The Burning Forest : Chapter 8

PINNED
A tear ran down Pin’s cheek as he saw the carnage outside the hatch. A dozen Lost Dogs lay in very uncomfortable positions completely sliced up by the blade of what he now knew was a katana.
They stood on the boardwalk of a large shed that sold vanity items and looked more or less like a gift shop. Below the boardwalk was a junkyard with close to twenty makeshift vehicles with all sorts of weapons attached to them.
“You’ve still got it Red! This is beautiful.” He said as he wiped his cheek dry. She punched him hard in the chest before searching the bodies that lay scattered across the floor.
“This is no life for a kid,” Logan said sadly.
“Don’t pity me,” Red said. Logan caught Pin’s stifled laugh and promised to no longer consider these two as mere children.
“Do you hear that?” Pin said suddenly serious. He ran around the corner of the shed and a struggle ensued. A punch could be heard before Pin shouted loudly. The sound of metal being slammed against someone echoed from around the corner and in the next instant, Pin dragged a barely conscious Lost Dog member. He was badly wounded but was still able to fill the air with the worst language Logan had ever heard in his life.
“This lone asshole has completely fucked us!” Pin said nursing his sore jaw. “He’s got trucks coming in the next two minutes.”
“We’ll never make it out in time,” Red said grimly.
“Let’s make a perimeter and defend ourselves from within this shed. They can’t be that tough.” Logan suggested.
“A truck holds twenty Lost Dogs. Three will surround this place in the next sixty seconds.” The Lone Dog said while spitting out blood every five seconds.
“We go with Logan’s plan then,” Red said to Pin before tossing him a rifle from a dead Lost Dog. Pack every gun and get behind the counter.
“Yes ma’am,” Pin said saluting her with a wide smile on his face.
“You’re enjoying this way too much,” Logan said slightly disturbed.
The three crouched behind the counter surrounded by trinkets, gifts, and odd novelty items. A hula girl swung her hips on the counter above Pin and he stared at it with childish awe. He held a rifle that fired bullets as long as a toothbrush tightly in his hands. Red and Logan held pistols. She had spent the last few seconds showing him how to release the safety catch. The sound of large vehicles pulling up outside the gate shook them out of their thoughts and they held their weapons tightly.
Doors slammed open and boots crunched in the hot sand before the gate opened up slightly. The Lost Dogs saw their surviving comrade sitting on the ground. His facial expression was hidden well behind his goggles. Three of them ran to him to see if he was okay. Not one of them noticed the C4 Red had strapped to his back. She looked over the counter as their faces turned from worry to shock and smiled when her finger pushed hard on the trigger in her hand. The entire gate and a truck exploded into a fiery mess that flipped over in the sand before stopping many meters away from the junkyard. The Lost Dogs screamed as a good number of them had either been blown to pieces or had caught fire. Pin immediately placed his gun on the counter and opened fire on the annoying barbarians. They noticed where he was shooting from and began firing at the walls of the shop. The hula girl exploded into plastic pieces against the wall behind them and Pin looked distraught for a second before he resumed firing. Logan was firing at the few that got past Pin and some fell into the dirt. Logan's eyes opened as one crouched with a smile on his face. He bared his yellow, decayed teeth as he fired the rocket launcher he held in his hands. The entire front of the shop exploded into splintered wood and novelty items flew around the junkyard. Logan crouched in the corner of what was left of the shop with Pin in his tight embrace. His back had burns and some glass had found its way into his neck and shoulder. He got up and tore his checkered shirt at the sleeves before tying them around his waist and chest. The other wounds would have to wait. Pin was still shocked as to how he had just been saved by Logan and struggled to get to his feet. Logan could now clearly see the gang member holding the rocket launcher and he grabbed Pin by the arm, running towards the balcony overlooking the other side of the junkyard. The two fell into the dirt just as the shop blew up behind them. Neither had noticed when Red had left but after what she did with their captors, they knew she was safe. Pin grabbed the rifle he had managed to pick up on his way down and opened fire on the still advancing Lost Dogs. A large monster truck powered through from behind them with Red at the steering wheel. They jumped out of the way just as she drove through and she smiled awkwardly at them before taking a stern look. She flipped a switch on the dashboard before opening a glass case and punching her fist into a red button. Rockets shot out of the side of the monster truck and the sounds of wails rang through Logan’s ears. She fired off the rockets till every last Lost Dog was nothing but a smoldering corpse in the sand. Red kicked the door open and jumped from the high seat. Pin ran to her and hugged her before looking at Logan.
“You saved my life, Logan.” He said as his eyes watered. “My life is now in complete service to you.”
“It’s not that serious Pin, you’d do the same for me,” he said hiding the fact he was blushing.
“No Logan, this is the fourth time you’ve saved me since you met me back in the forest. Anyone who’s gone through the sort of hardship you’ve survived would be a much darker person. You’re much stronger than anyone I’ve met.”
“T-thank you, Pin,” he said as tears welled in his eyes.
“The two couldn’t control the tears that were now streaming down their faces. Red cringed not even understanding how much these two had bonded in a matter of days.
“When you ladies are done, we need to regroup with Stephano and take down Mr. Skin,” she said walking towards the back of the junkyard where she had found the monster truck.
