Silent Warrior

Ambush

Finally, the Danville road sign appeared in front of them. They had finally arrived in Virginia. Now they would drive another two, maybe three hours before they arrived in Richmond.

Jodie was thankful that Ashley had gotten the others to go on after all, because they actually came across a gold mine in the next town. In a rich neighborhood, there were not only nice houses, but also a surprising amount of food and medicine to scavenge. In addition, there had apparently been a car enthusiast who ran an auto repair shop with a great many spare parts, a perfectly functional car, and two spare cans of gasoline.

They had packed as much as they could carry and had ended up staying there for two days before moving on. Jodie didn't like it in the rich houses, but that could have been because even before the apocalypse she had never set foot in one. Melvin had earned very well, but he could never have afforded such a large house with at least four to five bedrooms.

While Beth and Noah had found themselves a bed without hesitation, she had moved onto the couch in the living room. She had done that before the apocalypse. Sometimes, when Melvin was in a bad mood and a simple beating wasn't enough, he wouldn't even let Molly sleep in the marital bed. Then she slept on the couch. Jodie always waited, half an hour, until Melvin had closed the door behind him, then she had crawled onto the couch with her mother and slept there. Even though she was really too old for that, but it had been nice. It had been one of the few moments when Jodie had felt safe.

A loud jolt pulled Jodie from her thoughts. They were no longer in town. They were on the road again. While Noah and Beth sat in the back seat of the car, she sat next to Ashley in the passenger seat, dozing off and on in the warmth of the sun. The car apparently had to have run over something, but the jerking didn't stop and suddenly the car was bumping strangely across the road.

"Oh, no, no, no! Please, don't! Oh, shit!" cursed Ashley.

"What is it?" asked Beth from the back seat, concerned.

"Something's wrong, we have to stop!" said Ashley tensely.

"Can you make it to town?" asked Noah, worried.

"Maybe just about," Ashley muttered and steered the car into the first street.

Ashley made it halfway down the street before the car died with a pitiful yelp. Angrily, she slammed both hands on the steering wheel.

"Shit! Can't something run smoothly for once!!!" she ran a frustrated hand through her blonde hair before she got out and Noah and Beth followed her. Jodie strapped on her crossbow before getting out as well.

There were nails in the tires. Nails that had previously been driven through boards. Jodie realized it before the others, but it was too late.

A gunshot cracked through the seemingly quiet town and smashed into the passenger window.

"Get down!", Ashley dragged Beth and Noah to the ground and Jodie ducked as well, but she was too slow. A second shot was fired. Then a third, and then all hell broke loose.

Jodie felt something make her stumble back. As if she had been punched in the stomach. She touched the spot and felt something wet on her fingers. Blood. She had been shot. As she huddled behind the car for cover, the realization that she was about to die crept through to her very slowly. It didn't really hurt, but she knew something was wrong.

"Jodie, what's wrong?", Beth knelt down beside her and looked at her wound.

"Oh my god! Oh God...ASHLEY!" she cried. Ashley had taken cover behind another car with Noah and was firing her rifle back at her attackers. By now, not just one rifle was being fired, but several. They had been lured into a trap.