Du Bois (Frozen Apocalypse Book 1)

by T. J. Mines

  Halfway down the row of cars the carnage of the last two grenades is visible. As Xabier indicated there are three dead persons, two men and one woman, but only two wounded. Both the wounded are men, and won't survive for long. The third wounded is nowhere to be seen.

  Watch for resistance, instructs the Captain. The already tense trek through the garage now takes on an even higher stress level. A soldier, like the dead and dying around them, is dangerous when ready for battle, but a wounded one is like a trapped animal: capable of anything and without logic.

  Marjory is the first to notice a trail of blood leaving the site. She signals the rest to back her up while she follows the trail. It leads to the other side of the garage, near the second pit of resistance.

  A gunshot, and Marjory falls backward. The rest of the group ducks for cover. Lee, closest to where Marjory is lying, grabs her shoulder and drags he behind the cover he found.

  Another gunshot and a bullet ricochets off of Ismael's cover, an old metal door like object. He peaks over the top of it and is greeted by yet another shot, this time just missing his head, and ducks down again.

  He's behind the camouflage, no heat signature, Ismael types, cover me.

  The others start firing in short bursts to keep the wounded enemy down while Ismael runs over to Lee and Marjory. There, after a check his mates are alright, he takes a shot at where he saw the nozzle of a gun before he had to hide again. A loud crash is the result of his gunshot, indicating he did hit something. The rest of the group stops their cover fire and together they wait.

  A few long moments pass and nothing happens. Ismael, not wanting to risk getting shot, takes off his helmet and puts it on the end of his rifle. Sticking it up just above the metal plates they're hiding behind he waits for the holed up soldier to shoot. But still nothing happens.

  I think I got him. Ismael puts his helmet back on and slowly stands up, pointing his gun in the direction of the camouflaged space. Still no resistance, so he walks up to the spot where he can get behind the tarp. He is followed by Sander and Chitra, with the Captain guarding the rear and Lee taking care of Marjory.

  Behind the covers is another mess. What used to be a person is splayed all over the inside of the tarp. Bits are still dripping from the top of the tent. In the mess created by the grenade is an almost whole person, but also dead. A bullet hole in the face did the trick. The earlier grenade did no more damage than graze the woman's left side.

  Clear, types Sander while Ismael investigates the dead woman. She has nothing on her but for the spare clips for her rifle.

  How's Marjory, shows on the inside of his goggles. He stops searching the woman and turns around, embarrassed he didn't think of his team mate before checking the enemy.

  She's fine, her vest took the hit, answers Lee, no more than two cracked ribs.

  Ismael sighs from relieve and starts looking for clues to why the enemy soldiers are holding up here. He finds nothing of interest. He does find a lot of bullets and signs of a very long stay down here. Sleeping bags and empty food containers litter the blood soaked camp site.

  Nothing here, he reports so that they can continue their investigation.

  Ismael and his team continue on their path to seek out any more enemies in the old parking garage. Leaving the barrier of cars behind they walk into what looks like a warehouse. Row upon row of shelves up to two meters high stacked with hardware ranging from digging equipment to weaponry. Walking through one of the isles Ismael finds a stash of full clips of ammunition suited for their rifles. Being resourceful is how you survive, so they stock up when they can.

  The last shelves are in sight as the Captain calls for a halt.

  Send the rover first, he types.

  Xabier, still with the controls on top, moves the rover forward. Just as the rover clears the aisle it stops in it's tracks.

  What is it? the Captain asks.

  I lost the signal, answers Xabier, you're in too deep for me to control the rover.

  Damn, says Sander, can you boost your signal?

  No, Xabier explains, not unless I come down there too.

  Don't come down, the Captain decides, it's too dangerous.

  If you pull back the rover just enough for me to reestablish a connection, I can still help you by keeping watch.

  We'll try, says the Captain. The rover is still useful to them, at least until the communication with Xabier fails. The superior sensors on the tracked vehicle can see more then their night vision goggles or naked eyes.

  Giving Lee and Sander the order to pull back the rover the Captain joins Ismael.

