The Red Phoenix 12: Strength Comes in Numbers (56 page)

“What the hell was that?” asked Chris, scared.

“It’s not the soldiers,” Eleven stated.

“It’s something bigger,” Five added.

Two mutated lizards with heads the size of a T-Rex stomped their front feet into the clearing.

“You got to be kidding me,” said Chris, frightened. “Everyone back to back!”

The gigantic, thirty-foot monster lizards roared at the same time as Chris and the clones huddled in the middle of the clearing. The wind their roars produced caused the hanging vines and thorny branches to sway. The lizards charged them, making loud thuds on the ground.

“Twelve? Got any ideas with that apparition thing?” asked Chris, scared as hell.

Twelve opened his pouch, releasing the floating vaporous mist, causing it to float in front of him.

Just as the lizards opened their wide jaws with sharp teeth to attack, causing Chris and the others to holler, putting their arms up, they stopped, gazing at the phantasma, closing their mouths.

Twelve lowered his arms, breathing hard, watching the monstrous-sized lizards gaze at the white light in the middle of the blue vapors. The other lizard moved near the light and stared into the apparition.

“Incredible,” said Twelve.

Chris and the clones stood behind Twelve, watching the lizard creatures stare at the mist like they were lulled into a trance by its appearance and power.

“They seem to like it,” said Chris.

“I have a plan,” Twelve stated. “I’m going to lead these giant creatures into the trees while you guys make your escape.”

“We’re not leaving without you,” said Kerry.

“I don’t think this is negotiable,” Twelve replied. “Go now!”

Chris and the others began to back away and headed into the trees. As they moved a short distance away from Twelve, a dark person slid down a vine from above then landed behind Eleven, grabbed him then stabbed him with a knife through his back. Eleven sounded a grunt then fell dead. The burned man rushed to Seven and stabbed him through the chest, dropping him to the ground.

“Hey!” Kirk One shouted, raising his gun.

The burned man moved like a swift assassin, leaping up and kicking One in the chest, sending him down a thirty-foot hill, rolling, dropping his gun, hitting against a boulder and trees.

The burned man rushed behind Five, stabbing him through the back, taking his sidearm then aiming at Kerry’s head. She was twelve feet away.

“No!” Chris cried.

The burned male pulled the trigger. The gun clicked empty.

“Damn,” the burned man growled, dropping the sidearm, flipping his knife up into a throwing position.

He threw the knife tip-over-end towards Kerry.

“Kerry!” Chris shouted, jumping in her way. The knife plunged into his back as he dropped to the ground.

“Chris!” Kerry cried, watching him squirm in agony.

She pulled the knife from his bleeding back as the burned man chuckled in the background. She stood, glaring at him.

“Looks like everyone loses today, my little
clone-whore
,” said the burned male, making a horrible grin behind his burned face.

“Braddock,” said Kerry, growling, gripping the knife.

“I never lose, really,” he responded, chuckling. “I just know how to take a hit.”

Kerry paced like she was ready to attack.

“What do you say, little girl? Shall we dance?” Braddock asked, pulling another knife from a thigh holster, grinning.

“Surrender now and I won’t kill you,” Kerry said.

Braddock laughed.

Kerry rushed him, slashing her knife at him. Braddock blocked her strikes then caught her arm, twisting her wrist.

“You fight pretty good for a broad,” he stated.

Kerry flipped her leg up, wrapped it around his neck then took him to the ground, ramming his head into a hard surface.

They stood in another challenging stance. Braddock punched at her multiple times, slashing his blade at her. Kerry blocked each one, kicked him in the side of the leg, punched his left cheek, his right cheek, his right cheek again, right on the nose then leaped up, kicking him in the chin, sending him to his ass then on his back.

Braddock struggled to stand, breathing hard like the daylight had been knocked out of him. He wiped blood from his bleeding nostrils, glaring at Kerry.

“I’m ready to end this if you are,” she stated, gripping the knife.

Braddock yelled, charging her. He slashed at her multiple times with his knife. She ducked, blocked his strikes then caught his wrist and twisted his arm. Braddock dropped to his knees in pain.

“You can’t kill me,” Braddock gasped.

“Why not?” Kerry growled.

“I’m a Special Forces commander and you’re nothing!” he replied. “You’re just an imitation piece of sh—”

Kerry grabbed his chin and the top of his head then snapped his neck. Braddock fell on his face, dead.

“Chris!” said Kerry, rushing to his side.

