by T A Williams
Ben’s eyes opened for a moment and he was staring up at the blue sky and watched as a large white cloud floated by that reminded him of a giant roll of cotton candy. He felt the warmth of his own blood flowing over his forehead. He wiped it away and his hand came back a dark red color. Ben felt someone grab him and pull him behind a car. He looked up and saw Dexter talking down at him but he couldn’t make out what the man was saying.
“I’m good, I’m good,” he said guessing at what the man was asking, though Ben couldn’t hear his own voice.
Dexter disappeared and Ben sat up and looked around. Several bodies were laid out in the street around him. Some were moving; most were not. He caught sight of Ty running from behind one of the houses and diving behind a large black refrigerator. As Ben’s mind focused he looked down and saw his assault rifle was still strapped to his shoulder and was lying on the ground next to him. He picked it up and turned back to the battlefield. Most of the brick wall between them and the enemy had been destroyed. Burnt, broken pieces of brick were scattered throughout the yard. Behind that the Forgotten were still coming. Ben fired, taking out a man that appeared in the opening of the brick. A large truck smashed through the iron gate, knocking it down instantly. The iron pieces stuck underneath the truck, stopping it in its tracks, but the damage was already done.
The sound of someone yelling out orders reached Ben’s ears. It took a few seconds but the ringing began to subside and he could finally make out what was being said.
“Fall back.” It was the sound of Banner’s voice. “Fall back to level two.”
Ben left the vehicle and ran farther into the collection of rich houses that surrounded him. He jumped over the black fridge that Ty was hiding behind and took cover. Ty’s face was pale and was covered in pain. Ben looked him over and saw blood coming from his left leg. Ben pulled out a bandage and began to wrap Ty’s leg up.
“I’m good B, don’t worry about it,” Ty said weakly.
“Quit talking and cover me,” Ben said as he finished bandaging the wound.
Ty opened fire several times and a hail of bullets struck the ground around them.
“There are too many,” Ty said as he ducked back behind the fridge.
Ben peeked out and saw the Forgotten were pouring in from the front gate and the breach in the walls. A handful ran over the broken gate and suddenly disappeared. Their screams shot out from the holes that Ben and the others had dug and covered over. At the bottom of the pits were sharpened stakes. The first handful that fell through were not ever coming back up.
Another rocket streaked through the sky and hit one of the first houses near the wall. The roof of the building exploded in a ball of flame, sending debris raining down on all of them. Ben ignored it and opened fire. Spot, burst, death. Spot, burst, death. Reload. For every tango he took down another three seemed to take its place. Soon the entire front of the compound was overrun by Forgotten.
“We need to fall back farther,” Ben said to Ty. “Can you run?”
Ty looked down at his leg and the bandage had a streak of red but it appeared to have stopped the majority of the bleeding.
“I can try,” Ty said.
Ben put his head under the man’s armpit. “I’ll help and you shoot.”
He took off in a crouch, practically carrying Ty as he headed back toward two cars lined up in a row. Clods of dirt flew up in the air as bullets hit the ground near him but Ben focused. One foot in front of the other. Chavez peeked out from behind the two cars and saw Ben approaching. He stepped out and opened fire toward the front, providing them with covering fire. Just as Ben reached even with the cars he saw Chavez’s head snap back and a spray of blood covered Ben’s vision. He fell to the ground and pulled Ty behind the cars. By the time he turned to Chavez the man had been gone for seconds. Ben paused for a moment then pulled the man’s body behind cover and took his ammo.
“Chavez, is he-” Ty started.
“You still breathing?” Ben asked Ty. The man paused for a moment then nodded his head. “Then until you stop I need you up and firing back, understand?”
Ty nodded and lifted himself up and began to return fire. Ben closed Chavez’s eyes and then turned and opened fire. Dex was pinned down behind an old stove. Every time he attempted to fire back a barrage of bullets sent him back down into cover.
“Ty, provide covering fire for Dex,” Ben screamed out.
They both turned their attention toward the handful of enemy whose attention was on Dex. Ben scored a headshot on one and he saw a second fall from a well-placed shot from Ty. Dex glanced up and fired a burst before running out from cover. The man ran from a crouch heading directly toward them before a bullet struck him square in the back. The man yelled out and his gun flew from his arms. Ben stood up and let loose with everything he had. Dex continued to crawl towards them when a stream of bullets went over him. He didn’t get back up. Ty grabbed Ben and pulled him back into cover as another barrage of bullets hit their position.
The majority of the Forgotten had taken cover behind the broken wall or the same vehicles that Ben’s people had been using previously, but there were still a few that were running about or still entering the opening in the wall. Those were the ones that Ben aimed for. Body after body fell and Ben continued to reload and fire back. Empty magazine after empty magazine fell to his feet, until he was on his last one.
The sound of ATVs came from behind him and he knew this was their last trick. The first ATV screamed past him, a brick placed on the pedal and a stick in the steering wheel to ensure it drove straight. The ATV drove toward the wall, sending the enemy diving out of the way. The ATV struck a collection of bricks laying on the ground and went airborne; before it hit the ground the pipe bombs went off, killing all around. Ben ignored the wounded and took out the ones that were dazed and crawling about. The second ATV came screaming past. This one made it just outside the wall before it exploded, and for a brief moment the walls were clear.
