by T A Williams
“Incoming,” Reaper shouted.
Ben felt another soldier grab Reaper on the other side and together they ran out of the building just before the missile struck the building, sending debris everywhere. The blast knocked Ben off his feet and Reaper and the other soldier were knocked to the ground as well. As the ringing in his ears began to subside he picked up another sound.
“Helo incoming!” one of the soldiers yelled.
Ben helped Reaper back up and they took off down the nearest dark alley. Dex led them down more alleyways and across several streets all the while a helicopter hovered above the city sending a beam of light out. It never found them. They finally stopped and found shelter in the lobby of a hotel.
Ben sat Reaper down on a nearby couch and the man’s eyes searched the group.
“Harrison?” Reaper asked.
Ghost walked to Reaper and shook his head.
Ben couldn’t remember which soldier was Harrison, but the man was dead nonetheless.
Ghost got down on his knees and began to clean Reaper’s wound. Reaper looked past him.
“You have ten minutes to patch yourselves back up, then we need to get back on the move.”
No one said anything but they all began to get out bandages or reload their guns. Ty came over and sat down next to Ben. The man’s face was covered in grime but he smiled.
“We made it.”
Ben patted him on the back and leaned his head against the wall. He felt Reaper’s gaze on him and turned to the man. Reaper’s face didn’t change but he nodded once toward him before returning to his conversation with Ghost.
They had made it, this time.
Ally
She couldn’t remember the last time she had seen so many people.
As they approached Los Angeles they began to see a few people on the outskirts, either walking down the road or just traveling off in the distance. Those few people turned into a dozen, those dozen into a hundred and before Ally knew it there were people everywhere. They all immediately tensed up. They knew that as they got closer to Los Angeles they would begin to see more people but the thought of people being nothing more than threats wouldn’t leave their minds. The city of Los Angeles was still off in the distance and above it was a dark cloud of smoke that was still being filled from whatever burning ruins still remained.
People walked through the streets and outside of their worn clothing things almost seemed normal. They led their horses from the highway onto the roads of East Los Angeles where they attracted a few glances but nothing that caused concern. The people seemed more interested in the horses than the people on the back of them. As they passed a street corner Ally noticed a man with an armband just above his bicep. The armband was black and a crude red white and blue flag was stitched across it. The man stood at attention watching people walk by and when he caught sight of them his gaze followed. Before Ally could turn away the man saw her staring at him and his face softened and he gave her a wink.
“Where are we going?” Ally heard Adam ask Dena. The woman didn’t answer so he repeated the question.
Dena turned to him with a wild look in her eye. “Where the hell else are we going? To USC, to our daughter.”
Adam looked out at the smoke rising from Los Angeles and turned back toward her. Dena didn’t follow his gaze. “Dena, maybe we should stop and rest for a bit. Ask around to find out the safest way to get there.”
Anger flashed on her face. “We’re so close and you want-”
“I want to get there safe. This will be a waste if we came all this way to get killed miles from USC.”
The anger subsided and Dena looked back out toward the smoke of Los Angeles. “Ok.”
“Where did you buy the horses?” The voice was from the man with the armband.
“They’re ours,” Adam said quickly.
“I figured they were,” the man smiled warmly at them. “I asked where you found them. We’ve been trying to get as many horses from Wyoming as we can but the pickings are slim.”
Adam looked to Dena, who just stared at the man suspiciously. “We got them from a farm,” Adam stumbled. “In the Midwest.”
“So where are you from?”
“Connecticut,” Coby said from behind Dena.
The man whistled. “I don’t think I’ve talked to anyone that has traveled that far. Most people that far off have either stuck to the east coast or headed down to Mexico. You mind if I ask why you came so far?” The man asked.
Adam looked to Dena again and didn’t say anything.
The man noticed his hesitation. “Sorry, of course all I am to you all is a stranger. The name is Eric.” He pointed toward his armband. “I am a peacekeeper. The army is doing the fighting and I’m helping make sure that order is maintained. You don’t have to tell me anything.”
Ally looked behind the man and could see a few more people with the armbands mixed throughout the crowds.
“We’re looking for our daughter,” Adam said. “She goes to…went to school at USC.”
Eric’s face went blank and he wiped his nose with his hand. “You heard from her since it went dark?”
Adam shook his head no.
“Well, damn,” Eric said, looking over his shoulder. “I’m sure she is fine but USC is a ruin. It was hit during the first invasion.”
Ally noticed Dena drop her head and start to shake. The woman shook her head no several times then didn’t move.
Adam glanced in her direction but returned his attention on the peacekeeper. “The first invasion? In Louisiana there were Koreans everywhere. Are they the ones who invaded us?”
“We’re mostly Chinese here. I’m not in the army but I heard the Koreans invaded through the Gulf while the Chinese hit us on both coasts. First wave slammed against us like a wall and we managed to fight them back. Second one was a little rougher.” He ran his hand over his face. “They just sat out there in the ocean and shot missiles at us for weeks. We still fought back when their feet hit the ground though.”
“Are they gone?” Ally asked, knowing that the smoke suggested otherwise.
