𝚆𝙾𝚁𝙻𝙳 𝚂𝙾 𝙲𝙾𝙻𝙳 ‎ ‎ ᴘᴀʀᴛ ᴏɴᴇ

An Unexpected Ally

The group marched through the dark wilderness. Benjamin followed behind Volkov, carrying a slumbering Amaria on his back along with suitcases tied around his waist. Amaria had wrapped her legs around his abdomen, her arms around his neck, and rested her head on his shoulder. Benjamin kept his hands under her knees, doing his best to smoothly navigate around the forest vegetation. He wore a dim headlight on his head so as to not lose sight of the anthros ahead of him.

Volkov followed behind Zeus as he led the three through the forest.

"How much further?" Volkov asks out.

"About another hundred meters. I hid it in along the tree line near a road cutting through the forest." Zeus answers, holding out an electronic compass in front of him.

"How is Amaria doing?" Volkov then asks while keeping his gaze forward.

"Ah...I think she's asleep again." Benjamin answers.

"Great. No more questions tonight." Zeus says with a hearty chuckle.

The group walks in silence for another eighty meters. "Should be right up..." Zeus says, looking up from his compass and spots flashlights along the tree line.

"Well, shit." Zeus groans out, stopping in his tracks.

"What?" Volkov asks, looking over Zeus' shoulder.

"Ben, shut off your light." Zeus responds, looking back to him. Benjamin nods and reaches a free hand up to his forehead, clicking off the light.

"My truck was discovered. It's probably those After Common Era fascists." Zeus said before turning his body towards Volkov and Benjamin.

"So, what do we do?" Volkov asks.

"We have to take them out. But we can't use guns. We can't risk alerting the rest of them that could be out here." Zeus answers, reaching down to his utility belt.

"I am here to help you out." Volkov says.

Zeus then unsheathes two throwing knives from his belt and holds them up. "I was counting on it."

Benjamin then softly adjusts Amaria on his back. "I'll stay behind with Amaria."

"Great idea, kid." Zeus retorts, advancing through the darkness. Benjamin grumbles softly at the anthros remark, watching the two take off towards the tree line.

The militia men pull the massive branches from off the roof of the truck. The leaves rustle loudly as they do, the beams of their flashlights frantically shifted through the darkness.

"Goddamn. Whoever put this here didn't want it to be found." A militia man says.

"No kidding. Cutting off tree limbs to hide this weird fucking thing? That's a crime against nature." The second militia man says, aiming his flashlight to the treetops above.

Zeus and Volkov crouch walk to the brush of the tree line, gripping the knives in their hands. As they approach the tree line, Zeus holds up a fist and points two of his fingers left. Volkov nods and sneaks past Zeus, approaching the bed end of the truck.

"What kind of model truck even is this? I have never seen a truck like this." A militia man asks, pulling off another tree limb.

"Maybe it's one of those weird European trucks. You know how those Frenchies like to think they have the best-looking ones." The militia man answers.

"Yeah. Just because you attach a rolling cage to the bed of your truck, it doesn't make it cool."

"Yeah...but makes it safer though."