by Kevin Brooks
I passed the pistol to Chola Se.
I got 2 of them, I told her. But the third ones still out there and hese got us covered.
We cant stay here, Jeet, she said. Listen---
I kept still and listened. Ide been so focused on the gunfight with the 3 Dau Fighters that I hadnt heard what I was hearing now – the revelry at the fort had stopped and the whole camp was coming to life. Shouting voices, the clatter of running boots, a bell ringing, dogs barking. I must have lost the silence of the dogs when I was caught up in the chaos of the gunfight, and for a moment I began setting my mind to quiet them again, but I quickly realized there was no point. We were trapped in a cellar in the middle of the Dau encampment, surrounded by enemy gunmen and hundreds of hostile people – the sound of a few barking dogs wasnt going to make any difference.
The perimeters about 50 yards from here, I told Chola Se. If we can get there in one piece and get out into the Deathlands, we might just make it. Can you run?
I can run.
I glanced at the pistol in her hand.
Are you okay with that? I asked her. Or do you want the rifle?
This is fine, she said, thumbing a switch on the guards Browning. The magazine slid out. She checked it was fully loaded, then slapped it back in and racked a round into the chamber.
The Browning was a Mark 3, which held 13 rounds. The guards AK47 had a 30-round magazine, and Ide already fired 7 shots, so – assuming it had been fully loaded to start with – I had 23 rounds left.
We had 36 shots between us.
I looked at Chola Se. Are you ready?
She nodded.
Ile lead the way, okay?
She nodded again, then reached up and took hold of my arm.
Before we go, she said quietly, I want you to promise me that you wont let them take me alive.
I hesitated, not sure what to say.
She gripped my arm, squeezing so hard that her nails drew blood.
Listen, Jeet, she said. What they did to me down here---it was just---She shook her head. I cant go through that again. Do you understand? Ide rather die. So I need your word, okay?
Okay.
Say it.
I wont let them take you alive.
Thank you, she said, letting go of my arm. Ime ready now.
Okay, lets go.
I was half expecting to see dozens of Dau Fighters surrounding me when I inched open the hatch, but although the fort doors were wide open now and 6 or 7 Fighters were running out – and I could also hear shouts and running boots in the near distance all around us – the closest Fighter to us was still the one behind the dead body. He started firing as soon as he saw the hatch opening, and as the shots crashed all around me – some of them blowing holes in the hatch – the temptation to duck back down was almost irresistible. But I knew I couldnt. We had to get out of there before more Fighters arrived, and the only way to get out without being shot was to take out the one who was shooting at us.
So I stayed where I was – keeping my head down as low as possible, my eyes just above the hatchway – and as I forced myself to ignore the shots screaming all around me, I steadied the AK47 and carefully took aim at the Fighter. He was still well hidden behind the body in front of him, and the only part of him I could see was the very top of his head. I took my time – breathing steadily, gripping the rifle firmly but not too tightly, waiting patiently until the V of the rifle sight was perfectly still, fixed precisely on the small patch of thinning brown hair that was the only visible part of the Fighters head – then I slowly breathed out and pulled the trigger.
There wasnt much to see, just a burst of red spray, then the Fighters head disappeared from view and his rifle clattered to the ground.
I glanced at the group of Fighters running across the courtyard and saw that they were nearly halfway across now, and 1 or 2 of them were already raising their weapons, preparing to open fire.
I jumped up out of the hatchway, then leaned back down, grabbed hold of Chola Ses hand, and pulled her out.
The crack of a rifleshot ripped through the air, followed by another, then all the Fighters began firing. They were shooting on the move, their shots hurried and wild, but we had to get moving before they got any closer.
This way, I told Chola Se, heading for the log pile.
I was planning on taking the shortest route to the perimeter – cutting back through the maze of small buildings to the south – but before wede even reached the log pile, a group of Dau civilians emerged from the darkness directly ahead of us. There were at least a dozen of them, all of them armed, and as soon as they saw us they opened fire.
I fired back, hitting 2 or 3 of them and scattering the rest, but I knew theyd soon regroup. And I knew wede never make it past them to the perimeter. There was only one option left.
This way! I yelled to Chola Se as a volley of gunfire came from the Fighters to our left.
We turned to our right and sped off along the well-worn pathway that cut through the center of the camp – heading west now, back towards the red-roofed building. Although we were both limping badly, we were still outrunning the Fighters, and it wasnt long before we were beyond the effective range of their rifles. We were still far from safe though. The problem was, there was virtually no cover at all on the pathway – we were completely out in the open – and the western perimeter was at least another 150 yards away, and although we were gradually getting away from the Fighters behind us, more and more Dau were appearing all the time – civilians as well as Fighters – and they were all doing their best to kill us. We were being shot at from everywhere – from distant buildings and unseen trenches, from the doorways and windows of nearby houses – and although our speed made us hard to hit, and we were firing back as we ran, making it even harder for anyone to get a good clean shot at us, we were rapidly running out of both energy and ammunition.
