They were layered in a variety of equipment. Each had thick jeans, high boots with steel toes, and heavy welding jackets. They practiced moving and swinging - their mobility was limited but both Zavier and Tess preferred the trade-off of slightly less mobility for increased protection. All four of them had on football helmets.
Tess had a pistol holstered at her right leg and some quick-change magazines on her belt. She had another gun in a chest holster and a machete on her left hip. She'd offered a gun to Zavier who had refused.
"You know I'm no good with those things," he'd said. "You're the only one here that is - I'd end up blowing a toe off or something."
Luna had a machete in one hand and the Toxic Weaver Dagger in the other. Cass had his Toxic Weaver Dagger at his hip, a baseball bat in his right hand, and the riot shield in his left.
Zavier carried the other riot shield and the third Toxic Weaver Dagger. He also strapped a machete across his back and had a utility belt with a hammer, a couple long-shafted screwdrivers, and…"
"Is that the Creme Brule torch??" Tess asked in surprise.
Zavier looked down at his belt and looked up at her sheepishly. "You never know what will come in handy!"
She shook her head.
"Okay everyone, here's the plan. We watch for squirrels. When we see one, and ONLY one, we go out together. Cass and I will be up front and will be blocking it. The shields should hold up to the teeth and claws. Luna, you stay between us and stab through. That knife is poisonous so just keep getting in jabs. If it starts to push through the shield you need to back away so Cass and I can close ranks. Tess, you stay behind us and be ready to shoot. Don't kill it unless you have to, this one goes to Luna."
"And once again and for the hundredth time, when mom yells "DOWN!" what do we do?"
Cass and Luna both sighed with impatience and replied in unison. "Luna throws the knife away so she doesn't get stabbed and drops to her stomach. Cass jumps on top of her with the shield over his back. Dad moves to the side and distracts it while mom blasts its stupid face off."
Zavier raised his eyebrow at that last part and the twins snickered conspiratorially.
"Good enough," he said. "Now, let's see what's out there."
The universe jumped in with ironic timing and they heard the first beep of alarm. They looked at the screen and saw a squirrel coming out of the woods behind the garage.
"Okay," Zavier said as the last wisps of playfulness left the room. "Front door. Garage is too slow and loud. I don't want to wait while it closes if we have to retreat. I'll be first out, then Cass, then Luna and mom. If we have to retreat back inside it'll be Luna, Cass, mom, then me. Got it?"
Three somber faces nodded back at him. They moved to the door and Zavier looked through the peephole, seeing nothing. He slid it open and stepped out tentatively, shield raised and machete in hand. He'd wanted something that could hold it at bay if necessary. Cass stepped out and moved to Zavier's right, baseball bat held at a ready position. When they were fully outside Luna took her place just behind them. Zavier looked back over his shoulder and saw Tess already sweeping the area behind them. He never had to remind her to keep her head on a swivel. With that they moved slowly around the garage until they were at the side of the house.
For one breathless moment they saw nothing, then it came around the corner. Time froze and everyone's breath locked up, the dog-sized squirrel tensing just much as the humans. Then its eyes narrowed and it hunched forward, a sound halfway between a screech and chittering shredding out of its mouth. It lunged just as Zavier yelled "HOLD!"
It slammed into them and almost threw the men back into Luna, but they dug their heels into the ground and held. Zavier saw Cass adopting a stance that looked like a linebacker holding back the offense and did the same, their formation becoming stronger. They managed to push it back a few inches when a swiping claw flew between the shields.
"Now Luna!" Zavier yelled and saw her thin arm flash forward and slash at it tentatively. The thing chittered in rage and pain and pulled back, but Zavier didn't want to lose the momentum. "Forward Cass! Luna, keep going!" he yelled and they took a step forward. Luna's arm flashed through a few more times, scoring light punctures in the thing's stomach. It jumped backwards and pawed at its torso where it had been struck, then looked at them with even more murderous rage. With unexpected power it leapt into the air, landing on the shield wall and clamping its teeth on the top of Cass's shield. Cass dropped it, his eyes wide with fear. Zavier jumped forward and body checked the squirrel with the shield, sending it sliding onto its back.
