Chapter 10

We dropped what we were doing, picked up our guns and put on our armor. Connie got her corpsman's bag and we jumped into the big truck and hauled ass.

"Jeanie, what is your status?" I asked her over the radio.

"Petey, we have one wounded, not of our family, and two shooters. We are pinned down. We have taken cover behind parked cars in the street across from the Sarasota Herald Building," she reported back.

"Be careful, stay down, we will be there in ten minutes," I radioed her.

I was driving fast. Connie said, "Sugar, you need to slow down so we can be more stealthy in our approach. I know you're worried, so am I."

I slowed down. We discussed strategy. Connie was going to go to take care of the wounded. Andy and I would try to flank the shooters.

We eased up behind the newspaper office away from the fighting. "You be careful," I told Connie, and kissed her.

She ran off and Andy and I went the other way. I radioed Jeanie, "Connie is on the way and we are moving to flank the shooters, can you pinpoint them for us?"

"One shooter is in the second story across the street from us, the other is street level, moving to try to flank us. I need to begin shooting at him to hold him back." She responded.

I heard some aimed pairs being fired; that would be Jeanie with her MP-5.

I heard a long burst, I knew it was not one of ours. They were trained better.

"I'm with Jeanie, we're okay," Connie reported.

Ten minutes later Andy and I had circled the building. I heard a single shot from a big rifle.

"Cory's hit," I heard Mama say on her radio.

"I'm coming," Connie replied.

"There he is," Andy whispered.

"Do you have the shot?" I asked. He nodded.

I nodded back and he aimed and fired twice.

I heard a yell.

"He's down," Andy said.

I moved out and took cover by the man Andy had shot. He wasn't dead.

I could see the window where the sniper was located. I pulled my rifle up and looked through the telescopic sight. I could see into the window and waited for a few seconds. When I could see his head in the window, I fired and saw gray matter fly.

I radioed Connie and told her I had another wounded man. I got sick from having killed the sniper.

In a few minutes Connie showed up, "Petey, Cory's okay, a ricochet cut her arm."

I had managed to stop the wounded man's bleeding.

Connie looked at him, then at me and shook her head, "I don't think he'll make it."

He started coming around. Everyone was waiting for orders. Rosemary, the other woman who was wounded, shot in the left cheek of her butt said; "My son is a hostage with Thomas, the sniper."

Elaine came up, saw the wounded man and started crying. "Hello Elaine," he said.

"Master, he is the man who beat me," Elaine said.

"Let him die," I said and took Elaine with me to see where I had shot the sniper and free Rosemary's son.

Elaine was holding me close and shaking as she walked with me. "Elaine, I will see him dead today, you will not need to fear him anymore."

"Master, please don't kill him. I am afraid it would effect you badly to do that to a helpless man. Your goodness and sweet spirit are so much more important to our family," she explained.

"Know this then; I will always protect you from him, until I am dead," I told her with all the seriousness I could muster.

"Thank you, Master. I love you," she said.

I stopped, hugged her and kissed her on the forehead.