“I’m sorry, man. You’re not having much luck,” Malyn said, and she seemed genuinely disappointed for me.
“Yeah. Seems that way.”
“Well, we’re not hanging around,” Lunn said, hefting his rifle. “We’re heading to the perimeter, and we’re going to take our chances. From here, it looks like Ascension City is about to become a giant crater, and I don’t want to be around when that happens.”
“Why not head back to The Midway?” I said. “Surely there’s protection there for you.”
“We already tried that,” Malyn said. “The Ascension soldiers who were there turned us back, told us to avoid the crossfire and bunker down somewhere.”
“Oh yeah, they were real helpful,” Elias drawled.
“In other words, we were told to go away,” Malyn said.
“So we’re going to do just that,” Lunn said. “We’re going to get out of here.”
“I’m telling you, you won’t make it,” I insisted.
“We’ll see about that,” Lunn replied with a note of finality, turning his back.
They began to move off and Malyn looked back to me. “Why don’t you come with us?” she said with an affable grin, as if she were inviting me to join them on a stroll through the countryside. Behind the swagger I could see doubt creeping in.
“You’ll be easy meat all by yourself, Cleanskin,” Elias said, walking away. “Think about it.” I noted that he was not even in possession of a gun, equipped instead with a jagged length of wood.
“C’mon, let’s move,” Lunn said urgently without looking back.
“Tag along,” Malyn offered again. “If things get dicey, you can always head back to The Midway. Right?”
I was about to respond when the ground shook with a series of explosions, and in the distance there were raucous cheers from a great number of voices, like the sound of a delirious crowd at an unseen football stadium. Lunn and the others came to a sudden standstill.
“Well,” Elias mused, “I’m not sure I like the sound of that.”
“But who’s celebrating? And why?” Lunn said.
In answer, there soon came a noise not unlike the distant rumble of thunder that seemed to grow gradually louder by the second. The surety of Lunn and the others was whittled away as the noise intensified, and there were more than a few concerned glances passed between them. The bravado of the group faltered and no one moved. Within a minute the sound began to resonate through the asphalt and the walls around us like the beginnings of some colossal earthquake. The vibrations that worked their way up through my boots brought with them a feeling of uneasiness, and I could see from the faces around me that I wasn’t the only one who felt that way.
“They’re coming,” I said, and this time there was no derisiveness or scepticism amongst the others. They were starting to believe.
Dark shapes began to fill the street several blocks to the south, coagulating like tar as they spilled in from the direction of the battle at the edge of the city. Without being able to discern any details, it was still obvious that these were not Ascension soldiers. These intruders more resembled a mob than a military operation, a pack of gleeful rioters striding confidently forward, their boots thumping boldly on the asphalt. In their wake came vehicles more heard than seen, their tyres and treads shaking the very earth as they ground their way onward.
“They’re coing,” I said again. “We need to go. Now.”
“I’m starting to agree with you, kid,” Elias said, turning and shambling back toward me. “I think we should hoof it.”
Lunn and the others only took a few more moments to consider as the noise grew louder and the shapes down the street drew nearer, and then they too turned and began to head back the other way. There was the sound of glass breaking, then more explosions, and fire blossomed around the approaching Marauders. It seemed clear that they were intent on destroying all that lay in their way.
“So where to?” Lunn said, breaking into a run. “I’m not hiding around here. Not with that steamroller moving up behind us and flattening everything in its path.”
“I have no idea,” I said, “but we have to put some distance between us and them.”
A couple of blocks ahead I could see the outline of The Midway, where figures were scurrying about on the roof making their final preparations for the invaders. I allowed the others to lead me eastward, away from The Midway. I was relying upon their superior knowledge of the city to take us in the right direction, to somewhere that was safe or which would lead us out of the city. It wasn’t long before we found more problems, however.
The Marauders were moving in from this direction as well.
“How many of these bastards are there?” Elias spat.
“More than we can deal with. Let’s go,” Lunn said. “Back this way.”
We retraced our path and headed back the way we had come, and the Marauders kept advancing. I could now make out individual voices as they roared their threats and challenges, inexorably swarming nearer like a deadly black tide. We wouldn’t last long against them if they caught us – not against that number. There was only one possible outcome from that confrontation.
Herded like sheep, we continued to run, drawing closer to The Midway with each passing second.
“Why do I feel like the meat in the sandwich?” Lunn muttered. “We’re going to butt up against Ascension soon.”
“And then they’ll tell us to turn back, right?” Malyn said.
“Before or after they put bullets through our skulls?” Lunn said.
“We don’t have a choice,” I said, glancing over my shoulder. “Just keep moving.”
We came upon a juncture where an Ascension blockade had been erected in the middle of the street, blocks of concrete hastily erected at the last minute from what I could tell. As we appeared, shots rang out and thudded into the wall next to my ear.
“Dammit, stop shooting!” I called out, diving for cover. “We’re not Marauders!”
I could see a soldier perched above the blockade training a pair of binoculars in our direction. After a moment she dropped the viewfinders and I could see that it was the female with the top knot who had previously been guarding the entrance to The Midway.
