What James Did: The Accidental Time Travellers-Book 3 (27 page)

Jacob just looked back at Chase, he had nothing to suggest.

They heard screams coming from the direction that both Bobby and Sarah had run in.

Jacob took the opportunity to poke his head around and fire at one of the Nazi soldiers.  He missed but managed to make out where three of them were.

“They are using the trees for cover on the opposite side of the path!”

Chase tried to poke his head around but withdrew it immediately as the gun shots rattled the tree and the ground surrounding him.

“I can’t even look out!”  He shouted.

Jacob poked his head out again and was struck by a bullet, he fell forwards, out of cover but managed to get back behind the tree before he was killed.

“Are you okay?”  Chase shouted.

Jacob ignored the question and put his hand to his forehead, the bullet had grazed the right side of his head.

He looked over at Chase, almost in desperation. 

The park was suddenly silent as the gunfire stopped.

“Come out with your hands in the air.”

Chase looked over to Jacob, his head was now drenched in blood.

Jacob popped out from behind the tree and fired a shot, he hit a soldier that was walking towards their position.  He took cover once again and the barrage continued.

Jacob laughed in delight.  “That’s five on two now!”  He yelled.

The trees were vibrating with the heavy gunfire, Chase had never felt so helpless.

Suddenly the gunfire was directed away from the trees, Chase poked his head round and saw a red Volkswagen speeding through the park, it was coming from the direction that Bobby Kennedy and Sarah had gone.  It was drawing fire away from them and the people inside were returning fire at the soldiers.

Chase took the opportunity to take aim at a soldier who was firing at the car, as he pulled the trigger he saw that Scarlett and Sarah were the two returning fire from within the car.  He watched as the soldier he shot fell to the ground and then he pulled back behind the tree.

“Did you get one?”  Jacob asked.

“Yeah.”

“So did they.”  Jacob said, gesturing to the car which had now disappeared.

“Three on two assholes!”  Jacob yelled laughing once again.  The blood now completely covered his face, he looked like the devil.

The three remaining Nazi soldiers returned their fire to Jacob and Chase’s position.  The air stank of gunpowder. 

They waited for the car to make another pass, it took around a minute before it did. 

Chase peaked out to see it and watched as the front right tire exploded, the car careered off the path and through the wall that was to Jacob’s right-hand side, before it plummeted into the water. Their screams pierced the air and Chase felt sick as he watched the car disappear from sight.

“Jesus Christ!”  He yelled.

The gunfire was once again pounding against the trees.

Jacob leant out once again to shoot, but he was shot again, this time in the right wrist, his gun flew from his hand and he screamed in pain.  He took cover once again behind the tree, he was almost crying into the tree holding his wrist.

“Where are they Jacob?”  Chase yelled.

Jacob laughed.  “They’re right on us, about ten metres away.  Three of them.”  Jacob shouted back, struggling to be heard over the gun fire.

“How the hell can you laugh?”

“If you don’t laugh, you would cry!”  Jacob replied with a smile.

Chase frowned at Jacob and was about to try and take a shot, he stopped when a single gunshot could be heard from behind the other tree line.  The machine gun fire stopped momentarily.

“You take that side.”  One of the soldiers demanded. 

The shots again began to pound Chase’s tree.

Jacob poked his head out.  “Someone got one of them, there’s two left.”  He yelled.

Chapter 67

Sarah and Bobby Kennedy fled away from the sound of gunfire, the dirt ahead of them was rising in the air as it was hit by bullets like a pond would with the beginning of a rainstorm.  They both sprinted as fast as they could.

“The car is just up here!”  Bobby yelled.

He looked back to see where the Nazi soldiers were as he heard Sarah scream.  He looked back around and saw Sarah dive onto the grass as he was thrown into the air.  He flew over the bonnet of a red Volkswagen and landed on the lawn beside Sarah.

When the car had hit his right knee, he had heard a snap. He let out a scream of his own when he hit the grass.

“Jane!”  Sarah gasped in surprise.

Scarlett got out of the back seat.  “Help me get him in the car!”  She yelled, the gunfire now seemed to be pummelling the trees that Jacob and Chase were hidden behind.

Sarah and Scarlett managed to lie Bobby Kennedy on the floor, his head was on the floor but his legs overlapped with Clint’s body.

“Give her a gun.”  Jane yelled.

Scarlett handed a gun to Sarah and they both got into the backseats.

“They are behind the trees just ahead.”  Sarah instructed.

“I’ll drive through, both of you try and take them out!”  Jane yelled before putting her foot down.

As the car sped through the trees, the car was suddenly battered with bullets, Jane screamed in agony as a shot hit her left arm.  She managed to keep in control of the car, but only barely.

“Mum are you alright?”

“Yes, did either of you hit them.”

“I think I got one!”  Scarlett yelled.

Jane reached the other entrance to the park and turned the car back around.

“Jane!” 

Jane stopped the car at the sound of her husband’s voice.  Faraday ran towards her window and turned very pale.

“Have you been hit?”  He asked staring at Jane.

“I'm all right, are you getting in?  They have Chase and Jacob pinned down behind the trees.”