  "What do you think we should do now?" he asks in a hushed voice.

  "I don't know," Ismael admits, "we should continue on to root out any more hostile forces this close to the city. But we can also retreat, regroup and come back with greater number and force. Maybe we could even gas the place first and see what's left after the gas is filtered out."

  "All valid options," the Captain agrees, "but what if we go back. The people still here could run and report back."

  "For all we know the lot of them are running already," Ismael counters.

  "They probably are, but not all of them."

  "No, I wouldn't think that either." Ismael looks ahead where Sander and Lee are dragging the rover back, using the bulk of the vehicle as cover.

  "Can we be a match for an unknown number of their soldiers in here?" Ismael asks.

  "If we're smart about it, we can," answers the Captain, not voicing the doubt displayed on his face.

  "Then we must continue," Ismael decides, "I've seen some useful gear on some of these shelves back here."

  "Take what you need but keep quiet."

  Ismael nods at the Captain's consent and turns around to find the stuff he saw earlier.

  Returning with a sack full over his shoulder Ismael joins the group. While he was searching for useful gear the Captain and the tech outside had been trying to map out the space ahead. Using the ultrasonic range finder of the rover they've located a wall ahead in the dead center of the garage. Some ways behind that is the back wall. Between them and the partition is nothing. Beyond the partition, they can't tell.

  Ismael rummages in his sack and comes up with a hand full of flares.

  "We could throw these," he says, keeping his voice low.

  "And be seen by anyone beyond the wall?" asks Marjory, sounding a bit short of breath after the bullet she took to the chest.

  "Yes, that's a risk," Ismael explains, "but is they are using night vision just like we are, they'll be blinded by the light."

  "Okay, that's a possibility," says the Captain, "any more options?"

  "We could rush over to the partition and look from there what's next." Sander looks around the group to seek support for his option.

  "No, that's crazy," Lee says, "Anyone with an infrared scope will shoot us down as we walk."

  "What about you, Chitra?" Ismael asks.

  "I dunno," she answers, "do we want to keep silent or do we go in with a bang? I think I saw a RPG back there, I could grab it and shoot just over the wall. We'll see what's behind it and hit the back wall, or whatever is back there."

  "I'm not sure how close we are to the city here," says the Captain. To find out he asks Xabier over the text connection.

  Too close for comfort, Xabier answers.

  The Captain and Xabier send some measurements and assumptions back and forth to find out if Chitra's suggestion would in any way harm the city. After a few minutes of deliberations between the tech and their leader, the Captain comes to a conclusion.

  "We want to know where we're walking into," he says, "so we need to see better. We'll combine Ismael's idea with Chitra's. The flares will distract any people with night vision and the RPG will destroy any fortifications made there. But, we do have a chance it will be felt in the city. We cannot risk making a hole from here through the city walls. It would be a security hazard forever."

  The Captain looks around the grou
p.

  "Do you all agree?" he asks.

  One by one the team members give a confirming nod.

  Ismael and Marjory walk between the isles on the left side of the garage, while Lee and the Captain take the right side. They are to send the flares so they can see what's going on. In the center of the garage Sander and Chitra are setting up to launch the RPG. The cleared everything behind them from the shelves to minimize the risk of burning anything behind them, or set ammunition off. The Captain is the first to confirm he's in position, followed by Ismael. Chitra and Sander give the sign to send the flares.

  From both sides sounds a pop and a hiss. The flares, normally used on open water, send out a red ball of fire that will ignite after it's been shot. It didn't mask their positions though. From both sides of the partition in the center heavy gunfire starts. They're using tracer rounds to mark their aim and the two pairs need to scramble for safety further down the aisles.

  Now they know there are more hostile forces, and that the forces are well equipped. Chitra can now see the two back corners of the garage. Between is still dark, but not pitch black anymore. Glad she took her goggles off before the flares were set off she aims at the dead center and fires. The RPG leaves the tube with force and Chitra is pushed back a step, sending the grenade flying close to the ceiling. It dips down just before hitting the back wall, exploding in a ball of fire, illuminating a dig site at the back wall before showering the place with concrete and shrapnel.

