When Darkness Reigns

by Preston L. Marshall

  Geo whispered a count of one thousand after the footfalls were gone before he pushed off the debris and stood up. Lumar stayed under the upended pavement a few minutes longer while Geo scanned the alleyway. Geo offered his hand and helped Lumar back on his feet.

  “It looks like they headed off in the same direction we're going,” Geo observed. “So we'll still have to be careful. The good news is since they're headed towards the base, they'll be dead by the time we get there. That place is armed to teeth. We'll be safer the closer we get to it.”

  “How much further are we?”

  “We get to the end of this alley and hang a left; we'll be right on top of it.”

  “Alright.”

  Geo started moving along the alley. He was going at a much slower pace than he had to. Lumar was thankful for it though. His feet were in so much pain he felt like he was walking on burning coals. Each step took effort. If his feet had their way, he'd plop down on the road and sit there until this was all over. Lumar knew he'd end up dead if he gave into the pain now though.

  It took half an hour to get to the end of the alleyway. The rest of the pavement was in better shape than what they'd came from. Geo was right, the closer they were getting to the base, the better off things looked. Some of the buildings they'd passed didn't even look like they'd been hit. Lumar even saw some lights on and saw the flash of gunshots in them. At least there were still soldiers fighting up there. That was a lot better than buildings burning down to nothing. There were no soldiers down on the ground with them though. Lumar wished they would run into someone who'd just take them the rest of the way.

  The end of the alley opened out onto one of the major roads. Geo stopped them so he could look up and down the road before going on the rest of the way. Lumar was happy to stop for a minute and let his feet rest. He wasn't feeling hungover anymore. That made his head feel better, but the tradeoff was that he was feeling even more of the pain he'd been gathering on their walk through the city.

  About half a mile down to their left Lumar saw the base. He'd seen it before, but never like this. It was a huge concrete 'U' with towers on all four of the corners. Usually they were just silent and dark towering reassuringly over the street, but now the towers blazed with the fire of dozens of machineguns.

  There were aliens running up and down the street in small groups trying to get inside the walls and fences. They were just scouts probing away for weakness, but with bullets blazing in every direction looking for targets Lumar was almost more afraid of getting shot by their own people if they tried to approach the base.

  Geo seemed to be thinking the same thing. “This is Corporal George Solaris. I have an injured civilian with me. We're approaching from the north. I need you guys to keep the fire off of us on our approach does anyone copy me? Over.”

  “Corporal Solaris,” Someone replied through the radio, “we read you loud and clear. I will signal you on this frequency when we can secure a safe corridor for your approach. Copy? Over.”

  “I copy you. Don't keep us waiting too long. Over.”

  Lumar felt a smile creep over his face. Just a little longer and they'd be in the clear. He felt relief carry away some of the pain even if it only lasted a minute. An explosion somewhere in the distance pulled him back to reality. A group of Sarsaul ran down the road past them towards the bunker and got mowed down by what looked like an anti-aircraft gun mounted up on the tower closest to them. Lumar was glad the Sarsaul didn't come after them. Geo had his gun up just in case.

  “I don't think I can give you a better window than this,” the radio buzzed. The Sarsaul that had just run by were pulped all over the road and Lumar wasn't able to see any more in either direction.

  “Copy. We're coming now,” Geo replied. “Run!”

  This was the only time Geo hadn't moved at an easy pace for Lumar, but he understood why. Lumar ran as fast as he could, dodging bodies and trying not slip on the thick gray Sarsaul blood. Even though his feet hated the run, Lumar was feeling so much relief as his feet bashed against the hard ground. They were in the clear now. They’d finally made it out.

  A shadow passed over Lumar's head, dancing wildly in the light cast by the burning buildings. He looked up and saw a creature just like the one from his apartment gliding through the air above them. Geo didn't seem to see it until it out a bloodthirsty scream and folded in its wings to dive. Geo stopped in his tracks and spun around quickly as his rifle rose to line up and fire on the diving alien.

  Lumar watched as the alien fell through the hail of bullets and was torn apart in the air. Geo wasn’t aiming. The bullets blew holes in the alien's arms, blew off chunks of its face and chest, shredded its wings, but it landed alive on the ground right in front of Geo. The scythe blade claws on the end of its arms rose up high into the air. Geo kept shooting. The blades fell and went through Geo's shoulders sinking halfway down into his chest. Geo's gun kept firing. The bullets ripped through the center of the creature's chest and the two of them toppled to the ground together motionless.

  Lumar's jaw dropped. He stopped dead in his tracks. All he could do was stare at the two bodies lying there on the ground. He stood there for what seemed like an eternity, desperately hoping Geo would get back up. He just couldn’t react. He watched the red and gray of human and alien blood mingle below the bodies. Geo was dead. That was too much blood.

  An explosion rang out to his right. The building on the west side of the street was hit about halfway up. The vibration in the hollow of his chest and the heat hurt just enough to bring Lumar back to his senses. There was nothing else he could do for Geo, but make sure he lived. He ran as hard as he could for the bunker while a second shower of glass gave him fresh cuts.

