Nepenthe | Sapnap |

Right in Front of My Soup?

"I know, I know." I let out a sigh. The hot air released from my mouth as a gray puff of smoke. "They also took two carts so the horses can't move as fast as they usually can. It's just... I'm getting scared they got held up somewhere."

"We would probably hear something if they got into trouble. Gunfire isn't exactly quiet."

Another good point. None of our guns had suppressors, so as long as they were about a mile or two out of town, we would hear it. Not like they would let me out those gates anyway. I'm honestly still surprised they let me out the other day, but hey, look what came out of it.

"Can I tell you another pun?"

"Do you value your life?"

"Depends on the day."

He glanced over at me with a side eye. "... Make it a good one."

I hummed as I leaned my head back, letting one hand off the rifle to scratch at the skin of my forehead under Alex's beanie that I've been told not to even bother returning as long as I'm in sight of anything outside the walls. "Damn, okay, give me a minute."

"Take a couple if you need it. I enjoy silence." Now I gave him a side eye.

I didn't even get the chance to say anything back when a gunshot sounded through the silence.

My grip tightened as I glanced over at Luke, who immediately lifted his gun to look through the rifle like it was second nature. Moving to crouch down to get into position behind the barrier and placing our rifles on the edge, we waited and held our breaths.

The plan was to get all those people out as soon as possible and when they were two minutes out to release a single round and then to let out another round when they were a minute out so we could start to open the gates for them for a quick way in. No waiting around, get in and close everything back up.

Come on, come on.

Fire again.

Please let this work out perfectly.

With my cheek against the stock of the gun, my sight was all over the tree line, searching for any kind of movement. My finger twitched and ready against the trigger. I wasn't even blinking. I was not going to miss a single thing.

Another gunshot.

"Open the gates!" I jumped up to my feet, swinging the rifle around my body for it to lay against my back. "Start opening the gates!" I screamed as I took off towards the lever that triggered the mechanism to open the right-side gate.

My feet barely touched the floor as I pushed off on the railing of the stairs to get enough momentum to skip the small flight of stairs and landed in front of the lever on the wall as the first horse and rider broke through the trees.

Phil's arm was raised with his own long gun's stock pressed up against his side as his horse led the way. Not a moment later horses after horses were emerging from the woods with riders and sleds and carts of people and things.

There were cheers and yells from the people down on the street. I found myself joining in as my body leaned over the side to wave at those now riding through the open gates. They were all moving so fast I couldn't even point out who was who on which horse. Along with the cheering and the hollering was the sound of tens of hooves pounding against the snow and the sliding of plastic and metal with whatever they used to make some kind of sled.

The second the last cart crossed the threshold of town, it took both of my hands and most of my upper body strength to push the lever back up to begin closing the gates, but we did it. They are all here. No casualties, no one lost. We did it.