Well, no matter. Arlo was committed now and forced to play his hand. He grabbed the pistol grips of the Ma Deuce and hung on as the Stryker started to roll slowly toward the last hill between them and the hilltop compound walls.
✽✽✽
I was still keeping watch on the compound outside of the garage doors, ready to engage any of the enemy soldiers who dared to show their faces. Right now the only thing the invaders were doing was sticking their guns up over their cover and firing blindly at us. Some of the rounds did make it into the garage, but we were all well under cover. It wasn’t just myself and the girls and Jimmy and Jaime in the outbuilding. Pops and Marcus were there too, hunkered down behind the metal workbench.
I knew there were more of our people still alive out in the compound because I could hear them shooting at the enemy. I had no idea where they were, exactly, but there were numerous places in which people could hide and still be protected from enemy fire. I knew all of us had the same thought; we were between the invaders and the entrances to the mansion. Inside were the children, our elderly and our two doctors. I had no doubts that, like myself, our defenders would die before allowing these animals to get to them.
Hearing the diesel engine outside the wall start to rev, I realized we were almost at the end of this whole thing. In the next few minutes, we would either die or be victorious, and the odds were not on our side.
I took my eyes away from the compound for a second to smile at Pepper. The moment I did so, Jimmy opened up with the fifty cal, so I snapped my head back to see his bullets chewing away at the top of our wall and making a bloody mess of the two enemy soldiers who had been peering over the lip of the barrier. I almost smiled at the sight but then caught movement in my peripheral vision. Another marauder was leaning on the edge of the wall, and he was aiming something at our direction. My brain made the connection, and I yelled as I swung the M-240 toward the invader.
“Rocket!”
My string of bullets was fired off at the same time that the enemy soldier launched his missile. I saw my rounds cause his cranium to explode. A micro-second later his rocket hit the old truck behind which we were hiding. For the second time in three days, my world went completely white.
✽✽✽
“What are you waiting for?” The Major was crouching with Dwayne and Gayle on the east side of the compound, outside the protection of its walls. The noise of explosions and machinegun fire from the heart of the compound was growing louder, and he expected enemy troops to come flowing around the sides of the stronghold at any time. He knew that he and his two experts were the last chance his people had at survival and he wanted this final effort to happen quickly before the enemy tank got any closer.
Dwayne was sitting on the dusty ground with his legs splayed out to either side. His laptop was on one leg, and his brow furrowed as he concentrated on his task. The control station was balanced on the kid’s other leg, and he was rapidly maneuvering the joystick in many different directions as he piloted the drone. Gayle crouched beside him, waiting for the word to execute her part of the plan.
The Major moved over to squat behind the lad and watch the video displays on the laptop and the control station. The images from the two feeds were almost identical, the only difference being that the computer gave a clearer picture.
The Major could see that the Stryker was moving forward now, making its way to the crest of the hill it had been partially hiding behind. Once it was on the other side, it would have a straight and level path to the compound. With its two fifty caliber guns blazing away, there would be little they could do to stop it.
Dwayne didn’t reply to the Major’s question. Instead, he kept his attention on the task at hand. The video feed showed the drone to be hovering several hundred feet above the big vehicle. Flashes of light coming from below showed that some of the enemy infantry had spotted the device and were trying to take it down. The youngster put it into a series of evasive maneuvers while still keeping its cameras focused on the Stryker.
The tank had almost reached the top of the hill. The front of the vehicle was rising as it struggled to get over the crest.
“Damn it, son, do it now!” The Major’s tone was one of pure desperation.
“Not yet,” the lad calmly replied. With his eyes still glued to the two video feeds, he spoke to Gayle. “Get ready.”
Over Dwayne’s head, Gayle saw the laptop screen as it displayed the scene below the drone. Dwayne had taken the drone lower and was pointing it directly at the front of the big tank. The nose of the Stryker was still climbing and would soon be at a forty five degree angle just before it would roll over the top of the gentle swell of land which made up the hill. The vehicle was moving very slowly, taking care to keep its weight from shifting suddenly.