“Get out of here,” she called, waving her hand. “Dusters are moving in on your position right now.”
“Don’t you think we know that?” Malyn called out. She rolled her eyes, then added more quietly, “I guess Ascension don’t make their new recruits take IQ tests.”
“Then vacate the area,” the soldier said.
“There’s nowhere else to go,” I said, hoping to appeal to her sense of sympathy. In answer, the soldier disappeared from view.
I glanced around at my companions desperately, fearing all was lost. It was apparent that the same attitude had permeated the rest of the group as well. Elias slumped back against the wall, spent. Lunn just stared back at me, his expression unreadable. Malyn stood looking at her feet, disconsolate.
It can’t end here, I thought. There has to be a way.
“Fuck this,” Malyn said, getting up and turning back in the direction of the Marauders, pumping a round into her shotgun. “Let’s go out in a blaze of glory.”
“Wait,” I said calmly, placing my hand on her arm. She looked back at me, surprised. “Just let me try something first.”
Without waiting for her assent, I turned and strode out into the open, walking slowly toward the blockade with my handgun dangling from my hand submissively.
“Hey, Top knot,” I called. “You still there?”
There was a brief pause before she appeared above the blockade again, rifle raised.
“I told you to get out of here,” she said. “I won’t warn you again.”
“Do you know what you’re up against?” I said, coming to a halt. “Have you seen what’s coming?”
“The news has been relayed to me,” she said.
“Well, I’ve seen it,” I said. “First-hand. And I can tell you, y
ou’re outnumbered. Maybe outgunned, too. Cabre’s intel about the Marauders was flawed. He admitted as much himself when he personally invited me into his Humvee a couple of hours ago.”
She let the rifle dip. “Don’t try name-dropping to make out you’re someone special, huh? We both know you’re not.”
“You sure about that?”
“Yeah, I am. Now get the hell out of here before I drop you myself.”
“Are you that stupid?” I yelled. “You have almost ten clanks trying to offer you help. You’re outnumbered, and we can fight for you. Is any of this adding up yet?”
Her eyes flicked to the handgun that dangled between my fingers. “Can you use that thing?” she said hesitantly.
“Do you think I’d still be alive if I couldn’t?”
She glanced behind me, where Malyn and the others had drifted out into the street to watch.
“Cleanskin,” Malyn called over the clamour of the approaching crowd. “We’re out of time.”
Top knot watched me for a moment longer, then beckoned with her fingertips. “Hurry up. Get in here.” Then she called over her shoulder. “Let these ones in.” A rope was thrown over the wall and dangled before me.
I shuffled forward, surprised that I’d been able to persuade her, but grateful nonetheless. I heard the voice of another soldier as I neared the top of the wall.
“This is in direct conflict to our orders–”
“I don’t give a shit,” Top knot barked. “He’s right. We need the help.” She came into view as I scrambled over the peak of the blockade, pressing a thick hand to my shoulder and looking me squarely in the eye. “You screw this up, and I’ll personally throw you back over this goddamn wall,” she said. Then she released her grip on me and let me pass.
Behind me, Malyn, Lunn and the rest hurried toward us and reached the blockade in quick time. As they climbed over the wall I saw perhaps twenty Ascension soldiers lining the ramparts with grim and resolute expressions, their rifles at the ready.
“Where the hell is everybody?” I said.
“We have a lot of territory to protect,” Top knot explained as Elias was assisted over the wall, straining and grunting and cursing. “We also have a lot of troops who were outside the city when the attack came.”
“They caught you by surprise,” Lunn said, checking the rounds in his weapon.
Top knot glared back at him. “Yes,” she said grudgingly. “Now if you’re finished chewing me out, how about you ready those weapons and protect the right flank.” She swung up onto an elevated position on the blockade and pointed. “Over there. Just don’t shoot anything in a grey uniform.”
“I think we figured that part out,” Elias grumbled, hefting his wooden club.
“Let us handle the bulk of their force. Don’t spray shots and waste ammunition. Your job is to pick off anything that falls through the cracks.”
“Got it,” I said. “I don’t have much ammo, but I’ll do what I can.”
Looking through what I had, I counted only five rounds in my possession. With such a short supply, I really would have to make every shot count.
“Hey,” Top knot said, taking me by the shoulder, “since we’re low on numbers, there’s something else you can do for me.” She opened an olive-coloured carry case and indicated to several devices stacked inside. “These things are timed explosives. We call ’em ‘spitballs’.” She took one out and handed it to me. It was little more than a couple of rectangular lumps of explosive wired together with a keypad on the front. “These are pretty foolproof. Nice and easy. Just pull this tab on the back and the adhesive will secrete through these pads. It’ll stick to just about anything.” She flipped it over. “Then just punch in the seconds on the keypad here and hit the red button. There’s a failsafe built in that won’t allow less than sixty seconds for the timer – that’s so you can’t accidentally blow yourself up. But once that red button is pushed, there’s no going back. Make sure you’re not nearby when it goes off.”
“So when should I use it?” I said.
