“Fire.” The Officer started squeezing his trigger ready to kill.

  The truck jiggled slightly before settling. The doors burst open with an incredible roar that drove deep into his ears. His hands shot up to cover his ears, trying deafly to block out the sound. A rogue bullet fired into the sky. His feet carried him faster than his mind could think. Years of training and combat kicked in instinctually carrying him to safety. His feet spped against the cold puddles as the sounds of death carried on the wind behind him.

  Mama burst through the back doors, smming them wide open; her mouth was agape with the sounds of violence. Spittle flecked away as the she jumped from the truck. Her behemoth form was one only seen in nightmares. One of the Gellys darted off to the left, taking off, leaving his comrades behind. The truck door caught one of the Gellys in the shoulder, knocking him down with a loud cck.

  Adrenaline was coursing through her veins now. The bloodlust was high. Her pupils dited to two rge bck circles as she took in the scene around her. Still two Gellys, moving in slow motion as they stepped back, fear overtaking their impnts. They hesitated to fire. This was her chance.

  She stuck out with the butt of her rifle, smming the rge stock into the Deacon’s face. His nose imploded and blood cascaded down his face in a crimson waterfall. He dropped to his knees, struggling to breath as he gagged and coughed, bits of teeth bounced off the wet road as he fell.

  The st Deacon regained his composure, turning his gun on Mama. She swiped left with insane speed, sshing clean through his armor, cutting deep into his stomach. His entrails spilled from his gut, intestines plopping down onto the cold, wet road.

  “God, save us.” He whispered as he dropped down on his knees, his eyes looking at his insides now outside before dropping forwards, leaking his blood out in a massive puddle.

  “Damn.” Yami whispered as he watched from the back of the truck. The Gelly hit by the door began squirming for his rifle. Yami aimed his submachine gun at him. He hesitated slightly. It would be his first kill. This is what he signed up for. He had to fight, and to fight meant to kill.

  The Deacon grabbed his run with his one good arm, trying to point it at Mama, trying to take a cheap shot from behind.

  Yami squeezed the trigger. Brratata. He sprayed off a volley that his square in the chest. Blood misted up with each bullet. The Gelly dropped dead, his arm letting go of the gun and his body giving up on life.

  Yami jumped down from the truck and gazed at the trio of dead bodies. Was this what war was like? Was this what the freedom fighters had been dealing with this whole time? It was brutal, traumatizing even. He smirked. He kind of liked it. They deserved every little bit of brutality.

  Boom. An explosion rocked the truck, snapping Yami back into reality. His eyes shot open and he ducked down.

  “Take up the right side, dearest, and I’ll push these ingrates on the left.” Mama’s massive arms swept him back behind the truck as bullets swept across the broadside of the truck, cutting clean through the metal siding. Little pinholes of light beamed down on him. A bullet whizzed by his head, smacking right into the door next to him.

  Yami’s chest was breathing heavily now. This was crazy, nothing like the games he pyed over the net. This was all too real. One wrong move and he was just like these poor suckers dying in the street.

  “Ready?” Mama gnced back at the young Anthro-Cat. She could tell he was in the middle of his mind, trying to process everything that was happening around him. Young kids like him shouldn’t be here. She was gd he was ready to fight, but this was beyond the scope of the young. The elders needed to fix this mess they were leaving behind.

  The Gelly Officer made it back to his roadblock, his ears ringing uncontrolbly. He waved back at the truck, “Rebels! Kill them! Careful of the bear, it’s a vicious monster! Kill it on sight!” He hopped over a small concrete barrier, checking his pistol as several of his Deacons moved forward in a cover formation.

  “Use heavy weapons, civilian casualties are of no concern!” He shouted, popping his head over the cover, gazing between the line of children still chained up in a line, screaming and crying, unable to move away.

  One of the Deacons unched a grenade, bsting the sided of the truck. The engine burst, catching fire, the truck rocked back and forth.

  Mama emerged from cover, her slug rifle raised. Normally the gun needed to be installed on a mount to fire, but the massive Anthro held it tight as she squeezed away on the trigger. Boom. Boom.

  She fired at two Deacons trying to take cover behind some trash cans. The slugs cut clean through; unleashing clouds of red mist accompanied by cries of agony. Gunfire rocked from her right, on the other side of a car stuck in the traffic. The bullets ripped through the car, killing the innocent Anthro inside. Red liquid smattered across the windows inside.

  Mama gnced back at the truck. Yami must have been stuck. It’s fine. He will learn to deal with it soon enough. For now, she needed to protect Yami and the kids chained up ahead. She pushed forward, her shoulder low, ramming into the pulse car with all her might.

  The car flew through the air, smming into two Deacons, carrying them through the air before smashing into a building nearby. The building was painted with a fresh coat of red as the Deacons were crushed to death. Their guns firing wildly as they held on to the st vestiges of life in their bodies.

