The men's unpleasant behavior began to escalate when Charles began to cry. One of the men picked him up and put a knife to his throat in front of Lisa. She screamed for them to stop and tried to move toward him but one of the other soldiers wrapped his arms around her neck and put her in a choke hold. She maneuvered her head downward far enough to allow her to bite the man's arm, he screamed in pain and pushed her to the floor. The other soldiers laughed at him as he inspected the bite mark on his arm and wiped away the blood. He became infuriated, embarrassed, he glared at Lisa. His anger so overwhelming and intense, it nearly changed the temperature of the room. He grabbed her by the hair dragged her out of the room kicking and screaming.
Jake, having witnessed enough of the barbaric and heinous behavior, rose to his feet and shouted at the man, “You let the young lady go you coward.” One of the other men lunged at Jake, but before he could strike him, his feet were taken from beneath him when Jamal dived into his knees. The other man let go of Charles and rushed Jamal. Regina lunged at the man and they both fell to the ground. Sheila reared back and prepared to jump up and stomp on the man's face while he was down but instead ducked to the floor when one of the men drew their pistol and fired into the ceiling. Everyone ceased, the other soldier got up and walked out of the room, his cohort followed. Regina moved closer to Charles to comfort him. While she gave words of encouragement, her eyes deceived her, so much that even the young boy saw right through them to the truth.
Revelation
Michael made his way to an apartment building on the waterfront, the Chinese activity was increasing so he decided not to proceed any further. The infected civilians were attacking the soldiers as they landed on the piers, they were caught off guard. The Chinese were confused at first, hesitant to fire...until the civilians began pummeling them. They fired center mass as most soldiers are trained, for many, it was their undoing.
Michael was able to move a little easier with the distraction of gunfire and explosions, he entered the service door of the building and hurried to the top floor. He kicked in the door of one of the living units that gave him a view of the waterfront and street below, he removed his night vision optics from his bag and surveyed the area.
It appeared the Chinese were attempting to set up a base camp before the civilians swarmed them, defensive positions were only partially set up. They did manage to get some heavy equipment to land, tanks and troop carriers. He called George and reported what he saw...again, no help was sent.
It began to occur to Michael that the Chinese were being attacked by the lethal mob they had created; how could they make such a costly mistake? Perhaps, they were expecting the civilians to destroy themselves and any US military that came into set up defenses. If so, it was an embarrassing failure. He kept his bag and weapon ready, he would need to move quickly if the fighting got any closer than it was. It was going to be a long night.
The sun had made its way over the mountains and Michael was beginning to get a clearer view of the carnage that took place during the night. Corpses littered the streets, vehicles were overturned and burned out, but the Chinese did manage regain control. Despite heavy losses, they managed to replenish their ranks rather quickly, He needed to move before they decided to occupy the building he was in.
He took a drink of water and donned his pack, before he turned from the window, he noticed a large vehicle moving in from them the waterfront. He pulled out his monocular scope and zoomed in, it was a missile launcher. He pulled out his satellite phone to call George but held up when he saw a troop carrier roll into the area, the activity increased significantly upon its arrival.
The rear doors opened, and the soldiers trained their weapons on whoever was inside, they began barking orders. Several civilians were herded out of the carrier and into the building, one of them a child, another a police officer. When they were out of sight he called George.
“Sir, the Chinese have pretty much established a base camp, killed scores of infected civilians and now they’ve moved at least one missile launcher into the area. Sir, are we going to do anything?”
“Yes, we are Michael, you need to give me your coordinates and exit that area immediately we’re sending in fighters for that missile launcher. Sir, they have civilian captives, uninfected sir.”
“How many?”
“Ten sir, including women and children.”
There was silence on the phone, followed by a long sigh from George.
“Get out of there Michael.”
“But sir-”
“That’s an order, goddamn it. Do it. I’ve already lost a fighter jet downtown, I don’t need to lose any more people.”
He secured his gear and left the building.
Michael took shelter in another building a few blocks south of the Chinese base camp, he pulled out his monocular scope and waited. Hours went by, he began to think George had again chose inaction. Then, a fighter jet roared in from east, it fired several missiles at the base camp. Michael noticed immediately that the missile was of the same low yield type that were fired on civilians, it was more of whatever infected the population.
After several minutes, gunfire erupted at the base camp, he was too far away to see what they were shooting. The gunfire was intense and lasted for several minutes, then he caught a glimpse of a silver pickup truck speed from the area between two buildings. The gunfire continued for several minutes more, then silence.
If the Chinese didn't bomb the civilians, we did. There was no way the Chinese would bomb themselves, there was no way they would set themselves up to fail. The military was nowhere to be found which meant...George Mackey.
Chapter 10
Impossible
Lisa kicked and screamed as the soldier dragged her down the hall. He took her to a vacant office and shoved her to the floor. Her hands and feet were still bound, she couldn't run or defend herself. The man closed the door, then he turned to Lisa. He yanked her off the floor and slammed her face down on a desk. She heard his belt buckle being loosened and her heart dropped, for years she was afraid that she would fall victim to a sexual predator with no man in the house to protect her and Charles. She took self-defense classes and bought two tasers and pepper spray to keep on her and around the house, she slowly gained confidence in herself and eventually learned that she didn't have to live in fear. She would rather die than lie there while a pathetic little man had his way with her.
