She looked back down at her ankle and took a deep breath. She was strong; she could do this. Ally leaned over and grabbed the chunk of concrete and let out a whimper as the pain intensified briefly. Ally let out a cry of anger as she used all her strength to push the slab to the side, and it fell away with a clunk. The back of her head began to throb and she realized she had fallen onto her back again. Her ankle was screaming in pain but the weight of the concrete was no longer there. She had done it. She brought her right ankle up to her and it was bloodied but it was still there.
The sound of a moan snapped her back to reality. Ally looked over to the far side of the room where it was still dark. She saw movement. The moan returned and the person sat up out of the darkness.
It was the Chinese soldier she had followed into the building.
The man’s head was bloodied and his face was pure white due to the dust. He looked up and his dazed eyes fell on her. The man shouted out something and began to get up. Ally jumped to her feet and the second her right ankle hit the ground she crumbled right back to the ground. She fought through the urge to puke and turned to face the man who was still laying on the ground but he was screaming in pain. Ally reached for her bow. It was gone. She searched all around frantically but all she turned up was more debris. She looked over at the man and saw that both of his legs were trapped under a large concrete wall. He was stuck. Recognition dawned on the man’s face as he realized he was stuck and he glanced from his legs to Ally as he struggled to get free.
Ally scooted back farther toward the opposite side of the room until her back hit against a wall of debris. The soldier stopped struggling for a few moments and watched her. His chest rose and fell as he struggled for breath, sending plumes of white dust spiraling across the rays of sunshine. The man wasn’t huge but he was larger than her. With her ankle the way it was and without a weapon she didn’t stand a chance. Ally searched the ground again and found a small piece of concrete that was broken off with a sharp edge. It wasn’t much but it was better than nothing. The soldier saw her hand and immediately began to struggle to free himself again. He twisted and turned and shouted at the large wall of concrete as if that would convince it to get off his foot. After a few minutes he finally stopped and laid back, but he never took his eyes off of her.
A small roar rose in the distance and the ground once again began to shake. The debris shifted all around her feet and chunks of concrete rained down on her from the ceiling. Ally covered her head and curled up in a ball, waiting for the ceiling to collapse. It didn’t. It could have only lasted seconds but to her it lasted for hours. Soon the tremors stopped and it was quiet and still again. As she uncovered her head the room was white with dust again and she wasn’t able to even see her own hands in front of her. Her hand frantically searched for the sharp piece of concrete and she kept her focus on the side of the room where the soldier should be. She kept waiting to see him slice through the dust toward her, but he never did. When the dust finally settled he was still in the same spot. Additional rubble was on top of his legs and fresh blood was coming from his arms but he was alive.
Ally’s hand found her makeshift weapon and she felt her body relax. She made sure he saw the weapon in her hand and then she leaned against the wall of debris and watched him, while he watched her. The rays of sunshine moved as time passed, until there was darkness. She couldn’t tell if her eyes were open or closed. The sound of their breathing filled the room, along with the occasional sound of shifting debris. Ally refused to be afraid. Only little kids were afraid and she was more than that. Soon light returned as the moon rose and filled the little room with light once again. It wasn’t much but it provided light in the middle of the room, so if the soldier tried to approach she would see him.
Ally lay there watching and waiting until her eyes grew heavy and she closed them.
Ben
Two squads arrived, locked and loaded. Just like Ben’s unit, they had plenty of experience and it showed in the way they handled themselves and in their eyes. There was a weariness there that Ben saw in his own unit’s eyes and was certain was in his own. While Crimson was in charge of their unit, the leader of the operation was a soldier by the name of Locke. Locke was in his forties, had a deep booming voice and a head that didn’t have a single strand of hair on top of it.
“Black squad, you’ll come in from the south, White squad will hit them from the west and Red squad will hit them from the east.” Locke said, drawing the arrows out in the dirt.
Ben’s unit was Red squad.
“Black squad, you take the first shot when you have it; the rest of us will move in after.”
Ben stepped forward. “Sir, we scouted their position and they are hurting. Chances are if we surround them and make our presence known they will surrender.”
“And if they don’t surrender we will be giving up the element of surprise,” Locke said, turning his attention to Ben.
“Understood, sir. It’s just…we outnumber and outgun them. If they do decide to fight back we shouldn’t have a problem taking them down,” Ben said, trying not to shift in place.
Locke stared at him for a moment. “What unit are you in, soldier?”
Crimson stepped forward. “He is in Red squad, sir, and he speaks the truth. It’s a risk but we could end this without firing a shot.”
Locke took in a deep breath. “Orders are to eliminate the base. This is coming from the General himself. If you don’t like it you can take it up with him after this Op, understood?”
“Sir,” Crimson said quickly and stepped back.
Ben stood there, unsure of what to say. Just like that they had decided that dozens of people had to die because someone hundreds of miles away decided that was the best course of action? He noticed Locke’s stare and stood up straight. “Yes…sir. Why don’t we just bomb it then…sir?”
