Morning Star Full Novel

Chapter 25

The gunner set his machine gun to shoot in three shot bursts to try to conserve ammunition. With a flick of a lever, the gun went from full automatic to semi-automatic.
The ATV bounced along the uneven ground parallel to the city boundary, two miles away. Without warning, they burst out of the tall grass onto a dirt road, then back into the tall grass on the other side.
"Turn around!" Adams yelled to the driver. "Get on that road and head towards the city!"
The ATV made a wide arch in the grass and turned back to the road. Once they found the dirt path they pressed through the gears attaining 80 mph. The road was smoother and the men were able to fire with more precision at the flying creatures attacking them. Behind the ATV, a trail of dust kicked up alerting all to their location.
With the wind in his hair, Adams turned to his gunner and looked back. Seeing one of the creature’s swooping down at them from behind he yelled, "Look out!" to his gunner. Spinning on his turret, the gunner pulled the trigger and three shots fired out of his gun in rapid succession. He pulled the trigger again, and three more shots burst forth striking the creature, sending it rolling to a stop in a cloud of dust.
Adams turned again to face forward watching, as the city became larger in his view. "Get ready!" he yelled. "Take out as many as you can!"
In the distance, they could see that a crowd of humans blocked the entrance to the city. The closer they got, the more the crowd parted until they cleared a path through the main gate.
Shifting down, the ATV slowed to 40 mph as it passed through the crowd and drove into the city. Slamming on the breaks, the ATV skidded to a halt kicking up a plume of dust that drifted in the breeze.
"Fire!" Adams yelled and all five men shot into the mass of people surrounding the ATV at random. Easton jumped onto the hood and fired his machine gun from his hip spraying the crowd as he spun in a wide arch. Blood, flesh and bone shot into the air as the bullets made contact with the city dwellers running for their lives.
The crowd shifted and many fell as they were struck down by gunfire. Many pushed closer, fearless of the barrage of bullets spraying in their direction.
In a panic the rear gunner flicked the switch on his gun resetting it to full automatic. Without looking, he pulled the trigger and swept the area in one smooth motion cutting down Easton who was still standing on the hood. Easton fell dead almost cut in half. To the rear gunners horror he watched as Easton bounced off the hood of the ATV and fell to the ground with a thud.
Moments later the ATV was swamped and the remaining four men were pulled off the vehicle and carried away. Along the entrance gate, twelve long poles jutted forth from the ground rising twenty feet into the air. The men were hauled to the poles and strung up, tied by leather straps, lifting them a foot off the ground. Easton’s dead body was laid at their feet.
"What are you going to do with us?" Adams yelled to the crowd. There was no response, just murmuring. "Who is in charge?" he yelled in vain scanning the faces in the crowd. He looked to his right at the two men hanging beside him then to the man on his left.
The leather dug into his wrists and the pain was unbearable. He knew this was going to end up bad but he did not plan on the suffering.
"Look!" one of the men, shouted. "Easton is moving!"
At their feet Easton pushed off the ground and stood erect. "What the hell?" Adams thought. "Easton! Cut us down!" Adams yelled to the man standing before him.
Easton looked blankly at Adams as if he did not know who he was. He turned to the crowd and a man walked forth and handed him a long knife. He took the knife and approached Adams hanging before him.
"Cut me down Easton," Adams whispered.
Easton took the knife and cut Adams across the belly spilling his insides onto the dirt below. Adams gasped for air and looked into Easton’s lifeless eyes waiting to die.