  Chitra and Sander dive for cover as soon as the RPG hits, but no weapons are fired. The silence is deafening after the explosion. The light from the flares is diffused by the dust kicked up by the concussion, casting the garage in and eerie red glow.

  Status? The Captain send to all team members.

  One by one they acknowledge they're unharmed. Then all hell breaks loose.

  From behind the low wall, now illuminated from the sides by red flares, a motor is started and a sea of light shines up from behind the partition. Shades move in front of the light. The illumination increases as another engine is started. The back wall is now fully lit, showing the stark details of a dig site.

  Just above the partition, the group can see a scooped out section of the concrete. The hole is only a meter deep, but the concrete has been breached and the diggers were going through permafrost already. The RPG hit above the hole, creating a smaller hole, crumbling concrete and metal down.

  From behind the partition more shades are moving. Some of them indicate people carrying weapons. The dust from the explosion settles and the red glare of the flares is now almost drowned out by the white light.

  "There's another level below us!" Marjory says, forgoing any pretense of stealth.

  "We need to setup a defensive position," the Captain takes charge. "Lee, Chitra, go back and drag anything capable of stopping high caliber rounds up here. We stand between these shelves, dead center opposite the partition. If my guess is right there is a ramp behind it limiting their ability to use the wall as a cover. They need to setup from the sides to get us, which gives us the opportunity to get out of this."

  Lee and Chitra run back to gather materials.

  "Xabier," the Captain says in the com system, "can you setup the rover to defend us against projectile attacks?"

  "I could," Xabier's connection is weak with static interfering, "but it doesn't have ammunition or the proper gun."

  "Can we hack something?" Ismael asks.

  "You can. There is a gun mount on top. It's now used for the camera's. Take off the camera's, and be careful, then place a minigun in the cradle and link it to the rover. I will reset it to defense mode from here."

  "I haven't seen a minigun in here. Do you have an alternative?" Ismael says.

  "No, I don't."

  "Xabier," the Captain interrupts, "radio for backup, a full squad. Let them take the minigun."

  He turns to look at Ismael.

  "Did you see ammo for the minigun?"

  Ismael nods.

  "Go get it," the Captain says, then adds in his microphone, "and Xabier, let the backup bring as much hardware as they can carry."

  "Yes sir!" Xabier signs off on the com channel to radio the city guard.

  Meanwhile Sander and Marjory went scavenging for heavy weaponry to augment their mobile armaments for a stand-off situation. Chitra has already dragged the metal door Ismael hid behind earlier down the aisles, placing it at the end between two racks. Sander comes back with a heavy machine gun and Ismael returns with the minigun ammunition.

  The enemy hasn't been sitting still either. Shades are telling the Captain they're setup at the dig site. He thinks he hears a third engine now, but isn't sure. At least they didn't start lobbing over explosives already. He is wondering how much of their hardware is stored here, and how much down the lower level. Or levels. Who knows how much levels the old city needed. The records say it used to be a rural town, but that's a relative term, then and now.

  "Ismael, get more of those grenades, I want to be on the offensive right now!" he says to Ismael, who runs back to where he found a crate or the explosives.

  A few moments he returns with a metal tube, a grenade launcher, and starts setting it up. Lee, seeing what Ismael is doing, places the car doors he was dragging over in a covering position.

  "20 minutes Captain!" Xabier reports over the com-system.

  "20 minutes, copy that," the Captain responds, "Marjory, Sander, go get them."

  The pair drops the box of bullets they carried over from further down the aisle and gear up to get the backup.

  Ismael ran back twice now for boxes of grenades. He found enough of the damn things to wage a full on war in here. Placing them near the launcher so they can reach then he looks over at the Captain.

  "Shall I start already? They're not doing anything yet," he asks.

  "Might as well," the Captain says. Chitra is just bringing over another of the metal doors. Must have been an elevator or something. The things sure look sturdy. Their little fort of steel and sandbags looks good enough for now. He gives the sigh for Ismael to start.