  There was a big metal door in the middle of the closest side of the bunker. Lumar pushed himself as hard as he could until he was in the shadow of the base's guns. When he reached the door, guards opened it just enough for him to squeeze through. The next few minutes were a blur. Lumar's head was swimming. He was lightheaded from running full speed and the bleeding was taking its toll, making him feel like he was going to pass out. He felt several pairs of hands usher him through corridors quickly going down and around until he was in the infirmary. Lumar could see the sterile whiteness and the masks the surgeons wore, but the rest was just hands pushing him and pain while he felt like he was blacking out. Next thing he knew, it felt like they scrubbing him down from head to toe with a steel brush, but they must have been getting the broken glass out. After that, they rubbed something cold and soothing all over his skin and in an instant he felt the pain in his back, arms, and feet disappear.

  “He'll live,” someone said. “Get him out of here. We've got a lot of worse cases than him to deal with.”

  With the pain leaving him and the bleeding seemingly stopped his head was a little abler to see and understand what came next. A single soldier took him down a series of staircases and hallways until they must have reached the lowest level of the base. This was where the other civilians they rescued were being kept. Lumar wasn't one hundred percent sure if his escort had said that to him or if that was just something Lumar figured out.

  When they reached the bottom, the soldier gave him a gentle push into the room and quickly ran back up the stairs. It was dark in the room. Lumar's eyes were still used to the bright white of the infirmary. Lumar found the nearest place to sit at a table just a few feet from the stairs. He sat with his back to the door. It felt good to just to sit down in a chair. He was breathing much heavier than he realized. He could finally relax and catch his breath.

  “Lumar!?” cried a familiar voice. “You're here!”

  “Nate? Oh, thank God you're okay!” Lumar answered.

  Nate threw his arms around Lumar's shoulders. Lumar winced as Nate's arms brushed against his injuries. Nate pulled back when he saw Lumar tense up at the touch. Lumar was happy to see Nate, but he knew before long he'd have to tell him about Geo. He didn't want to have to be the one to tell him, but th
ere wasn't anyone else that could take that burden from him.

  “Are you okay? What the hell's going on out there?” Nate asked. “Nobody’s told us anything. Some soldiers burst into my apartment in the middle of the night and dragged me down here with a few of the project managers from work. A few more people have been trickling in every now and then, but nobody else I recognize until you got here.”

  “It's pretty bad,” Lumar said. “The whole city's on fire and the aliens are all over the streets. Everything's going to shit. They were killing people in their homes. One of them killed that guy across the hall right in front of me.”

  “How'd you make it here then?” Nate asked.

  Lumar's face dropped. He had to tell him about his brother. “Well...um...I was with your brother Geo.”

  Nate grinned from ear to ear. “I should have known. Geo's so strong and tough. I bet he carried here you didn't he? What's with that face?”

  “He didn't make it,” Lumar admitted. He felt sick to his stomach the moment the words left his lips.

  “What?” Nate asked. “How? He was so strong.”

  Nate's hands covered his mouth. He dropped down into a chair beside Lumar and let his elbows rest on the table. Lumar tried to look Nate in the eye for a moment, but when he saw the tears forming there he was too ashamed to keep eye contact for more than a second. Neither of them said anything for a long time.

  “This is it then isn't it?” Nate asked. “This is all the people they’ve managed to save. Everyone else is dead.”

  There were only maybe fifty people inside the shelter. The shelter could hold a thousand people. It was part of the old town that lay beneath the city. It was separated by thick walls and gates, but it was still part of the underground. Things must have been pretty bad down there too or more people would have taken shelter here from the underground. The emptiness in the bunker magnified the sheer volume of death the attack had left in its wake.

  “I don’t know. There's other places people could have gone. This is just the west side of town. There's another base on the east side of the town too. I mean, there could be more people there.” Lumar said trying to sound as hopeful as he could.

  Nate's face didn't change. Lumar's words were hollow. He knew it. It was the best consolation he could offer. They didn’t say anything else for a long time. Lumar was almost sick from the guilt of unloading the news that Nate's brother was dead. There was still some comfort in knowing Nate was okay. He hoped he could be some comfort for Nate, but Lumar just couldn't find the words. Nate had so much more to lose. He had a huge family. All Lumar had was his parents. Being there was about all he was able to do for Nate.

  It was intensely quiet in the underground. The thick stone and metal walls shielded them from the sounds of the fighting above. There was some sobbing coming from a dark corner. Lumar was probably the only person who'd said anything to them about what was going on outside. That was just one more person he'd given bad news to. He hated that. But the silence did help Lumar regain some of his composure even if he was feeling guilty for being the bearer of bad news. He sighed heavily. The cold subterranean air felt good and clean in his lungs.

