American Apocalypse IV - Heartland Chapter 9g

We came to halt and stood there looking at the bodies.  I looked up and down the street and saw nothing. I didn't expect it to last long.  I checked the window. No kid in sight which hopefully meant he was hauling ass towards us.  I told Thursday "You got two kills. You want to strip them?"

"No. I want you cut off this ones head."  He walked about twenty paces past the truck where the first soldier he had hit landed, grabbed him by his boots, and dragged him back to the truck.  While he did that I stripped the other downers and tossed their gear in the back of the truck.  I noticed they were wearing crappy quality vests and their boots had seen better days. I thought "Supplies running a little thin or second rate troops?" I filed it away. Night loved knowing this stuff.

The kid had come pounding up and was grinning until he saw the bodies.  I put the grin back on his face by telling him "Nice shooting Zane."  Thursday had pulled the soldiers helmet off and positioned horizontal to the truck with his head, shoulders, and arms hanging over the side and into the bed. He told me "Okay. Ready when you are." He opened the gas tank and was standing there grinning at me. There was a bit of a challenge in that grin too. I thought "Okay. So you want to see hard core? Fine." I reached back over my shoulder, drew the sword, and stepped forward at an angle to the right of the body. Doing it I had to tell Thursday "Move. You're in my way." He was standing there staring bugeyed at my blade.  I swung the blade down, yelled "Freya!" and whipped it back up, pivoted, and brought it down hard.

As I did Thursday yelled "No" and moved towards me, his hand reaching out as if to grab my arm and stop my swing. He wasn't fast enough. The blade gleamed brightly as it went slicing through the air. I remember thinking "He's going to be pissed when he sees the gash my beauty puts in the side of his truck." I had put everything I had in it and it felt right and true on the down swing. It sliced cleanly, even though the angle was off and I knew I was going to cut through collarbone too. It cut like it always cut flesh, like nothing in the world would ever stop it. Then it bit into his truck and my world exploded.

I came to with Zane kneeling next to me. His face floating above me, vaguely seen between the blue white after images that danced through my vision, leftovers from the arc torch brightness I had just seen. He asked me, actually sounding worried "You okay?"

I still held the sword in my left hand I could feel the grip glowing, it was a nice warm heat in my hand.  I told him "Yeah. I'm fine." and got to my feet feeling more than a little off balance.  Thursday had the neck of the soldier whose head I cut off jammed into his gas tank opening.  He was muttering and seemed extremely pissed about something. I looked at the sword, it looked fine, and I sheathed it.  Zane whispered to me "What is he doing?"

I replied "Filling it up with unheaded kid."