They gathered their composure and started to bayonet its legs. The skin was almost like armour and it easily took everything they could throw at it.
The men frantically jabbed and gored the beast but to little avail. It swung around an enormous claw and shredded a soldier from shoulder to abdomen. He screamed out in pain. Then it turned in a small circle to lash out at the other two. The major came around to hear the thunder of rifle fire and see a flash of light. One of the remaining soldiers fired at close range into the beast’s head. This seemed to have an effect and it burst out of the entrance and into the main chamber again.
Major Richmond was helped to his feet whilst the other soldier tended to the wounded man. The lacerations were deep and his blood loss was considerable. He grabbed his friend and gingerly took out a folded cloth. Inside it was a picture of his family, a wife and two small children. On the back was a short written note.
Love from family – Catherine, Amber, George.
Major Richmond came forward and gently took the picture. He then lent forward and listened to the dying man’s request. The major took hold of him as his final heartbeat ceased. He then lent him down and closed his eyes. They speedily searched the other soldier’s body for any personal items.
A roar went up again. The monster was not done. It was injured, but not finished.
“We must lure it out, it must be killed.”
Major Richmond was adamant
“How do you plan to kill it, sir?” A young soldier asked.
There was a pause.
“Get between the two rocks over there. We have to get it close. Then I’ll strike with the axe from above.”
The two soldiers looked at each other. They were not totally convinced by their officer’s idea, but had little choice. Rather than choosing who would lure the creature through the rocks, it was decided they would both do it.
The rumblings around the chamber seemed to indicate the creature was agitated. With no time to waste they positioned themselves in front of the rocks. The men were then told to holler and shout. It did the job, the beast started to emerge out of the darkness, the centre tunnel highlighting its huge frame. Its tongue rolled out of its mouth licking at the blood streaming from its head.
The creature looked a little less nimble than before, but it still carried an enormous threat. It stopped in front of the soldiers and they knelt down to entice it closer. Then it charged. The major was on top of one of the rocks with the axe. He prayed he would not be knocked off when the lizard creature burst out at the men.
The beast powered into the gap between the rocks, maybe without the same vigour as earlier, but still with enough energy to take it almost all the way through. The key factor was that it got stuck for a second. That was its downfall. The very moment that happened the major struck, bringing the axe down with the full force of a woodsmen splitting dead wood. It was a killer blow, straight onto its head and into its brain.
The wail was short and the death instant.
It took a short while for them to take in what had just happened. The axe was buried deep in the lizard’s skull, stuck fast. The major and the men cautiously got to their feet.
Whilst the action had been taking place, the flesh-eaters had been drawn in by the smell of flesh and blood. They were now massing around the three men. Major Richmond was concerned. The two soldiers loaded their rifles, but were told not to fire. The flesh-eaters were being drawn straight to the dead soldiers. It would give them a moment of opportunity.
As the creatures started to feed, the soldiers moved past them. One of the rifles had been snapped in half and the other lay strewn on the floor. The major reached down to picked it up, and as he did so, several flesh-eaters turned their heads. There was a moment where he stared at these sorry creatures. Their eyes were as dark as night, with flesh hanging off their bones. Human in looks, but animal in instincts. They stared back. He thought about telling the others to run, but kept his cool. Fortunately they were distracted as more turned up to feed.
The three of them moved carefully down the exit tunnel – they did not want to take any chances. After a hundred metres or more they started to jog into the darkness. The idea was to keep close to the soldier with the lantern.
It took them thirty minutes to catch the main group. The major explained he had lost two men. It did not lighten the mood.
Corporal Heinz carried on leading the group. He thought it would take another couple of hours to get through to the other side.
The tiredness was felt by everyone, and the lack of food started to slow down the group. The men carrying the cart wheels and frame where failing. The children had walked some of the way, but most of the time they were carried. Luckily the water levels were still reasonable.
They pressed on through the darkness.
Chapter 13
“Shall we send the drones after them through the caverns?” a young priest enquired.
The officer he was asking stroked his chin.
“They have been dealing with the flesh-eaters well. Maybe the Lizard Dragon caught up with them and finished them off.”
The senior priest rode forward. He wanted to hear the discussion of the junior order.
“We shall send no more of our force after them. Tokay is the next target. The high priest wants it burnt to the ground.”
The other two looked at him.
“Shall we take prisoners?”
“Spare no one.”
He then turned and spoke to a drone commander. His eyes were dark black and his yellow teeth showed when he smiled.
“I want the riders of the North to reach Tokay. They will help lead the attack. Your main force will join the flesh-eaters and long-limbs.”
“Yes, my lord. Shall we send a request for more Lizard Dragons?”
The priest considered this option.
“The high priest is amassing an army. We shall let him be. The Dragons will be needed elsewhere.”
The drone commander bowed his head and made his way to a soldier holding the rein of a horse. He then mounted it and rode off to join his men.