  The huge steel bunker doors flung open and in came a large neat, but worn man. He was wearing a skintight black body suit under a blue officer's dress jacket. It looked like he'd just thrown it on over the body suit to show off the golden oak leaf pinned to the breast of his jacket that designated him as major. By the looks of him, stress was weighing heavily on his shoulders. He’d probably been awake all night. His eyes were bloodshot red with dark bags underneath. His face looked like it had been locked into a frown for years. He was followed by another soldier, in full armor except for a helmet, who towered over him. This guy must have been over seven feet tall, with skin so dark Lumar could barely see his face in the dim lights in the shelter.

  “People, I know you’ve all been through a lot already in the last few hours, but my men are getting spread thin and air support won’t arrive for a few more hours. I've got more guns than I've got hands to hold them. I need volunteers to help me hold the line until our support arrives,” the tired officer said. “I can’t force you to fight, but our survival may be counting on it. Are there any volunteers?”

  “I’ll go,” Lumar said.

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  Chapter Three

  Lumar shot up from his seat so fast he was lightheaded. The moment after he raised his hand and declared he would fight; he couldn't believe those two words had come out of his mouth. He couldn’t tell if he meant it or if he was just acting out of impulse. He wished he could just sit back down and take it back. It occurred to him that he was probably still a little bit in shock from everything he’d just gone through and there was no way he was thinking clearly. Lumar looked around. He was the only one that stood up. He knew he was making a mistake now.

  “No, no, no, Lumar, you can't go. You're hurt!” Nate objected. “Look at him! He's all cut up from head to toe!”

  “It's feeling a lot better after they gave me that stuff.” Lumar closed his eyes. That was his out and he just missed it.

  The Major honestly looked surprised that anyone stood up at all. It took him a second or two to process the fact that he wasn't leaving empty handed.

  “E--excellent,” stuttered the officer, “Sergeant Miller take this man out to the armory, get him set up, and make sure he knows which end of the gun to point at the enemy. Don't need him shooting himself or one of ours.”

  “Yes, sir,” he barked, “This way kid.”

  “Wait!” Nate shouted as he shot up from his seat. “If he's going, I'm coming too.”

  “Good,” the Major said. “Take him too, Sergeant.”

  “Sir,” the Sergeant objected, “this man is one of the assets we recovered when the attack started. Our standing orders are to keep him and the rest of Logan's brains safe in case of an attack.”

  “Then keep him safe Radcliff,” the Major ordered. “Get moving. There's no time for standing around arguing. And get this one something to wear.”

  “Come on then,” Radcliff said ushering them up the stairs.

  Radcliff led Lumar and Nate down a series of winding corridors. It felt like it would be easy to get lost in this place. The only thing Lumar recognized was the infirmary. As they walked past, they had to bear hearing suffering wounded screaming inside. A couple of the surgical theaters had glass walls. Lumar couldn't turn his eyes away from what he saw through the first occupied one they passed. There were four operating tables soaked in blood. On one table was a man in a military uniform. He'd lost his left arm at the elbow and his chest was covered in smaller cuts with pools of blood forming in them. The other three tables had civilians on them. Lumar could tell they were the civilians even though there was nothing about their dress that gave them away. It was the screaming. They were wailing in agony. Two women and one man took the last three tables. The soldier was biting down on something and bearing the pain nearly silently. Lumar didn't get a chance to look closely at the other three's injuries before Radcliff led them away.

  A couple more turns and they were at the armory. There was a soldiers standing guard in front of it. He was in full armor, but wasn't wearing his helmet. He'd left it resting on the desk to the left side of the door.

  “Sergeant,” the guard said with a nod as Radcliff approached. “Who are these two?”

  “Volunteers,” Sergeant Miller replied. “I need them suited up and armed. Give me the keys.”

  “Here you are,” the guard said unhooking the keyring from his belt and holding it out to him.

  “Thanks.”

  Radcliff opened the armory door and stepped through. Nate and Lumar followed. Through the locked door was a short hallway that branched off to the left and the right. Radcliff led them to the left. Before Radcliff even opened the next door Lumar could smell the stale sweaty air coming from the room.

  As the smell hinted
, the room was a locker room where the soldiers kept their gear. There were three rows of lockers, one on each wall and one forming an island in the middle. There were showers in the back. On either side of the door, wooden shelves took up the whole wall, floor to ceiling. They were covered in odds and ends of clothing and armor.

  Radcliff started digging through one of the shelves. “This should fit you,” he said tossing a body glove at Lumar. “And this one should fit you,” he said throwing another at Nate. “It'll probably feel a little tight at first, but you'll get used to it.”

  The body gloves were black single piece garments that covered from the chin all the way down to the feet. The only parts of the body that weren't covered were the hands and head. It was a standard issue body suit that went under the armor the soldiers wore. Lumar took a precautionary whiff of his before proceeding any further. It smelled like it had been worn before. At least it was dry.

  “Strip out of your clothes. You won't need your underwear or anything. Hurry it up. I'll wait outside,” Radcliff said.

  When they were alone Lumar started undressing. He turned his back to Nate. It was awkward even though they knew each other. “You didn't have to come,” Lumar offered.