“No,” Eric sighed. “They stopped pushing in a few months ago. They’re either running out of reinforcements and supplies or they are just directing them elsewhere. Probably the east coast because we’re not giving in here.”
“Where did the students go?” Dena asked, her voice soft and delicate.
Eric looked to her then Adam and back again. “Honestly, most of them left the campus well before the first wave. The army had several camps set up here and farther south. They didn’t want people staying around Los Angeles until they could clear out a lot of the gang activity. It’s not as bad now.”
“Where would they have taken her?” Dena asked.
“I honestly don’t know,” Eric said. “Wasn’t a lot of order back then. People kind of just went wherever they could.”
Dena turned her horse and faced in the direction of the city.
“Is there a safe place to stay?” Adam asked.
“You’re just on the outskirts of the safe zone. Go three blocks north of here and you’ll hit it.”
“What’s the safe zone?” Ally asked.
“Army set it up and assigned a bunch of us to keep order. It’s a place where you can go to be safe, relatively speaking. Most days the Army provides everyone with a meal but their supplies are getting a little low so don’t expect a grand feast. If you find an empty place consider it yours; you just have to put up a sign stating it’s occupied and let one of the peacekeepers know.”
Adam tried to catch Dena’s attention but the woman was still staring off in the distance. “We’ll check it out,” he said after a time.
“I want to go,” Dena said softly. “I want to go see the school.”
“You can’t,” Eric said. “The Chinese are still out there roving around in small groups and the Army restricted it. You don’t want to be caught out there in the middle of a firefight.”
Dena didn’t ac
knowledge him.
Adam nodded in agreement. “We understand.”
“Follow me and I can show you the safe zone,” Eric offered.
For a second it appeared that Dena was either going to take off in the direction of the city or merely stay there and stare off into the distance until nightfall, but finally she turned and began to follow them. The woman’s cheeks were moist and her eyes were red.
Ben
The only color breaking through the unrelenting white of snow was the dark shapes of the trees and the leftover ruins of the buildings. Most of the buildings looked like darkly covered icicles growing from the ground, but a few had bricks that were dark enough to distinguish them from the winter wonderland that surrounded them. The biting wind swept through the city every few moments, causing Ben to pull up his jacket further, making him feel like a turtle desperately trying to hide in its shell. Next to him Ohio did the same thing. Only Crimson seemed unaffected by the cold. The only sign that she felt it was the fact her cheeks looked almost as red as her hair.
“There they go,” Crimson said as she hunkered back down behind the car.
Ben peeked around the front of the car and watched as the Humvees drove down the street a few blocks ahead of them.
“They run this same route twice per week,” Ben said as he watched a supply truck roll past. “They must have another base farther north.”
Crimson marked something in the small notepad that she carried with her. “That would give them three bases. Their HQ on Long Island, the base on the southern edge of Brooklyn and then wherever this new base is.”
“Their heading north so probably somewhere up north on Manhattan or farther north up into the Bronx,” Ohio said.
The enemy had established a foothold and was now expanding. Their attacks on the Chinese supply lines may have slowed them down, but not by much. Since their initial attacks the Chinese had begun to send out more patrols and were hunting them, and any other resistance, down. Between the increased patrols and the harsh winter there wasn’t much they could do, outside of scout and try not to freeze to death.
“All right, we should head back,” Crimson said as the last Humvee drove around the corner.
“You think Reaper will have us hit them here?” Ohio asked as he stood up.
Crimson shrugged her shoulders and began to walk back toward their temporary base.
Ohio looked to Ben, who also shrugged. If Ohio hadn’t realized yet that Crimson wasn’t exactly the most forthcoming person, he probably never would.
“So how long have you been following Reaper?” Ohio asked.
“I don’t follow him,” Crimson said quickly. “We share the same enemy and same goal.”
“Isn’t this his unit?” Ohio asked.
“It’s his unit because our last leader was killed.”
“And what happens if he gets killed?”
“Then someone else steps up.”
Ohio again looked to Ben, shook his head and picked up his pace until he was out in front.
Ben got in step with Crimson and she glanced in his direction.
“You know, you did a good job keeping your head on straight when we were attacked a few weeks back. Reaper would never admit it but you probably saved his life.”
“Thanks,” he said, smiling. “He’s not the thank-you type, I take it?”
“He’s a man; you all never want to admit when you need help. It’s an inherent flaw with your gender.”
“And what about your gender? What’s your inherent flaw?” Ben asked.
“That the majority of us are attracted to men.” She smiled. It was the first time Ben had seen that.
Their new base was in the Lower East Side of Manhattan on a block with several apartment complexes. Before the world went dark Ben’s only image of New York had been based on TV shows and movies, and this area seemed to fit that image exactly. Apartment buildings right on top of each other with a lone set of stairs leading into the building and another leading down to the lower level.
“I’ll go report to Reaper,” Crimson said as they entered their block. “You all can go get some grub.”
“I’ll go with you,” Ohio said. “I need to switch out with Ty.”
