Chapter 21
Echoes and Screams
Alex and Sarah’s group drove straight into their side of town and jumped out to the sound of bullets already echoing through the streets. Alex heard a bullet whistle by only feet away and looked to his left to see three armed men approaching their vehicle. He quickly, for a man who was already injured, grabbed Sarah and pulled her behind the van. Then the sound of shots and men dying was all they heard. Alex wanted to keep her there safe and sound, but he knew the truth. They couldn’t hide, not forever, and what kind of man would he be if he did?
“Are you ready?” Alex asked her.
“No, but we have to do this. Come on,” Sarah said and raised her gun.
They stepped out on the left side of the van. The first thing Sarah saw was the man who had driven them there lying on the ground clinging to life as blood spurted out of his neck. Then she saw two more of Raines’s citizens on the ground. How long they had been dead she couldn’t say. These weren’t fighters. In fact, one of them was a child no older than nine. This was what New Vegas had done to them. In that moment, Sarah wanted all of them to die slowly and painfully.
A shot cried out, snapping Sarah out of her temporary shock, and she found that Alex had taken down an enemy who stepped out from behind a hut a few yards away. Then he motioned for her to run with him, and they made their way behind that hut and peered around the other side. It was open war in the streets. Men from both sides were taking cover in houses and behind anything they could find. Alex fired a couple shots through a nearby window, and one of them connected with another enemy combatant and went through his chest, knocking the man back out of view.
As he moved back into cover, Sarah took his place. She fired four shots wildly into a nearby home, hitting her mark once. After that, Sarah took cover, too. She was shaking, though. It had been a long time since she had to fire a weapon in a situation even close to this, and it was almost too much for her.
“Hey, are you all right?” Alex asked in concern.
“I think so. Just give me a second,” she answered.
Alex nodded and popped out once again, firing as he did. The process repeated for just over twenty minutes until Sarah saw that the area was clear. They, along with the remaining forces they had on that block, stepped out. There were nine Raines men left. Sarah would have guessed that they started with fifteen on this street, so they were already losing a lot. Still, they had somewhat surprised the New Vegas army. They were truly dropping like flies, so just maybe this was a fight that could be won.
“What are you waiting for? We’ve got more streets to take back. Two of you stay here and hold this ground. The rest of you follow us,” Sarah said to them.
They walked to the next street only to hear more shots and see more men dying from both sides. It wasn’t until Alex saw Lee pinned down behind a hut that he panicked for the first time. Back when they got out, everything happened so quickly. He hadn’t seen where Lee and Travis went, which was enough to make him worry then, but Alex had just assumed that his son was still hiding back around where they started. Why had he gone this far without any real help? Lee should have found them. Then again, where was Travis? Shouldn’t they be together?
“We’ve got to get over there!” Alex exclaimed and pointed toward Lee.
“You don’t have to tell me twice,” Sarah said anxiously and fired into a house with several enemies inside. As she did, she motioned for Alex to go. He took the hint and bolted for the house.
Alex got there and then turned back toward their targets and provided some cover fire for Sarah who followed suit. She made it just in time as their targets regained their composure and began to fire wildly out the windows. The first thing Sarah did was walk straight to her son and wrap her arms around him. She had been worried when they lost each other in the beginning, but for lack of a better option, she had to move on. Now she knew that he was safe, though. As long as that stayed true, then not much else mattered.
“Where is Travis?” Alex asked as he crouched down at the edge of the house and waited for the shots to cease so he could return fire.
“He’s why I’m here. He bolted when we got into the city and ran straight for this street. One thing’s for certain. He’s no coward, but he might be stupid now. The last thing I ever thought he would do was knowingly run into a fight,” Lee answered.
“Where is he now?”
“On the other side of the street pinned down behind an old truck. I think he’s been hit. Travis said that if he could get there he would have the perfect view of the house that they’re in, and he’s not wrong. There are more windows on that side. I tried to cover him, but he went down halfway there. I can’t say for sure, but I think he was shot, and I haven’t actually seen him since he made it to the truck.”
“Okay. I think I know what to do,” Alex said and stood.
“Where are you going?” Sarah asked with disapproval and fear hiding in her voice.
She knew Alex. He was going to try to play the hero. He always did, but this wasn’t the time. Alex was already hurt, and he couldn’t run at more than a slow jogging pace. How would he ever make it to Travis without getting hit?
“You know what I’m doing. I told that boy he had to come with us. It’s my fault he’s even mixed up in any of this. I have to save him,” Alex said.
“Then let me do it.”
“What are you talking about? There’s no way I would ever . . .”
“You still haven’t healed completely. I’m quicker, and I’m a smaller target. It just makes sense for me to go. Besides, you can cover me, and there’s no one I trust with my life more than you. I know I’ll be fine with you watching my back.”
Alex didn’t know what to say. Sarah wasn’t wrong. He probably wouldn’t make it in his condition, and someone had to help Travis. Why did it have to be her, though? That was the last thing Alex wanted. At this point, however, what choice did he have?
“Okay, but only if you’re sure you can make it. Your life is more valuable to me than Travis’s,” Alex said.
