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EARLIER AT IT CENTRAL, namely the Audi Q7 SUV they were in, a lively discussion had broken out amongst Cody, Alex and Jeremy. The argument had been started by Cody who had been trying to get the best signal while avoiding the wrath of the two primary psychopaths out there. “Hey, guys, have you been getting interference in the system?”
“Only by you just now,” snapped Alex who also was in terror of the heavily armed nutcases out in the desert. They were apparently shooting everything in sight. He was thinking to himself, Wouldn’t it be tragic if the psychopaths were part of the casualties as well, and with heavy hearts, we had to drive far, far away from this desert paradise?
“Actually, I thought it was my headset that had gone wonky.” Jeremy leaned over to look at Cody and asked, “So it’s not just my equipment, then?”
“No, I think a signal has been transmitting from this area, and it’s not us.”
“Well if it’s not us, you don’t think that it’s...” Cody trailed off as he started to trace the signal. “Oh God, we’ve gone viral.”
Jeremy jumped out of the SUV, looked down the road, heard all the noise coming from the house, jumped back in the vehicle, and shouted, “How long has it been out there? How long do we have?”
Alex, looking ready to either faint or vomit, held up his hand and stepped on Joe’s transmission just as Joe called for IT.
“Sir, this is IT, come in Sir.”
“What the fuck is going on out there? Aren’t you paying attention to what’s happening around the perimeter? Where did they go? Did they go on foot or in a vehicle? Did they fucking fly away? Speak to me.”
“To answer your question, Sir, no one exited the house except for, umm, the woman who is with you. We have video on all sides of the house. However, uh, Sir, a new and more urgent development has arisen that needs your attention, Sir.”
“Go back and check the northeast side of the house where the master bedroom is. You should see Suzanne exit the patio area and go around to the bedroom and enter one of the east windows. Before that, you should see a mob of assholes exit that room at some point.” Joe said.
“Jeremy is looking right now, Sir. You need to know a signal just went out from the house. Apparently, it was on a delay. From the time the kitchen exploded, a distress signal has been going out from the house with the house’s coordinates and some audio. You need to get out now, Sir. No one was seen leaving the bedroom on the video. Maybe they never went in. There must be another door or something. It doesn’t matter. You need to leave before this situation gets any worse, Sir.”
Suzanne found Joe in the kitchen area emptying a clip into the stainless steel refrigerator’s door. Corn kernels were scattered all over the floor.
“Why are you killing the refrigerator? Is there someone one hiding in it? Let me see, let me see,” Suzanne gleefully asked.
Joe slapped Suzanne’s hand away as she grabbed for the refrigerator door. “We need to get out of here. Weren’t you listening to your earpiece? A distress signal has gone out from this rubble for the last few minutes, and we will have to hurry up and take care of business. By the time the cavalry comes way out here in bumble fuck, this problem needs to be one with nature. Dead and buried so to speak.”
“Even though we are at the corner of Bumble and Fuck,” said Kevin as he strolled out of the West bedroom with Danny and Maggie, “we do have neighbors. There is a military base, a SWAT training school, and a state police academy all within 15 miles of here. They like being in the middle of nowhere too.”
Maggie was holding a grenade launcher aimed Joe and Suzanne’s heads.
Melissa, Humberto, and Cathy exited the “Q” room, each holding a Steyr ACR Assault Rifle, which were also aimed at Mr. and Mrs. Psycho.
“Wait a second, where did you guys come from? What kind of funhouse is this?” Suzanne said, nearly pushing Joe over in trying to get a better look at what Melissa was holding. “And where did you get those rifles? Those are experimental semi-auto rifles that the military experimented with ages ago.”
Melissa started to explain that they were semi-auto at one time, but was interrupted by the sound of a large engine starting up in the garage.
“Let them be,” warned Melissa, “unless you want a demonstration of how fully automatic these babies can be.” Melissa saw a tan Marauder speed off into the desert through the now spacious patio viewing area.
“A vehicle just left the garage. Do you want us to follow?” asked a hopeful voice from IT.
“Well, time for us to disappear, boys and girls,” sang Suzanne as she rolled a familiar looking soup-can type object in between the two groups.
“Let the vehicle go. Keep your position,” barked Joe.
“Oh crap, everyone into the garage,” said Melissa as she kicked the flashbang toward the fleeing duo as they exited out of the patio doorway.
All in Maggie’s group heard the boom as they safely made it into the garage. She flashed Melissa a thumb’s up. “Thanks, Melissa, that was the first time today I didn’t get blasted by one of those damn things.”
After the last flashbang, cracks appeared in the dining room floor. From below it, faint shouts could be heard.