Imaginary - Book 2 - Chapter 37 - The best of the best (Patreon)

I was still on the phone with Pam when I heard a vehicle come roaring up the street. It didn’t have a siren; it sounded like the patrol cars or whatever backup was coming in were still a few blocks away. 

Instead, the street was filled with the growl of a massive engine, one so loud that it partially drowned out the sirens in the distance. It sounded like a semi-truck was speeding towards us. That or a tank.

Even though I knew the vehicle was coming, I still jumped when it slammed on the brakes and came to a screeching halt just a few feet away. I turned just in time to see the Special Response Team’s massive armored vehicle pop the curve and slide to a stop just a few feet away; its heavily armored side shielding Kira and me from the ongoing brawl across the street.

The instant the van came to a complete stop, the side slid open, and a bunch of people in what appeared to be military or SWAT armor jumped out. Most of them scattered, stacking up at the front and back of the vehicle, but one guy came sprinting over with what appeared to be a massive medical bag and knelt down next to me.

“How long since the accident?” he asked.

“Accident? That asshole tried to kill us; it wasn’t an accident,” I hissed, before flinching back. “Sorry.”

“It’s alright, you’ve been through a lot. How long since the attack,” he asked, trying to keep me on track.

“I don’t know… three or four minutes, maybe? I wasn’t really paying attention to the time. It was about a minute after Grey flipped our van. How long ago was that?” I replied.

“We received the alert around five minutes ago, so your estimation of four minutes is probably correct,” he said as he popped open the medical kit. “Has your friend had problems breathing, had a seizure, or vomited since losing her arm?” 

“She’s barely breathing, and her pulse is extremely faint, but none of those other symptoms,” I replied quietly.

“That’s good,” he replied. “Now, I’m going to want to look at the wound and dress it properly. Do you mind if we switch places?”

“Just… save her. Please,” I replied weakly. “I’ll back up and get out of your way.”

“I appreciate it,” he said. “Do you know where her arm is?”

I paled slightly. “It was out in the street, right where your truck is,” I replied quietly.

“Hawkins!” the medic shouted back over his shoulder.

“Don’t worry, I didn’t run it over. I wouldn’t be much of a driver if I did,” a woman with dark red hair standing at the back of the group at the front of the truck replied without looking back. “I popped the truck up on the sidewalk so I wouldn’t hit it. It’s on the road, about a foot ahead of the rear passenger’s side wheel.”

“Couldn’t you have parked on the other side?” one of the other members grumbled. “That means someone is going to have to go out into that brawl and collect it.”

“That would have left those kids without cover,” she replied. “I’d rather see you get your head ripped off over them.”

“That’s enough,” the commander snapped. “Johanas, you think you can run for it?”

“Yes, sir. Grey is completely distracted by that centipede… thing, and those flying lights,” the man replied. 

“Good, then I’ll leave the retrieval to you. If you see an opening, go for it,” the commander ordered. “I need everyone else to scan the area and identify places we can use as cover once the truck leaves.”

“Okay, I’m ready; you can step back now,” the medic declared, bringing my attention back to Kira and the situation at hand. 

As soon as I let up the pressure on the wound, he moved in, pulling my jacket away and inspecting the stump before slapping a prepared dressing over it. “Sir, I need to move the girl into the back of the truck so I can hang an IV. She needs fluids ASAP if she’s going to survive the drive to the clinic.”

“Go. If we can’t find a better place to take cover until we’re ready to make our move, we’ll break into the bookstore,” the commander snapped. 

“Wait, into the van?” I blurted, unsure what was going on.

“Of course, we can’t leave you girls here with that maniac running around. We couldn’t risk sending an ambulance into the area, so we brought our own vehicle to pick you up,” the commander replied. 

“But, what if Grey tries to flip it, like he did with the van we were in earlier?” I asked.