"Luna, get behind me and keep stabbing! Cass, get the shield!" he yelled and jumped forward trying to pin it down with the shield. Luna was behind and trying to stab around him as Zavier fought to keep the wild, frantic movements from letting it get up.
"No shot!" Tess yelled.
"Don't shoot yet!" Zavier yelled, putting his full body weight on the thing. He was laying on the shield, legs spread wide, pushing with his whole upper body to force the shield into its face and claws. "Go for the neck Luna!" Zavier yelled and he felt her shift beside him. A few quick slashes later and the thing became even more frenzied. It bucked Zavier off and he went flying to the side, rolling like he'd been thrown from a car. He kept his shield but lost his machete in the tumble. He and the squirrel found their feet at the same time and Zavier saw that it was grievously injured, blood flowing in thick rivulets down its fur. The damned thing looked at him, then turned to look at the closer prey. Zavier's heart dropped as he saw what the squirrel saw: Luna in a hunched stance, knife held in both hands as she slowly backed away. Tess was standing in front of Cass but blocked from a direct shot at the thing by Luna. And Cass… Cass was frozen, his mouth locked open and his eyes frozen on the squirrel.
It looked at all their faces then settled on the one that looked most like prey. With another chittering screech it launched itself towards Cass, barreling straight towards Luna in the process.
Zavier screamed and dropped the shield, not wanting its weight. He pulled the hammer from his belt and flung it at the squirrel as he sprinted forward. The hammer bounced off the side of its head, sending it in a roll just as Zavier flew into it.
"INSIDE NOW!" he yelled and grabbed its bony arms, grappling to keep it away. Its head was flashing forward, gnashing teeth trying to tear chunks of his face away. Its rotten breath burned Zavier's nose but he held, barely able to take his attention away from it long enough to catch a view of them in his periphery. Luna led Cass around the garage, Tess following in a backwards walk, covering their flank as she escorted them inside. He heard the door shut then Tess came running back around the corner, pistol in ready position.
"Give me a shot!"
"I. Can't," he huffed. He could feel it getting weaker, the poison and blood loss taking effect. Through gritted teeth he managed to groan out "Just watch. Woods. It's. Dying." He couldn't see the look of abject terror on Tess's face but she moved to stand a few feet away from him, double-armed grip on the pistol, as she swiveled and kept her eyes on the woods.
"Incoming!" she shouted and Zavier looked up long enough to see two more furry heads peeking out of the woods. They were out of time. Tess shifted to a one-handed grip and picked up one of the dropped shields. She sprinted to Zavier and slammed the shield onto the creature's face, giving Zavier enough breathing room to push off of it while it was stunned. He jumped to his feet and grabbed the shield, both of them making the fastest retreat they could while walking backwards. The squirrel didn't give chase and instead was thrashing on the ground, pain making it senseless. The last Zavier saw of it was its movements slowing and its legs giving a final kick.
Zavier lunged through the front door and slammed it shut, sliding the deadbolt home. He caught his breath for a moment then rushed into the garage, coming back out with a 2x4 and a drill. He drilled one end of the wood into the floor at an angle so it wedged against the front door. He didn't want to risk one of those things forcing its way in that way. With a sigh he set everything down, hunched over, and put his hands on his knees.
"Holy fucking shit," he whispered.
Tess rubbed his back in small, gentle circles. He looked up at her, the fear evident on his face. "What the fuck are we going to do?"
He stood up and they hugged, each gaining strength from each other. With the unspoken understanding of all parents they stood up and pulled themselves together, putting on their bravest faces. Without a word needing to be said they walked into the main house to check on the kids.