by Leo Nix
This was Tony's forth trip, two had been recon and one was the real thing. He was lost in thought as he guided Heidi along the secret route that led, for the most part, through forested pathways and parkland.
They made good time and holed up for the night at the midway safe house where Phil would be staying. When they left the next evening Heidi made a signal for Phil. It was the curtain folded across the window as though the wind had blown it. It told everyone who knew the code that all was safe inside and that they had been undisturbed by patrols.
It was almost dawn when they arrived at the final destination, the safe house Tony and Arthur had stayed in. It was the one they expected Arthur to use if he was wounded.
Both Heidi and Tony were nervous. Tony's stomach was so knotted that he almost threw up. They pushed their bikes quietly under bushes a street away and came in on foot. They made sure they were twenty metres apart, Tony insisted he take the lead. He said that it was he that left Arthur behind, and he should be the one to find out what had happened to him. Heidi understood and let him go first.
Tony saw the stone and the brick as soon as he stepped into the front yard. It was a full moon and no sign of patrols or anything else to cause concern. He went back to the pathway and signaled to Heidi that all was fine. She ran up silently on the balls of her feet.
“Tweet tweet tweet.” Tony let out three low whistles and waited. He did it again and they both trembled in anticipation.
“Let's go inside,” said Heidi, barely able to stop herself from leaping forward and running in through the door.
“I'll lead, follow me.” Tony took her by the hand and led her to the back door. They were as silent as the night itself, no one could fault their stalking skills that night.
Tony opened the screen door and whistled again. He did it one more time before he opened the back door. It was pitch black, all the curtains and blinds were drawn and no moonlight entered the house. He crept up the hallway to the bedrooms with his taped torch and peeked in. He signaled Heidi to wait while he went into the lounge room where they had shared their meals.
There he found Arthur, curled up on the floor sound asleep.
Arthur jerked awake in terror when he saw two blackened figures calling his name. He leaped into the air and came down with a crash as the blankets caught around his legs. He let out a yelp of pain.
“Arthur!” cried Heidi and ran to him, holding him tightly. Her camouflaged face paint wiped off on the soft, fluffy stubble of his chin. Arthur struggled then calmed down once he woke to the fact this was his partner and the other was Tony. He was overwhelmed and joined Heidi and Tony in crying, laughing and hugging.
They spent the next hour talking and catching up on the events of the past weeks. They looked at Arthur's back and leg and he was pleased to hear that it looked to be healing cleanly. The skin on his back had some red among the growing patches of pale new skin. Eventually the party quieted and they wrapped their blankets around themselves. Heidi held Arthur in her grasp and wouldn't let him go, not even in sleep.
Tony shook them awake just after midday. “Danger!” he whispered. “A foot patrol's coming down the path, it looks like they're doing a search, we might be in big trouble.” He was panting. He'd been outside on the camouflaged shed roof as lookout when he spied the patrol.
“Grab a backpack each, put it on, put on your boots Arty. We might have to fight this one out. There is no way they are going to take us.” With that Tony put on his own backpack then grabbed a heavy wooden tomato stake in his hand. He stood by the doorway out of sight.
“Heidi, we don't have much time, get Arthur into the kitchen. Hopefully they'll split off into each house one by one, we should be able to take this first terrorist. Then we run for it over the back fence.”
Tony was in control now. Heidi understood that he knew the area better than she did and remained silent, following his instructions without question. Tony was acting like an urban warrior, she thought admiringly.
The terrorist had his AK47 rifle on his shoulder and was obviously bored. He had an mp3 playing in his ears and was chewing gum. He kicked the front door in and entered. He didn't even bother holding his rifle at the ready he just looked into the lounge room and was about to leave again when he stopped and gasped.
“Well I'll be damned!” he said out loud when he saw the bandages and clothing strewn around the floor. He trembled as he noticed the smoking fire against the brick wall and other signs of occupation. “Hey! You rats living here, come out where I can see you. I won't hurt you.” He spoke firmly as he began to swing his rifle off his shoulder.
