Fiction | We Need A Hero

The Ghosts

Target has been acquired. Weapons are hot. Engage at will.

Sweet Chaos fabricated the villain that must be stopped at all costs. Containment is crucial. Remember, failure is not an option. Written in response to Zane Dickens’ October prompt We Need a Hero.

The Ghosts descended into the forest like a silent fog. Armed to the teeth in such excess it would make a seasoned war general feel inadequate. They were trained for instances such as this. Containment by any amount of force necessary.

Bones signaled that he was on the trail of one of their targets. The other members of the group gave silent confirmation as they followed his lead.

Failure was not an option they were privileged to have.

Snaggle paused every so many meters to lay an explosive tripwire. Retreat was not in their playbook so they could, in a sense, burn their bridges without caution.

Bones called for a halt as he scanned the forest with his optic-enhancing sights but spotted nothing. Then he heard the distinctive snap of someone’s neck. As he spun on his heels he saw Bugs fall to the ground in a limp heap while a figure darted away.

“Open fire,” Bones yelled as he raised his firearm. Dozens of incendiary rounds began to rip through the tree line as the dry forest floor eagerly ignited.

Their target scaled the backside of a tree with amazing ease and grace. Like an oversized flying squirrel, a woman’s muscular form came into view as she descended from the treetops. She landed upon the shoulders of Toast and dug her fingers into his eye sockets.

Snaggle raised her rifle and let loose several rounds. Unfortunately for the Toast, the woman leaned backward while keeping her legs wrapped around the soldier’s neck. Bullets riddled his body as his form went limp.

She walked away from the encounter on her hands as she cartwheeled to her feet. Bullets whizzed past her as she slid in for another kill. Then Bones grinned as he watched his target wince in pain as blood flowed from her arm.

The escapee grabbed the rifle off one of the fallen Ghosts and used it to slaughter another soldier. She leaned backward as she turned Snaggle into swiss cheese. With a front flip to her feet, she pulled the trigger again to release several more rounds as the empty clip ejected.

Bones grimaced in pain as he pressed his hand into his bleeding side. “You won’t make it out of here alive, Xoey!” he laughed through gritted teeth.

“You’re all that’s left of their elite. I think it’s you that won’t make it out alive!” Xoey yelled.

“Look around you!” Bones gestured with his free hand. “The entire forest is ablaze now.”

Xoey cast a wary glance behind her. The forest was quickly going down in flames. She became too engrossed in the art of killing she neglected to have an escape.

“You’ll die too!” she yelled.

“Our mission was never to come back alive,” Bones taunted. “All we had to do was ensure you don’t…”

“I’ll die here today, but so will you.”

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