“We’ve had eyes on the base for a while but there hasn’t been much movement. We’ve had reports that some of their bases have been using prisoners for labor, so for all we know there could be dozens of our own or civilians in one of those buildings. Also, the chances to recover intel drop when everything is reduced to a crater. Got it?”
Ben nodded.
Locke nodded, “All right, get into place.”
Red squad gathered up and walked together to get into position. Ben glanced at Crimson but the woman didn’t say anything. She continued to stare ahead but after a few minutes she spoke.
“We’ve got to follow orders.”
“I understand that but it seems like we should have been able to argue our case,” Ben said.
Crimson smiled, but it was a sad smile. “That’s not how it works. The people above us tell us what to do. We don’t question it, we don’t think about it, we just do it.”
Ben didn’t know what to say to that. He glanced over and saw Dex watching them, but the man quickly turned away when he saw he had been noticed.
“You’ve been out in the shit your entire career,” Crimson said, stepping over a fallen tree limb. “I’m sorry to say that this is how it usually is. You don’t call the shots. You are the muscle, not the brain.”
Ben nodded.
“Head down, eyes forward. Do what you’re told and don’t die.”
They wrapped around the base over to the east side and snuck up into position. They stayed behind the tree line and hid within the shrubbery. Even if the enemy had been looking for them they wouldn’t be able to find them, and they weren’t looking for them. The soldiers sat around either on the ground or in chairs. A few tended to a small garden toward the north side of their base; otherwise they were all just passing the time away. All of them were armed so they were dangerous, but Ben had a hard time thinking they were a threat.
Red squad spread out along the tree line and all lay prone. Ben looked down the barrel of his assault rifle and waited. Time passed. He heard a few of the Chinese soldiers talking, he watched as a cricket leaped past him toward what was soon to become a kill
ing field, and still he waited. The first shot sounded like a firecracker going off. At first the Chinese soldiers just paused, unsure of what they had just heard. There was a scream from the south side of the base and then all hell broke loose.
Ben focused down the barrel of his rifle and watched as one of the enemy soldiers hid behind a wooden barrel directly in front of him. He aimed and fired. The man’s head popped and all that remained was a red spot on the barrel where his head had been. Another soldier near the man was taken down and the Chinese soldiers realized they were surrounded. Instead of hunkering down they panicked and ran. From there it was like shooting fish in a barrel. Ben aimed several more times but before he could pull the trigger the enemy was taken down by someone else. Soon the relentless gunfire died down to just a few random shots.
“All right, move up,” Crimson yelled as she got into a crouching position. “Clear the buildings.”
Ben moved up with his gun in a firing position. He was vaguely aware of the shots going off in the distance and the cries of pain. His main focus was watching for movement. He tried to control his breathing as he walked slowly through the clearing with his squad mates all around him. He heard one of them fire off a shot.
“He’s down,” Crimson said coolly.
He approached one of the old wooden buildings and watched the window for movement.
“Ty, Vick, cover. Ben, Dex, move up,” Crimson yelled.
Ben moved up toward the door and stood to the left of it while Dex stood to the right. Dex held up three fingers, then two, then one. The bullets pierced the door from the inside. Ben felt something strike his face and dove down to the ground. The rest of the squad fired into the building. Splintered wood flew through the air as the wooden door was reduced to shavings. When it finally stopped Ben could hear the moans of someone inside.
Ben felt hands on his shoulder. “You all right, B?” Ty asked.
Ben raised his hands to his cheek and pulled out an inch-long sliver of wood.
“Yeah, the door got the worst of it,” he said as he put his hand up to his cheek to try and slow the bleeding.
The sound of two quick shots fired from inside the building and then Dex walked out causally. “Hostile down, building secure.” He saw Ben and a look of concern flashed across his face. “You shot?”
“No, just some blowback from the door. I’ll survive,” he said, more to himself than to Dex.
“Better,” Crimson said as she came up behind him and helped pull him up to his feet.
Dex placed a piece of gauze on his face and ran wrap under his chin to up above his head to keep it in place. “This should keep you alive.”
The rest of the wrap-up was uneventful. Three injured Chinese were tied and placed to the side for pickup. They had three injured soldiers--Ben was embarrassed he was listed under that category--but only one with an actual gunshot wound. None life-threatening. The buildings were intact and they secured several files that hopefully contained intel, but no signs of prisoners.
Locke walked down the muddy yard toward the front of the base and nodded toward Crimson. “Red unit, secure a perimeter. Helo is on its way.”
“Mission success?” she asked.
“Damn right,” Locke said with a smile. “Time to get our asses back home.”
Alec
They sat on their knees in the dirt and the rest of the camps stood to the side watching them. The soldiers had dragged them back to Yankee and Rambo Camps and they had been sitting there until the sun crested the horizon. Xu stood to the side, and any signs the man had recently been stressed out were gone. Now the man looked like a kid on Christmas morning. Xu stood before them, walking back and forth theatrically.
“It has been long time since someone tried to escape my camp. It has been long time since you all were shown what happens when someone tries to escape. I am here to remind you but first I must reward an honorable worker. I told you all that if you did your job and stayed loyal you would be rewarded.” Xu snapped his fingers and a soldier pushed Simon forward.