  Ismael is still figuring out the correct angle of the launch tube while shooting grenades as fast as he can. The first few hit the ceiling and dropped in front of the partition, making the four combatants duck to keep from being hit by shrapnel. Adjusting the angle he then hits the back wall, making the things bounce off at odd angles but doing more damage. He can hear the people holed up there scream warnings each time he shoots another grenade. One or two end up down the hole, indicating panic one level lower. The shades are now almost all gone, the soldiers gone into hiding from the onslaught.

  "Why aren't they firing back?" Chitra asks.

  "I don't know!" Ismael answers as he fires another grenade into the hole, "I know they're not all dead yet, so they could give back what we send them."

  "Maybe they don't have grenades," the Captain offers.

  "What?" Ismael looks at the Captain, then back at the next grenade held by Lee to put in the tube. "Why wouldn't they have grenades? We have a full supply here. Wait, do you think?"

  The Captain nods at Ismael's revelation.

  Chitra looks at both men in turn, missing the point.

  "Tell me, guys!" she asks.

  Lee starts laughing.

  "They stored everything they had over here!" he says, "and now we have the advantage of better equipment!"

  "Yes, we do," says the Captain, "but remember, there's four of us, and a lot more of them."

  "This is just to keep them into hiding," Ismael adds, "sooner or later we need to find a way to get them for real and that means stopping the artillery and starting a ground offensive. Then they have the upper hand with better cover and more men."

  "We need to keep them from attacking us for 15 more minutes, then we have a full squad to take them down," Chitra says, "we can do that. Look at the cowards, they don't even try!"

  Then the third engine the Captain heard moves closer. A large object blocks the
light, lowering the visibility around the dig site. Ismael lobs a grenade into the hole. The obvious sound of metal on metal tell them it's a vehicle. The explosion doesn't stop it though.

  "That's a tank," Lee says, "how did they get a tank in here?"

  From behind the wall they can now see the barrel of an actual tank emerge, followed by the front end. A black stain marks where the grenade exploded.

  "Get the RPG!" the Captain shouts, shoving Chitra back down the aisle.

  The tank levels out, only the top can now be seen. The tank is still moving, grating sounds now overpowering it's engines. It's pushing aside anything it encounters, like cars used as cover. Then it stops. The turret starts turning.

  "Get out of the way!" Ismael shouts, "It's gonna shoot!"

  Scrambling to get away from their position the three men grab Chitra, carrying another RPG, and run back.

  The tank shoots, the projectile hits the low wall between the shelves and the dig site, exploding with a deafening boom. Chunks of concrete fly into the aisles, hitting hardware and splintering wood. The four city guards dive for cover, hitting the ground hard. Small bits of debris shower them. A large piece crashes down in the aisle next to them, taking with it the end stand of the shelves. The structural integrity compromised, the rack topples down into the aisle next to it, starting a domino effect on the racks further down.

  "RPG! RPG!" Ismael shouts over the ruckus made by the disintegrating wooden shelves.

  Chitra looks around. She has the RPG but no launcher. Ismael, when running from the tank, saw she left the launcher at their post. In a mad dash he turns back to get it. Running between the falling shelves he dives for the spot they were just standing ground. Feeling through the debris he cuts himself on the shrapnel leaving shallow gashes in his hands. With a stroke of luck he finds the round tube. He grabs it and runs back, just as the tank starts moving again. Back at his team mates he sits up on one knee and puts the launcher on his shoulder. Chitra loads the projectile. The space between them and the tank is full of dust. They can't see a thing beyond their previous position. But the tank must still be there, he heard it move again. It can't have moved far within confinements at the dig site. Ismael fires the RPG. It shoots down the aisle, or what's left of it, and hits something hard. The initial explosion, followed by others, blow away the dust around where the projectile hit. The tank looks unharmed, except for the fire erupting from the seal between the turret and the body. Ismael hit it in the right spot, killing the operators inside and disabling the vehicle.