By the time the red-roofed building came into view, we were down to our last few rounds. But at least the perimeter was in sight now. Wede almost made it, just another 30 yards to go---
We were about 10 yards away from the red-roofed building when a Dau Fighter suddenly appeared from behind it and opened fire on us with a Thompson submachine gun. Its an awesome weapon, fitted with a drum magazine that carries 50 rounds, and the Fighter wasnt even trying to take us out with well-aimed shots, he was just shooting from the hip, spraying dozens of rounds in our general direction, knowing that hede hit us eventually. As we both instinctively threw ourselves to the ground, Chola Se let out a sudden cry of pain, and instead of diving to the ground she just dropped like a sack, hitting the dirt hard and lying still. I started scrambling towards her, but a salvo of machine-gun rounds slammed into the dirt in front of me and I had to roll away. I kept rolling, as fast as I could, then abruptly stopped and changed direction, rolling to my left. The Dau Fighter was good, calmly adjusting his aim each time I rolled in a different direction, but just as he thought he had me, I flung myself back in the opposite direction and fired back at him. My first shot missed, thudding into the wall of the building just to his right, and when I corrected my aim and pulled the trigger again, the rifle clacked emptily. I immediately tried again, but even as my finger tightened I knew what I was going to hear.
The rifle made the same dull clack.
The Dau Fighter smiled, realizing I was out of ammunition, and he began walking towards me – still smiling, in no great hurry, just strolling along with his machine gun swinging casually in one hand, intent on savoring his moment of triumph---and then, all of a sudden, the smile left his face and he stopped in his tracks, scrabbling desperately to raise the gun. Hede only just got hold of it in both hands when a shot went off from somewhere behind me and a bullet ripped into his chest. He staggered back, just about managing to stay on his feet, but a moment later a second shot hit him in the head and he instantly dropped to the ground.
I turned round and saw Chola Se lying flat out on the ground, her arms outstretched, her pistol held in
both hands. Blood was trickling from a black-edged bullet graze on the side of her head. The wound was so shallow that it had barely broken her skin, but I guessed the impact must have knocked her out for a few seconds.
I was just about to ask her if she was all right when a salvo of shots rang out from behind us, and we both turned to see the group of Fighters and a large mob of civilians bearing down on us. We looked at each other for a moment, and without saying a word we knew what we had to do. We both jumped to our feet and ran, not towards the perimeter – because we knew wede never make it without weapons – but towards the red-roofed building.
As Chola Se headed straight for the dead Fighter, stooping down to snatch up his Thompson and quickly searching him for spare magazines, I carried on over to the red-roofed building, stopping by the door where the guard Ide strangled had dropped his rifle. The Dau were closing fast now, no more than 30 yards away, and their shots were getting closer and closer all the time. I heard Chola Se fire off a long burst from the Thompson, and straightaway the incoming gunfire stopped. As I picked up the rifle and grabbed the burning torch from the stake in the ground, the Dau started shooting again, but their gunfire was more tentative now, and they were no longer charging towards us.
I stepped over to the door, smashed open the lock with the rifle, and went inside. The guards body was still there. I laid the torch on the floor and quickly began searching him for more weapons. I found a Colt automatic with 2 spare magazines in one pocket, and another 3 magazines for the rifle in another. The torch had set the wooden floor alight now, and the flames were spreading rapidly. I put the spare magazines in the green canvas bag and hurried back out to join Chola Se.
Shede found another 50-round magazine for the Thompson on the dead Fighter, so now we had enough firepower and ammunition to at least give ourselves a chance. And for the next few minutes we just stood there together, side by side in the light of the burning building – Chola Se with the submachine gun, me with the rifle and pistol – and we didnt stop shooting until every last bullet was gone.
The Dau werent expecting us to stop running and make a stand – we werent expecting to either – and the shock of it worked to our advantage. While we were at least partly shielded by the burning building, most of them were out in the open when we started shooting, and we took out at least a dozen of them before they had a chance to retreat and take cover, either killing them outright or wounding them badly enough to put them out of action. Now that the odds werent so much in their favor, the fight went out of most of the civilians, and they rapidly dropped back out of range, leaving their Fighters to deal with us. They fought hard, holding their ground as well as they could, but by the time wede emptied our guns theyd retreated enough to give us what we needed – the time and space to make a relatively free run to the perimeter and the safety of the Deathlands beyond.
We dropped our empty weapons and ran.
The distance to the perimeter was only 20 yards, but wede barely taken half a dozen steps before we realized that it might as well be 20 miles. 3 Dau Fighters had suddenly appeared directly ahead of us – 2 moving in from the right, the other one from the left – and it was clear from the way they were confronting us, neither hurrying nor bothering to take cover, that they knew we were unarmed. They must have been watching us, waiting for us to run out of ammunition. And now they were just standing there, line abreast, their rifles leveled directly at us. We had no choice but to stop. They were 10 yards away. And there was nothing incompetent or overly triumphant about these 3. They had the cold hard faces of seasoned Fighters. They knew exactly what they were doing.
Without taking his eyes off us, the one in the middle spoke quietly to the other 2.
He wants them both alive, he said.
They nodded.
But kill him if you have to.
Then he raised his voice and spoke to us.
On your knees, he said.
