“Up ahead,” Crimson whispered, snapping him back to reality.
The mining camp was a collection of sheet metal buildings, dirt roads and overgrown grass. They had been in position for the last few hours waiting for the sun to set, so Ben had the opportunity to watch the miners come out from underground and make their way out in the open. The anger of that helped to push back the fear. They were skeletons with skin. Skin that was covered in black coal. None of them said anything, but they all noticed it.
The sun dropped below the horizon and Crimson told them to move up. Using the trees as cover they snuck closer to the camp, waiting for the signal to move. The sound of the helicopters approaching started soft then got louder. By the time a few of the enemy soldiers took notice the first missiles had already been fired. Ben watched as they streaked across the sky and hit two buildings in the middle of the camp. A ball of flame erupted from the buildings and debris showered down in all directions. Then they went to work.
Ben immediately took up position next to the large stump of a tree. One of the enemy soldiers stood out in the open, looking up at the ball of flame with his jaw open, Ben dropped him. Another ran toward a nearby building. Ben squeezed off a few rounds and ended him as well. The prisoners were either running away or hiding; the enemy soldiers were hunkering down and firing out blindly. The air was full of smoke and the sounds of screams and gunshots echoed throughout the camp, but Ben was focused. The fear had disappeared and now all that was left was identifying targets and taking them out. Identify, fire, confirm kill and reload when necessary.
Ty moved up ahead and slammed up against one of the sheet metal buildings. An enemy soldier saw him run past and opened fire. The shots hit all around Ty but he kept himself tight against the wall and out of view. Ben fired, striking the enemy soldier on the side, dropping him. The soldier turned to where Ben was and opened fire. The shots were wild but managed to hit the ground and stump near him, kicking up dirt and debris. Ty stepped out from the building and ended the enemy soldier. Despite all the chaos, when Ben looked to Ty he could make out the satisfied grin on the man’s face.
Ben made his way up to Ty and they swept into the building. Inside the sounds of gunfire were dampened slightly and the louder noise was their feet over the wooden floor. Ben scanned the dark building down the sights of his gun.
Ty peeked into a room and turned to Ben. “I think this one is clea-”
Ben saw the young Chinese soldier come out from behind a desk and jump on top of Ty. As Ben turned his gun toward Ty he noticed movement from the corner of his eye. He turned just as another Chinese soldier lunged out from underneath another desk and slammed into Ben. His gun flew from his hands and he slid into the cool metal wall with the soldier on top of him. The soldier screamed in Chinese at him as his hands grabbed toward Ben’s throat. Ben grabbed the man’s right hand and twisted it, causing the man to scream in pain right before he slammed his left fist into Ben’s face. Ben heard ringing in his ears and lashed out toward the soldier. The blow hit the enemy in the chest, knocking him off for a brief second. The soldier pulled out a large knife from the side of his boot and lunged at Ben again. Ben grabbed the man’s knife hand with both of his own and steered it into the wooden floor. The soldier refused to let go of the knife and shoved his knee into Ben’s side, causing pain to shoot down his entire side. Ben held steady even as the knee struck him again and again. Finally the pain was too much and Ben kept his left hand on the man’s wrist and grabbed the man’s throat with his right. He squeezed as hard as he could and the man’s eyes grew wide and he fell back on the floor. Ben rolled on top, putting his knee on the man’s shoulder, pinning it down. He then used both hands to grab the soldier’s hand with the knife and twisted it with all his strength. He felt the wrist snap then he heard the soldier let out a desperate scream. Without hesitating Ben ripped the knife free from the soldier’s grip and then slammed it back down into the man’s chest.
The gunshot came from across the room and knocked him off the enemy and onto his back. Ben lay there for a second, trying to realize what had happened. He noticed the dust floating down from the ceiling in front of him and could feel the grooves in the wooden floor underneath him, then he noticed the pain radiating from his right shoulder. There was another gunshot but pain didn’t follow this one. Ben looked up and saw Ty standing above another enemy soldier with his handgun pointing down at the downed man. Ty kicked the enemy’s gun out of reach and then placed another bullet into the man’s skull; only then did he turn to Ben with a look of concern.
