Several rapid shots echoed through the stillness of the snowy landscape. Blanka removed a gun from her inside jacket pocket.

“Stay here, Nigel.”

“Be careful.”

Blanka kept low and close to the snowmobile. Fresh snow was falling, and it was difficult to see Eva and Vedrana’s tracks. She broke free from the relative safety of the vehicle and ran to the edge of the tree line. Her black outfit would give her away at long distances. But she would stay in the shadows. She sneaked a peek long enough to get the lay of the land ahead of her. A snow-packed parking lot with three vehicles that looked like they had not moved in days lay ahead. To her immediate right was a dumpster hidden behind a block wall. She reached for her binoculars. Theyprovided only a fraction of the magnification of her other pair, but she hoped they would give her an edge. The lodge was quiet and appeared to be deserted. There was no sign of Eva or Vedrana. It was dark inside and impossible to tell if someone was watching from the inside. She calculated the distance to the rubbish bin to be thirty feet, perhaps a little more. More shots rang out. Cries of a man came from the far side of the lodge. Blanka made a run for cover. About ten feet from the dumpster, a white-hot coursing pain shot through her lower leg and she lost her balance and fell. More shots rang out, and it disturbed the snow on all sides of her. It was like someone was missing on purpose. Perhaps to prove a point?

That’s crazy! If I saw an intruder on my property, I would shoot to kill.

More shots from behind the lodge. She had to get back there, but every time she moved, they fired more shots at her. Despite her injury she moved as to the safety of the dumpster as fast as she could, trying not to be a target. Several more shots rang out, but no more hit her. The dumpster provided cover, but wasn’t a suitable spot to secure a defensible position. She removed a pocketknife from her inside jacket pocket and cut around the wound.

A flesh wound. I’m lucky the bullet didn’t get lodged in my leg.

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With the knife, she cut a piece of her lower shirt in a few long strips. She formed a tourniquet to keep from bleeding out. On the other side, the only cover was an aging pickup truck. She limped over to the truck—no shots.

I must be in a blind spot.

She caught a glimpse of Eva and Vedrana. They appeared to be barricaded on the right side of the lodge. Rapid fire was coming from an upstairs window. Blanka opened the pickup truck, it was unlocked. She climbed into the cab and looked for a pair of keys, but found nothing. She kept her head low in case her shooter was still out there. A glinting light caught her eye. Something was below the passenger seat. Blanka fished out a set of keys with a caribou on the ring. She tried to start the truck, but it was dead. After a moment, she pressed the accelerator pedal to the floor, then let go. It started, but the entire vehicle shook. She put it in gear and put the vehicle in reverse. Shots rang out from the same area of the lodge it grazed her. She turned the vehicle around and crouched behind the dash. The shooter kept shooting at the truck, but missed several times. Blanka noticed a flash of light from a center picture window. She floored the vehicle, which slid on the icy conditions. Moments later, she barreled through a wide window. She glimpsed an old man with some kind of rifle. He screamed as it impaled him on the hood of the vehicle.

“Blanka, watch your back,” Vedrana said.

She turned to find an older woman with a hand gun. A snapping noise emitted from the weapon. Frustrated, she threw the weapon at Blanka, she dodged it.

“Jibby jappy gibb?” the woman said.

She must be affected by the green gas.

More people stormed toward Blanka. They slammed against the old woman, trying to get to her. The people moaned and reached out without purpose.

“Peeny pok’e pib?” one man said.

“Ekk’he mol’e eh?” a child’s voice said.

“These people are crazy,” Eva said.

One resident of the lodge pulled Eva’s hair back. She responded by using her cybernetic hand like a hedge trimmer. The resident screamed as his hand flopped on the floor. An increasing amount of voices echoed through the hallway.

“There are too many. We need to get out of here,” Vedrana said.

A roaring sound came from somewhere down the hallway. Blanka couldn’t tell where, but the crowded hallway thinned, and a giant man with bulging muscles plowed through.

“YEE SHA PAY,” the burly man roared.

With two massive hands, the man crushed two of the residents with his massive body. He tossed the bodies aside like they were loose papers in a blowing wind.