“Last one,” Banner yelled as he sent the last ATV and the last of their pipe bombs toward the enemy.
A lone Forgotten truck came pulling up to the breach in the wall just as the ATV approached, and the two objects struck. The explosion was intensified thanks to the gas in the truck, and a ball of flame lifted up into the air. Ben continued to fire until he heard a click. He was out. He dropped the assault rifle and pulled out the .22 pistol. Over a dozen Forgotten were still along the wall but they began to run and crawl from the opening toward the city.
“I’m out,” Ty said as he flopped down next to Ben.
A single enemy ran from the wall toward where Dex’s body was. Ben ended the man’s life with several shots from his .22, then it was quiet.
“Are they falling back?” someone asked from behind.
Banner made his way up to their position. “You all ok?”
“We’re out,” Ben said as he checked his pistol, confirming he only had four shots left.
“Move up; their dead have plenty.”
Ty stayed behind while Ben and Banner moved up. Ben dropped his rifle and picked up one of the enemy’s, along with the two clips strapped to his belt. As he loaded it up Banner reached the wall and waved him over. Ben approached and looked out at the destruction of the open yard. The gray road was now blood red, filled with bodies and the wreckage of destroyed vehicles. Ben looked beyond to the edge of the city and saw the Forgotten. There were still at least a hundred people at the edge looking up at them.
“What are they doing?” Ben asked.
“They’re not fleeing,” Banner answered.
Thomas and two others came up behind him and looked out.
“We have an injury over here,” one of the men yelled.
Ben glanced back and saw dark red hair near the man. Ben crawled over and saw the bloodied face of Crimson. The bottom half of her body was covered in the destroyed bricks. Frantically he put his fingers up to her neck and after what felt like an entirety, he felt the faint pulse of her
heart.
“She’s alive,” he said.
The soldier helped him move the bricks off the bottom half of her body and they dragged her to safety, along with several other wounded. A single woman ran about trying to monitor all of them. She saw them drag Crimson over and she nodded and then ran over to assess.
“Please take care of her,” Ben said as he ran back to the front.
Ben took cover behind a partially destroyed wall and looked out at the remaining Forgotten. “Still not moving?”
“No,” Banner said and he closed his eyes. “They’re regrouping.”
Ben
They ran around picking up every weapon and piece of ammo they could find among the dead and the debris. As Ben began to load his weapons he allowed the doctor to wrap his head in a bandage.
“Is she ok?” he asked.
“Who?”
“The red-haired woman, is she still alive?”
“She’s still breathing, which is better than most. Now sit still.”
Ben gave her a moment to finish bandaging him up, then went back to work. He approached Banner and helped him push a couple of fridges toward the wall to provide cover.
“If they hit again do we stand a chance?” Ben asked.
Banner pushed the fridge into place and stopped to take a breath. “We have maybe eleven, twelve people left.” He looked out at their remaining forces running about collecting ammo and helping the wounded. “We can make a stand.”
There was a loud screech from the city and everything went quiet. Everyone stopped what they were doing and stood in place. Then they heard a voice over a loudspeaker.
“We are the warriors of the divine. We cannot be stopped. There is no reason for you all to perish on this day. All we want is the Prophet. Bring him to us and you will be spared.”
Ben looked to Banner, who shook his head.
“We give him over and they either turn around and attack us now or they return in a few weeks to finish the job,” he said.
“If the Prophet is not returned to us in five minutes we will release you from your torment.”
Banner turned to Thomas. “Bring me the Prophet.”
“But…you can’t-” Thomas started.
“I want him next to me. If they overrun us, I will put a bullet through his head. He’s not leaving here alive,” Banner said.
“Yes sir,” Thomas said as he ran to the jail.
Banner looked over to Ben. The man’s face was ragged but his eyes were determined. “Find cover. They will be coming again soon.”
Ben took up position behind one of the refrigerators that had been moved up next to the wall. He checked his assault rifle and laid out the three magazines on the ground next to him. The last of their group, twelve in total, lined up among the debris and aimed their sights down at the enemy.
The sound of someone laughing came from behind. Ben looked back and saw the Prophet being pulled out of a house. The pale man smiled as he looked around.
“The end times are here. The children of God have come to reclaim what is theirs.”
Banner smacked the pale man upside the head, shutting him up briefly. He walked over and tied the Prophet up to a burnt-out husk of a vehicle behind them. The pale man was directly in the line of fire, a development he was well aware of, as his smile disappeared.
“Turn me over to them now and I will spare you all. It is not too late to repent for your sins,” the Prophet said, his voice rising steadily.
Banner walked back over and took up position with the rest of them.
“Let’s finish this,” he said to them all.
Ages seemed to pass until finally the Forgotten began to approach again. The walked in a row toward them, every step bringing them closer and closer.
