Mission: Z, IC

Some of the group was clear, now... At least from the blaze, and the gunfire that still peppered the sides of the buildings. If there were more people outside the gates, he didn't know, but at least out there they had a fighting chance. Pressing himself up against #2, Dex checked the magazine in the rifle - there were only a half dozen or so shots left. Not enough. He'd lost the Glock when trying to outrun the building, and it was buried now beneath the fiery remains of #1.

Liz, Jesse, Otto, Riley, Conner, Ryan, Dean, Sykes. Dex went over the list on his head. Eight more people that he had to get clear. But Riley was at the forefront of his mind. She was supposed to have been on guard this morning. But he prayed for once that she'd shirked her duties and was elsewhere when this all popped off. Conner was by the truck, pinned down under fire. He only assumed the man was going to check on Riley, too, which didn't give him much hope. But one thing at a time...

Slamming the magazine back into the rifle, Dex loaded a round and peered around the building at the truck. Conner was crouched by the rear wheel, clutching his gun, and... Talking to someone? Dex didn't see anyone else, but assumed that there was someone in the truck bed. Was it Riley?

Whistling one long, sharp note, Dex caught Conner's attention and indicated that he was coming over. Conner nodded, lifting his gun and saying something to the person inside the truck. As Conner lifted his hand in the universal "ok" symbol, Dex sprinted for the truck. The men who had been watching the truck weren't expecting anyone to come from the other way, so he was most of the way there before anyone even took a shot at him. A few bullets landed about his feet, spraying his ankles with shards of metal and gravel, but Conner popped up, laying down cover fire long enough for Dex to get to the truck unscathed.

Panting, he copied Conner by crouching near the other wheel. "Do you know how many there are?"

"Total? No. But there are three or four covering us here."

"Us?"

"It's just me, don't be too disappointed." Dex recognized Dean's smart ass voice from the bed of the pickup and had to suppress a groan of annoyance. "You got the keys?"

"Yeah, I do." Dex fished the keys out of his pack, tossing them to Conner. "Wanna drive?"

Conner nodded, crouch-walking past Dex and pulling open the passenger side door. Staying low, he slid across the seats and managed to get the keys in the ignition. Dex climbed in after him, grateful for how high up off the ground the truck was. The dashboard was enough to keep them covered if they stayed low. "What's the plan?"

"Just hold on." Conner warned. He thumped the back window, calling back to Dean. "Hold on to something."

"What are you-?" Conner wrenched the truck into drive and slammed his foot on to the gas pedal before Dex could finish his sentence. The truck lurched forward, tires squealing, and made a beeline for their assailants. Except the front gate was in between them and the truck. "Conner..." Dex started as they neared the gate, voice nervous. But Conner kept his foot on the gas. "Conner you're gonna hit the gate."

"I know."

Well, shit.

Dex didn't even have time to brace himself against the impact before the hood of the truck slammed into the bars of the front gate, the momentum popping the gate off its track. The men who, unfortunately, had called Conner's bluff and lost, were pinned beneath it as it fell, and then beneath the truck as it continued forward. The sickening squelch of destroyed bodies could be heard even against the metal scraping the pavement. The truck came to a halt, and Conner let out a breath, wiping a lock of sweat-soaked hair out of his eyes.

"You are out of your fucking mind." Dexter said, but there was no accusation in the words, only a little of something that was suspiciously close to awe.

"I know." Conner repeated amid Dean's muffled curses and insults from the bed of the truck. Pulling the truck into reverse, he hit the gas and the truck struggled for a minute to free itself from the gate. When it did, Conner reversed all the way back to the house that Ryan's group had claimed upon first arriving. "Ryan's wounded, crossbow bolt. Riley's helping him. Not sure about the others though." he quit the truck, leaving it running, and Dex did the same on the other side, approaching the house with his weapon drawn.

"Oh don't mind me I'll just be back here mending my broken bones." Dean hissed from behind them, climbing gingerly out of the truck. Dex and Conner shared an amused glance, reaching the front door. Conner twisted the knob, calling out.
* * *

"Don't talk like that, Ryan." Riley whined, shaking her head at him. "I don't have to listen to Dexter, you're our group's leader. You've gotten us this far and you'll get us past this, too."

