Wormwood Dawn (Episode IV) by Edward Crae

around, running back toward the sound of gunfire. The chopper flew across the alley at the next block, causing Dan to almost shit his pants. He ducked as it passed, then saw movement from the corner of his eye. He looked to the right, smiling at what he saw.
    A squad of military— real military— was moving up toward him. Their leader saw him, motioning for him to stay back. The man waved to another behind him, and he was soon joined by another soldier holding a large missile launcher of some kind. The rocketman scanned the sky with his weapon, and Dan could hear the device beep as it locked on to its target. A woosh sounded as a rocket tore out of the launcher and immediately shot upward in search of the chopper. A few seconds later, an explosion rocked the alley.
    The squad moved up. Dan watched them proudly, saluting the leader as they passed. The soldiers all nodded to him in respect.
    “Good luck bros,” Dan whispered.
    Dan turned around yet again, looking up at the sky to judge the time. The sun would be down soon, and the city would be even more dangerous in the dark. It was hard enough to get around in the day time, much less in complete darkness. It was probably time to figure out how to use the night vision goggles in the Hummer.
    The sounds of gunfire and rockets erupted behind him as the military engaged the mercs. From the looks of it, the military squad was well equipped, and would make short work of the tank and its escorts. But, even though Dan would love to watch, now was not the time. Through the shaking and rumbling, he raced back to the parking garage, keeping close to the cover of abandoned cars.
    He reached the parking garage just as the sky became dark blue and orange. He raced up the stairs, huffing and puffing halfway up and nearly collapsing at the top. He stumbled toward the Hummer breathlessly, leaning against the driver’s side door to catch his breath.
    Jesus, he thought. I gotta quit smoking.
    He opened the door, tossing his new rifle in the passenger seat, and jumped in. He instinctively reached for the ignition, but then realized he wasn’t planning on going anywhere. Despite the need for him to get to his friends as soon as possible, he really wasn’t prepared. He was exhausted, ill-equipped, and hungry as hell.
    “Eat, Dan,” he said, crawling into the back seat.
    He opened the bag he had acquired, pulling out a can of chicken and the can opener. It was delicious, he discovered, and he gobbled it up like a starving pit bull. With a beer to wash it down, he enjoyed his meal in silence, watching the shadows lengthen as the sun disappeared.
    Despite the relaxation, he still felt a strange emptiness. Not only had he lost his home, but he had lost his friends as well. He was lonely. He felt like the last man on Earth, and that was a foreboding feeling. He needed something to improve his mood.
    He downed the rest of the beer and opened another. A couple Vicodin would take the sting off, too, and maybe some videos. He reached into the giant duffle he had packed at the house and took out his laptop. He remembered having downloading a bunch of TV episodes a few months before. He had saved them just in case the power went out.
    Thankfully, the laptop was fully charged, and the files were right there waiting for him to watch. Grabbing a blanket from the cargo area, he tented himself under it and laid back in the seat in the darkness.
    It was as close to home as he could get.
     
    Dan awoke freezing. The cold had plastered the windows of the Hummer with a thin layer of frost, and his breath came in puffs of visible vapor. He curled himself up tightly in the wool blanket, practically mummified, yet still freezing. It was a foreboding feeling that weighed heavily on his motivation.
    Seeing no solution other than starting the Hummer, he crawled into the front seat and turned the key. The engine roared to life—a bit too loudly for his comfort—and settled into a smooth purr as it warmed up. A few