The man stumbled forward, his head still hung low.
“This worker saved all of your lives,” Xu said. “If they had escaped then all of you would have been killed. Simon knew this. So when he found out these traitors were planning on escaping he came to us in order to save all of your lives.” Xu stopped where he was and began to clap. After a few seconds the soldiers began to clap and then the rest of Rambo and Yankee Camps followed suit half-heartedly. Xu walked over to Simon and gave the man a pat on the back. “You will never be hungry here again.”
Alec looked over to the others. Jon sat beside him, tears running down his face. Steffan, Finn and the other prisoner sat there subdued, waiting for whatever was to come. Jon saw Alec watching him.
“I’m so sorry...I…I didn’t think he-”
“It’s okay,” Alec said. He wanted to be angry with the man but he couldn’t. Alec had wanted to take Gerry and Miner; he had been close to telling both of them their escape plan. Jon and Alec’s roles could have easily been reversed. Anger wasn’t going to change the situation they were currently in.
“God, what have I done?” Jon sobbed.
Xu noticed Jon crying and stopped talking. For a moment the man seemed to simply soak up Jon’s misery, then a twinkle appeared in his eye. Xu pulled out his side arm and handed it to Simon. The nearby soldiers all turned their weapons toward Simon, but the man just stood there dumbfounded.
“You want all the food you can eat?” Xu asked. “Then kill the traitor. Kill the man that put your life at risk.”
Simon shook his head. “I…can’t. It’s too much.”
“He put you here. You didn’t want this but he forced your hand.” Xu pushed the handgun closer. “End it.”
Simon glanced up for a moment at Jon then dropped his head again quickly. “No.”
The smile on Xu’s face became strained for a brief moment. “Either way things won’t go back to how they were. Either you prove your loyalty and get all the food you can eat, or you betray me like they did.”
Simon paused for a moment then raised his shaking hand and took the pistol. Xu took a step back behind Simon and one of the soldiers stepped in between the two in case Simon got any ideas. The broken man didn’t. Simon raised the gun in Jon’s direction. His hand shook violently and the gun wobbled back and forth.
“Please,” Jon pleaded. “Don’t do this.”
“Prove your loyalty,” Xu said softly.
Simon held back a sob and focused. The gun stopped wavering for a second and then he pulled the trigger. The sound echoed throughout the field as the bullet struck Jon in the neck. Jon cried out in pain, Alec fell back instinctively and Simon let out a yelp. Alec rolled back up to his side and saw Jon fall back slowly onto the ground. Jon placed a hand over his neck but it didn’t stop the blood. It flowed over and around his hand and within moments the ground around him was wet with blood. Alec crawled to him and helped to apply pressure. Jon’s eyes met his and all Alec could see was fear.
“It....it’s okay,” Alec lied.
Jon whimpered and his face became pale. Alec’s hands were covered in blood but the flow seemed to slow down. Jon’s eyes looked around lazily and then he focused on something far in the distance. He was gone moments later. Alec looked up and saw Simon standing alone, staring at the ground. The gun had already been taken from his hands. Xu stood nearby watching what had happened with a strange fascination. Alec balled up his fists.
“Escape will not be tolerated,” Xu said dreamily before his voice came back together. He looked to a nearby soldier. “Pick one.”
The soldier marched over and grabbed Finn, lifting him onto his feet and dragging him over to Xu. Xu motioned toward an old wooden post near the edge of the clearing. The soldier continued to drag Finn, who didn’t try to resist, and brought him over to the post.
“Tie him up.” Xu said something in Chinese to another soldier, who ran into Xu’s building and returned with a whi
p.
Alec balled up his fists. Enough was enough. He stood up to charge and the ground near his feet exploded in gunfire. Dirt shot into his eyes and he stopped, dazed.
“Hang on, hero,” Xu said. The smile in his voice was clear. “You will have your turn soon enough.”
Alec wiped away the last of the dirt from his eyes just as one of the soldiers jammed the butt of his rifle into his stomach. Alec crumpled over in pain and fell to his knees.
“Bring him here,” Xu snarled.
Alec felt hands grab him and drag him through the dirt and then throw him to the ground. He laid in the dirt for a moment, until he heard a loud crack and then a scream of pain. Alec looked up to see a large slice had been ripped through the back of Finn’s shirt. A gust of wind sliced through the clearing, lifting Finn’s shirt for just a moment, and Alec saw blood running down the man’s back. Alec looked up at Xu, who was beaming from ear to ear as he reared back and lashed out with the whip again.
Crack.
Finn screamed out in pain again as the whip ripped open the back of his shirt and sliced into the meat of his back. Xu let out a squeal of delight as he struck Finn again, and again, and again. Alec tried to get to his feet but the butt of a rifle pushed him back to the ground.
Crack.
Finn let out another scream, only this time it was more subdued.
Crack.
The man’s shirt was in tatters and his entire back was red with blood.
Crack.
Finn’s scream turned into more of a single moan that stopped as soon as it started.
Crack.
The Wasteland: Book 6 of The After The Event Series Page 8