Pin and Logan walked to where the gate had stood and started looting the Lost Dogs. Pin jumped into the back of the only truck that hadn’t been destroyed. He screamed loudly before jumping down with an armful of beers.
“There’s a whole bunch of snacks there. Logan, please help me get some of these down.”
Red drove up with a black van and clicked her fingers impatiently. The two transferred the food and as many guns they could find before driving off.
They didn’t hear the radio blaring from the chest of a Lost Dog. With three trucks worth of their men not giving any feedback from their attack, trouble was on the horizon.
The sand looked like blue waves in the odd light of the eternal moon.
“So it’s never morning here?” Logan asked as sat in front with Red and looked out the window with the breeze blowing through his thick black hair.
“Nothing but moonlight and darkness is what Draug has left us infidels with. His blessed city of Ember is the only place in the forest that has any sunlight. Yet, things aren’t any better over there either.”
“How did a guy so terrible ever get to that position?” Logan said after thinking this through.
“There’s so much someone can do against a dragon, Logan.” She said a bit sadly.
“You lost someone?” Logan said looking at her now.
“Someone…? Logan, I’ve lost my parents, siblings, and even my fucking friends.” She bit her lip and tried fighting back tears.
Logan stared at her before placing a hand on her arm.
“We’ll avenge everyone Red,” he said softly.
“It’s Keke,” she said before sniffing. “My name is Keke”
“I’m kind of used to Red already,” he said laughing.
“Good, because only Pin calls me Keke,” she said laughing as well. “You’re amazing Logan. That I can tell” she said smiling.
He smiled at her before looking back out the window at the mountains of sand around him.
Logan woke up to see Red violently turning the steering wheel. Bullets whizzed past his ears and the windscreen was riddled with holes.
“What the hell’s going on?” Logan said
“It’s the damn Lost Dogs again. I don’t know how they found us” she sounded frustrated as bullets still ripped through the van.
Logan looked back to see a large flatbed truck with a minigun firmly attached to its rear. A skinny Lost Dog with piercings from his head to his belly stood shirtless emptying his cartridges in their direction.
“It’s time these dogs met a wolf,” Logan said as hair sprouted from his neck and covered his face. His mouth stretched to a snout before he jumped out the window.
“That was so cheesy!” Red shouted at him. His muscles expanded and the second his feet touched the sand, Logan had gone full werewolf. He ran towards the truck with his claws ready to strike. The shooter looked at him for a second but focused his fire at the van’s wheels. The second he ran past, his claws tore through rubber and metal like butter. The truck stopped suddenly like it had run into a wall and flipped multiple times through the sand. The shooter had taken care of their van and the same could be said for it as it tumbled over onto its side. Logan returned everything except his right arm to human form and marched over to the driver’s seat. He cut through the door and dragged an obese Lost Dog covered in sweat, sand and mustard stains out before he raised him off the ground.
“Tell your people, you got us and you’re on your way back,” he said with the claw on his index finger pressed against his throat.
He shook violently at Logan’s terrifying look in the poor light.
“HQ, this is Beaker. The dingos have been dealt with. Returning home for a cold one, Over” he said trying his best to sound natural.
“Beaker, this is HQ. See you in a few minutes”
Logan let him fall to the sand and walked away. He saw the crushed body of the shooter beneath the flatbed and sighed deeply. The number of casualties on his way to Draug was rising too rapidly for his mind to remain the same when this was over. He suddenly remembered Pin and Red and ran towards the capsized van. The van was half buried in a mound of sand and Red wasn’t at the steering wheel. He didn’t see any footprints but he needed to check for Pin before he ran off looking for her. He slid the van door open to see the two making out on top of their snacks and guns which Pin hadn’t even bothered to arrange.
“Does violence and high blood pressure drive the both of you horny or what?”
Red stopped and had a fake look of shock with her hand over her chest.
“You can’t ask questions like that Logan; I’ll ring up child services in a minute.”
“Oh please…” he began before his jaw widened.
“Red and Pin shared the same look before they pulled Logan into the van and shut the doors”
The instant the doors slammed shut; the sound of powerful winds could be heard scratching against it. Pin turned on the lights of the van and sat back into his corner.
“The only thing more annoying than Lost Dogs in the badlands is sandstorms.”
The sound grew more violent by the minute and sand blew in through gaps in the door.
“How long do they usually last?” Logan asked.
“A whole day, Logan...” Pin said before snapping back the top of a beer and tossing one to him. “Get comfortable.”
Logan took a sip and cringed from the strong taste he hadn’t gotten used to. His face squeezed up and the two kids laughed at him.
“Sometimes, I wonder how many crimes I’d be charged with if I didn’t live in the forest,” Red said laughing.
“It’s not so different outside, trust me,” Logan said through puckered lips
“It has to be, to make a guy as soft as you.” Pin said punching his shoulder hard.
“Am I really that soft? I thought I was something of a badass by now.
“Oh please, the beast was more of a badass than you are man,” Pin said
“Wow, a beast?” Red said smiling. “What’s the story behind that Logan?”
“Well, I hadn’t spent a day in the forest when Pin decides to go snooping around in an abandoned school. Before we know it, we’re running down…”
Logan went on with his stories as the wind continued to blow around their van. All of them lay there comfortably and completely unbothered by the noise.