by Avell Kro
Becky squeezed his hand while Bas gulped repeatedly. How the hell am I supposed to lead a squad?
He turned to her with wide, frightened eyes, his insides shaking as she gave him a small,
encouraging smile, bumping her shoulder against his.
***
With his girlfriend at his side, Bas led his squad northwest from the grocery store they’d unloaded
behind, around rubble and overturned vehicles, through burned out shops, and down empty side
streets, stopping frequently to scope out dark windows and around corners. They’d been ordered
to clear the city center, and as much as they could around the Space Needle.
As they approached from a small side street, Sebastian halted the squad of twelve teenagers,
motioning them to crouch against the base of a glass and metal building, most of the glass
shattered on the sidewalk around them. Up ahead, two thirds of the Space Needle lay across a small
park, broken in several pieces, with one large chunk sitting on a smashed, red sculpture.
Becky gasped behind him while the rest of the squad murmured amongst themselves. He turned
to check on her but dropped to the ground as gunfire broke out from the direction of the
remaining base of the Space Needle.
Bas pointed at a guy and a girl, the least frightened of the bunch, and motioned them forward.
“You two… grab two more, and go back north around this building. See if you can get a better
vantage point to take out those shooters. We’re going to spread out around this burger joint, see
what we can do from there. Let’s try to get in under the Needle and clear it.”
He turned to the rest of his squad, all eyes watching intently. A couple of girls huddled up together, shivering from fear and the chilly temperatures as rain drizzled, soaking the young soldiers.
“Becky and I are going to lay down some cover fire. I want the rest of you to spread out in and
around this burger joint—” he jerked his thumb over his shoulder at the small, burned out building
across a short rubble-filled alleyway “—and find cover.” Bas pointed at two guys who looked as if
they might’ve been on the football team before the draft. “You and you, take an outer corner, see if
you can spot the shooters.”
Becky edged her way to the corner of the building they crouched under while Bas stood over her,
guns ready. He looked down at his girl, and she gave him a quick nod. With a wave of his hand, Bas
told the squad to go, before leaning forward just enough to point his rifle and start shooting.
Bas and Becky shot off two three-round bursts while two squad members ran across to the little
building then jerked back behind their corner as the terrorists returned fire. They did that three
times before Bas covered for Becky. When she reached the other building, she turned back, waving
him forward.
Bas watched as his squad crawled over and around the remains of the burger joint, searching for a
decent vantage point, and squatting behind whatever cover they could find. He glanced at Becky as
she watched him wide-eyed, silently telling him to “move it, move it!”
Sucking in a deep breath, he flattened his body against the wall and waited for a pause in the
opposing gunfire. Exhaling, he swung around, aimed his rifle at the shadows of the Space Needle
base, and started squeezing the trigger while dashing across the little alleyway.
Blind with fear and adrenaline, he collided with Becky, twisting to plaster himself against the wall
beside her, panting as if he’d run several miles, not a few feet. They stood like that for several
heartbeats as Bas turned to Becky, tears threatening to spill from her eyes as her lips moved,
yel ing something he couldn’t hear over the blood pounding in his ears.
With a pop of pressure, the sound of gunfire roared in his ears and he remembered his squad
needed him. He grabbed Becky’s arm, pulling her into a crouch and pushing her into the building.
They ducked as they stomped over the busted door laying just inside, moving to a blown-out
window facing the shadowed husk of the historic landmark. He quickly looked around, mentally
noting where everyone was.
Bas peeked up over the edge of a window frame, looking for muzzle flash to pinpoint where the
terrorists were hiding. As soon as he spotted a flash in the shadows, he heard return fire from the
north. His scout team.
“Fire! Fire!” Bas and Becky flanked a window, using the side walls for cover. They aimed for the
flashes, praying they hit their target.
“Shit! They’re over here, too!” Someone yelled from a window facing the park and the ruins of the
Needle.
“Get on them!” Bas yelled. “Let’s clear this place!”
***
Time slowed and sound distorted as Sebastian slammed back behind his small length of wal ,
bullets slicing the air, pelting the broken window frame. Becky let out a ragged scream, twisting
around the wall to empty her magazine into the distant shadows.
“Shit!” She jerked back, scrambling to reload her rifle.
Bas glanced around the room, spotting a spindly boy huddled under a nearby window, sweat
pouring down his face, his eyes squeezed shut as his mouth moving frantically.
“What are you doing? Get up and shoot!” Bas kicked a piece of drywall at the kid as he crossed
himself then turned to peek an eye over the window’s edge.
Swinging back around to check on Becky, he stalled, opening his mouth to holler at a girl leaning
too far out of her cover. Blood sprayed out of her ear as she crumpled to the ground, a crimson
pool spreading out from her body.