She rolled off the table and hopped back to her feet as quickly as possible, facing the soldier. He reached for her and grabbed her by the shirt, but his pants fell to the floor. Lisa jerked her body away from him and the man, unable to widen his stance, fell to the floor, bringing Lisa with him. The man raised to his knees and punched Lisa in the face, her head bounce of the floor. She was dazed and in pain.
The man got up, pulled up his pants and walked out of the room. Lisa, still stunned by the blow to the head, tried to get up, but couldn't get her balance or see straight. She crawled toward the door hoping to make it back to Charles, hoping the man had superiors who would put an end to his rage. Hoping he was going after her son.
Jake and Sheila adopted Xavier’s plan to use the furniture in the room to break free of their restraints. Jamal placed an ear on the surface of the door hoping he would hear if anyone was coming with enough time to warn them. Carly backed far away from the group and protested their attempts at escape. There was a slim chance that the group would make it out alive whether they fought or not, the entire group seemed to agree, with the exception of Carly.
Sheila managed to free her hands and began removing the restraints on her feet. She quickly ran over to assist Jake. Jamal heard footsteps approaching quickly and darted from the door warning the others. Sheila retreated toward the wall, sat down and placed her hands behind her back and her feet close together as if they were still bound.
The door opened and the same soldier that took Lisa entered the room. He was livid and possessed. Sweat poured from his head and he grunted w
ith every move he made. He walked straight towards Charles and grabbed him by the collar. Regina screamed for him to stop but the man smacked her with the back of his hand sending her to the floor. Sheila leaped from the floor tackled the soldier to the ground. Regina hurried over to them and dropped onto the man's face with her knees.
Sheila drove her knee into the soldier’s groin, he grabbed her by the hair but let go after she followed with repeated strikes. With the man lying incapacitated, Sheila was able to remove his sidearm and ammo from his hip. She raised the pistol and struck him with it, knocking him unconscious.
Sheila searched his pockets and found a knife, she used it to remove Regina's restraints and then handed it to her. Regina freed everyone from their restraints except Carly.
“You guys are unbelievable. You really think you can fight your way out of here? That is an army waiting for you out there.”
“They’re going to kill us anyway.” Regina said as she turned away and walked back towards the group.
Jamal, Jacob and Sheila positioned themselves near the door and Sheila laid out the plan.
“When it opens you two bring him down and I’ll cover the door.”
Regina moved Charles and Jake as far to the back of the room as she could to avoid being in the crossfire. Carly didn't move but instead became more frustrated with the others. She began yelling and screaming for help.
The door opened, and three soldiers rushed into the room with their rifles up. They came in close together allowing Jamal and Jacob to rush the three men at once and force them against the wall. The close quarters made the soldiers rifles useless, they wrestled for control of their weapons. Regina and Jake rushed to the others to bring the odds into their favor. Jamal fought hard but was overpowered by the soldier and struck in the head with the rifle. He fell to the floor and found himself staring down the barrel of a QBZ-95 rifle.
One shot from Sheila's pistol entered the skull of the soldier and exploded out the back of his head, he dropped to the floor and Jamal hurried for his weapon. The other soldiers immediately halted and surrendered when both Sheila and Jamal had them in their sights. They relinquished their weapons and the group moved them to a corner of the room away from the door.
The shot would draw more attention, they quickly gathered all the ammunition and weapons the soldiers possessed and readied themselves for a fight. Regina and Jacob took the other two rifles and Jake grabbed the three remaining pistols. They knew the best thing they could do was escape but they didn’t know the whereabouts of Xavier, Heather and Lisa. Time was against them, they may have to leave them behind, or die with them.
A single gunshot interrupted Major Zhou’s interrogation and potentially prolonged Xavier and Heather's life. Sgt. Li picked up his weapon and headed to the door but was stopped by the Major. “Bring the rats with us.” Sgt. Li removed the two from the chair and held them at gunpoint. They escorted them out of the room and back to where the others were being held. When they opened the door, they were all shocked to see the group had gained control of the room and multiple weapons.
Major Zhou chuckled at the group and applauded their efforts, he showed no sign of concern. Naked and traumatized, Heather trembled in front of the group; Xavier was more concerned with getting the upper hand. If he could disrupt Sgt. Li fast enough, the group could take control. A soldier appeared behind the Major and Sgt. Li as they stood in the doorway, he had Lisa with him.
The Major removed his sidearm from its holster and put it to Lisa's head. Lisa looked across the room at her son and mouthed to him “I love you.”
Major Zhou pulled the hammer back on the pistol and then turned to the soldier who laid unconscious on the floor. He took aim and fired three shots into his body. He woke up and gasped for air and then began choking on his blood.
“I do not tolerate failure and incompetence. If you value the life of your friends you will lay down your weapons!”
The group held steady not sure what their next move should be. Major Zhou put his gun to Lisa's head and stared at the group.