“Dwayne…” The Major’s voice had an imploring tone.
Dwayne abruptly shoved forward on the joystick of the control station. Gayle watched as the image of the Stryker grew largerbin the viewscreen. The picture showed the drone heading directly for the point in between the two rows of wheels.
The young man waited until the video feed winked out and there was nothing on the laptop screen except blackness. “Now!”
✽✽✽
Barrett caught sight of the drone swooping down at them from above the battle site. He wasn’t surprised because he had suspected the use of the devices by their opponents. The Sergeant yelled out to the other ground troops around him and pointed at the contraption. He and the others started trying to shoot it out of the sky, but the rapidly shifting trajectory of the thing was keeping it safe. Barrett slapped in a fresh thirty round magazine and engaged in a little ‘spray and pray’, hoping he might get lucky, but it didn’t happen. The airplane-like contraption evaded all of his rounds, then started to swoop lower. It stopped zig-zagging and was diving quickly toward the ground. Barrett first thought he had hit the thing but there was no indication of damage on it and it continued to fly straight and true. The sergeant swiveled his head in the direction the mechanism was headed, and it all became clear. The Stryker was now at the point of cresting the rim of the hill behind them.
Barrett clawed the empty magazine from his weapon and snatched a fresh one from his vest. His hands shook as he realized the enemy’s plan and how it might work. The Sergeant slammed the magazine into the well and reached for the T-handle of the bolt release. He yanked the handle back and let it snap forward, then raised the M-4 to his cheek and took aim.
✽✽✽
Arlo saw the big drone coming straight at them and realized what was happening. He dropped back inside the Stryker, his eyes casting about, searching for safety. The disgraced former officer saw the green netting which lined the sides of the vehicle and grabbed a bunch of it with each hand while twisting his leg around a bench stanchion.
The others in the tank looked at their leader with curious expressions. Arlo shouted no warnings to the others, consumed only with concern for his own safety.
Then the explosion hit.
✽✽✽
I was deaf. Not really deaf, but the ringing in my ears was so loud that I couldn’t hear anything else. My eyes were open, but the flash that had come with the exploding rocket had left blue orbs swimming in my vision.
I tried to rise, but there was a chunk of concrete lying across my chest. I was able to slide it off to the side and noticed that a bent steel pole was wedged across my body and it had kept a big timber from crushing me. Dust and smaller particles of concrete fell from me as I struggled to get to my feet.
Pepper!
I looked around frantically, searching for her. The garage was demolished. Small pieces of debris were still settling, and white dust from ruined wallboard drifted in the air. The rocket had exploded against the side of the old pickup truck, and all of its destructive force had been contained within the structure. The oil change pit was wholly covered with debris, and there was no sign of Pops anywhere.
All around me people were struggli
ng to free themselves from the rubble. The roof of the garage had collapsed, and I knew several of our people were now buried beneath its weight. I picked my way over to where I had last seen the girls and started digging. I found my M-240 first. The barrel was bent making it useless. I tossed it out of my way and kept throwing pieces of drywall aside.
I found a small arm coated in white dust, quickly cleared away more wreckage and uncovered Pepper’s upper body. I put my ear to her nose to see if I could hear her breathing, but the ringing in my ears was still too loud, so I watched her chest and was relieved to see it rising and falling. Putting my hands under her armpits, I pulled her free of the rubble and over to a flat piece of fallen drywall. I laid her on the wallboard gently and used my hands to wipe more of the dust from her face. She never moved but she was breathing so I went back to dig for Mona.