“It’s possible, but he’d have a hard time doing it. Our truck weighs a ton due to all the extra armor it has. The bureau had to have these things specially made because the model it was based on didn’t have an engine large enough to handle the weight,” the driver explained. “And even if he DID flip the truck, he’d have a hard time cracking the shell, even if he wasn’t being attacked by us and… whatever those things are,” she said, gesturing to the approximate area where Tyberius and Grey were fighting.

“And what are you going to do?” I asked.

“What we were trained to do, take Grey down,” the commander replied. “The man has shown a complete disregard for the safety of others just by leaving his enclave without permission, but he’s attacked both civilians and BEI agents in a restricted area. If we can bring him in alive, we will, but our number one priority is to neutralize him before there are casualties.” He paused for a moment, then tapped the radio hanging from the front of his vest. “Speaking of… Richards, are you in position yet?”

“I just found a perch with a clean line of sight. You want me to take the shot?” a voice on the other side of the radio replied.

“No, we’ve seen that Grey has the ability to create some sort of defensive barrier around himself. I want to get the kids out of here before we attract his attention. Wait until the truck leaves,” the commander replied.

“Roger that,” the voice replied. 

The medic, now satisfied that Kira was somewhat stable, took this moment to stoop down and gently pick her up before carrying her over to the massive truck. 

I followed hesitantly. I didn’t want to get in the way, but I didn’t want to let Kira out of my sight either. 

“I’ve got the arm!” Johanas declared, jogging over. 

“Place it gently on the floor, just inside the door,” the medic ordered. “I’ll check it once I’m sure the girl is stable. It’s unfortunate that we don’t have any ice in here, but it should keep until we get to the clinic.” 

He deftly ascended the heavy metal stairs on the side of the truck and carried Kira inside before laying her out on the floor. “I wish we had a gurney, but this will have to do,” he muttered as he started rummaging around in one of the cupboards. 

“What are you waiting for girl? Get on board!” the commander snapped in my direction.

“Me?” I asked, surprised.

“Weren’t you paying attention? We’re getting you both out of here. It’s our highest priority. Until Grey is neutralized evacuating you is our highest priority,” the commander snapped.

“Uh, sir?” one of the agents stationed at the back of the truck started.

“What is it?” the commander growled. 

“That creature, the rift entity, it just… I think it ripped something off Grey. He’s not moving anymore. I think he may be unconscious,” the agent replied. 

“I hope you’re right, because that’ll make our jobs a whole lot easier,” the commander replied before turning towards me. “Even if what he says is true, I want you on that truck. Now. Your friend needs medical attention and I’m not taking any chances.”

“I understand,” I replied, awkwardly climbing the same stairs the medic had ascended so smoothly seconds before. “Just… can I make a request? Try not to hurt the things fighting Grey, they’re not your enemy.”

“Kid, if we could deal with rift entities as easily as we deal with people the world wouldn’t be in such a screwed up, complicated state right now,” he replied. “Grey is our target, and I don’t have any intention of aggravating his opposition, so we’ll only engage if forced to.”

“Thanks, I apprecaite it,” I said.

“I have no idea why you’d be thanking me for something like that,” he replied suspiciously. “But, I guess you're welcome. Hawkins, get them out of here so the rest of us can do our jobs,” he shouted before slamming the sliding door in my face.

I blinked in surprise for a second, before the driver slipped back into the vehicle and peeked around the dirver seat. “You might want to sit down. This thing might be nearly unstoppable, but it’s not exactly the smoothest trip. Don’t worry though, I’ll get you to where we need to go. If not in record time, as close as I can in this iron pig,” she declared before doing up her seatbelt and turning the key. The vehicle roared to life, and I found the truck was just as loud in the back, if not more so, than when I’d been outside.

Covering my ears I slipped down onto one of the benches bolted to the wall in the back of the truck. “Let’s ride!” Hawkins declared as she slammed the accelerator. That’s when I learned that what she’d told me was true, it really wasn’t a smooth ride.