Tony struck swiftly and brought his wooden stake down on the rifleman's head with a single killing stroke. The terrorist dropped like he'd been hit by Thor's mighty hammer.
“We are in deep shit folks,” said Tony and called the others to him. “I'm taking this AK47, it should give us a bit of a chance against them if we get cornered.”
Tony stripped the body of everything he could and put the two spare ammunition magazines into his trouser pockets. “We'd better head out the back, now. Follow me.”
Chapter 16 - Charlene - Tony's Last Stand
They crept out of the house and towards the back fence following Tony. He locked his hands together and helped Heidi over, then Arthur. There were yells and calls now coming from inside the house as the terrorists found the body of their mate. Their victim's partner, Corporal Warren, had stopped to relieve himself in the bushes before entering.
Warren called for his squad to gather around him. He was excited and relished the opportunity for a rat-hunt. It had been months since they'd caught any `house rats'. He was so excited that he felt the need to pee again.
“Get your butts here, we have house rats and they've killed Crazy Rick.” The squad of eight gathered together in the front yard of the house and the squad leader set his plans. “We form two squads. Steve, you take Harrison, Lana and Tenny, clear this house then go through the back yard and over the back fence, that's the most likely direction they've taken. I'll run around the block with the rest and see if they cross the road. Then we go from house to house. You enter, we cover, then switch about. Remember your house clearing routines. We're going to have some fun!”
Corporal Warren continued hurriedly, he wanted to make sure his troop did it properly because it was his ass on the line if they lost the rats.
“If you see them, engage immediately, don't wait for us to come up. They'll probably try to escape once you open fire. They have Crazy Rick's assault rifle so expect return fire. It's unlikely they'll try an ambush. If they do we'll surround them. Whichever team takes them down wins a bottle of the captain's whiskey.” His eyes glinted as he took his three soldiers and exited through the front door.
Tony wanted to make the safe house three streets further towards the river so he raced his group across the street and into the yard beyond. They heard rifle fire and bullets whined off the brick fence beside them.
“Get yourselves to the safe house, the one where we hid the bikes. Go, go now. I'll stay and give you time,” said Tony soberly.
“No! Tony, no!” whispered Heidi forcefully but she saw he was firm. They were compromised and the rules were to separate and run. Arthur needed her to support him, so she grabbed his arm as they ran to the back fence and over it.
They heard more gunfire, then a ripping burst from immediately behind them, that was Tony, she thought. Heidi kept her head and despite her tears she focused on leading her wounded man to safety.
Tony saw four figures running across the street and let rip a burst of automatic rifle fire. He'd been in the army cadets in high school and remembered firing an aged, World War Two, Lee Enfield .303 rifle, but this was the real thing.
He felt fantastic, thoroughly enjoying the feel and vibration when he fired the AK47 back at those who had taken so much of life's joy from him.
He dived into the front yard and took position behind the brick retaining wall. Bullets flew over
his head. When he looked up he saw four enemy running towards him so he aimed and fired another short burst. One went down screaming, hit in the chest, the others ran behind cover.
`Gee whiz, this thing is magic!' He smiled and fired another burst at the house and saw pieces of concrete and brick flying into the air.
The second terrorist team had raced around the block a few seconds behind the first when the fighting started. They were now right in the middle of the street. Tony was about to fire a third burst at the brick house when he saw them.
`I don't believe it, another mob and right in my kill zone!' he said to himself.
The fire from his captured AK47 hit the second team mid flight and it looked like he hit every one of them. They were only ten metres from Tony and he couldn't miss. His weapon clicked empty so he reloaded with the magazine in his pocket. He was very aware that he only had one spare magazine left.
He leaped across a side fence and into the front yard two houses down. He turned as he heard a burst of automatic fire zipping around him. Looking back he saw a figure squirming on the street, and although wounded none of the terrorists stopped to help him.
