The Red Phoenix 12: Strength Comes in Numbers (55 page)

“Shit!” he said, climbing back onto the branch.

The last two giant mutated Diamondback rattlers swirled up the branch with incredible speed, chasing after him as he ripped a strapped satchel charge weapon slung around his shoulder, running across the branch, twenty feet above the ground. He turned, tossing the bomb twelve feet in front of him, pulling a detonator switch. The snakes were right on him with gaping jaws, hissing.

“Choke on it, bitches!” he yelled, hitting the switch.

The bomb exploded, turning both snakes into fireballs, blowing their monstrous heads off their bodies, sending them in opposite directions in flames through the trees. Their Titan-boa like bodies collapsed on the ground. Braddock was thrown through the trees like a burning rag doll, breaking through branches, snapping vines.

Kirk One stopped and turned at sound of the explosions, watching several elevated branches burning in the distance.

“Good riddance, Braddock,” he mumbled, turning around then running through the jungle.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN
A STRANGE ALLIANCE

Kirk Four and the others came through the trees. Four and Seven ran along an elevated branch, twenty feet above the ground, while the others hurried through the trees, knocking vines and thorny branches out of their way.

“Hold up, you guys,” said Four, staring through the trees, gripping his blowtorch.

“What do you see, Four?” asked Five from below.

“You guys wait there while Seven and I go along the branch,” Four replied.

“We’ll come with you,” Five said.

“No, you’ll make too much noise going through the branches,” Four responded. “Seven and I can use stealth up here.”

Four and Seven hurried along the windy, sloping branch, leaping over patches of moss. They came to a part of the tree that was well-covered with hanging mossy vines, leaves the size of an adult.

“Shhh,” Four whispered. “Follow me; I think I hear them over here.”

Seven and Four stepped along the branch in a quiet manner like two cats stalking prey. They moved a leaf out of their way, looking down at Morris and his hundred-man battalion of soldiers, sitting on boulders, leaning against trees, taking a break.

“How much further to the rendezvous, Captain?” asked a soldier, wiping sweat from his forehead.

“From here, about another hour,” Morris answered.

“What do you think about these two scientists making a small army of hostile clones?” asked the soldier.

“I quote the scriptures on that one,” Morris answered.
“Wo unto those that pervert the ways of the Lord, for I the Lord have seen the abominations of my people and I shall smite them to the dust.”

“Did you used to be a priest, Captain?” asked another soldier.

“My father was a minister of a Christian church,” Morris replied. “I grew up with the Holy Bible on my night stand.”

“Amen, brother,” a soldier joked.

“Not good,” Seven whispered.

“They’re headed right towards us,” Four stated in a quiet voice.

“They’ll destroy us,” said Seven. “There are at least eighty soldiers down there.”

“C’mon, let’s get back and warn the others,” said Four, turning around.

“Going somewhere, boys?” asked Lieutenant McCoy, standing on the branch, aiming his assault rifle.

McCoy was with Lieutenant Campbell and Corporal Bishop.  Four and Seven were stunned in a startled silence. The soldiers had them.

“Drop your weapons. Now!” McCoy demanded.

Seven dropped his machine gun on the branch near his boots, holding his hands up.

“You with the blow torch, keep your hands up!” Bishop yelled.

Four complied, moving his hands up.

“Where’s the rest of your friends?” asked Campbell.

Four and Seven stayed quiet.

“Hey, Captain?” McCoy called.

“What do you guys got up there?” asked Morris from the ground, other soldiers gathering behind him.

“Just a couple of spies,” Bishop answered.

“Now both of you walk towards us very carefully and very slowly,”   Campbell instructed them.

Just as Four and Seven were about to take their step, two vines swung in front of the three soldiers with Venus flytrap mouths, hissing at them.

“What the—” said McCoy.

Kirk Seven stomped on the barrel of his machine gun, flipping it up into his hands, opening fire. Multiple bullets ripped through McCoy, Bishop and Campbell’s chests, causing them to fall off the branch.

“Run!” said Seven, sprinting.

“Dammit! Shoot them! Kill them!” Morris screamed as his three men landed on the ground with a crude thud.

Morris and his entire battalion of soldiers opened fire from below, running after them, blasting leaves, stems and thin branches off, riddling the sides of the branch and underneath it with bullet holes, landing near to where Four and Seven ran for their lives along the curvy, sloping, mossy branch.

“Don’t let them get away!” said Morris, climbing on top of a boulder, holding his weapon.

Seven and Four ran another short distance around a few bends, ducking vines; Five and Eleven ran for their life below. Four came to a stop.

“What are you doing?” asked Seven, panting. 

“It’s time to lessen the odds and slow them down,” Four replied, stepping to the edge of the branch, aiming his blowtorch nozzle.

“You guys! Go! Run! Warn the others!” Seven hollered to Five and Eleven.