“You wait for my command before touching one. If the Dusters start getting through and we’re forced to fall back, stick it here on the wall of the blockade. We can leave a little surprise for the bastards as they follow through.”
“Okay, got it.”
The ever-present creases on her forehead lessened for a moment. “I wouldn’t normally trust this kind of thing to a civilian, but right now I don’t have much choice. I need every man with a rifle up on that wall. Don’t let me down,” she said, moving off.
Malyn and the others had already hustled over to the right flank, finding positions as best they could, and I eased in beside them. The Ascension soldiers ignored us for the most part, their attention firmly directed out into the street, where the noise was still steadily growing. I became aware of the vibrations again, the ominous herald of many large things approaching, and dust began to spill from the edges of the concrete blockade like runnels of sweat cascading down its exterior.
“Good luck, man,” Malyn said at my side, her eyes fixed on the street.
“I’ll see you at the end of this, Malyn,” I said, then lifted the handgun and placed it through a gap in the wall.
We didn’t have to wait long for them to arrive.
19
We waited and watched the empty street for what seemed like an eternity, even though in reality it was only a few minutes that passed. The rumbling grew louder and the vibrations more violent, to the point where it seemed the whole city was about to shake apart. Then, almost anticlimactically, something dark and angular trundled out from a side street a few hundred metres away like a half-shrouded goliath, unhurried and unconcerned by the firepower poised behind the blockade not far away. I had been expecting a torrent of screaming Marauders to appear, spilling into the street and turning the zone into a clamour of noise and frenetic activity, but instead it was this innocuous shadow that arrived – an intruder that possessed all the menace of a tour bus on a languid Sunday afternoon foray through the city.
I wasn’t the only one caught off guard. Several Ascension soldiers lost their nerve, firing down at the thing ineffectually, causing no more damage than to send sparks dancing off its exterior in the darkness.
“Hold your fire!” Top knot yelled. She called out again, enunciating each word clearly and deliberately. “Hold-your-fire.”
Off to our left, one of the soldiers lost his footing on the blockade and slipped noisily, grunting in frustration as his body hit the ground like a bag of cement.
“Peterson, get your shit in order,” Top knot commanded irritably. “The rest of you wait for my command.” She peered down the street. “And someone get me eyes on that thing. I want to know what it is.”
It crept closer, nearing the edge of the illumination cast by the floodlights behind the blockade, and then a pair of headlights flared into life, dazzlingly bright. Its momentum seemed to pick up and its engine roared dully as it began to bounce along the street.
“Hold!” Top knot ordered. “Wait for my go!”
As it came into the light I could see that it was about the size of a school bus with a tapered front end like an armadillo shell. I also understood why it appeared so angular and misshapen. Large steel plates had been welded across its exterior in a kind of patchwork, jutting out at all angles as if no attempt had been made to integrate them into a cohesive mesh. Cosmetic concerns aside, the vehicle looked incredibly robust, and I knew that firing my handgun at it would have no effect.
“Hold!”
It came closer still, picking up more speed, and now its engine groaned as it was pushed to the limit. If they were intending to use this thing as a battering ram, we only had a few more seconds to stop it.
“Fire!” Top knot called above the din, and shots rang out instantly along the length of the blockade. Bullets sparked and ricocheted along the length of the vehicle, denting and scratching the steel in places but causing nothing more than superficial damage
.
“RPG, go!” Top knot shouted, waving her hand.
In the building across the street I saw a soldier suddenly appear at a third-storey window, an RPG on his shoulder, and after the briefest pause to track his target, he let fly, sending a rocket smashing into the side of the vehicle with a tremendous roar. One of the armadillo’s wheels disintegrated and it slid to a grinding halt, fire engulfing one side, and then a group of Marauders suddenly emerged from its interior, like spiderlings scurrying from a broken egg sac.
They screamed and charged at us, many intoxicated with bloodlust, while others were simply covered in flames and screaming not in intimidation, but in agony. Regardless, they came at us as one, paying no heed to their own well-being, some equipped with rifles and shotguns, others with machetes and clubs.
“Fire at will!” Top knot yelled.
Remembering Top knot’s orders, I allowed the Ascension soldiers to do the shooting, keeping my barrel raised and directed at the nearest invaders should they make it through. Several of the Marauders lobbed Molotovs and explosives at us before they went down, and I saw three or four soldiers hit on the other end of the blockade as the projectiles found their targets. In less than a minute the Marauders had been accounted for, however, and they lay strewn across the street before us with bulletholes in their heads and their chests, some still in flames, but silent to the last.
Down the street another of the armadillo vehicles was already coming at us, complete with a mob of Marauders trailing behind as if it were a giant shield. Top knot wasted no time in bringing out the heavy artillery this time.
“RPG, target at your ten o’clock. Fire!”
The soldier with the RPG finished reloading and took aim again, firing and striking the ground just before the oncoming vehicle, sending up a gout of dust and broken asphalt but otherwise leaving the vehicle unharmed. The armadillo bounced through the shallow crater left by the rocket and continued on unhindered.
“Make it count!” Top knot screamed.
The Fires of Yesterday (The Silent Earth, Book 3) Page 16