`Damn, I only got one.' Tony swore to himself and fired again but this time through the bushes.
There was a loud scream and he knew he'd hit someone. Next came a stream of abuse and he laughed, he was enjoying himself for the first time in… heck, he had to think. The only word he could come up with right then was, `ages'.
He saw three enemy trying to get around the house so he fired at them. Bullets whined off the concrete walls. One then ran across the yard on the other side of the road, he fired but missed, hitting the bushes to send small branches and leaves flying. His second magazine was done and as he put in the last clip a dread filled him. He violently pushed it aside to uncover the elation he had earlier.
`I'm finally getting my own back at these bastards,' he thought and smiled.
It was becoming a little uncomfortable for the terrorists too so they pulled back and rested on their heels behind cover. Corporal Warren sent one of his squad back to the intersection to find reinforcements and bring them to him. They waited, but meanwhile Tony extracted himself and entered one of the houses. He dearly wished he had more ammunition and his goal now was to ambush someone and take theirs.
He went up the stairs of the two story house which overlooked the exact position where the squad were resting. Tony saw one of them hand out his cigarettes and planned how he could take them out – and their ammunition.
`Bugger it, I'll just open fire and kill the lot of them, race down and take what I want. I'll make this a rolling brawl if that's what they want.'
The window was broken and he simply leaned his weapon against the frame, sighted and then he pulled the trigger. To his absolute amazement his bullets hit their mark and knocked three of the enemy over and the rest scattered. A wailing cry broke out from one of the wounded, it made the hair on his head stand up.
`Time to run and get that ammo before they regroup. They won't expect it,' he said to himself, enjoying the thrill like it was an adventure.
It was only a matter of seconds before he reached the three dead and dying terrorists. He looked around the corner to see if the others were about and heard them talking and arguing loudly.
“No! You will damn-well do what I say! It's only one bloody civilian, you pathetic jerks. Now get your arses back there and push forward!” came the corporal's harsh voice.
Tony knew he only had seconds to spare. He sped to the bodies and pulled off two ammunition belts of AK47 ammunition. The one still crying struggled, trying to stop him and grabbed at his ankle. Tony absently kicked him in the head.
Grabbing the ammunition belts he felt a strange rush of pleasure through his body. It was almost sexual and his feet barely touched the ground as he raced back to his previous position.
Once back inside he had to stop, calm down and think strategically. `Darn it, come on think! It's not about shooting it's about hit and run. Pull yourself together!' He almost spoke out loud he was so frustrated. `Think!'
Looking around he knew he had to draw the enemy away from Arty and Heidi, he had to keep them occupied for as long as he could. The best way was to find somewhere that was easily defended and had an escape route. That was it, he thought, get back outside and find a brick wall and a pathway to the back of a house and into the next street, always heading away from the safe-house his friends were heading for.
To his right, further down the street, he could see the perfect assault position. Jumping over the side fence he dived behind the wall, just as the terrorists were reinforced and opened fire. Bullets sprayed around him hitting the bricks and the trees above. Leaves and branches fell and the automatic fire intensified, forcing him to lie down in desperation.
`Damn it, I think I'm screwed now.' He cast about looking for an exit and decided to crawl backwards to the side of the house. The gunfire didn't stop or reduce in intensity, it kept coming. What he didn't see was the terrorist squad running up the street towards him under covering fire of their reinforcements. By the time they could fire into his position, Tony had disappeared.
By now Tony had lost his feeling of joy. He was frightened and perspiration dripped off his forehead and into his eyes. He flicked his head to dislodge the drops from his vision, then wiped his arm across his face. He'd doubled up to come in behind the terrorists providing covering fire, he now crept to the back of the house where he had collected the ammunition. His heart thumped heavily inside his chest, he knew he might soon die.
As he crept past the three bodies he saw more terrorists with their backs turned looking at something.