Jeet? Chola Se whispered. Remember your promise.
I drew my knife.
All 3 rifles turned on me.
Drop it, the one in the middle said calmly. Right now.
I thought I had a reasonable chance of throwing the knife before they could all pull their triggers, and I was fairly sure that if I did manage to throw it, one of them would die. But that still left the other 2. And I knew that no matter how fast I moved, theyd shoot me down before I got anywhere near them. And that would mean breaking the promise Ide made to Chola Se. If they killed me, I couldnt stop them taking her alive.
Youve got 3 seconds to drop the knife, the middle one said. 1---
Jeet? Chola Se whispered again. You promised---
I tightened my grip on the knife.
2---
Please, Jeet---
I saw their fingers tightening on the triggers.
I had to do it now.
I took a breath and was just about to make my move when 3 silent shapes flew out of the darkness behind the 3 Dau Fighters, slamming into them with such brutal power that all 3 men hit the ground without firing a shot. I barely had time to recognize the shapes as the big gray male and 2 of the adult females before theyd taken the Fighters skulls in their massive jaws and crushed them like eggs.
There was a moments silence as the 3 dogs just stood there, licking their bloodied lips and looking expectantly at Chola Se and me, and we just stood there looking back at them, both of us struck dumb---
Then a shot was fired from behind us, followed a second later by a sudden barrage of shouts and yells and barking dogs and more gunshots, and our senses came back to us and we ran for our lives – leaping over the 3 dead Fighters, crossing the perimeter, and following the 3 dogs out into the Deathland darkness.
My mother and the rest of the pack were waiting for us in the rugged terrain beyond the perimeter, and as we all headed off into the Deathlands together, I thought at first that wede easily outrun the pursuing Dau and soon be far enough ahead of them to stop for a while to rest and tend to our wounds.
But it wasnt that simple.
Chola Se was so exhausted from the beatings and abuse shede suffered – and still dazed from the bullet that had grazed her head – that she could barely keep running in a straight line, and my wounded leg was getting worse all the time. As well as losing a lot of blood, which was weakening me by the minute, the leg was seizing up badly, which was seriously slowing me down. We both needed to stop and rest, if only for a while. But we didnt have time. Our injuries were hindering us so much that the dogs had to keep stopping to let us catch up, and instead of putting distance between ourselves and the Dau, we were losing ground to them all the time. Every time I glanced over my shoulder I could see the lights of their torches getting closer and closer. At this rate it wouldnt be long before they caught up with us.
Come on, Jeet, Chola Se said breathlessly, taking hold of my arm. Weve got to keep going.
I kept going.
We were following the trail of a shallow gully that cut through the glassrock plains, and in the darkness up ahead I could see that the pack had stopped again to allow us to catch up with them. Theyd already put themselves in considerable danger by coming back to the camp and saving us from the 3 Dau Fighters, and while I didnt doubt my mothers willingness to carry on risking her life for me, I had no right to expect anything more from the rest of the pack. And as Chola Se and I wearily approached them, Ide already made up my mind to tell them not to wait for us anymore. They should go---go back to their world and leave us to it. Theyd done more than enough for us as it was.
But before I had a chance to do anything, my mother took hold of my hand in her mouth and led me over to the bank of the gully. It was only 3 or 4 feet high, and she hopped up with such ease that she didnt even have to let go of my hand. She gave me a gentle tug, letting me know that she wanted me to follow her, and as she helped me clamber up the bank – pulling me up by my hand – I saw the big male nudging Chola Se with his flank, quietly – but firmly – telling her to join us. My mother
waited as Chola Se came over and climbed out of the gully, then she led us both over to the blackened trunk of a longdead tree jutting up out of the glassrock beside the bank. The crown of the tree had broken off a long time ago, and all that remained now was a hollow pillar of fossilized black wood, about 8 feet tall and 30 inches across, the top cracked open like a splintered bone. The texture of the wood – like frozen black iron – was so similar to that of the glassrock that the trunk seemed part of the ground itself, as if a mutant outgrowth had sprouted from the rock in misformed memory of the trees that had once grown there.
My mother lowered herself down at the base of the trunk, carefully positioning herself with her head laid flat on her outstretched front legs, her snout just inches from a thick tangle of roots. As I crouched down beside her, following her gaze, I realized what she was showing me. The tightly twisted roots were fused into the glassrock, forming an impenetrable wall round the foot of the trunk which sealed off the hollow interior, but on the side of the trunk nearest the gully – just where my mother was lying – a section of glassrock had broken off, taking the roots with it, leaving a narrow gap in the wall. It wasnt much of a gap, and at least half of it was below ground level, making it even more awkward to get through, but my mother obviously thought that Chola Se and I could make it, and Ide never known her to be wrong.
My mothers ears suddenly pricked up then, and as she jumped to her feet and stared back along the gully, I heard the distant sound of rapidly approaching running boots. The big male let out a low growl, and when I looked across I could see that the pack was desperate to get going – circling around, their tails raised, their instincts telling them to run.
Go, I said to my mother, at the same time moving aside and guiding Chola Se down towards the gap in the roots.