“Shit, B, he got you.” Ty crouched down next to him.
“It’s all right. I think he only got me in the shoulder.”
Ty flipped him over to inspect his back and then flipped him back over again. “It didn’t come through.”
“Is that bad?” Ben asked through gritted teeth.
Ty stopped for a moment. “I don’t know. It’s probably not good.”
Despite the pain and the fact that he could now feel the warmth from his blood running down his back, Ben laughed. “I think you are probably right.”
“Sit tight, I’ll go get some help,” Ty said, starting to get up before Ben stopped him.
“Negative. Find me my gun and help me get to my feet. This isn’t over yet.”
Ty hesitated for only a second, then he found Ben’s rifle across the room and handed it to him. Ben reached out for it with his right hand and a wave of pain washed over him.
“All right, never mind. I’ll stick with my side arm,” he admitted.
They walked back out into the chaotic battlefield and the heat of the nearby fire washed over them. Ben looked around but the battle had moved farther down the camp. They were surrounded by the bodies of enemy soldiers and prisoners, and Ben could make out a member of Blue squad lying dead a few feet from them.
“You ready, B?” Ty asked.
Ben nodded his head and they pushed forward.
Ally
They heard the wood splintering as the dogs used their claws to tear into the wooden door.
Zhang had pushed an old sofa against the door and was in the process of pulling a dresser across the room to do the same. Ally held her right arm across her chest to try and stop the bleeding as she looked out the far window. They were too far up to get out of the window. They could go farther into the apartment and close themselves in one of the bedrooms but if the dogs could tear through the front door they wouldn’t have any trouble doing the same for the weaker interior doors.
They were in trouble.
Ally rummaged through the kitchen drawers and pulled out a short steak knife. It wasn’t ideal but it was better than nothing. Back in the living room, Zhang was on top of the couch with his arrow in his hand, watching the door. From the sounds the dogs had managed to tear through the bottom part of the front door and were now working on the cloth sofa. Zhang turned to her and waved his hands at her while screaming something in Chinese. Ally knew what he was trying to say and shook her head no.
“I’m not going anywhere,” she said as she stood before the sofa and waited.
The sound of cloth ripping filled the room, mixed with the howls and snarls of the wild dogs. Then suddenly it stopped. The silence hung in the air for what felt like hours until the barking started again, only this time it was from the dogs that were still outside, followed quickly by the sound of gunfire. Zhang dove off the couch and knocked Ally back, throwing himself over top of her. At first it wasn’t needed as the gunfire was outside, but soon it got louder and the hallway was filled with the pops from the guns and the cries of the wounded dogs. When it finally stopped all Ally could hear was the ringing inside her own ears for a few moments, then she made out the sound of footsteps. There was a knock at the door and then someone yelled in at them in Chinese.
Zhang looked up surprised and then smiled at her. He answered and then began to pull away the blockage from in front of their door. Ally got up to her knees and watched as the door op
ened and three Chinese soldiers walked into the room. They were bloodied, their uniforms were torn and it looked like they hadn’t had a good meal in weeks. They saw Zhang and gave the man a hug and celebrated, then one of the soldiers saw her. His eyes went cold and his gun shot up in her direction. Zhang stepped in front and held out his hands. Ally listened as Zhang talked to the other soldiers. At times it sounded like he was pleading; at others it sounded like he was demanding, but the whole time he remained in front of the man’s gun. Ally looked around. Her knife was gone. She was tired and hurt. She wouldn’t be able to fight back.