`Darn perfect,' he thought, `this is just damn perfect!' He opened fire with two short bursts from his assault rifle. The terrorists fell in a heap, they were so close there was no way he could have missed. The fire brought two others into range as they ran back to see what had happened.
“You bloody idiots,” he whispered to himself and cut those two down as well. His enthusiasm was cut short when another squad opened fire from behind him. The enemy fire was from long range and although it didn't hit him, bullets spattered the house he was standing next to, frightening him. He raced at top speed back to where he had initiated the contact doing a complete circuit of the battlefield.
Tony now squatted beside two bloodied bodies, reloaded and waited for the terrorist reinforcements to move into range.
And they did, carefully creeping around the edge of the house where they had last seen him standing. Tony opened fire and took out another two but it also gave his position away to the squad further down the road. Now he was trapped, pinned between the two squads.
He reloaded his weapon quickly, feeling the hot barrel and mused that he had missed his calling. This was fun, he should have joined the infantry. The enemy now realised that this single house-rat had made mince-meat of their platoon, and they were feeling it, having lost over half their troops.
There was movement in the bushes beside Tony and he put a burst of fire into it. There were screams and the slap of footsteps on concrete as he heard people running away.
A burst of fire now ripped back at him from those same bushes.
`That's stupid of me not moving away', he thought, just as a bullet hit him in the neck. He smacked to the ground from its force and his weapon was knocked from his numbed fingers.
Tony put his hand to his neck and felt the blood spurting into his palm. In slow motion he reached out for the AK47 and chambered a round, ready. Just as he sat up he noticed two terrorists step onto the grassy yard right in front of him. He fired a full magazine into them, cutting them both down just as they looked up.
“Take that, you pricks,” he gurgled painfully as his weapon clicked empty.
Tony's head spun, he felt dizzy and he spat out a mouthful of blood. The concussive shock of the bullet had burst a blood vessel in his throat, he started to choke on the blood pooling in his mouth. He managed to stand u
p swaying badly just as three terrorists stepped into his blurred field of vision.
“You bastards.” Tony struggled even to whisper, he groaned as he tried to raise his assault rifle.
His perspective then shifted and everything blurred into slow motion. Tony felt calm, there was no more pain as he watched the terrorist's bullets ripping into his chest from somewhere outside his body. With fascination he saw his eyes turn upwards and his body shudder as it fell backwards slamming into the ground.
The noise of the gunfire went on and on. The screams and yells made it sound like a battle of two mighty armies. The firing built to a crescendo then suddenly stopped.
An excited voice called out, “Cease fire! Cease fire! We got him! He's as dead as a maggot! Come and have a look, guys!”
Heidi broke into an uncontrollable sobbing while Arthur stood in shock, his body started to shake and tears welled up into his eyes.
The thought of going home without Tony was too much to bear as they staggered to the safe house. They knew they had to keep moving, but they were so distraught that they felt powerless to move. Finally Arthur pushed Heidi up and told her they needed to save themselves. Now that the dwellers had used weapons against them there was bound to be a house to house search. They needed to get away as fast and as far as possible.
Arthur tried but he found it impossible to ride the bike. They had to leave them under the bushes and hope they wouldn't be found. If they were, then the terrorists would know there was more than one rat and continue searching till they found them. As it was the evidence in the house showed one dweller. But would they bother to check Tony's body for wounds to see if the bandages were his? Probably not, but they couldn't chance it.
As they staggered through the park, overgrown with wattle and bracken fern, they heard the roar of heavy trucks. The two tried to move faster but Arthur's leg and fitness weren't up to it. Eventually they came to the river, swollen after the rains of the past weeks. Heidi looked down at the water then at Arthur. The sounds of screaming vehicles was getting closer. They searched the water for a suitable tree or branch, a log, anything. Arthur pointed out a thatch of bushes, logs and rubbish all stuck together, floating towards them.
