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arrival with every pull of the trigger. There is no way we will get in unnoticed.  
    The SUV sinks to the left and the steering has become impossible. I’m forced to slow to a stop in the middle of a herd of greyskins with smoke billowing all around us.  
    “We’ve got a flat!”
    My father curses loudly, but I’m more distracted by the greyskin that smashes its face up against my window. Its black eyes stare into mine as its jaw chomps up and down, begging for a bite into my flesh. I make a quick glance to my father and I can feel the snarl on my lips. With my father’s unprecedented rash decision-making, it’s as if we have fallen into a pit of venomous snakes without any clothes on. How should we expect to come out unbitten?
    I pull my knife from the strap on my belt and roll down the window just a little. With a sharp jab, the blade goes through the greyskin’s forehead and it instantly drops to the ground. Since the SUV is unable to move effectively, I shove the door open and start firing with the M-4. Heads snap back and brains splatter. It’s always the same. Aim for the head, the greyskin stops moving.  
    My father and I hop into the back of the slow moving truck in front of us until we come out of the smoke and into the middle of Shadowface’s compound. We all get out and duck behind a large chunk of wall that must have been blown sideways in the explosion. My father is about to yell out orders but we’re spotted by one of the soldiers before he can even say a word. On top of the fact that greyskins are crawling toward us at our backs, I would say that my father has led us into a trap.  
    But there is no time to point fingers right now. All we can do is try to make it out alive. At least, this is the thought that runs through my mind just before my father points to one of the buildings in the distance and shouts, “Shadowface!”
    Each of us looks up to see a group of people rushing toward a line of vehicles. Our guns only briefly point toward them and we begin shooting, but the chaos around us forces us to ignore them as the engines fire up and the greyskins charge us from behind. Soldiers are closing in around us, and the escapees are already in their caravan. I shoot at a few of the greyskins that come up behind us. Everything is a blur until I feel what seems like a bucket of liquid splash over me. When I look down, I see blood and pieces of bone on the front of my shirt and pants. Then as my eyes move ahead, I see Ryan lying on the ground in a pool of blood. A soldier’s bullet has found its mark. I’m about to order everyone to get into the truck, but I’m interrupted by another dead body. This time it’s Josh. The bullet passes through his shoulder and the distraction makes him pull up sharply. I can see the shock on his face as the pain becomes real to him. But it is a short moment. Three more bullets pass through him until one finally finds his head.  
    I don’t scream out. I can’t do anything. I am frozen to the ground. I fear lifting my head above the barrier because I have just seen how well the enemy can shoot.
    Lester dares to lift his head up. He ducks down quickly as a bullet ricochets off the concrete inches from him. “They’re coming in closer.”
    The caravan is moving now, revving the engines toward a back exit at the other end. We should have had Ryan and Josh cover the back, just in case, but this mission hasn’t worked out like we planned. I try to take another shot at the caravan, but it’s no good. Shadowface has escaped us again. Only this time, we’re going to die for it. I let out a curse. This was supposed to be the time we got him. This is when we were supposed to end this.  
    I keep low and fire toward the greyskins at our backs until the pursuit seems to lessen. Lester lifts his head to get one more good look at the exiting caravan. It is his last time, as a soldier’s bullet finds its mark and he drops to the ground with a hole in his head.
    With the