After a few minutes the soldier dropped his gun and stepped back. Zhang’s shoulders fell in relief but he didn’t move. The other soldiers watched her. The look of malice in their eyes remained. Ally heard the sound of a vehicle driving in the distance. The Chinese soldiers’ faces dropped and they began to shout and ran from the room. Zhang didn’t move from where he was and turned to her. It had to be American soldiers, Ally realized. She heard the other soldiers climbing down the debris-filled building back onto the street and recognized Zhang’s name as they shouted for him to follow. Zhang just stood there.
“Go,” Ally said. “I can’t protect you like you just protected me.”
Zhang still didn’t move and motioned for her to follow.
Ally shook her head no. “I can’t. I need to go home. Go.”
Zhang’s jaw clenched and he nodded.
“Thank you,” Ally said.
Zhang turned and limped out the building.
Ally stood there for a moment, trying to collect her thoughts, but nothing felt real. She stumbled out into the hallway past the shards of wood and the bloodied bodies of the dogs who had been trying so hard to kill her. She stumbled down the debris until she got to the roof of the Humvee, where she plopped down and just sat there. It wasn’t long before two Humvees came rolling down the street and stopped just outside of the building.
“Hold up,” one of the soldiers yelled as he jumped out of the passenger side. The soldier ran up to her Humvee. “Ally?”
She looked down at Maclin and the man smiled.
“You’re quite the troublemaker, aren’t you?” he asked.
Ally let out a breath and for the first time in a long while she felt safe.
Alec
The screams came from outside. The yelling was a mix of English and Chinese, and then there was a second explosion. This one was farther away but was still strong enough to shake the building they were in.
“Stay here. I’ll be right back,” Mason said as he ran from their cell.
Alec sat there trying to gather himself. Something big was happening. Machine gun fire erupted outside and his body involuntarily jumped. He had to do something. Alec rested his back on the wall and tried to push himself up by his legs, but he was still weak. His legs lifted him up about a foot before they began to shake and he slid back down the wall. Alec heard footsteps running into the building and saw Gerry run past.
“Gerry! What the hell is going on out there?”
The footsteps stopped for a moment then got louder. Gerry’s weathered face appeared outside his cell, a look of panic still plastered on it. “Dear God, Alec, you’re alive. I didn’t think you were going to make it.”
“What is going on out there?”
Gerry glanced down the hallway for a second before returning to him. “We...we’re under attack.”
“By who?”
“I have no idea but they’re fighting the Chinese.”
Gunfire erupted just outside their door and Gerry dove inside his cell. The gunshots echoed down the hallway, causing them to sound twice as loud as they normally would. Before Alec could say anything he once again heard footsteps, only this time the person behind them was walking slowly. Gerry opened his mouth but Alec put his finger up to his lips to silence him. The footsteps sped up and then the person behind them stumbled and it sounded like they fell. Whoever it was had been hurt. Mason. Alec got to his stomach and crawled up to the opening of the cell and looked out. Instead of Mason he saw Xu sitting up against one of the cell doors. His right arm laid at his side and his shirt was covered in blood. Before Alec could move back Xu looked up and saw him.
Alec scooted back inside his cell. “Shit.”
“What is it?” Gerry asked.
“Xu.”
“Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, oh shit.”
“I think he is hurt,” Alec said.
They heard Xu get up and stumble toward them. Alec scooted back to the rear wall next to Gerry. Xu appeared at their doorway. His shirt was covered in blood and his lifeless right arm hung at his side, blood still dripping from it. The man’s face had droplets of blood all over it and he was in shock. In his left hand was a pistol. He just stared at them. They stared back. Xu raised the pistol in their direction.
“Don’t,” Gerry said.
Xu pulled the trigger and Gerry’s head exploded.
Alec fell to the side. His head was swimming and his ears were ringing.
“They won’t save you. I won’t allow it,” Xu said as if he was in a trance.
Anger surged in Alec. “You’re a coward.”
Xu lowered the pistol and stared at him.
“Your castle is falling. The people out there will take out your soldiers and then you will have to answer for everything you have done.” Alec sat up and tried to ready himself to move fast. He wasn’t sure if he would be able to stay conscious but he might be able to dive to the side or toward Xu if he needed to.