Huge cannons were being pulled by horses as big as elephants. The army marched to the beat of drums. Flesh-eaters were being whipped into line and led by dark priests along with the long-limbs who had been herded together.
The drones had a large cavalry regiment which help protect the main force.
At the rear of the column were wagons and carts. All of the carts had pipes packed together and covered, whilst the wagons carried supplies.
Chapter 14
Captain Hayward could see light at the end of the tunnel. Its warmth hit them hard. After the dark, damp caves this was a pure treat. They had to rest for a moment and cover their eyes whilst they adjusted to the brightness.
Corporal Heinz was congratulated by everyone. He had led them through the caverns and they were now within touching distance of Tokay.
A detachment of men was put outside the entrance to the cavern. The major said it would only be a matter of time before the flesh-eaters worked their way through the tunnel. He also briefed the officers about the lizard creature that had attacked them. He feared that if several of them were to turn up, and with the limited firepower they now had, it would make it a very hard fight.
A hunting group was organised again and quickly dispersed into the surrounding woods. A group was organised to gather water, whilst the others were allowed to rest. Guards were posted around, most of them armed with spades or axes.
Captain Hayward shared a private moment with the major. He hadn’t really had time to think about what was happening and wanted to pick his brains about the insanity of it all. They both sat on a rock and looked over the valley.
“Could this be the end of the world?” Captain Hayward said this wiping his brow.
The major took off his helmet, stroked his beard, which was a common sight amongst most of the soldiers’ faces. They did have shaving kits with them in their packs, but it had been the le
ast of their worries.
The same applied to their uniforms: the famous red tunics and blue trousers were stained and dirty. The blue spiked helmets were far from blue now; a slight tanned version had taken over.
“On the surface it seems the world has lost its order and code of conduct. Until we meet other officials we won’t know the truth. The way the Alpine soldiers robbed us suggests there is more to this than meets the eye.”
The captain nodded.
“It looks like the creatures are being controlled. They are not randomly massing; they’re being led. We need to know why and for what purpose.”
Both men agreed it was not good to talk too much about this in front of the soldiers. They would already be having those conversations with their comrades and moral needed to be kept up. The fact was that everyone was hungry, tired and wanted to be away from all of this madness.
As the hours passed small fires were lit in preparation for the hunting group to return. The captain still had his binoculars and used them to scan the horizon. He was first to see the hunting group return, shortly joined by the water collectors.
The hunting group had done well again; rabbits and berries and wild roots had been gathered in. It was not going to be a feast for a king, but it would be a feast nonetheless.
The cooked food was rapidly devoured and the bones buried. No risks were being taken which could jeopardise their position or draw the enemy in faster.
They had lost another rifle in the caverns which left them with thirteen. The only other weapons now were spades, axes and pieces of wood.
Whilst most rested after the food, some of the engineers set about building the carts. They had brought enough material and wheels for two carts. This was envisaged to be the transport for the children and what little supplies they had left. Some of the men were still carrying wounds from the battle at the fort, but these had not been too serious.
Once the carts were finished everyone gathered together and went over the route. Corporal Heinz was going to be the lead scout. He had maps of the local area, and was confident on quickest route to Tokay. If they had to take a detour due to being attacked or having their path blocked, he would find a way. There was a path nearby which led to the main road. This was the chosen route to the city.
The carts were loaded with children and supplies. The pace was less frantic than before as there had been no sightings of flesh-eaters or anything else which could be cause for alarm.
The civilians had coped very well with the trek so far. The children had fared even better, and although they didn’t have a choice, the complaints had been minimal. They had wondered what happened to the other group which had left them before entering the caverns. Most speculated that the flesh-eaters or long-limbs had got to them and this was enough to spur them on to Tokay. It was far away from home, but home would be wherever there was peace.
The Austrian Engineers were made up mainly of soldiers from Vienna, though some were more local and had Hungarian ancestry. They were concerned their country was under attack, and that their own soldiers had turned against them. They questioned whether there was a civil war developing, but there was an unspoken question about the evil behind the swarm of death. The officers did not need to allay their own fears – it was obvious to them that this was no ordinary invasion.
Every farm that was close to the road was searched for supplies. There was some joy, with blankets and dried biscuits added to the collection. The cook had found vegetable patches, so had organised a group to pick them. The farms looked abandoned, but not ransacked. The major concurred that this had been an organised withdrawal, raising hopes there was still a functioning government.
The weather was turning grey and overcast. Small droplets of rain were falling periodically.
The column moved at a steady speed, the carts being pulled by men as they only had one horse. This horse was being used by Corporal Heinz to scout ahead. It was a dangerous role: their safety relied on him keeping them from being spotted. They had thought about going through the woods or fields but the tiredness affecting everyone was too much, so it had to be the easiest route for now.
