They took off running towards King's shop. Becca and Woody taking up the rear guarding both sides with their bow and pistol while King, Solomon and Neckbone bolting for the door. They made it behind the shop. Becca watched the front, pressed firmly against the side of the building while Woody watched their back. Like all the buildings on this side of the street the back was featured a large hill that a train had once went down. Now all that was left was the track and a thick growth of trees that had grown up between the ties. Along the sides was a dense combination of kudzu and blackberry briers.

Solomon had been concerned about it and had told Woody he had to keep watch.

"It would be a motherfucker for any of those towelheads to make their way up that hill, but if they did they'd have the high ground and we'd be fucked".

As Woody and Becca looked out King went to work on the back door. King lifted a rock near the door. He'd said a hidden key would be there in a small zip lock bag. It wasn't.

"Son of bitch" King said. "They must have found it"

Solomon grunted.

"Now what?" he said, lifting his stick ready to start going to work on the door.

"It's okay. I have back up plan" King said, fishing in his pocket.

Solomon lowered his staff and nodded, trusting in King.

"What's the hold up?" Becca whispered from the front.

"Small problem with the door" Woody told her, having heard Solomon and King.

"Well hurry the fuck up that explosions have stopped and I think I hear cars..."

Woody winced. Meanwhile King had fished out a small zipped case full of small tools. He fished out a thin metal piece of metal and slid it between the door jam where the deadbolt was. It held in place. He then pulled a key ring with about 10 different Kwik Keys on it. He noticed the teeth had been filed in sharp points so that they looked like a small.

"What the fuck..." Solomon muttered but King was focused, tongue stick out and placed firmly on the side of his mouth, eyes squinted more than normal.

He sorted through the keys until he arrived at one somewhere in the metal.

"Hurry the fuck up!" Becca exclaimed, but still kept her voice to a whisper.

"Shut the fuck up" King said. "Never interrupt master while he's at work"

Solomon couldn't help but crack a smile.

King inserted the key into the lock and it went right in. He then pulled it out until three audible clicks could be heard.

"Ok, but seriously King, hurry the fuck up" Solomon said.

King removed his shoe, Solomon looked on shaking his head nervously, and then after turning the key to the right whacked it one time with the back of the shoe.

Solomon was surprised when he heard a click from the tumbler and the key turned all the way and the door came over.

King looked at him, smiling with satisfaction, putting his tools away and his shoe back on.

"What in the..."

"Bump key" King said. "Open any locker. The nicer the lock, the easier to open. I have nice locks".

King started to walk through the door but Solomon grabbed his shoulder.

"Me first" he said, putting his stick on front of him. "Woody... you hide around the corner and watch our backs. Becca, you..."

But Becca immediately and with percussion headed towards the hill and leaped over the briers and climbed right up the kudzu until she was behind a tree at the top. The high ground.

"What the fuck..." Solomon muttered. Woody and King looked dumbfounded too.

"Can all dikes climb like that?" Solomon muttered.

"Only us badass ones" Becca whispered down. Solomon hadn't meant what he said to be heard. Damn she was good. He nodded to her, smirking and then turned towards the door.

He looked at Neckbone, he had been patient sitting by the door.

"You wait here boy..."

Neckbone panted.

With a nod to King he went in slowly, staying low, opening the door.

Immediately as soon as he was inside a machete flew over his head and jammed into the wall. Had he not been low it would have been another head for a pike.

Solomon jabbed the assailant in the stomach causing him to lurch forward. In the dim light, he could see the Jihadist's shocked eyes. Solomon smacked him across the head and immediately he was knocked out on the floor. He took his staff, laid it right on his wind pipe and leaned into it until it had found spine.

King looked on with a somewhat horrified look. Solomon struggled and then was slammed to the ground as the butt of an AR-15 crashed into his back. They had more men than they anticipated.

"Should have gone for the head, motherfucker" Solomon groaned as he went to punch the Jihadist right in the dick, but he was surprised when he was blocked and the barrel of the AR swung right in his face.

The Jihadist suddenly flew back against a beam connecting floor to ceiling as King flew in the air and kicked him in the face. He followed his with several lightning fast chest and stomach punches and then a round house kick to the face. The Jihadist crumbled over and Solomon stood up, having to use his stick more than normal to get up, and quickly repeated what he'd done to the first attacker to finish him off.

He looked at King.

"All you niggas decided to show me you're ninjas today, huh?'

King smiled then turned to a desk surrounding by pin boards and file cabinets.

"Under here" he said. "We have to move it..."

Solomon got one side and King got the other. It was a heavy desk. Solid oak. But after a few moments it noisily slid off to the side, revealing the outline of a door in the floor.

"Hopefully they didn't find this like they did your key" Solomon said. King didn't say anything, but inside he was nervous of the same.

He pulled the piece of thin metal out again, wedged it between the outline of the door and used it to pull it up until Solomon could get his fingers under and grip it. After that it came up easy.

There was a crude set of stairs and a small room. On the wall was a push in, battery operated light like the ones advertised on late night TV. King pressed it and it produced a surprising amount of light.

Along the walls and leaned against the floor were automatic and semi automatic weapons, boxes of ammunition and even a rocket launcher.

"What in the..." Solomon muttered. "King, you've been holding out".

They quickly grabbed some folded up long rucksacks they had bought and begin filling them with guns and ammo. They had a total of four: one for each of them to carry.

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Solomon grabbed the rocket launcher and rockets after loading guns and ammo. He was happy to see there were some Glocks as well.