Refusing to continue the conversation, she looked to Jesse as he gave instructions, nodding and reaching for the hand sanitizer. But before she could "scrub in", a commotion about the back door had her yanking her rifle up, and if she hadn't hesitated for just a second at the sight of the dead man impaled on a blade, she would have killed Sykes where he stood before he even got through the doorway. But she did hesitate, and thankfully so when it was revealed that the newcomer was an ally, not an enemy. Even if it was the creepy guy, one less person that wanted to kill them was a welcome sight. But he looked really injured, and that meant that he wasn't exactly going to be much help.

"Are there more out there behind you?" Riley demanded, but voices at the front door answered her question for her. They were surrounded. But then...

"It's only me, I'm coming in."

"Conner?!" Riley was on her feet and sprinting into the front room before he even finished his sentence, and when Conner opened the door she flung herself at him, sobs of relief wracking her form. "I'm so glad you're okay."

"I'm fine, but we have to move," he tightened his arms around her for a moment before pulling away. "How's Ryan?"

"In pain. It's gonna be really hard to move him." Riley lowered her voice to say this, eyes moving past Conner and on to Dex and Dean standing just in the doorway. She smiled worriedly at both of them, glad they were okay.

Dex moved past Conner and into the kitchen, Dean on his heels. He took in Ryan and Jesse, and then Sykes near the back door. "Get him to the truck," he pointed at Sykes, and Dean obeyed, moving to haul the man up by his uninjured shoulder. "Conner, get Riley out there and get ready to take off, Jesse and I can get Ryan out." Dex knelt beside Ryan. "Hey, how ya feeling, man? Ready to get outta here?"

The truck pulled through the gates of Ballamory, slow going over the remains of the gate, though it still shrieked against the asphalt as the wheels dragged it a few more feet. Just as they were back on the road, movement from the treeline turned out to be what looked like the rest of the group, and the truck slowed to a halt to allow them on.

Despite himself, Dex smirked at Otto's comment, but he didn't reply. Instead, he arranged Evie's head on his backpack so she'd be a little more comfortable before moving over to help Jesse with Sykes. The man was pretty beat up, with a bolt still sticking out of his shoulder. It didn't seem to have hit bone, though, which would make the healing process much easier. He'd lost a bit of blood, but barring infection he'd be OK.

Ryan, on the other hand, wasn't looking so hot, only half-conscious and propped up against the side of the truck. If he was going to survive, they needed more medical supplies, and chief among them, some powerful antibiotics. Which is why when Dean called, "Where am I heading?" out the window, Dex hesitated only a moment before responding.

"Jackson." It was about a three hour drive east, and they could hole up just outside the city and send a small team in to find what they needed. Quick and quiet, no attention.

Dex saw Conner nod through the window. "We've got just enough gas to get us there but we should probably try and refuel if we get the chance."

That was unlikely to be fruitful, seeing as the cultists had likely drained every station in the area, but Dex didn't say that, only finished helping Jesse with his first aid, eager to see everyone on the mend.

*

Dean let his head drop back against the window of the truck's cab, a world-weary sigh following the action. As the truck continued east, Dean stared at the plumes of dark smoke rising from Ballamory, simultaneously relieved and full of dread. Their home was no longer safe, so would they agree to go to DC, now? It was possible... But they'd had no time to prepare for the journey, and that, along with the number of wounded, would make it much more difficult .

Beggars can't be choosers.

A quick glance to the side when Evie stirred, and Dean offered a thin smile. "We're on the road, it's safe-" his reassurances were interrupted as Conner swerved the truck down a side street with no warning. Dean's head smacked the window, and he let out a string of choice curses that ended in, "Conner what the fuck?"

But the action was explained as a second truck turned the corner after them. He'd been trying to get out of sight before the other vehicle noticed the Ballamory refugees, but had failed, and they were now in pursuit, with a clear view of everyone in the bed of the pickup.

"Get down!" Dean hissed as the first round of bullets peppered the pickup. Dean drew his pistol and spent the entire thing in just a few seconds. Their pursuers' windshield shattered, and the truck swerved to the side and slowed only for a moment before picking up speed again in pursuit.