“You know what those monsters are?” Kyt asked. “Not exactly, but they look similar to pests we had in my world except they were only this big.” Chuck said gesturing with his fingers. “I only hope they aren’t as hard to kill as real cockroaches.” He continued. They seemed to be about the size of a large dog which made him a little worried. “Why aren’t they attacking the outpost?” Torj asked. “My guess is they are nocturnal. The wagon was attacked at night after all. If we disturb them though they’ll probably still attack.” Chuck continued. “There are too many of them. There is no way to reach the outpost without disturbing them unless your pickup can fly.” Kyt said glancing at the truck. “I’m afraid it can’t.” Chuck replied shaking his head with a smile. “We have to get into the outpost and leave before dark or things will only get worse. I didn’t see very many guards left along the walls.” Torj said looking back toward the clearing.

“I think my pickup can make it through but I’m worried they won’t open the gate. Although opening the gate is probably a bad idea to begin with. We don’t want any of those things getting inside once they get riled up.” Chuck mused. “If you can get us close to the wall I think we can jump to the top. After that you’ll have to retreat and see if you can outrun them.” Kyt said. “Once we are inside we can find out what happened to Fol. If he is there, then we’ll bring him when you return for us after you lose the monsters.” Kyt continued. “That is a lot of ifs but I can’t think of anything better.” Chuck sighed. “What about the rest of the people in there?” Chuck asked. “There should be more wagons inside. If they want to leave, they can break out when we make our escape.” Torj replied. Chuck didn’t like it but his pickup couldn’t hold everyone. They all started getting ready. Torj and Kyt got rid of their bows and packs by placing them behind the seat. Chuck gave them the governors seal to use. He dug out his extra shotgun shells and made sure his gun was fully loaded with one in the chamber. The extras went beside him on the seat with some in his pockets. He really wished he had a machine gun or at least a semi-automatic shotgun instead of a simple pump action.

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Torj and Kyt crouched in the truck bed. Chuck couldn’t believe he was doing this. He wasn’t a soldier and his truck wasn’t a tank. He was worried the bug bodies would be too tough and his pickup would break down or the tires would get shredded. If that happened it was game over. Kyt had indicated the stumps had been removed in preparation for tilling the area around the outpost to plant food. If that was the case he should have plenty of room to maneuver without getting hung up on anything. He did put the truck into four wheel drive to help keep the giant bugs from stopping him. What he wouldn’t give for a giant can of bug spray. He took a few deep breaths to calm himself and decided to put in a CD. He didn’t know how the creatures sensed things but figured it probably wouldn’t matter and it would help steel his nerves. As the music started blaring he revved the engine. He looked back and gave Torj and Kyt a thumbs up. They both looked confused about the music which made Chuck smile. “Let’s do this.” He said to himself, putting the truck into gear and smashing the accelerator.

The pickup shot out into the clearing, heading straight for the outpost. There wasn’t much resistance as his truck plowed through the swarm, the bugs smashed beneath his tires. Soon the bugs started moving and some began flying. He started hitting them with the grill guard which showered the windshield with bug guts. He turned the windshield wipers on but it was still hard to see through the constant mess. A few got high enough that they bounced off the windshield and roof, causing a few cracks to appear. Chuck swore and kept his speed up, soon reaching the wall. He drove parallel to the wall and slowed down as much as he dared. He looked back as the pair jumped out. They didn’t quite make it all the way up but were able to scramble up and over the wall using their claws. The bugs started battering the truck from all sides and the passenger side window shattered. Chuck swore again, stomping on the accelerator and cutting a path of destruction back the way he came.