The rain started to fall a little harder. In a way it was refreshing; most people had not washed since they had been near the stream and it felt good to have water falling on them. The leaves sucked in the cool water, seeming to come alive as Mother Nature quenched their thirst.
Two hours passed. The road had been in good condition, which helped their progress. In the distance was a viewpoint looking over the next valley. The corporal had already ridden off to investigate. He came back with a smile on his face. Tokay was now in sight.
The group gathered speed, the thought of warm food and a good night’s sleep driving most souls towards their destination. The corporal had borrowed the binoculars to see if the city had fallen or not.
They had wondered why there were no other refugees on the road. No one could let the thought of the city being destroyed enter their minds. It was all about hope now. Nothing less would do.
Once over the hill the city came into view. It was beautiful sight: smoke was rising from the houses, but it did not look like uncontrolled fires; this was coming from the chimneys. The closer they got the more they could see people scurrying around. It was not as crowed as they had thought it might be, but there were at least people.
They could see a makeshift defensive wall around the city. On top of this wall were a handful of soldiers. Cannons were pointed at them so Major Richmond stopped the column and asked if Corporal Heinz could get permission for them to enter. The alpine soldiers came to mind; no one could be trusted too easily after that.
They waited a mile outside the defences. It was a well-earned rest, although most were very eager to get going and enter the city itself.
Corporal Heinz returned looking relaxed. This helped encourage the mood.
“They were very surprised to see anyone coming from Unghvar. We can rest and eat. There are many spare houses in the city. Most of the population has moved on to Presberg or Vienna.”
He went on to explain that they were evacuating everyone. The fighting that took place at Unghvar had been brutal and most of the Austro–Hungarian army had been destroyed
There was talk of an army heading their way. A lot of the people in the city had not seen the flesh-eaters or long-limbs. They had only heard rumours of creatures not of this planet taking over their beloved country.
They passed through the gates to Tokay. Captain Hayward managed to smile at the major. It was a smile that showed his relief.
The children started to sing nursery rhymes in German. The Royal Engineers responded with some traditional British songs. Even the sun’s rays started to shoot through the clouds.
The further they went into the city the more deserted it looked. There were regular Austrian soldiers moving supplies around, but most of the civilians had gone.
A soldier rode up to them on a horse. He looked stern and high-ranking.
“Guten Morgen, gentlemen. My name is General Haas. You British are long way from home, ja?”
“Good morning to you, sir. I’m Major Richmond and at my side is Captain Hayward. We are the 37th Regiment of the Queen’s Royal Engineers.”
He spoke about the past few months and how they had been working with the Austrian Engineers in the Carpathian Mountains, until the attack happened. Soon afterwards, more Austrian soldiers arrived with wagons and carts. They then helped load the civilians in. Nurses were stationed in each wagon and tended to sores and wounds. General Haas said they would discuss more after the group had rested. He appreciated that they all looked very tired. He was saddened to hear of the loss of General Von Bloch as he had been a friend and had fought alongside him before.
The sergeant called out for the British soldiers to come into line. This was a slight shock as there had been no marching in order since the fort. They were tired and hungry, but they followed orders and lined up. He then got them to about turn, and start
ed marching them behind the last wagon as they followed it deeper into the city.
General Haas had horses brought for the major and the captain. Corporal Heinz was still with them. The general apologised that he might not understand all the English being spoken so it was better to have the corporal ready to translate.
The wagons and carts pulled into a courtyard. There were more soldiers there to help unload people, and military doctors on standby.
The civilians were being led to houses that had been left empty, which were now ideal for refugees. Before they left they took time to thank the Royal Engineers. Captain Hayward thanked the Austrian Engineers and in particular Corporal Heinz.
Sergeant Butcher and the other soldiers did the same as their captain. They had formed a close bond with their fellow Engineers and seeing them go in another direction almost felt wrong. They had died for each other over the past several weeks, and it was hard wondering whether they would meet again.
Major Richmond stood with the general and saluted them all as they passed. He intended to visit the Austrians later in the evening to wish them well.
The officers had their own quarters, with an orderly to bring them drinks or anything they should require. Captain Hayward took his time and prepared a warm bath. He let himself sink into it and let out a huge sigh as he immersed his body under the water. They had been given soap and it was pure bliss to use it. The feeling of being clean was something the captain appreciated. He took time to shave and dress and then rang a bell to ask for a cup of tea.
They were due to meet General Hass for supper but he still had an hour to kill so decided to write to his wife and children. The orderly was not gone long, and returned with a hot cup of tea. Charles sat himself next to the window and pulled in a small round table to write on. He looked outside to see the odd soldier and civilian wandering about.
The main unit had gone to the barracks. Most of the regular Austrian army had been detached to Vienna and this left hundreds of free beds vacant for them. The soldiers were grateful to be able to wash and change. The Austrians had supplied some general clothes to wear whilst their uniforms where being washed and repaired.
Europe Has Fallen Page 11
