The five of us hid in bushes on the side of the road. I was informed of a convoy of guns and ammunition being sent to what used to be the capital of Harunition, Dantius. Our small group had few weapons and very little ammunition. This convoy would allow us to increase our numbers up to one hundred, five times what we had at that moment. Needless to say, we needed a victory.

The other fifteen hid further down the road with my second in command, Darion. They were to stop the convoy with gunfire while the five of us snuck up behind them. The plan was get all of them from behind where they took cover. 

As soon as I heard the hum of engines and the sound of tires, I readied the men. I checked my magazine (full) and turned my safety off. The others did the same. There were six trucks, the two in front were military style with the cabin for the driver and a back with benches on either side. About ten people sat in each of the trunks. The two trucks in the middle were covered and armored. They were most likely the ones carrying the cargo. The two in back were the same military style as the first two.

Forty soldiers, forty six if the drivers were counted. Either way we were outnumbered two to one. My radio buzzed.

Darion's voice rang out. "It's gonna be a tough fight."

I brought the radio to my mouth. "It's a good thing that we're tough fighters."

"Damn right, it is. Shall I give the order?"

"Whenever you're ready." I put radio back on my belt and cocked my rifle. The others followed suit.

I followed the convoy with my eyes. As if from nowhere, the sound of gunfire rang and the tires of the first two trucks deflated and they were forced to brake. The other four trucks braked and the convoy stopped. Men flowed from the back of the trucks like water.

Gunfire erupted and the men coming out of the truck fell to the ground. Cover fire back allowed some to get to cover. Based on the bodies laying on the ground, about half the soldiers in the first two trucks had been eliminated. Only the eight men on the left side of the road had been firing, forcing them to retreat to the right side of the trucks for cover. 

The men on the right side had been waiting for them start returning fire. When they were ready they too started firing. This had the intended effect. The thirty that had survived the first phase were whittled down to fifteen by the second phase. They retreated behind the last two trucks, forcing our rebels to move to cover behind the trucks in front. I saw Darion and another get the drivers out of the trucks and tie them up. Then he laid cover fire as five men ran to take cover behind the armored trucks.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

At that point, it was looking to be a prolonged firefight. My men moved to carry out the  third and final phase of the plan, but I put a hand out to stop them.

"Not yet. They're expecting us to come up from behind. Let it play out for a few more minutes."

The firefight was at a stalemate but we had captured all four of the accessible drivers. The other two were killed. The gunshots rang through the night air, but we were miles away from anyone who could hear us. Suddenly my gut wrenched, two of my own fell to the ground. Their blood mixed with already emense pool on the road.

"Now!" I told the men.

I was the first to jump up and the first in the line across the road. When the others got into place, I aimed at a specific but faceless target. I squeezed the trigger and released a quick burst of bullets. A splash of red confirmed that I hit my target. I repeated the process again.

The other four did the same. After I hit my third target, all the enemy soldiers were dead. I walked toward the trucks and Darion came to meet me. 

"Two dead, one wounded. We captured four of the enemy and killed the rest." He reported as he shook my hand.

"I'm aware of the casualties. What of the cargo?" I asked.

"Let's go see." He said smiling.

I returned the smile. "Sounds good to me."

We walked together to the armored trucks. I took the one on the left while Darion took the one on the right. The door was chained down by the handle. I motioned for bolt cutters and received one. The metal of the padlock cut like butter and I slid the door up.

Inside were rows of automatic rifles, grenade launchers, handguns, and even a minigun. It was a heavenly sight, it was two times larger than the armory at base. I stepped out and replaced the padlock with one of our own. Darion's truck was just as angelic as mine; enough ammunition for a small army. Which was exactly what we needed it for.

I walked over to the prisoners, the four of them were lined up across the road. They were Haronian traitors, citizens of Harunition that joined the Empire's army.

"Why does Dantius need this many guns?" I asked them.

They remained silent. I pointed my gun at the strongest looking man.

"Answer the fucking question. One of you."

Not one of them met my eyes, except for the man whose head I had a gun to. He laughed. "You're all fucked. That's all I'm telling you."

I pulled the trigger. The remaining three gasped. The looked at their fallen comrade. Their spirits were broken.

"Answer. The. God. Damn. Question." I repeated each word individually for effect.

"The Empire is building an army of Haronian conscripts. They think that Dantius will be easier to manage if natives were garrisoning it." One of them answered.

"Thank you," I said in mock exasperation, "was that so fucking hard."

"When is the next shipment of weapons to the city?" I questioned.

"Two weeks. But after this they're going to bring twice as many men." Answered another one.

"Then so will we." I fired three shots into the prisoners, each bullet hitting each target in the head.

The four prisoners were now just four bodies in a line. I turned to my men, who were watching the interrogation. They looked shocked, and I could agree with them. An army of Haronians? That would make taking the capital that much harder, Haronians were good fighters. The only reason we were conquered is because we were doing such a good job at fighting ourselves.

I walked around and their eyes followed me. I realized that they were shocked that I executed the prisoners.

"Why are you looking at me like that? Aren't I your fearless leader?"