Wasteland Rules: Die Fighting (The World After Book 4) Read Online Free PDF

but they reacted too slowly. After
all, who expected another helicopter to ram you?
       The blades of the gunship collided with the side of
the transport chopper and chewed into it slightly before the blades broke apart
under the impact. The gunship began to lose altitude rapidly as the blades came
apart and there was nothing holding it aloft. Derek had always thought that
man’s ability to fly despite not having wings was the most amazing achievement.
Now he realized how amazing it was that people trusted a machine to carry them
through the air without dropping them. Especially since they had nowhere to go
when that machine stopped working.
       The first gunship fell from the sky and crashed in
a spectacular fireball as he tried to repeat the maneuver on the other gunship.
That pilot reacted much more quickly and was already gaining space and altitude
as Derek moved back towards him. The gunner opened fire as soon as they had a
clear shot at the transport. The heavy rounds from the mini-gun tore into the
armor of the Chinook. The chopper shook with the repeated impacts and Derek
knew it was only a matter of seconds before they hit something critical and
sent it flaming to the ground.
       Throttling back on his speed, Derek took the
chopper down for a landing. He hadn’t taken out both gunships, but at least he
improved his odds. He tried to slow the descending chopper and angled for a
dusty field clear of trees. He did anything he could to minimize the impact so
the impending crash would be survivable.
       As he got closer to the ground, the mini-gun
shredded his rear rotor and the chopper dropped like a stone. It hit the ground
hard and threw Derek across the cockpit. The helicopter slid across the field
plowing a deep furrow in the dirt. Metal cracked and crumpled from the impact.
It slowly came to a rest near the edge of the field. Derek struggled to his
feet and took a glance around. The chopper was totaled, but intact and he was
pretty much undamaged. Any landing you could walk away from and all that.
       He abandoned the cockpit as the gunship hovered in
front and directed a stream of lead into the down chopper. The heavy rounds
made Swiss cheese of the cockpit just as he got clear. Derek raced down the
passenger section for the exit as the gunship punched holes in the chopper
using the two .50 caliber machine guns under its wings. The rounds struck a
fuel tank and it burst into flame. Derek rolled out of the back of the chopper
as the rest of the helicopter went up in flames. The resulting blast blew him
out into the field and left him stunned for a second.
       The fireball and thick, oily black smoke covered
his escape for the moment, but he knew they would be on him shortly. Lying in
the dirt he could feel the heat from the burning chopper and he realized the
blast had been much larger than expected. The entire back of his body felt
singed and he knew it had been close. There must have been ammo or explosives
in the chopper in addition to the fuel.
       His gear had not been in the chopper as he exited.
It must have fallen out with the rest of the cargo. That meant he had no
weapons or any option to take out the gunship, but it also meant he had a
chance of getting it all back. He heard the gunship circling around looking for
him and he was running through his options; or rather, lack of options, when
the gunship suddenly headed away. The roar of a jet engine followed shortly
thereafter and he let out a sigh of relief. He had stalled the Faceless long
enough that the cavalry had arrived.

Chapter 4
    C.C.A. Forward Operating Base near Bowling Green
Kentucky
    September 12, 2029
       Rora and Micah appeared shortly riding in an
up-armored Humvee with C.C.A. markings. Derek was still lying in the field when
they arrived. His advanced physiology had stopped the bleeding and started to
heal him, but he was still badly injured and completely exhausted. He didn’t
resist when they picked up him up and