Preparations

For some unexplainable reason, the goblins didn't dare to attack them while they were preparing. Though, they speculated that the goblins might have been afraid to approach the gate was because the giant birds were sitting near it.

For that, they have to thank the birds for giving them enough time to come up with a new plan! Nathan's proposed plan was simple: Let the goblins get inside the house then set the house off with a blast! Although it sounded easy, the actual preparations were pretty hard.

First, they have to make sure that the goblins will enter the house through the front door instead of circling around the house towards the backdoor, trapping them in the process.

Second, what would they do about the birds? can they lure them inside the house and blast them off along with the goblins? This question can easily be answered with a single word: No. The birds are to smart for them to be caught in a trap! The only thing that they hope for is to disorient the birds with the blast to easily kill them.

And lastly, the bomb. Where would get their bomb? The answer lies in the kitchen: The LPG tank! Most households in their country used LPG tanks as their source of fire when cooking. These LPG tanks are small enough to be carried by a single person and very affordable too. A few kilos of gas inside a small cylinder tank would definitely pack a punch!

Also since they didn't need the generator anymore, the gas used to power the generator will also be put to use.

After quick planning and brainstorming, they proceeded with the new plan. Nathan and Rick were tasked to block the two other paths leading to the backyard, while the old man and Michael rearranged their barriers.

They have to move fast as their clock is ticking. Nathan and Rick removed the refrigerator blocking the backdoor. They anticipated the zombies to instantly lunge at them the moment they opened the door, but for some reason, maybe just pure luck, the zombies are nowhere to be found! This must be the best thing that happened to them since this apocalypse happened!

Their morale skyrocketed and their work became a lot less hard. A narrow path on the left most of the house is located. The path is narrow enough to only let one person walk at a time, so this path can easily be blocked. The first thing that came to their mind was the refrigerator as they estimated that the appliance can barely fit on that path and it was also big enough that the goblins would have a hard time climbing on it.

They ran back to the kitchen. They first emptied the fridge to relieve some of its weight. After that, they carried the fridge outside and just chucked it on the narrow path. Just to be sure, they put some rocks inside the fridge to add some weight on it. They completed their first goal easily.

Then, on the rightmost of the house, a wider path was located. The path was wide enough for two people to walk on it side by side and still have more room for a little child to walk with them.

Fortunately for them, there are three empty large containers littered around the backyard. They hastily collected these large containers and placed them side by side to form a small barricade made of containers. But, that wasn't enough. Sure the containers fitted perfectly on the path leaving no gaps on either side, but the containers are still small enough for the goblins to climb over them! Plus, the containers are all empty that a simple push or kick by the goblins will surely topple the containers easily.

They have to think fast. Because any moment now, the goblins might attack! Soon, Rick thought of something.

"The couch! We can place the couch at the top of this container to add weight to it. Plus, the added height will also hinder the goblins from climbing over on it!"

"Seems plausible, Let's do that!"

They ran back inside the house again to carry the big couch. Since it was heavier than they thought, they asked the other two for help. The two had to pause what they were doing and help the other two. With all four of them, they successfully lifted the couch high up to placed it on the top of the containers.

With all of their job, Nathan and Rick decided to help the other two.

When Nathan and Rick finished doing their jobs, Michael and the old man had almost finished their job too.

They did a good job on their part too. The first thing they did was to make some sort of zigzagged maze. Near the door, they erected the double-decker bed on the left side, forcing the goblins to make a right turn. Then they stacked the chairs high up on the right side forcing the goblins to take a left turn.

That goes on until the goblins reached the kitchen where the four would be waiting for them. They would also barricade the only way to the kitchen leaving only a few gaps for them to attack the goblins with their spear.

Now, they placed the LPG tank in the center of the house in a slightly elevated position. They will also twist the valve slightly to let out a steady stream of gas into the air at the right time. Then, they spread all of the gas left from the generator on the floor to light it up to act as the LPG's igniter.

And lastly, they opened and front door and destroyed the windows to entice the goblins to enter through it instead of finding another path.

They waited for almost an hour before the goblins started to move. It was now exactly 7:30 AM, the sun was high and the sky was clear. Perfect for some explosion!

"Mister, have you contacted the rescuers again? are they still far?"

Nathan asked in a nervous tone. The whole time that they were doing their preparations, he can't help but feel doubt in his own plan. Only the confirmation that their rescuers would come will he feel truly safe.

The old man contemplated before answering.

"Yes. They should be not far from here now. Maybe 2 or 3 hours until they reach us. When the explosion happens, they will surely know where we are exactly"

Rick seemed to notice Nathan's uncertainty about his own plan, so he cheered him up.

"Relax, Nathan. Your plan will work. You gotta trust your self, man"

"...Okay"

Nathan wasn't able to say anything else.

The goblins finally reached the front door and started pouring in like a mad crowd of people when they saw their favorite TV celebrity. The goblins literally pushed and trampled each other as they squeezed themselves on the narrow door. Some smart enough goblins entered through the windows.

The old man took on the role of the vanguard of the team, while the other two were on his left and right. On the other hand, Nathan was in charge of protecting little Angelica, so he wasn't much of help on fighting the goblins.

The zigzagged paths that they made greatly slowed down the goblins almost to the point of them only facing two to three goblins at a time.

They first positioned themselves near the door and will have to back their way up until they reached the kitchen. Of course, they would twist the LPG's valve when they reached it.