“I know, and that’s how I’m sure you’ll cover me. Now, are you ready?” she asked.
Alex nodded, and he and Lee moved to the other side of the house. They stepped out and fired at the same time, temporarily causing their enemies to take cover. That was when Sarah took her chances. She bolted into the open and ran as fast as she possibly could toward the truck. She was wheezing and sweating more than she ever had but not from being tired. Sarah was afraid with every fiber of her being, and she should have been. Just before she got to the truck, a man blind fired in her direction, and a bullet caught her in the shin. She fell, and thankfully, was able to slide the rest of the way.
Now safely behind the truck, Sarah cried out in pain and looked down at the hole in her leg. It had ripped through the muscle and taken a small portion of it off, but the bone was untouched. It would leave quite the scar later and probably require surgery, but as long as she got pressure on it and slowed the bleeding, Sarah would live.
Suddenly, the most important thing occurred to her. She had come here for a reason. Travis had been hit before. She turned to her right and saw him lying there on the ground. He was pale but alive. Travis was holding his stomach, and it was clear why. There was a hole in it from where he had been shot. He wasn’t bleeding badly, but it was clear that he had been earlier. Blood stained the ground around him. He hadn’t lost enough to actually kill him yet, but Sarah knew that if he didn’t get treatment soon he would die.
“My God! Are you all right?” Sarah asked.
“I . . . I’ve been better,” Travis said and winced. It was as if every breath and word he forced out hurt him.
“Why did you come here? You could’ve been killed,” Sarah said.
“I still might be. Why are you here?”
“To get you, of course. Let me see that,” Sarah said and put her hand near his stomach. Travis involuntarily pulled away, however, and then Sarah spoke again.
“I’m not going to hurt you anymore than I have to. I have to see what we’re dealing with here, though.”
Travis nodded, and she examined the wound. It wasn’t a wide hole, and the bleeding was almost nonexistent now. Then again, Sarah had no way of knowing what could be going on inside of his body. Travis could have internal bleeding. Then there was the final thing she checked. Sarah looked for an exit hole, but there wasn’t one. Maybe that was a blessing in disguise. That was just one less hole in his body where blood could escape.
“Keep pressure on the wound. I’m going to do what I have to in order to get you out of here,” Sarah said and crawled to the edge of the truck.
At that point, she cut off the bottom of her pant leg and wrapped it tightly around her own wound. Even if she hadn’t lost that much blood yet, she was already feeling dizzy. That was just one more reason to want to end this quickly. Travis wasn’t the only one who needed medical attention.
Sarah did a silent count to three, and then she blind fired in the direction of the house where their enemies were hiding. At the same time, Alex and Lee opened fire. Over the next ten minutes, they, along with every other Raines’ fighter who had followed them, fired into the hut. Finally, the shots ceased, and Sarah peered out to see that the home had hundreds of holes in it. There was no sound or indication that anyone was alive inside either. Two of Raines’s men checked it out first, and then they gave a thumbs up to indicate that it was safe. One more street was officially clear.
Alex and Lee immediately came to Sarah and Travis. What they found were two wounded people. Travis looked like he was on death’s door. Alex started to concentrate on his wife, but Sarah waved him away, knowing that she wasn’t the one who truly needed help.
“Lee, help your mother get back to where we started. There will be a few people there who are dedicated to just escorting the injured out of the combat zone and to a makeshift medical area,” Alex told him.
“What about you and Travis?” Lee asked.
“I’m going to carry him. We’ll be right behind you.”
Lee nodded and helped Sarah up. Then he got on one side of her, and she put her weight from that leg on him. They walked slowly back toward safety while Alex examined the wound and the quickly fading color of Travis’s face.
“Give it to me straight. I’m going to die, aren’t I?” Travis asked.
“No, I won’t let that happen. This is going to hurt, though,” Alex said and picked him up. As he did, pain shot through Alex’s hip and arm. That didn’t matter, though. Alex would do anything he had to in order to get him out of there.
“What are our orders now?” a soldier asked as Alex stepped out from behind the truck with Travis. There were only three of them left, and one of them had a bullet hole in his arm. He was trying to pretend that it was nothing, but Alex could tell the young man was in pain.
“One of you is wounded. He’ll come with me back to the evacuation area. You two, stay here and make sure the area remains secure,” Alex said.
“But we want to help!”
“I know you do, and this is helping. Holding the streets we take is just as important as gaining new ground.”
They nodded, and then Alex started moving again. The wounded man followed close behind and sighed loudly on two different occasions, clearly hating the idea of leaving the battlefield but knowing that was the best course of action. Alex didn’t bother trying to convince him that this was the right way to do things. Instead, he was concentrated on someone much more important. Travis was dying. Could he live with that, considering it had been Alex who made him come on this journey to begin with?
“I’m sorry,” Travis said weakly.
“Sorry? What do you have to be sorry about?”
“I was careless. I shouldn’t have rushed in like that, and it caused all of you problems.”