Thirty soldiers rushed through the trees. Four fired a stream of flames down at them, catching them on fire, along with branches, plants, leaves and vines. Their bodies staggered, engulfed in fire, screaming before falling over.

Four and Seven rushed down the branch, running as fast as they could, making their escape.

The rest of the soldiers ripped leaves off and helped put out the flames, smothering their fellow soldiers’ bodies with the man-sized leaves.

Morris stood, glaring into the jungle.

“Fires are out, sir,” said a soldier.

“How many are down?” asked Morris.

“Thirty, sir,” the soldier replied.

“Those clone sons of bitches are going to pay for that,” Morris growled. “Gear up, men, and let’s move!”

***

Kerry knelt at Chris’ side as he sat up, still breathing hard with a pale face, sweating. Twelve stood, watching the surroundings, holding a machine gun, his binocular pouch with the apparition slung on his shoulder.

“Feeling better?” asked Kerry in a caring tone.

“I think so,” Chris replied, catching his breath.

Kerry helped him stand.

“Welcome back,” said Twelve.

“Thank you, where is everyone?” asked Chris.

“Scouting the jungle, both directions,” Twelve answered.

“I just hope they’re careful,” Kerry stated.

Twelve heard rustling in the trees. He raised his gun.

“What is it?” asked Kerry.

“Something is coming,” Twelve answered, ready to shoot.

Kirk One came through the trees, holding his arm, catching his breath. His face was half-covered in dirt like he had been through ten battles.

“Where are the others?” asked Twelve.

“Dead,” One answered, sad, sitting on a boulder.

“What?” Kerry asked, standing, scared.

“Braddock’s army came upon us,” One replied. “I barely escaped.”

“Is Braddock dead?” asked Kerry in a hard tone.

“I’m not sure,” One responded. “Maybe.”

***

Four and Seven hurried along the branch. Four jumped over another patch of moss, slipped then fell over the edge. Seven dove against the side, catching his ankle, grunting from trying to hold his terrific weight.

“Dammit! I can’t hold on, Four!” yelled Seven.

“Let me go,” said Four in a calm voice.

The sounds of Morris’ men coming through the trees was heard in the background.

“If I drop you, they’ll kill you,” said Seven, grunting, sliding slowly over the edge.

“Let me go, before we both fall,” said Four. “I got this. I’ll slow them down for all of you.”

Seven let go of Four’s boot ankle. He watched Four plunge to the ground.

“Four!” Seven cried.

“Go now!” Four hollered to Seven from below, picking himself up.

Seven dashed off, running along the branch.

“Time to bring it,” said Four, holding up his nozzle.

The men came through the trees.

Four fired another stream of fire head-on at the soldiers, setting eleven more of them ablaze, along with branches, tall plants and vines. He fired a second stream to the left, catching another ten on fire, causing flames to ascend from the trees, plants and six-foot leaves. He aimed his nozzle to the right. As he fired, setting the landscaping into ten-foot flames,  blocking Morris’ men’s passageway, multiple shots came in through the towering flames, hitting him in the chest, stomach, legs then his head, making him fall over, lifeless. Four lay on his back, his eyes open.

***

Seven ran down the outermost branch, jumping to the ground, meeting up with Five and Eleven who were still running.

“Where’s Four?” Eleven yelled, hurrying through plants.

“He’s down,” Seven replied, leaping over a boulder. “C’mon, we got to get back to the others! We’ve only slowed the soldiers down.”

***

Chris rubbed his face with both hands, leaning against a tree.

“Can you stand?” asked Twelve.

“I think so,” Chris replied. “Whatever cut my leg gave me the worst case of fever and flu I’ve ever experienced. It was like waves of heat and nausea coming over me.”

“Well, we’re not out of here yet,” said Twelve. “We’re still waiting for Four, Seven, Five and Eleven to return.”

The sound of multiple people coming through the trees was heard.

“Someone is coming,” said Kerry, alarmed.

“Chris,” said Twelve, tossing him a machine gun.

Chris, Twelve, and Kerry waited for whatever was coming through the trees to show themselves. Five, Eleven and Seven barged through the trees, panting.

“Where’s Four?” asked Kerry.

“Down,” Seven answered. “And they’re still coming.”

“Who?” asked Chris.

“More soldiers,” Eleven replied. “Maybe ten minutes away, tops.”

“How many?” Chris asked.

“At least fifty,” Seven answered. “That’s after Four made a valiant effort.”

“They’re going to find us, Chris, and overrun us,” Five stated.

“True, there are far too many,” Eleven added.

Chris tried to think of what to do.

“Then I say we stand and fight,” Kirk One stated, standing. “We’ll give them a hell of a fight to the end.”

Suddenly, something unseen with the weight of two elephants stomped through the jungle near Chris and the others, breaking through branches on both sides of them.