As always, the old man's attacks seemed so fluid that the goblins were getting hacked and sliced every time he swung his machete. The two will then finish off the goblins who were still alive after getting attacked by the old man.

They slowly backed up each time they kill a goblin. A few minutes later, they reached the center of the house and quickly turned the valve. The LPG then released a quiet hissing sound, the smell of gas was easily covered by the smell of the goblin's blood.

A few minutes more, they finally reached their final destination. After they reached the kitchen, they barricaded the way with some chairs and other furniture. They stayed there for a bit while still attacking the goblins on the other side.

Michael and Rick successfully killed some goblins that struggled to pass through the final barricade. A few more minutes went by and the house was already filled with tons of goblins. They nodded to each other. They already know what to do next.

Michael, Rick, Nathan, and the little girl all went outside. The only one left was the old man. He pulled out a matchbox on his left pocket and then he pulled out a matchstick and lit it up.

He looked around the house one last time. He's got a sad and grieving expression on his face as this will be the last time he will see his most sentimental house. He took a deep breath and let out a long sigh.

"I hope you all burn to hell, Fuckers!"

The moment he let go of the still-burning matchstick, he ran towards the backdoor and he practically jumped out of the house. The matchstick finally landed in the gassed floor, which quickly lit the entire floor in a matter of seconds! The goblins frantically ran everywhere to get out of the burning place. Then, the fire reached the LPG tank and...

BOOOOM!

A large explosion occurred! Flying debris and body parts rained down on them as they watched a large fireball and black smoke coming out of the house. The house burned to the ground along with the goblins inside.

All of them sighed in exasperation and relief. The only problem they have left are the birds. They regained their consciousness when they saw the giant three birds coming at them fast! One by one, the birds dived on each of them.

One bird targeted Nathan. While the bird was in the air, its white spot shone brightly as it folded its wings and dived with great speed. Nathan was quick to react. He embraced the little girl into his chest and rolled on the ground.

They rolled for a few feet before stopping. The bird quickly flew again as its attempt failed, this gave Nathan and little Angelica a chance to recover.

"Are you okay?

Nathan asked as he inspected the body of the little girl to see if she got injured or something. He sighed in relief when he didn't see any injury. He looked around for possible hiding spots for Angelica, then he saw the refrigerator. He picked up the girl and ran to the refrigerator and opened it. He removed the rocks and he put Angelica inside.

"Stay here, okay? Don't come out until I say so."

The little girl nodded. Nathan immediately closed the refrigerator. After all of that, he went with the three to regroup. Nathan equipped his machete on his left hand and his pistol on the other.

"Where's the kid? Nathan, You didn't just abandon the girl, right?"

Michael asked with a doubtful look on his face.

"What? of course not! I hid her inside the fridge. She'll be safe there"

"Stop bickering you two. The birds are coming. Stay close to each other!"

The old man yelled at them as he readied his M16A1 for the incoming attack.

"The bird's white spot in their forehead shines brightly every time they dive! We can use that to tell when the birds will attack!"

Nathan informed them of the pattern he noticed, but to his surprise, the three looked at him with confused and bewildered expressions! Don't they see it? How can they not see it!?

"You're seeing things now, Nathan?"

"I'm telling you the truth, Rick! It always happens every time! Look!"

Nathan pointed at the bird that flew above their heads. The bird's white spot shone brightly.

"Watch out!"

Nathan jumped away a few seconds early than the three. All four of them avoided the bird, nonetheless.

"See!? It shone! You have to believe me!"

The three still have their confused looks on their faces. It's clear that they didn't see what Nathan saw!

The old man sighed in exasperation. He turned to Nathan and said.

"We still didn't see anything shine, but I believe you now, Nathan. Just tell us exactly when the birds will dive"

"What? I...uh, okay"

Doubt and confusion flooded Nathan's mind. Am I the only one seeing things? Am I going crazy!? He couldn't help but think that way. He shook his head, he can't afford to lose his focus now.

A few seconds of circling later, one of the birds dived. Nathan warned them a few seconds earlier, so they were ready and easily evaded the attack.

They didn't waste time. as the bird landed on the ground, the four of them fired their guns near enough for the inexperienced gunners to land a sure hit.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

CRACKsss! CRACKsss!

The bird was riddled with bullet holes all over its body in a matter of seconds. The bird twitched as it struggled to get up and flap its wings.

The old man walked towards the bird. He pulled his machete from his waist, with a powerful slash to the neck, the old man easily decapitated the bird!

They did the same tactic for the other two birds. Nathan warned them a few seconds early before the bird dived. Then, the bird gets riddled with bullets and dies at the hand of the old man.

A few minutes later, the birds are no more. The four of them let out a long sigh of relief, they can finally rest! The three laid on the ground and closed their eyes, while the old man stood still. He wasn't feeling any fatigue or soreness on his body after they killed the birds, instead, he felt more energetic and powerful than ever! He didn't know how or why, but he welcomed the extra energy, nonetheless.

Just when they thought they can finally sleep while waiting for their rescuers, an arrow flew in their direction. It landed just above Rick's head whose still oblivious of what might have happened to him.

"Right. The archers. Everyone get up! Unless you want to get impaled by arrows, move quickly!"

"Arrows!?"

"Fucking dammit!"

"I want to sleep!"

The three became alerted when they heard the yells of the old man. Then, another arrow flew towards them, then another, then another...