  Mama turned back to the road block, just two cars ahead now. Her eyes scanned the area, no more Deacons in sight. She started walking slowly, keeping her gun raised in case of any surprises.

  The cries of the children filled the air. They shuffled about in the wet streets, chained down, waiting for their captors to fly them up and take their free will.

  Not under Mama’s watch. She snarled at the thought of kids being ripped from their parents. She would decimate every Gelly here.

  A Deacon popped up from the barricade up ahead. Darting across the street. Mama tracked him with her rifle and squeezed the trigger. Boom. He turned into a cloud of red instantly.

  She took a few more steps forward.

  “Stop right there, or I blow her brains out!”

  She turned back to the children. “Shit.” She cursed. The Deacon drew her attention away from the children.

  The Officer had his pistol to a young girl’s head, pressed hard against her temple. “Move one more step, and I will kill her. I’ll kill all these heathens.” His eyes were crazed.

  Mama lowered her gun and growled. How could she let her guard down like that.

  “My baby!”

  Mama gnced to the left, where the children were being taken from. A woman was trying to rush out, her arms outstretched to try and reach her daughter.

  A man was holding her back, “No, honey, don’t do it.”

  “He’s gonna kill my baby!” She thrashed about, trying to break free.

  Mama couldn’t help but think of her own children. When she held her son in her arms, beaten within an inch of his life by racist schoolmates. Her rage when she couldn’t hold back her emotions anymore. The dead children in front of her blood-soaked body. She knew the feelings well. The will to protect your young was coursing through her veins.

  “Drop your gun! Now!” The Officer shouted, not waiting any more than he had to. He pressed the gun harder into the child’s head. “Drop it!”

  Mama tossed her rifle down. It cttered across the wet street. She stood tense, her shoulders aching for carnage.

  “Now, get on your knees, you filth!” The Officer pointed his gun at Mama, smiling. He just had to stall until the dropship got here. Then he could finish off the outw bear that had been ravaging their men. It would guarantee him a promotion or two. He might even get a fleet of his own if God was willing to bestow it upon him.

  Mama got on her knees. She put her hands on the back of her head, already knowing the steps. She wanted to rip this man limb from limb. She was in a tight spot now. What could she do?

  The Officer chuckled, “Good. Subservient, just like you monsters should be. I can’t wait to make you a rug on my chamber’s floors, if the Almighty allows me such gauche decoration. Hahaha!” He mockingly ughed at her. “I…”

  Brratata.

  The Officer’s head exploded into crimson pulp, spttering the kids with viscera. His body took a few off-bance steps before he dropped to the ground with a loud thump.

  Mama looked to her right. Yami was behind a car, his gun held high. His eyes were wide and he was breathing heavily. His eyes met hers. He blinked a few times, unsure of what he had done.

  Mama smiled at him and nodded, “Good shooting, Yami. You’ve done me proud.” Yami nodded back, slowly lowering his gun.

  She stood with a grunt. Walking over to the chained children. The mother broke free of the man’s grasp and ran to her child, holding her close, wiping brains off her. Mama thumped up to the woman and her child.

  “Don’t worry, you’re all free now.” Mama grabbed the chain, and one by one, she ripped the chains apart, freeing the children. The kids ran back to the building, embracing their parents, crying with joy and terror.

  The woman looked up to Mama and grabbed her, hugging her tight, “Thank you! Thank you so much!”

  Mama patted her back, “I know how you feel.”

  Yami stepped up beside her, picking up the Officer’s gun. He handed it to the woman, “Take this. Next time we might not be here to help.” He smiled awkwardly at the woman.

  She lunged forward and grabbed him in a hug. “You’re a hero.” She sobbed out.

  Mama stood up and bellowed, “Grab what you can, take as much food and water, and head down into the abandoned rail line. It’s safer there. Someone will be by to take you to a better location.”

  Mama looked around the people scattering about to leave this mess. Cars raced by, not wanting to be near this war scene, and took off in to Carpetree. Mama noticed no Anthro adults or children. She grabbed the woman before she could leave. “Where’s the Anthro children? Or adults. I only see humans.”

  The woman gnced down at the ground, “The Gellical Collective didn’t take them alive. None survived here.” She quickly dragged her daughter off into the building.

  Mama just stared at the ground. Her anger rising. How could these monster just kill innocents just because they weren’t the same? Because they had hair all over their bodies? Because they had muzzles or snouts? Why was the gaxy ruled in such hatred?

  The Gelly’s were going to pay.

  Yami tapped her backside, “Mama we got company.” He took cover behind the concrete barrier as the wind around them started to whip up in a frenzy. The sound of a drop ship echoed down the street.

  Mama grabbed her Slug rifle and stood proud. She wouldn’t let these Gelly bastards hurt anymore people, Anthro or Human.