ahead and immediately saw the shack.
Whered they go? he asked. Tremaine checked the area with his binoculars and spotted the road as it snaked off through the woods. That way, he shouted, pointing ahead. Rayfield hit the gas and the Jeep shot around the corner of the shack. Instantly both men saw that the road was blocked off and Rayfield slammed the Jeep to a stop. With a roar, the truck, which had been hidden on the far side of the shack, exploded forward and hit the vehicle broadside, knocking it over on its side and flinging Rayfield and Tremaine out. Rayfield landed on top of a pile of rotted stumps, his head at a vicious angle. He lay still. Tremaine took cover behind the overturned Jeep and opened fire, forcing Josh to back the truck up, his head below the dashboard. Finally the truck engine died, steam pouring out from the hood, the front tires flattened by the machine-gun fire. Josh came out the drivers side while Rufus covered him. Josh lunged, dropped to his knees and rolled until he made it to the rear of the truck, and then he peered out. Tremaine hadnt moved from his position. Josh could see the tip of the machine gun. Tremaine was probably putting in another clip just as Josh was doing, and taking a moment to study the tactical situation. Joshs heart was pounding, and he rubbed at his eyes to clear the dirt and sweat away. He had been in many battles on both foreign and American soil, but the last one had been almost thirty years ago. Besides, it didnt matter: Every time, you were terrified that you were going to die. When somebody was shooting at you, it didnt exactly make you think more clearly. You reacted more than anything else. Josh had an edge, though. There were two of them and only one of Tremaine. Josh peered out once more and then sprinted from behind the truck and made it to the edge of the shack.