Xavier knew the others just needed an opportunity and they would act. He lunged at Heather and they both fell to the floor leaving Sgt. Li exposed. Jamal fired twice at Sgt. Li after a brief hesitation, the bullets hit him center mass and dropped him. Major Zhou ducked behind Lisa and pulled her out of the room, he began yelling for help. Several soldiers were already inbound from the lower and upper floors converging on the room. Regina came over to undo Xavier and Heathers restraints. Jake handed Heather a pistol and Regina turned over her rifle to Xavier, she settled for one of the pistols Jake had.
There was no time for Heather and Xavier to find clothing, they would have to attempt to rescue Lisa and brave the cold in the nude until they reached safety. Jacob, Jamal and Sheila followed the Major into the hallway as he backed away from the group with a fist full of Lisa's hair. Just as he reached the stairwell, the door opened, and several soldiers appeared and began firing down the hall at the group. They split into two offices for cover and returned fire. Major Zhou disappeared into the stairwell with Lisa and left his troops to handle Xavier and the others.
With the exception of Xavier, the group was untrained and in over their heads. The Chinese soldiers advanced on their positions and additional troops began attacking from the opposite end of the hall behind them. Xavier looked across the hall at Sheila and Jamal as they blindly fired their weapons around the corner, they were pinned down and burning through ammunition. Everything felt as though it was happening in slow motion, he began to feel hot, dizzy, nauseous and ill. The room spun briefly, then nothing. Xavier reloaded his rifle, took three deep breaths and leaned into the hall.
He fired at several of the men down the hall striking one of them. Just across from him was another partially exposed soldier, he fired and killed him. He turned around and took aim at the soldiers behind him, firing as accurately and controlled as he could. He used the cover fire from the others to take his time and focus his shots. One by one the soldiers fell until the last few remaining troops retreated into the stairwell.
Xavier rushed over to the stairwell door and checked to see that the soldiers were not waiting for them. He collected as many magazines as he could hold in his hands and instructed the others to take what they could. As the group prepared to move into the stairwell, Charles looked up at Xavier “Are you going to save my mommy again?”
“I'm gonna try.”
Xavier looked back at the group, then opened the door and began his descent down the stairs. There was no resistance in the stairwell but regardless, they proceeded with caution. As they made it to the first floor, Xavier stopped and turned back to the group “STOP”. His eyes began to tear, he told Regina to hold Charles and not let him continue any further.
Xavier sent Jake and Sheila to guard the door to the first floor, they gasped as they descended to the door. Lisa laid on the steps lifeless with a bullet hole in the side of her head. Xavier picked up her body and tried to move her underneath the stairs where Charles couldn't see her, the last thing he needed was his mother's blown out skull as a last memory of her. He laid her down gently, crossed her arms and turned her head so the exit wound faced the floor. He went back to retrieve his rifle and prepared to fight their way out of the building.
Xavier, Jacob and Jamal positioned themselves at the door. Xavier gave a three count and opened the door inward to reveal dozens of savages who immediately rushed into the Stairwell. Gunfire rang out as Jacob and Jamal fired desperately to stop the mob, but they were quickly overrun and taken down.
The mob rushed past Xavier up the stairs and engulfed the others. Jake, Regina and Heather fired but were unable stop the savages, their heads were smashed against the wall and the stairs until they no longer held their shape. Xavier could hear the screams of Sheila as she ran up the stairs. He yelled to her, “Run.”
The savages all stopped simultaneously, and the Stairwell went completely silent as they all turned their sights on Xavie
r. They stared with their dilated pupils and heavy breathing, and then they attacked. Xavier didn't even get off a shot, before he knew it, he was on the floor and looking up at the ruthless killers. They reached down to finish him, and he woke up gasping for breath in a profuse sweat.
Xavier regained consciousness back in the middle of the fire fight in the hallway with Regina screaming over him. “Xavier, they’re getting closer. We don’t know what to do.”
He tried to reorient himself and get his bearings, it wasn’t real, he must have passed out. He got up and rejoined the fight. As he prepared to lean onto the hall and start firing, he saw a small round object roll down the hall between the two rooms the groups were in. He yelled “Grenade!” Everyone dived further into the two offices. The grenade exploded with a powerful and deafening blast. Xavier immediately reoriented himself to the door with his weapon up. Two soldiers entered the room, Xavier fired and killed the men. He rose to his feet and ran back to the hall, several soldiers had closed in. Xavier fired and struck multiple soldiers before having to escape a barrage of bullets from the soldiers approaching from the opposite end of the hall. Heather, Jacob and Regina taking their cues from Xavier, hurried to the door and fired down the hallway striking several of the soldiers.
Sheila, Jamal and Jake exchanged fire with soldiers across the hall. Sheila stopped to reload her pistol when a soldier ran into the room straight for her. Unable to take her eyes off the soldier, she fumbled with the magazine and dropped it. Jake fired 3 shots at the soldier and killed him just as he put Sheila in his sights. When Sheila turned to look at her savior, he was lying on the floor, motionless.
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