Hugo was frustrated. They hadn’t even pushed one block into the Skull territory when they came under a series of surprise attacks. Unlike the trap Rile and the others walked into, this one was much more elaborate.

“Keep your eyes peeled onto the windows and roof tops at all times!” Hugo shouted from the middle of the main force. “They might be only showing up a few at a time but that’s no reason to be lax.” ​​

The Skull were attacking in groups of six to ten from either roof tops or the highest windows. Every time the Mad Dogs went to engage the Skull inside the buildings, they found that they had already abandoned their positions and escaped. Where they had gone was a mystery to them. Hugo knew that they should have pulled back and tried taking a wider alternate route as soon as they were attacked like this. However, he had seen the dark smoke rising from the docks and knew that Ernest’s forces were fighting, and time was of the essence.

In response to the sporadic attacks coming from above, Hugo fanned out his forces to cover four streets of which were all leading towards the docks. He knew not how many they were being attacked by, nor which Skull Hand was leading them. Hugo had a few hunches but nothing concrete.

“Group one, give me an update.” Hugo radioed on his walky-talky on an alternate channel that would not interfere with Ernest’s channel. They were all using the barge’s radio transmitters for this joint attack. Martinez made it clear to them long ago that communication was key to gaining victory.

“Group one answering, we are still getting shot at, but the intervals are getting fewer and further in between. It seems like the left flank might be easier to invade from.”

“Group two, what about you?” Hugo asked.

“Group two here, same as group one. Though moments ago, one of the front runners hit a trip line attached to a grenade. I think we all need to be more careful now.”

“Next time something like that happens tell us right away!” Hugo snarled into the walky-talky. Then looking up he warned his own scouts of this new development.

“U-understood!” The man from group two stammered.

“Group four calling.” A new voice called coming from the walky-talky. “We just came under heavy sniper fire! We think that its coming from the red brick apartment buildings three blocks ahead. What do you advise? We are currently pinned down.”

“What kind of cover do you have?” Hugo asked as he looked ahead to spy the top edge of the red brick apartment.

“Nothing good.” The group four man replied. “The road is empty, straight and the buildings walls here are flush with the road. We will be sitting ducks if we go out there.”

“S***.” Hugo muttered. “What does the next street over look like? Does it have better cover?”

“I will send someone to check. Group four, over.”

The walky-talky went silent as Hugo and the others with him pressed slowly onwards. The whole way Hugo couldn’t stop grumbling. “I was just a normal guy in this town before I got myself mixed into this mess. I had a nice little farm going on and was doing simply fine. If it weren’t for those stupid Hornet gangsters stealing my grain, I wouldn’t have joined the Mad Dogs. Now look at me, constantly being thrown into a fight I never wanted to be a part of, and on top of that, I’m leading other idiots like me.”

“Zzziipp, crash!”

A bullet suddenly whizzed through their ranks and blasted a large window to bits. Everyone instantly pressed themselves up against the nearby walls or doorways. Judging from the sound’s direction, the bullet seemed to have come from those same red brick apartments group four mentioned.

“Everyone, stay put for a moment and rest.” Hugo shouted out to the others. Then into the walky-talky he called, “Group four, any update on the other street?”

A few moments passed when the walky-talky crackled to life. “Its no good there either. Of all the guys I sent, only two came back and they spotted a large number of Skull coming down the road. They are going to try and flank us. What do you think we should do? We can’t hold out well in our location, the buildings here are all glass store fronts.”

Hugo pondered the next move. Something felt wrong to him. The right side of his forces were getting the worst of the attacks, while the left seemed weak and easier to invade. The sniping from the red brick apartments was also coming from their right. It was uncharacteristic of the Skull to not have all their fronts defended equally as strong.

Then a light flipped on in his mind. He knew who was behind the Skull forces here. Hugo laughed and spoke his thoughts aloud, “Bone Dust, I should have known. Only you have any kind of plan ready for when we attack you Skull freaks. Alright, I will play along with your game. Why do you want us to go to the left?”

Then raising the walky-talky, Hugo made his decision. “Group four, retreat and join up with us. Leave a few stragglers behind to see what that group of Skull coming your way does next.”

“On it!” The man from group four called back.

…

“Ke-ke-ke, looks like the plan is working just as you said it would.” Crows Beak cackled as he hopped down from the tallest of the air conditioning units on the red brick apartments. “They are moving closer to the river now. Now can you tell me the rest of the plan?”

“Hmm, in a moment.” Bone Dust replied stroking his white pointed beard. “I want them to get pushed back one more street. Send the order.”

“Ke-ke, very well.” Crows Beak replied.