“Where are the Nazis?”  Faraday asked.

“Behind the trees on the right.”  Sarah replied.

“You go through again, I’ll try and get behind them.”  Faraday replied.

He kissed Jane through the blown out window.  “Drive fast!”

“Don’t get yourself killed.”  She instructed.

“I promise.” 

Jane put her foot down again and sped back towards the trees.  She was almost deafened by the shots coming from Scarlett and Sarah.

The car was again battered by bullets, this time there was a loud bang as a bullet burst the front right tire.

“Fuck!”  Jane screamed.

She tried to keep the car in control, but it veered off to the left.  As they hit the wall, everyone was thrown forward violently.  Scarlett, Sarah, Bobby, and Jane all let out a scream before they hit the water.

Chapter 68

Faraday watched as the car sped away and then ran behind the tree line to his right, he could see three soldiers further along shooting machine guns at the opposite side of the park.  He continued forward and watched in horror as the car veered violently off the road and through the wall.

He had never been here before, he didn’t know what was on the other side of the wall, and he prayed it was more grass.  His legs suddenly felt weak, after what David had told him he knew he couldn’t afford to lose Jane again.

He couldn’t help but throw up, he tried to do it as quietly as he could but with all the gunfire they would never have heard him in any case.  Once he had finished coughing he looked towards the trees again, the soldiers were gone.

“What the fuck?” 

The gunfire was still drowning out the sound of anything else.  He carried on through the trees and saw the three soldiers were now stood in front of Jacob and Chase’s positions, still battering it with shots.

He took cover behind a tree and took aim at the soldier on the right.  His hands were shaking uncontrollably, having thrown up he felt as though he had no strength left in him.

Pulling the trigger was suddenly a difficult task, even his fingers lacked strength.  He managed it and watched as the soldier went to ground having been struck in the neck.  He didn’t move fast enough when he tried to get back into cover. One of the soldiers spotted him and began shooting at his position.

He was shaking profusely and vomited once again.

Chapter 69

Jacob was still writhing in pain holding his wrist, the grass around him had turned a dark shade of red.

“You need to shoot Chase!”  He yelled in frustration.

“How?”  Chase yelled back.

“Just blind fire!” 

Chase sighed, he had no idea where the soldiers were standing but he knew that Jacob was right.  Whoever had helped them was pinned down, just as they were.

“Do it!”  Jacob yelled again.

Chase reluctantly put his gun out and pulled went to pull the trigger.  It was his turn to scream now, the gun flew from his hand and he pulled his arm back in quickly.  His arm was drenched in blood and the index finger of his right hand had been blown off.  He could not stop himself vomiting as he saw it.

Jacob watched on stunned and looked at the dismembered finger lying on the grass.

The gunfire stopped pounding against Chase’s tree, but the other soldier was still shooting at the opposing tree line.

“Come out now and you may live.  If not I will kill you both!”  The soldier shouted. 

“You’ll kill us anyway!”  Jacob yelled.

Chase stood up and came out from behind the tree.

“On your knees!”  The Nazi shouted.

Chase did as he was told.

“Now you!” 

“No!”  Jacob yelled.

“Now or I kill your friend!”  The soldier shouted.

Chase had never been this terrified is his entire life, he knew what Jacob was going to do.

“Kill him!”  Jacob yelled, the sound of his laugh could be heard over the other soldier’s gunfire.

“Last chance!”  The soldier shouted.

“You’d be doing me a favour!”  Jacob cried.

“I hate you Jacob!”  Chase yelled he was crying now.

Chase looked over to his right and was stunned by what he saw.

Chapter 69

Bobby watched Faraday running towards the park and began to hobble after him.  His hip felt as though it was on fire, he thought back again to the day that Lincoln died.  He wondered whether he would do it all again; he doubted that he would.

The sound of gunfire coming from the park was startling, he couldn’t go in there unarmed.  He turned and walked back passed the diner, towards the Nazi soldier that was lying on the ground.  Even walking such a short distance was an incredibly difficult task.  For the first time in his life he now felt his age, it wasn’t just his hip, but his whole body that was shattered.  Josef Mengele and the Nazis had seen to that.

He struggled towards the body and took the dead man’s gun, it was a Walther P38.  Bobby had previously been used to a Smith & Wesson revolver, but he was a good shot.  He turned and hobbled back towards the entrance to the park. 

As he walked he took a cigarette from his packet, he only had three left.  He hoped he would live long enough to smoke them.  He lit a cigarette and he looked at the entrance to the park, it seemed like miles away.  He hobbled towards it and wondered who was left, were any of them still alive?  

With the amount of shots he had heard, there was a good chance they were all dead.  Part of him wanted to walk away and leave this life behind him, but he wasn’t giving up on Sarah, not yet anyway.  She was his last chance at a different life, a better life.

He hoped that he hadn’t scared her off, he knew that she cared for him.  He had known that even when he had asked about Chase, he was just so exhausted.  He couldn’t remember the last time he had slept.  That cell in Auschwitz hadn’t provided him with any room to lie down, he had lost consciousness a few times, but he didn’t consider that sleep.