“Fuck!” His knuckles turned white as Bas squeezed his rifle, the girl’s blood coloring his vision,
flooding his mind. The sound of the rifles firing from every direction reverberated in his ears,
spurring him to jump out from his cover, aiming his rifle, and pulling the trigger over and over
until he heard a satisfying scream from the depths of the shadows.
Becky tackled him just as more return fire buzzed past his head. “What the hell, Bas?”
“They kil ed her!”
“Who?”
“I don’t know her name! We don’t know any of these people! We’re just kids, Becky! We shouldn’t
be here!”
“Bas, chill! It’s okay. It’s going to be okay.”
“How can you say that? Look at her—she’s dead.” He pointed to the dead girl, tears streaming down
his face.
Becky fol owed his finger, her eyes bulging at the sight of so much blood, slapping a hand to her
gagging mouth. She gulped, shaking her head and putting on a brave face, a face Bas admired so
much. The face she wore when she fell off the jungle gym and broke her arm. The same brave face
she gave him every time they broke up. His pounding heart skipped a beat, and he vowed never to
break her heart again.
“Bas, baby, pull it together. We’re on our own now. We’re responsible for these kids. We can do
this.”
He inhaled, filling his lungs with dusty air, trying to steady his raging emotions. Knock that shit off.
You’re a man now. Becky needs you to be a man. With a sharp nod, he gave her a quick kiss and
reloaded his rifle.
By the time night fell, they’d cleared the base of the Space Needle and it’s remains in the park.
They found a small alcove formed of metal and concrete rubble, where the remaining squad
member
s hunkered down for the night.
“Here,” Bas said, handing Becky his backpack, “it’s lumpy, but better than the hard concrete or wet
grass.”
“Thanks,” she said, giving him a tired smile as she scooted into a corner away from the never-
ending drizzle.
He sat beside her and opened an MRE—meals-ready-to-eat—looking around at the dirty faces of
the survivors.
“I know we’re all exhausted, but we made it through today—”
“Most of us…” A girl muttered, staring at her blood-stained hands.
“I’m sorry,” Bas said. “There’s nothing you could have done for that kid, he was shot in the chest.
We just have to be grateful we’re still alive.” He sighed as the girl curled up in her bulky jacket,
silent tears leaving pale trails down her dirt-smudged cheeks.
“We lost three people today, and we have to do this all again tomorrow, maybe the next day as wel .
We have no idea how many insurgents are left out there, but I think we did a good job today
clearing this place. You have to stay strong, you have to be vigilant, we have to keep going, not
matter how hard it seems.”
A few determined nods gave Bas hope as he peered at the faces of his fellow squad members. He
smiled at them, offering what hope he could, even as he shivered from cold fear. Setting a schedule
for watch duty, Bas huddled in the corner with Becky, sleeping until it was their turn.
Chapter 3
March 23, 2020 7:05AM
The next morning, they woke to a hazy downpour, unable to see the sunrise through the thick
cloud cover. As they sat around eating their MREs, Bas tried to lay out a plan, hoping some of the
others might pitch in some ideas.
“Pike Place Market is about twenty minutes from here on a good day. We’re going to have to go
slow, checking every doorway or window we pass—”
Footsteps echoed through the foggy morning air, getting louder as someone approached their
hideaway. Debris scattered down the side of the mound of rubble as that someone climbed up the
other side, setting the squad on alert. Bas grabbed his rifle, ducking back into the alcove as his
squad fol owed suit, their muzzles pointing in different directions, covering all sides.
“Whoa! Stand down!” A guy in his twenties, wearing the same uniform as Bas’ squad, appeared
with his hands up.
“Don’t move!” Bas yelled, aiming at the guy’s shaved head. “Where did you sleep last night?”
“Huh?” The guy scrunched his face and glanced behind him. “Oh, shit, what’s the countersign—oh
yeah, Love killed the spirit.”
“Negative creep,” Bas said, giving the third part of the predetermined code phrase, which made
little sense to him as they referred to some band from the 1990’s. The guy nodded at him when a
second head peeked over the rubble, all weapons training on it. Who wears sunglasses in the rain?
Becky jerked her rifle at the second man, but Bas put his hand on her shoulder.
“He’s with me, we’re here to help,” the guy said. “I’m a medic. Permission to enter your, uh, space?”
Bas nodded and waved at his group to lower their guns. The medic and the second soldier climbed
over into their alcove as the squad kept wary eyes on the newcomers.
“Holy shit. You’re all kids. I thought they were putting at least one experienced soldier with each
squad.”
“Guess they ran out,” Bas said, glaring at the guy.
“Who’s leading this rabble?”
“I am.”
“What’s your name?”
“What’s yours?”
“Rick. This is Tony. We’re all that’s left of our squad. We were bussed in from Olympia about two weeks ago, after we cleared the capital. Been fighting non-stop since our boots touched the
ground.”