I spent three minutes pulling chunks of concrete away and tossing lighter pieces of rubble aside before finding Mona’s leg. I tried to be gentle as I dragged the rest of her body free of the wreckage but, when she was clear, I saw a gash on her forehead. The blood was mixed with the white dust, giving the stuff a pinkish color. I did the same trick I’d done with Mona; looking for her chest to rise and fall, but I didn’t see it happening. I grew frantic. For a moment I froze, not being able to remember what to do in a case like this. Then my brain kicked in, and I began to perform CPR, starting with five long breaths into her motionless form. I switched to chest compressions and repeated my actions for several minutes.
I heard a screech of a sort over where the oil change pit was located. Hands from below in the pit were pushing a big piece of plywood away from the opening. I looked over as Jimmy peeked out of the hole. He saw me and nodded, then started to crawl out of the pit.
A gunshot sounded in the ruins of the garage, and it was so loud that I could hear it even over the ringing in my ears. Jimmy grabbed his side and fell back into the hole. I swung around to see an enemy soldier standing in what was left of the garage bay door. He had just shot my friend.
“Don’t waste your time, dude, she’s dead, and you’ll be joining her shortly.” His rifle was pointed at my head. I made as if to continue my CPR on Mona, and he fired a shot that was intended to kill me. The bullet passed over my head just as I was bending over Mona. I grabbed for my pistol but knew I’d never reach it in time. The enemy adjusted his aim and pulled the rifle’s trigger.
It went ‘click.’
We both spent a panicked moment looking stupidly at each other before I remembered my Glock. I clawed at the holster and a block of ice formed in my belly as I found the holster empty. The soldier saw my actions and started slapping at his load-bearing vest, searching for a loaded magazine. All of his pouches were empty. He grabbed for a wicked-looking dagger sheathed at his waist and pulled the weapon free as I got to my feet.
I was unarmed. My opponent was tall and bulky, maybe thirty pounds or so overweight. He had a good fifty pounds on me, but I knew I had no choice other than to engage him. If Pepper and Mona were going to survive this day he had to go down.
I moved to a flatter section of the garage floor and bent to snatch up a piece of concrete, the size of a grapefruit. It wasn’t much, but it was all I had available. The soldier grinned as he bent low with the knife held out in front of him. We started to circle each other. He dashed in twice, trying to get me to throw the rock. I was holding it in my right hand, and my left side was facing him. I was able to shuffle backward as he lunged, swiping the blade in an arc.
The soldier darted forward with a quickness that surprised me. I barely got my left arm up in time to deflect his attempt to disembowel me. Blood started to run from the slice in my forearm.
“Come on, bitch, let’s get this over with,” he coaxed.
I heard a growl and the sounds of debris sliding away from a spot under a ruined truck. I couldn’t risk taking my eyes off of my opponent, but I saw a flash of black and tan darting out from the side. Dust and chalk were still falling from Lex as he flung himself at my attacker.
The big canine clamped his teeth into the flesh of the soldier’s thigh and shook it like a shark shakes a halibut. The soldier screamed and slashed at him with the knife, opening a slice in his flank. Lex never reacted to the pain. Instead he shook the man’s leg harder. The soldier fell shrieking to the ground and raised up, the knife held high in preparation of plunging it into my savior.
I threw the piece of concrete as hard as I could manage, watching it impact on the man’s temple. The blow stunned him temporarily, and I lunged forward, grabbing the hand that held the knife.
As we wrestled for possession of the weapon, the man continued to scream at the pain that Lex was causing to his thigh. I was able to get both hands on the knife and get my body weight to push down on his, trapping the weapon to the floor.
Lex was excited to the point of frenzy. The soldier was steadily kicking against the dog’s side and chest, but he may as well have been kicking a brick wall. Lex shifted his bite from the man’s thigh to his calf and shook it until a large piece of meat tore free.
The soldier screamed again, and his efforts started to wane as blood flowed from his thigh and calf onto the dusty garage floor. I was able to wrestle the knife from his hand and raised it over my head, ready to finish him off. I saw the terror in his eyes as he saw his death coming. I felt no pity for the man who had shot my friend and was promising death for Pepper and Mona. He raised both hands in an attempt to stop my action, but I used my free hand to sweep them aside. The dagger bit into his chest, and I used my weight to drive it even deeper.