Then crawling on all fours to the apartments edge, Crows Beak picked up a green and yellow flag on a long stick in each hand. Waving the green flag vertically three times Crows Beak waited for a reply to come from another messenger stationed on another roof two blocks between them and the Mad Dogs.

Then he spotted a green flag like his own repeating the three vertical waves, his message was received. Next, he raised the yellow flag and waved it twice in a wide arc above his head. The messenger repeated the action and Crows Beak put the two flags down.

“Can I take a guess as to what your plan may be?” Crows Feat called back to Bone Dust.

“Why not. We have been working together long enough that I’d assume you know my intentions.” Bone Dust replied.

“The stadium. You are going to force them to travel into it and there we will kill them all. Ke-ke-ke!” Crows Beak replied slyly.

“HA, you are correct my friend! How did you guess this?” Bone Dust asked with a grin coming over to join Crows Beak at the roofs edge.

“Beyond the area the Mad Dogs chose to attack us has the river and flowing into the river is a large run off gorge. That gorge also runs through the area I normally monitor. It is much to steep to cross on foot. All the bridges crossing this gorge have been destroyed by us save for three places.” Crows Beak replied as he held up a finger, “One, the Main Street bridge where I keep watch. The second is where the main base is located, and the Eyes watch over that bridge. The third is found on the backside of the stadium. The only way to get to that bridge is to go right through the stadiums field.”

“You are very perceptive and correct. I don’t think I’ve given you enough credit for this.” Bone Dust replied still smiling. “Once we corral the Mad Dogs into the stadium, we will have scaled the stands to begin raining hells fire down on them. Then once that is all said and done. The rest of the Mad Dogs at the docks will be dealt with easily.”

“Good, very good indeed.” Crows Beak answered going back down onto all fours. He then started crawling for the elevator shaft nearby. “I won’t waste anytime then and get my own forces situated to speed things up.”

“Sounds good to me. I’ll catch up with you later. My own bones aren’t as fast as they used to be.” Bone Dust said jokingly patting his hips. “Besides, I need to make sure the Mad Dogs do indeed go that way. Who knows, they could somehow get through out attacks.”

Crows Beak stopped heading for the elevator and turned to look back at Bone Dust. “They won’t. I know what you have taught your Feet and its downright scarry! Even I wouldn’t want to fight them all at once.”

…

Meanwhile, Martinez was standing boldly on the bridge that crossed the gorge heading towards the Skulls main base in the old mall. He had his Macuahuitl proudly on display as he carried it openly on his shoulder. Its faux obsidian shards glinted dangerously in the bright noonday sunlight.

With him Xander and the rest of the Mad Dogs forces were waiting in the shade of some trees that lined this part of the street. They were waiting for two things to happen. The first being Rodney’s return. Rodney was tasked with searching out the Skulls base for escape routes or secret passages and he should have returned long ago. The second thing were for there to be any signs of Skull reinforcements, or even better, the Undertaker himself leaving the base to go assist the battle going on by the docks.

However, the day had been rolling by with little to show for their efforts. Aside from the single patrol they crushed first thing this morning, they hadn’t come across any other Skull forces. It was almost like they had attacked when the Skull were least expecting them to invade. Any normal person would have noticed this and pressed on to attack the main base.

The Mad Dogs brazen actions were not unnoticed and Martinez knew this. Thus, the reason they had not moved from this spot. Beyond this tall green metal bridge was where the Eyes of the Skull were probably waiting for them.

“Maybe they captured Rodney?” Xander called out to Martinez. “Should we do something to provoke the Skull now? Its past noon.”

Martinez didn’t even look back as he spoke. “No, Rodney will be back any second. He is our best scouter, no, the best scouter I have ever come across. There is no way he’s been found out.”

Then as if to prove his point, Rodney magically appeared beside Xander. “Thanks for the vote of confidence boss!”

“Jeez Rodney! Where did you pop up from?” Xander shouted in surprise. “Do that again and I might just shoot you.”

“It doesn’t matter.” Rodney replied brushing off Xander’s remark. “The Undertaker is still inside the mall last I checked, and it looks like he has no intentions of coming out. The forces inside haven’t even mobilized to go help the Hands at the docks either.”

“Now that is troubling.” Martinez replied. He then patted the cricket bat like handle of his Macuahuitl on his shoulder repeatedly as he spoke in thought. “Either the Undertaker has full confidence in those annoying Hands, or our actions were already found out and they have some contingency plan already in place. What really bothers me is that he doesn’t see us being so close to his base as a threat and that makes me mad.”

Then without saying another word, Martinez suddenly started jogging across the bridge.

“Woah! Boss, where are you going?” Xander shouted in confusion. “Ah, never mind. Everyone, follow after him now! Get ready for a fight!”