“I’m Bas. This is my girlfriend, Becky. Our squad just got thrown together two days ago, so I don’t
know anyone else’s names. Sorry, guys.” Bas glanced around at the faces of his squad members,
but no one seemed bothered by what he said.
“We’ll learn as we go. If you need me just call out for medic. We get shuffled around so much, it’s
almost pointless to learn names. Tony here doesn’t talk much, but he’s a corporal and I’m only
private first class, so he’s lead unless one of you is higher rank.”
“We’re all the lowest of the lows here, privates, I guess. They didn’t really rank us. I doubt they
thought we’d make it long enough to matter.”
“Looks like you’re up, Tony,” Rick said, looking over his shoulder to where Tony leaned against a
concrete boulder, his rifle hanging down the front of his body from a single-point sling.
“You’ve been out here doing this a lot longer than any of us. I don’t think you’ll get any objections
here.” Bas twisted around, eyebrows raised as he peered at each of his squad members, receiving
only shrugs and head shakes.
“How’s it looking out there?” Becky asked, sidling up behind Bas, her eyes wide with a glimmer of
hope.
“Wel , we were over at Gas Works Park yesterday and cleared that area, then worked our way here.
Ran into some insurgents on the way, and took them out, but lost the rest of our team in the
process. Heard your gunfire just before we holed up last night, and figured we’d see if you needed
any help. Anyone get injured?”
“No, only deaths,” Bas said, as someone sniffled. “Nothing you could’ve done for them.”
“Sorry, man. This shit’s hard on everyone. Did you have a plan for today? Any orders? Backup
coming?”
“We came in with three other squads. They sent us here, and spread the other three squads south,
parallel to the waterfront. We’re supposed to herd the enemy to Pike Place Market, and if we can
do that, somehow someone will call in an airstrike. They didn’t give us any radios, so no idea how
they’re going to know if we succeed.”
“I don’t think they care if we do. We’re just fodder, man. Bodies to put behind the guns. All we can
do is try to stay alive.”
***
Everyone grabbed their gear, layering on as much clothing as they could to hold back the damp cold of early spring in Seattle. Bas inspected Becky, making sure she was buttoned up and her duffle
bag strapped snug against her back.
“Well, I think we’re ready to go. Let’s see if we can make our way to the market.”
Rick and Tony went over first to cover them as they all crawled over the rubble walls. They wound
their way around buildings, and through alleys and side streets, avoiding the main roads. Tony led
the way, with Rick in the middle, Bas bringing up the rear, Becky in front of him, and everyone else
single-file between them.
The sounds of their shuffling feet echoed through the eerily quiet city. Checking all the possible
hidey-holes along the way made for a slow forty-minute march that would have only taken twenty
before the war started.
As they approached Virginia Street, they cut through a parking lot from Second Avenue, between
some buildings, to get to First Avenue. The sudden report of gunshots forced the squad to dive into
a gaping hole in the side of a gutted condominium. Bas picked his way through the building,
hunkering down behind some display cases.
“What do you think, man?” Rick asked, as he crouched behind Tony.
Bas looked over his shoulder
at Becky. She gave him a brave smile, but he saw the fear in her eyes.
All he could think about was how much he wanted to grab her, run away to hide from the war, and
live happily ever after. Instead, he smiled back and turned to listen to Rick and Tony.
“I thought we’d go in on the north end of the market and clear as we went,” Tony said, “but now
I’m thinking it might be better to go back out to the alley and fol ow it to Pike Street. We can split
up and go at them from two directions.”
“Alright, man. Let’s get out of this dump.”
***
The squad retraced their footsteps, and headed out to the alleyway that ran parallel between First
and Second Avenue. Every few minutes, they heard a vol ey of gunfire. Bas hoped that meant his
squad wouldn’t be tackling the terrorists alone.
The closer they got to Pike Street, the louder the shots sounded. He guessed—prayed—the battle
might be winding down, making his team extra muscle to beat down the remaining enemies. He
grabbed Becky’s hand, squeezing it while pulling her close behind.
Half a block from Pike Street, Tony split the squad and headed through a parking lot that led to
First Street, while Rick led the remaining crew, Bas and Becky included, down to the rest of the
alleyway. At the end, he snuck a glance around the corner to scope out the action with Bas on his
heels.
Down the street lay empty stalls with broken glass displays that once held seafood of all kinds. Pike Place Market used to be famous for many things, including fish being tossed around for the
entertainment of the masses. Now, it harbored terrorists who destroyed their city just for the sake
of causing destruction. Whatever religious or political agenda they started with was lost after four
years of mindless war.
Rick motioned for everyone to follow, leading them in and out of empty storefronts, occasionally
dodging a stray bullet. Bas covered the rear, sticking close to Becky as she frequently glanced back
at him. He tried not to worry about her, to keep his focus on the job at hand, but the trembling lip
and panicked eyes were a stab in the heart.
At the end of the block, they ducked into a hollowed-out coffee shop. Bullets rained down on the
