Smol Women

Chapter Twenty-Four

"Can you see anything?" Thomas whispered.

The four remaining members were peering through the window in an attempt to see what was going on. The lights in the base were shut off, but even then, it was impossible to see.

"No," Maxy Max muttered. "They at plane?"

"I don't—" Marianne was cut off by a loud bang, then another, and the sound of the plane door opening.

"They're in!" Selena gasped. "But they were so loud."

As if on cue, a chorus of shouts sounded from outside.

"What's happening?" Marianne cried worriedly. "Who's shouting?"

The sound of gunshots firing echoed across the empty courtyard, and Thomas dove over everyone.

"Heads down! Away from the window," he ordered. The group crawled across the floor to where their guns were. Marianne was sobbing.

"They're dead, they're dead," she wailed.

Selena put her arm over her back, "Shhh, we can't let them hear us."

Despite her despair, Marianne seemed to understand as she bit her lip to lessen her sob to a quiet whimper. The gunfire had ceased, but the silence that followed was just as haunting.

Suddenly the sound of the plane engine starting rumbled, shaking the building with its force.

"Are they leaving?" Thomas wondered with disbelief.

As Maxy Max stood to investigate, Marianne grabbed his arm and pulled him back down.

"It could be a trap," she explained.

As silently as before, the group crawled back across the floor, guns in tow, and peeked out the window. The plane was gone.

"Guns ready, let's go outside," Thomas whispered.

With a collective nod, the group stood and slowly opened the door. Immediately, a bullet whizzed by Maxy Max's head, causing him to yelp, and lodged itself in the nearby wall.

Selena quickly fired her gun blindly in the direction the bullet came from and heard the sound of it hitting its target. Turning their flashlights on, the group was horrified to see five more soldiers facing them, guns pointed.

As if on instinct, the group fired wildly, mowing down their attackers.

"Of course, it was a trap," Marianne sighed, sitting down in defeat. "Now Gibby and Theodore are dead!"

Thomas put his hand on her shoulder in a vain attempt to comfort her. "Selena," he nodded to her, "Can you check for any sign of the two?"

Nodding quickly, Selena left to make a quick sweep of the courtyard.

"Very brave death," Maxy Max said.

Thomas rubbed Marianne's shoulder as she began to cry. "Hey, hey! We don't know they're dead."

At the same moment Selena returned, shaking her head. "No sign of them. They must have been taken in the plane."

"See?" Thomas said reassuringly. "If they weren't alive, Jason wouldn't have taken them."

It made sense, and Marianne seemed to think so too, as she managed to stop crying.

The group headed inside to rethink everything, and Selena pulled Marianne aside.

"First of all, they're fine," she said. "We'll figure something out and save them."

Marianne nodded, sniffling and wiping the tears off her cheeks.

"Second," Selena continued. "What happened back there? You said you were lesbian, and I'm sorry if I'm overstepping, but you really seem to like Gibby."

"I know," Marianne said miserably. "I do. I think the whole Diamond Daisy thing turned me off girls."

Fair enough!

"Okay." Selena nodded. "You've been through quite a bit lately. How's your stomach?"

Marianne lifted her shirt to reveal that some of the stitches had ripped when she was crawling across the floor, but it was otherwise healing well.

"C'mon over ladies," Thomas called.

The two girls walked over to where Maxy Max and Thomas sat on the couch, hunched over and talking quietly.

"What's the plan?" Selena asked as they joined them.

Maxy Max looked up at her. "Save Gibby and Theodore. And Tank." He emphasized the last part with a glare.

"Maybe," Thomas warned him. "We have to be careful. Tank may not be worth saving anymore."

His answer didn't please Maxy Max, but he seemed to agree as he didn't object.

"Well, we know where they went," Selena said matter-of-factly. Everyone turned to look at her curiously. "Really, guys? Their base. Where else?"

It was really obvious, not too sure why everyone was so confused.

"Okay, right," Thomas nodded. "When do we leave?"

"Now," Selena insisted, already grabbing a bag and filling it with rations. "Just cause Gibby and Theodore are alive now doesn't mean they will be forever."

Thomas nodded and patted Maxy Max on the back. "Go get the bus ready, we'll meet you with all our stuff."

Maxy Max saluted and sprinted away, out to where the bus was waiting.

Meanwhile, Thomas, Selena, and Marianne set to work filling their bags with rations and ammunition. Once they were done, they hurried outside to find Maxy Max sitting behind the wheel.

"We go!" he cheered, starting the engine.

The three climbed aboard and the bus set off into the dark night, back towards their enemy's stronghold.