“No, please!”
It was the soldier’s last words. I held the knife tightly until the light in his eyes dimmed then went out.
I fell back onto the concrete floor and fought for air. There was a nudge to my elbow, and Lex’s big head wedged itself under my arm. I stroked his neck as he sniffed the dead man’s body.
“Virgil?”
I turned at the sound and saw Pepper off to the side, sitting up now on the piece of wallboard. I left the dagger in the soldier’s chest as I went to her. She was still recovering from her unconsciousness, staring around herself at the ruins of the garage.
“What happened?” she asked.
“They hit us with a rocket. You were knocked out, but you seem to be okay.” Her long hair was partially in her face, so I swept it back behind her ear. I pointed to where Mona still lay. “Think you can check on her while I see what’s going on out there?”
The sight of her friend unconscious and wounded prodded Pepper into action. I knew the chances of Mona coming out of this were small, and I had other concerns right now. I limped over to the surviving partition between the garage bays and peeked around the side. I couldn’t see any enemy soldiers out in the compound except one who was scrambling over the wall, trying to get out.
I looked back into the wreckage of the garage. Pepper was trying to resuscitate Mona. Her tears showed me my suspicions about her survival were correct. The knowledge hit me hard, but I still had things to do.
I made my way over to the oil pit and looked down.
Jaime was dead, his lifeless eyes staring directly at me from the bottom of the hole. A large piece of iron pipe had crushed his forehead.
A feeble sound reached my recovering ears, and I located Jimmy’s form in the darkness of the pit. He was moving so I dropped down, wincing when my ankle took the weight of my body. I must have sprained it in the attack. I was amazed and happy to find Jimmy holding a rag to his bleeding side. He saw me when I landed beside him.
“Virgil? You’ve looked better, kid.”
I removed the rag I had been using to cover my nose and mouth and wadded it up, replacing the bloodied one he’d been using on his wound. “Yeah, well so have you,” I replied.
He looked down, trying to see the wound but couldn’t manage it. “How bad is it?”
I took the rag away and examined it as best I could. “It looks painful but not that ba
d, brother. I think you’ve got some broken ribs, but you’ll survive.”
He smiled at that and laid his head back down. “Jaime? How’s Jaime?”
I just shook my head slowly. He nodded.
“Listen, I’ll get you out of here, but I have to see what we’re facing now. The shooting has stopped for now, and I need to check on what’s happening. Are you okay to just lie here a while? Maybe I can get Pepper in here to take care of you while I’m gone.”
Jimmy said he’d wait in the pit. I climbed out and spent five minutes convincing Pepper that there was nothing more we could do for Mona. Pepper was crying furiously, and it took all of my powers of persuasion to get her to leave her friend’s body and climb down into the pit where she could help Jimmy and be somewhat protected while I figured out what was happening.
I checked the slice on Lex’s flank. It was long but shallow, he’d need stitches, but that could wait. For his part, the big guy acted as if the wound was nothing. With him at my side, I glanced out at the compound again. No one was moving around. I stepped outside and kept myself up against the wall to present the smallest target to any enemy snipers who might be creeping around.
I cautiously made my way back to the east side of the wall where I had previously been manning my M-240. There was no one there…well…no one living, anyway. Bodies of friends and foes alike were strewn all across the concrete driveway, and pieces of the ruined towers were piled around the bases of the structures. I cautiously crept up to the destroyed gate and looked outside. I couldn’t resist smiling.
The driveway leading to the castle offered a view that warmed my heart. The enemy soldiers were running back down the hill in full retreat. The ruined pickups were strewn across the landscape; some of them still burning and throwing black smoke into the air.
Virgil's War- The Diseased World Page 49