“You were brave. Not many men would have been willing to risk everything to get into a position like that. I’m proud to know you, Travis. When we met, you were just a boy, but now you’re a man and my friend. You’re going to be fine, and when this is all over, everyone’s going to know all the things you helped us do. I promise.”
Alex had no idea if this would end well, but he said what he had to. Travis needed to think it would be okay. After all, what was so wrong with giving a man who might be dying some hope?
Alex finally made it to the evacuation area and handed off Travis to the medical personnel who, in truth, weren’t anything close to doctors. They were simply outsiders who had learned to patch each other up through experience. Alex had his doubts if Travis would survive a self-taught doctor in the condition he was in. Still, this was the best hope the kid had.
“Take care of him,” Alex said and turned toward Sarah who was being loaded into another vehicle.
“Don’t worry about me. Just look after Lee,” Sarah told him and motioned toward their son. He looked a little shaken, and how could he not? He had just seen dozens of people killed and witnessed Travis and his mother getting severely injured.
“I’ll keep him safe. Just make sure they give you the care you need. I love you,” Alex said and gave her a quick kiss before stepping back and watching the doors close. Then the driver got in and drove away.
At that moment, Alex did the only thing he could. He buried all his worries in the back of his mind and put his attention on the task at hand. Alex had to help his fellow citizens take back the city, and he had to keep his son safe. Even so, he couldn’t hide him away. Lee would want to help, and they needed every man who was willing to fight.
“Are you okay?” Alex asked him.
“I’m fine,” Lee lied.
“Well, you’re doing better than me then. I’m worried, and I can tell you really are, too. Your mom will be fine, and we can’t help what happened to Travis. We have to keep going. Can you do that with me, or do you need to stay here?” Alex asked.
“I’m okay, Dad. I can do this. What’s our next move?” Lee asked, now looking a little more sure of himself.
“We’ll start with the last street we took and go from there. Nothing about this will be safe, but if you stick close to me, we’ll make it through together.”
“Then what are we waiting for?”
Alex and Lee started walking back onto the battlefield. Their fight would be a bloody one, but they had no idea that they weren’t the only ones struggling. On the other side of Raines, two more people were in for the fight of their lives. Veronica and Roger were pinned down and at their wit’s end. They could only hope that they would all meet in the middle safe and sound.
Chapter 22
West Side
On the west side of Raines, the attack hadn’t gone smoothly. Roger and Veronica’s driver had been hit as they pulled up to the city. Roger tried to reach up from the back seat and take control of the wheel, but it was too late, and they slammed into the back of a home and went through it. When the vehicle finally came to a stop, it was sitting in the middle of the house. Roger shook his head, trying to shake off the splitting pain. When they had wrecked, he went headfirst into the dash. Thankfully, he wasn’t seriously hurt, and as he looked back at Veronica, Roger saw that she was fine, too.
“We need to move. They could be coming for us,” Roger said anxiously and pushed the door open.
Veronica followed behind him, and just as Roger took a step toward the back of the house, he saw two men walking in. He grabbed Veronica, and they ducked in front of the vehicle just in time. Bullets flew by and buried into the front of the house only inches from where they had been. Veronica took a breath for a second. She could hardly breathe. She knew this would be hard but had never thought it would start off at breakneck speed.
Roger motioned left as he looked to the right. Veronica got the message. They needed to watch both sides. It was likely their enemies wouldn’t be coming from just one way. While Veronica glanced out from the left side, he looked under the vehicle to see a set of feet near the back heading toward her side. He f
ired twice, and both bullets hit their attacker’s leg, causing him to fall to the floor in agony. Roger put one more bullet in his chest, ending the man’s life once and for all. Then he waited, unsure of where the second one was. He wasn’t coming up Veronica’s side, and as Roger glance to his right, he saw that he wasn’t coming from that area either.
That was when he felt the vehicle shake ever so slightly. It wasn’t much, but it was enough for Roger to know exactly where the second man was hiding. He had likely positioned himself on the back bumper and decided to wait for them to make a move. It was smart, but it also made him an easy target now that Roger knew where he was.
“Don’t move. I’m going to finish this,” Roger whispered.
Veronica nodded, and he turned toward the front of the van and blanked his mind. Alex had always taught him to shoot instinctually. Thinking too much would surely cost him his life, but if he thought of his gun as an extension of his arm, then he wouldn’t hesitate. He would aim, fire, and then get Veronica out of this place. They had to leave soon. He could smell gasoline, and the van had taken a beating. There was a chance the whole place would go up in flames soon enough.
Roger popped up, pointed more than aimed, and saw his target standing on the bumper. He fired, sending the bullet through the van and out the back glass where it buried into the man’s gut. He hit the ground with a thud and dropped his gun temporarily as he grabbed his stomach in pain. Veronica didn’t give him time to recover. She sprinted around the edge of the vehicle and shot twice, hitting him in the chest both times. She let out a sigh of relief. They had survived the beginning, but what else did this fight hold, and did she want to find out?
“Are you okay?” Roger asked, though she wasn’t sure if he was truly concerned. His tone indicated a certain amount of urgency. He needed her to say yes, so they could move before anything else happened.
“I’ll be fine. What do we do now?” Veronica asked.
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