“Make your shots count,” Ben yelled. “Wait until they are in range and then fire short bursts.”
The enemy began to crouch down as they approached, their weapons pointed forward, waiting until they were in range. And then Ben caught the sound of a helicopter approaching. The whip-whip-whip of a helicopter’s blades then doubled and soon tripled. The Forgotten heard it as well, as they stopped in place and looked up to the sky.
They have helicopters, Ben thought as dread took hold of him. It wasn’t until the three Apache helicopters crested the ridge and opened fire into the Forgotten that he realized the Helos were theirs. White streaks filled the sky as the Apaches fired missiles into the middle of the enemy’s ranks. The explosions rocked the earth and sent bodies flying throughout the air. Within seconds the enemy took flight and the Helos didn’t let up. They gave chase, raining down bullets into the Forgotten until there was nothing left to fire at.
Ben let out a scream of triumph into the heavens and the rest of his group did the same. He turned to find Ty when he saw the Prophet standing there against the burnt-out vehicle with a look of shock on his face. Ben walked up to the man and the Prophet dropped his head, refusing to meet his eyes.
A fourth Helo crested the ridge and landed in the clearing just outside the broken walls. Out of it came nearly a dozen soldiers, among them Locke. He was the leader of another unit, the same one that helped them destroy the mining base in Ohio. The bald man jumped out of the helicopter with his gun hanging down at his side, while the rest of his men rushed to where Ben and his men were lying. Ben stood up and approached. Locke saw him and shook his head.
“You’re a tough SOB, you know that?” Locke said with a smile.
Ben gave the man a hard handshake. “How in the hell did you find us?”
“We picked up your distress call.”
“Distress call? They said the radio wasn’t sending anything out or picking anything up.”
“We could certainly hear you but when you didn’t respond to us we figured it must have been damaged.”
“Well, I love your timing,” Ben said.
Locke nodded and looked past Ben. “Looks like it could have been sooner.”
Ben didn’t say anything.
“Sit down; we’ll take it from here.”
Ben
The helicopters left but the three dozen soldiers that General Wallace sent remained. They assisted in taking care of the wounded, clearing up the destruction and burying the dead. Ben stood out near the destroyed front wall and watched. His back still ached from getting thrown from the Forgotten trailer and he was told his head wound might end up requiring stitches, but as he looked out at what had happened he realized he was very lucky. Ty and Crimson were still being tended to. Ty was likely to be off his feet for several weeks but Crimson was still questionable. She hadn’t woken up yet and the medic wasn’t able to say when she would. With Chavez and Dex dead, it left him as the only operating member of his unit.
Banner walked up to Ben. Large bags were under his eyes and he looked like he was running on fumes. “You okay?” he asked.
“I’m alive,” Ben said simply.
“You and your men did a helluva job out there.”
“So did yours.” Ben looked back at the city and the dozens of bodies still out in the open. “Some survived.”
“I’m sure they did. Some will head back to their base; the others will disappear.”
“We can hit their base and take back our weapons,” Ben said.
Banner’s face tightened. “Which President are those weapons going to?”
Before he could answer Locke approached and gestured toward the Prophet. The pale man was still sitting next to the burned-out vehicle. His head was dropped and he sat there saying prayers, just as he had been doing since he watched the last of his army get blown to smithereens.
“He calls himself the Prophet,” Ben said. “He is…was the leader of the Forgotten. Banner and his men captured him when they saved the rest of my unit.”
“Why is he still alive?” Locked asked.
“Because…he’s a prisoner,” Banner answered.
“He’s an insurrectionist,” Locke said, frowning. “He has killed countless civilians a
nd United States soldiers.”
“I was ready to kill him if the Forgotten broke through, but I wasn’t going to murder him.” Banner said.
“We are rebuilding a country. We do not have the luxury of trials or the resources to build jails.” Locke walked over to where the Prophet was now standing. The pale man looked over to him. His red eyes looked over and past him. “I understand you are the leader of the group who attacked these military personnel?”
“They will return,” the Prophet said quietly.
“Do you and your people recognize the authority of the United States Government?”
The Prophet gave a weak smile. “We do not recognize your fake institutions. We only serve the Lord.”
“Then I have no use for you here.” Locke pulled out his sidearm and shot the man in the head.
The Prophet’s head snapped back and he crumpled to the ground. Everyone around stopped what they were doing. Locke’s soldiers watched for a few seconds and then went back to work, while the others stood about, trying to figure out what was going on.
Banner stepped forward, his jaw clenched and his hands in tight fists. “Some would consider that murder.”
“I understand that these people are the ones who raided Fort Stevens?”
Banner nodded his head slowly and Thomas came up next to him.
“We need the location of their base so we can take back our armory,” Locke said.
Thomas puffed his chest up. “Who is we?”
Locke barely glanced at Thomas. “Is this a member of your unit?”
“Thomas has been a member of my unit since before the Chinese invaded,” Banner said.
“And is he aware that he serves the United States of America?”
“We serve the President of the United States,” Thomas said slowly. “Is Secretary of Health and Human Services Sylvia Carter still alive?”