He saw a box on the floor and opened it.

"What the hell is in here?" Solomon asked.

"Grenades. Remote explodes"

"Oh shit yeah" Solomon said, packing them up. They had four bags packed when a sudden crackle from Solomon's walkie talkie gave them both goosebumps.

"They're outside" a voice said. It was Woody. They'd agreed to maintain radio silence unless absolutely necessary. This was not good.

"Shit's about to get bad" Solomon whispered to King. "Hurry"

They finished packing the bags and headed up the stairs. It was a lot for them to carry by themselves and now they had no idea how.

Outside they heard the sound of gun fire. Solomon recognized the sound of automatic weapons and a pistol. Woody was outnumbered. Becca might have the high ground, but she only had a fucking bow.

Solomon went over to the door and staying low, peaked out.

"It's clear..." he whispered to King. "Looks like Woody led them around to the front. Smart"

Solomon looked back at the open door and desk.

"Alright, come on, help me close this..."

"No time" King said sighing.

Solomon eyed him and King's eye drifted to one of Solomon's bags.

"You sure?" Solomon asked.

"Only way" King said. "This place is lost. We can't let them get any of the other weapons"

Solomon nodded, fishing a remote explosive and detonator out of one of the bags. He tossed the explosive in the hole and King shut the door.

"That should do it" King said. "I only sell the best. Big boom..."

They made their way out the door. The coast was still clear. Running along side the back of the building. Solomon peaked around and saw two of the Towelheaded fucks, weapons drawn, slowly making their way down the alley towards them. He didn't see Woody's body so he must have made it out.

"King. Go the other way. Run. NOW"

King started to object.

"NOW" Solomon said again. King took off with the two heavy bags, struggling. Solomon tossed his bags to the ground and crouched down, kissing the tip of his staff.

He thought about Neckbone and wondered where he was. He sensed he was okay. It was strange. He couldn't explain it.

The first Jihadist came around the corner and Solomon stabbed straight up with his stick, breaking jaw, spine and neck at all at once.

The second one was smarter. He shot around and went to fire on Solomon. Solomon knocked his gun to the side in time as bullets sprayed the ground nearby. They struggled but the Jihadist got the upper hand, exploiting Solomon's injury with a switch kick and then knocking his staff to the side.

"Goddammit" Solomon grunted as he fell to the ground.

The Jihadist trained his gun at Solomon and Solomon closed his eyes.

"Allah ackbar" the Jihadist exclaimed. "Die infidel!"

But there were no bullets, only a growl and a scream as Solomon opened his eyes to see Neckbone ripped into the Jihadist's throat. The Jihadist hit Neckbone hard with the butt of the gun and then, standing holding a hand against his gushing neck, kicked Neckbone so hard the dog went flying, whimpering as it crumbled to the ground.

"Leave him alone motherfucker!" Solomon yelled, standing.

"Stay the fuck down!" he screamed at Solomon, holding two blood soaked hands on the gun, leaving his wound free to gush. He didn't have long, but Solomon didn't think he could outlive him. At least he didn't have the gun pointed at the dog.

The sun had gotten high and hit Solomon's eyes from the roof of the nearby building.

He heard the crows on the building above the Jihadist.

Caw! Caw! Caw!

I suppose you motherfuckers gonna pick my bones when I'm gone, he said in his mind to the birds

The birds stopped cawing and although Solomon couldn't see it, they looked at the Saudi and his fresh wound.

"Let 'em fly, towelhead" Solomon said, ready to die.

The crows had different plans. They swooped down and attacked the Jihadist. He screamed in shock as they necked at his wound.

"What the fuck..." Solomon muttered, trying to climb to his feet as the Saudi unnecessarily wildly sprayed bullets trying to hit the bird.

Suddenly an arrow slammed into his neck, going perfectly into the teeth marks that made of his wound and he hit the ground.

Solomon couldn't see her, but he knew Becca was there. He nodded and scrambled up with a grunt. He was hurt, but he knew he had to do it.

He put the stick to his back and scooped up Neckbone. He was alive and breathing, but hurt.

Limping and in terrible pain with two rut sacks on his back he headed towards the woods. He got halfway there, not even checking to see if there were more men, and heard gun fire behind his back as Woody dropped a nearby Jihadist and Becca came flying down the hill.

"Give me the dog" she commanded.

"No, get the fucking bags..."

She grabbed both the bags off of Solomon as if it was nothing. He noticed Woody already had a bag and with him with King with the other one.

They made it to the woods and two figures ran towards them. Solomon was ready for war, but it was Rocko and Khalid.

"Give me him" Rocko said he a deep voice.

Solomon nodded, sweat pouring down his face. He knew he'd never make it. Besides, he had something else to do.

Rocko easily scooped up neckbone and Solomon reached into his pocket and pulled out a detonator.

King stopped and took one look back at his shop and quickly turned, not looking again as it exploded just as a truck full of more of Babel's men pulled up.

King wasn't kidding. He only sold the best. The building blew up in a million pieces. The raging fire ball consumed the men and their truck, killing them instantly.

As a pleased Khalid slapped Solomon on the back, Solomon knew it couldn't have just been the explosives that caused that.

"Black bitches sure do have some flammable shit in their hair" he said, laughing to himself.

With that, he pulled out his stick and, with the help of Khalid, started to make his way back with the others.

He started to brush Khalid off. "Nigga..."

But stopped and let him help.

The world was changing, maybe he was too.