Chris lay over a pool of blood, making trembling breaths.

“Oh no,” said Kerry in scared voice.

The two lizards barged through the trees to the clearing. Kerry stood, frightened.

“Get on,” said Twelve, riding one of them.

The phantasma floated in front of him.

“Chris is hurt,” said Kerry, concerned.

Twelve leaped down, rushing to Chris.

“We got to get him out of here, now,” Twelve stated. “Give me a hand,” he added, lifting Chris’ shoulders as she picked up his legs.

They laid Chris on his stomach on top of one of the lizards. Kerry climbed on with him.

“I’ll take care of him,” she stated.

“Got room for one more?” asked Kirk One, running back up the hill.

“Hop on with me, One,” said Twelve.

“Where are we going?” One asked.

“There has got to be some kind of base through the trees,” Twelve answered.

“There is still an army of soldiers out there,” said One.

“We’ll see about that,” Twelve responded, moving his hands around the phantasma like he was concentrating.

“What are you doing?” asked Kerry.

“Hold on tight,” Twelve replied.

“Huh?” she asked.

Suddenly, the two lizards took off at a fast speed through the jungle, breaking through branches, crushing plants and flattening six-foot leafy plants.

***

Morris and his men hurried through the trees, noticing the ground rumbling.

“Hold up!” Morris said.

“What is that?” asked a soldier.

“Something is coming right for us,” Morris answered. “Everyone line up!”

A row of soldiers aimed their weapons toward the rumbling sound.

Suddenly, the two lizards crashed through the branches.

“Fire!” Morris hollered.

Just as the soldiers began to shoot, multiple pink, green and purple lightning rods shot out of the phantasma, striking the soldiers, sending them through the trees and vines with electrical currents running through their bodies.

Morris stood his ground, taking a careful aim at Twelve who made a pink and green bolt shoot from the apparition, striking Morris, throwing him through the jungle like he weighed nothing with electrifying currents, running through his head, chest, arms and legs.

The mutated lizards stomped their way through, running over soldiers, crushing them, knocking others out of their way.

Some soldiers fired at them from either side through the trees. Twelve cast his hand to the left, sending purple and green lightning at them, forcing them through the trees. He raised his hand, shooting pink and purple lightning at the soldiers on the right, sending them back far into the trees.

A few remaining soldiers fired at them from the rear. Kirk One shot back with his machine gun, dropping them.

“What did you tell these lizard monsters?” asked Kerry.

“I told them to run,” Twelve responded. “The vapor did the rest.”

The lizards ran on through the jungle.

***

A few hours later, the two lizards reached the edge of the jungle near the North Base. Twelve, Kerry and Kirk looked across the open space, about a half-mile where multiple tents, canopies and military vehicles were parked. There were soldiers standing guard around the perimeter.

“Well, there it is,” said Twelve.

The apparition hovered in front of him.

“There are at least seven soldiers posted up,” Kerry stated.

“I’ll take care of them,” Twelve replied. “If we could only wait until nightfall.”

“Chris won’t last that long,” Kerry stated, worried.

“I know, we have to move now and fast,” Twelve responded.

“There are three F-22 Raptor fighter jets over there too, along with four Blackhawks,” Kirk stated. “Even if we got airborne, the fighter jets would come after us.”

“We don’t have a choice,” Twelve stated. “We’re going to have to take our chances. It’s now or never.”

“How far is the nearest town?” Kerry asked.

“If I had to guess, I’d say the town of Douglas is about five miles west of the base,” said Twelve. “They’d catch us for sure there.”

“Our best bet is to steal a Blackhawk and get to a hospital across the border, perhaps in Cananea,” Kirk stated. “It’s about seventy miles south of the border.”

“How is Chris holding up?” asked Twelve.

Chris lay across the lizard’s back, making a soft moaning sound.

“He needs a hospital and quick,” Kerry answered.

“Right, then there is no time to waste,” said Twelve. “Well, hang on. We’re about to turn a military base on its ears. Hyah!” he added, tapping the side of the lizard with his army boot.

The lizards rushed across the desert ground, trotting over small bushes, rocks and dilapidated trees, carrying Twelve and the others. Kerry glanced behind her, watching the jungle begin to light up as the sun went down.

The soldiers, standing guard, grouped up in the short distance, noticing the two dinosaur-sized, mutated lizards heading towards them. A few of them fired their machine guns.

“They’re shooting at us!” said Kerry, scared.

“Here we go,” said Twelve.