“They can’t stop me,” Xu said. He looked down at his right arm as if noticing it for the first time. He looked back up at Alec, still in his daze. “I am a god. No one can stop me.” Xu raised his pistol and leveled it at Alec.
Alec stared back at him. Fear had left him long ago. “I hope they make you scream when they kill you.”
Click.
Xu stared down at the empty gun, his mind trying to register why it wouldn’t fire. Alec took in a deep breath and charged. His body slammed into Xu, causing them both to hit the wall. Alec bounced off and fell back onto the floor and darkness began to take over the edge of his vision. He hung onto consciousness by his fingernails and looked for Xu. The man had slid down the wall; a trail of blood from the back of his head had followed. Xu sat there blinking for a few seconds, then he reached into his belt and pulled out a long knife. Xu brought the knife up to his face and stared at it.
Alec couldn’t move. The world moved about him slowly and kept coming in and out of focus. He had used the last of his energy. All he could was lie there and watch.
Xu looked from the knife to Alec and a sneer formed on his face. The man tried to stand up but he fell back down to his butt, the knife dropped to the ground but he reached over and picked it back up.
“You...won’t...get away...hero. I…told you...I would kill you,” Xu said, struggling to find his breath.
Xu got on his knees and lifted the knife up in the air. Mason appeared outside the cell door. His face was ragged and there was blood smeared on his face but he was alive. Mason walked over and coolly grabbed the knife out of Xu’s hand. Xu brought his hands down and stared at them, confused. Then Mason kicked him in the head, sending the man tumbling to the other side of the cell.
Mason crouched down beside Alec and looked him over. “Are you all right? Are you wounded?”
“No,” Alec managed to get out. The world faded out but he pulled himself back from the brink.
“I’m not sure who is attacking them but now is a good time to get out of here,” Mason said.
“Kill...him,” Alec got out.
Mason paused what he was doing and looked over at Xu. The man lay on the floor, staring at them but not moving.
Rage filled Alec. That man had tortured him from the moment he got there. He had forced them to fight and kill each other while he watched. He was everything that was wrong in the world.
“Alec,” Mason started then stopped. Mason pulled out the knife
and shoved it into Xu’s chest.
Xu let out an audible gasp and his eyes bulged for a second. Alec tried to meet the man’s eyes, he tried to let him know that he was the one that had ended him but Xu was already too far gone. The man let out a small whimper and then his eyes lost focus. The evil that was Xu was gone.
Mason put Alec’s arm over his head and lifted him up. The shift was too much and the darkness enveloped him.
Ben
The Humvee came roaring through the middle of the camp and a soldier in the back opened fire blindly in all directions. Ben dropped to the ground and Ty flopped down next to him as he opened fire. The Humvee screamed past and as the soldier in the back turned toward them. His head snapped back as a single shot connected and the man’s body was flung from the back of the Humvee. The vehicle swerved sharply and turned completely around and then their helicopter opened fire into it. Within seconds it was destroyed.
The familiar face of Crimson came into view as she ran up beside them. Blood and black dust covered her face but her eyes were cold and calm. She spared a glance at both of them before looking back out toward the camp.
“You all still kicking?”
“I’m ok but Ben was shot,” Ty said.
Crimson looked back down at Ben and looked him over quickly. “Fatal?”
“I don’t think so,” Ben said as he got back to his knees. “Got hit in the shoulder.”
“The bullet didn’t come out, though,” Ty added quickly.
Ben thought he caught a quick look of relief pass over Crimson’s face before she returned her attention to the battlefield. “No worries then. We can dig that thing out later.”
“Sounds fun,” Ben said as Crimson pulled him back onto his feet.
The gunfire had begun to die down but they stayed alert. Ben walked through the camp with pain radiating from his shoulder and the feeling of his warm blood running down his back. They didn’t run into any more opposition. They had won.
The Wasteland: Book 6 of The After The Event Series Page 13