They no longer stayed together in the same building. Reaper had them split up into two separate buildings, one at the beginning of the block and another in the middle. If they were attacked again it would be easier to defend, according to Reaper.
Ben walked into their building and welcomed the warmth that swept over him. There wasn’t a fire or anything generating warmth within the building but the walls blocking out the freezing wind instantly made it seem like he was next to a furnace. He opened the first apartment door and nodded toward Ghost and Dex, who were sitting on the couch bundled up with several blankets.
“Everyone ok?” Dex asked.
“Back in one piece,” Ben answered.
“Patrol or supply convoy?” Reaper asked as he rounded the corner.
“Supply convoy,” Ben said. “I…I thought you were down the street. Crimson went down to find you and report.”
Reaper’s injury hadn’t been severe. For the first week he wasn’t able to move on his own but the last few days he had been able to put weight on his bad leg. He should be staying off his feet or at the very least using something to help him walk, but he refused.
“I can only be cooped up in one place for so long.” Reaper leaned up against the wall. “Well armed?”
“Crimson has a better eye for that than I do. But there were at least four Humvees. No one on the main guns, probably because of the cold.”
Reaper thought for a moment.
“We have the supplies to hit it, boss?” Dex asked from the couch.
“Yes,” Reaper said, staring at the floor. “I’ll go talk to Crimson. Ben, walk with me.”
Ben nodded and tried to soak up as much warmth as he could before he got back out into the cold. As soon as they opened the door the cold took his breath away. Much like Crimson, Reaper didn’t seem to feel it. The man walked slowly but he didn’t show any signs of pain, outwardly.
“Leg doing ok, sir?” Ben asked.
“Yes, yes, it’s fine. Don’t need someone else looking after me. Ghost is bad enough as it is. I’ll survive, Ricers aren’t going to get rid of me that easily.”
They continued walking down the street. All the while Ben wondered why Reaper asked him to walk out with him. The sound came from nowhere. One moment the only sound was the cold wind blowing through the empty streets. The next an ear-piercing scream shattered the silence.
“Screamer!” Reaper yelled as he threw his body into Ben and they fell to the ground.
Seconds later the base where Crimson, Ty, Ohio and the others were exploded into a ball of fire. The concussion of the blast knocked Ben’s head back and for a moment the world went hazy. He heard shouting from behind them, he felt Reaper trying to get to his feet but when he attempted to do the same his body refused to cooperate.
“You ok?” Dex yelled as he grabbed Ben.
His mind cleared and he nodded.
“Get to cover,” Reaper yelled. “It’s a fucking drone.”
Ben managed to get to his feet and looked over at the destruction of the building. Flames licked the sides of the building, causing the surrounding ice and snow to melt on top of it.
“What about the others?” Ben asked.
“That thing is still up there; get your ass to safety,” Reaper yelled.
Ben couldn’t do that.
He was on his feet and running toward the burning building before he even realized he had decided to do so. He heard Reaper yell out after him but he kept running. As he approached the building the warmth of the flames felt good against his skin. The front of the building was nothing more than an open wound facing the world. There was no way anyone could have survived that.
Then he heard a cry for help.
From the alleyway behind the building emerged a single figure, C
rimson. Her face was bloody and covered in grime but she was alive. She waved for him.
“I need help.”
Ben ran to her and she led him to the back of the building where he found Ty lying underneath a large piece of what appeared to be a wall. The man was unconscious and his face was covered in blood. Ben took one side while Crimson took the other. He let out a scream as he helped lift the piece of debris from on top of Ty. Crimson crouched down next to the wounded man and checked his pulse.
“He’s alive,” she said.
Ben ran to the back door of the building and stopped. The flames covered nearly everything. He couldn’t get in even if he had wanted to. Inside he saw blood, he saw limbs and he saw just enough of Ohio to know the man was dead.
“Ben, I can’t carry him alone,” Crimson yelled at him.
Ben told Ohio goodbye and ran to help.
They made it two blocks when they heard another scream and heard another building burst into flames. He was too far away to see but Ben figured it was probably the other base that got hit.
“That’s good,” Crimson told him. “That means it isn’t following us. They don’t know where we are.”
The struggled through the snow covered streets for several more blocks until Ben saw Dex emerge from a building and wave them over. Crimson and him carried Ty into the building and sat him down against the wall, where Ghost began to look at him. Ben saw Reaper standing there against the wall with a grim look on his face.
Ben didn’t hesitate. He ran to Reaper and struck the man in the face. Reaper stumbled back a few steps and as Ben swung again the man was ready. He blocked Ben’s follow-up punch and his counter sent Ben reeling and onto his back. Reaper grabbed him by the shirt, picked him up and slammed him against the wall, where he kept him pinned.
“You could have helped,” Ben screamed. “You could have helped me get the rest.”
“Get the rest what?” Reaper growled. “Pick up body parts? Identify the remains? What the fuck do you think I could have done?”
“She needed help,” Ben said. “Ty was caught under debris.”
“That Ty?” Reaper pointed toward the injured man on the floor. “Looks to me like he managed to get unstuck and right back here.”
