June 2076
Mexican / American Border
Old Ventura City, Pacific Territory
United States of America

The helicopter rotor thrummed above Alex’s head. He snuck a glance out the window and smiled, not for the first time, at the rolling hills and blue ocean waves far below. The group of Golden Eagle Transport Attack Helicopters glided down across the California coast. The sun glimmered off the waves of the Pacific Ocean like millions of sapphires sparkling to the horizon.

“Beautiful, isn’t it,” Dempsey said from his seat next to Alex.

“Yes sir, it really is,” Alex replied unreservedly. They would arrive at their destination soon enough and Alex wanted to keep this picture in his mind when they finally landed at the base to begin prep work for the final exam.

The recruits had received confirmation three days after the field exercise that they would be sent to the border shared by the Pacific Territory and the Unified Mexican Federation, or UMF as Dempsey referred to it. Their mission was simply, in theory. The team of recruits, now numbering just fifty as a few had decided to leave before the exam, had been ordered to aid American and Mexican military teams in destroying a drug cartel gang operating along the border, just north of occupied Los Angeles. America and her southern neighbor rarely agreed on anything, but the cartels caused headaches for both sides and created a rare opportunity for cooperation. The recruits had been divided up into five, ten-person teams. Alex was thankful Dempsey had put him in a group with Shawn, Jimmy, and Cassie. Jorge, Eddie, Devon Robinson, and Leandro Jackson were also assigned to the group. To Alex’s dismay, however, so were Sebastian and Jeremy.  

“Won’t look so pretty when the shooting starts,” Jeremy chuckled grimly from across the chopper.

“Shut up Reeves, nobody asked your opinion,” Dempsey growled. 

The team had become much less formal around Dempsey when he had announced he would be leading them for the exercise. Sergeant Roberts had rejoined the recruits as well and was taking another team out. Sebastian and Jeremy had protesting being assigned to Dempsey, but Roberts simply waved them off. Jeremy glowered in the corner at Dempsey’s retort.

“You get to be a real prick when you don’t have someone to use as a punching bag, you know that Reeves,” Shawn’s voice said, piped through the wireless radio from his own chopper two vehicles back from Alex’s. Alex stifled a laugh, but heard hearty chuckles from half a dozen others over the radio. Jeremy’s face reddened, but Dempsey remained impassive and quickly clicked off the chatter. Then he clicked over his main line so that only he could address everyone.

“We hit the dirt in five minutes everyone. We are going into a hot combat zone, so stay sharp. Stay with your buddy and watch each other’s backs,” Dempsey’s voice crackled over the radio. The mission was funded by the training camp, with little help from the US Army, and some of the aging equipment didn’t work perfectly. “When we hit the deck, each team is to proceed to their assigned rendezvous points. If you get lost, do not continue into the combat zone, just head back as best you can and wait for your team at Firebase Barbara. 

“Our mission is simple. We are to hold a residential district along the highway. The Army is moving in tanks and artillery to bombard the cartel rally headquarters and tunnels running under the city. The UMF is set up across the border and will commence firing at the same time. This is a coordinated strike. Our team will set off green flares indicating areas of no fire for our security zones. Military teams from both sides of the border will then commence a controlled bombardment of the area between our two security zones believed to hold the cartel insurgents. Teams one, two, and three will follow me to hold the beach side. Teams four and five will follow Sergeant Roberts to hold the inland flank. Just follow us in and do what you’ve been taught. We will be relieved by inbound Army Rangers in approximately 14 hours. We may or may not encounter enemy resistance. We will stop anyone who attempts to break through to the ocean or inland away from the fire zones. Make sure your weapons have the safety off. Suit up everyone,” he finished and clicked off his radio. He nodded briefly to Alex, who returned a curt nod of his own, despite the dryness he felt in his mouth.

As he checked his gear, Alex let his eyes linger one last moment over the horizon. But the beauty of the scene he had witnessed only moments before was gone. A pall of smoke hung across the horizon and, as he looked back across the other side of the chopper, he could see why. Burning wreckage was strewn across a huge swatch of heavily damaged residential neighborhoods. Alex noticed some of the houses built over the ocean were impressively large and indicated that this was once a thriving, and rich, area part of the territory. Alex felt a jolt and gripped the straps of his seat as the Golden Eagle began to descend into the smoke-laden combat zone. The drop seemed to take forever, but then Alex realized with a start that the next jolt came from the wheels as the wide body of the craft settled onto the cracked blacktop of the highway.

“Let’s go team, I want these birds up before anyone over there gets cocky with a rocket,” Dempsey barked as he exited the vehicle, jerking his chin down the road. Alex squinted against through the smoke and caught a glimpse of figures running frantically back and forth along the roofs of many of the old dwellings. Dempsey turned and gave Alex a pulled slap to the back of his helmet, saying, “What are you waiting for, Samuelson, let’s move!”

Alex nodded raggedly and jumped out of the helicopter, which was already starting its checks to get airborne again. The rest of the team assembled to move out and Alex ran to catch up.

“Don’t fall behind, Samuelson. Wouldn’t want to miss you getting that cute little face of yours wrecked by a Mexican bullet,” Reeves sneered as Alex approached, quickly followed by Dempsey.

“Reeves, Jackson, take point. We have about two miles to travel before we hit our target zone,” Dempsey yelled. The color in Jeremy’s face drained slightly at the prospect of being up front, but he managed a salute and set off at a trot, Jackson just at his heels. “I want Samuelson and Malwood bringing up the rear. Hawthorne, Sanders, keep your eyes peeled for snipers on the rooftops. The rest of you, watch the alleyways as we walk in. Let’s move out!”

Alex let the rest of the team pass him and traded sympathetic glances with Shawn, who trudged by cradling his bipod-supported M62 heavy machinegun. While he didn’t have the aim that had given Alex and Cassie stars in marksmanship, he was strong and could shoot the heavy gun from the hip. Alex knew Shawn sympathized with the formation, but he pushed personal dislike of Sebastian out of his mind. This was a mission and he needed to be focused on completing it.

“Samuelson,” Sebastian said as he trotted up. The two hadn’t had much contact in the last couple weeks, since the confrontation in the hospital. “I’ll take front right, you cover back left.” 

He trotted ahead without waiting for Alex to agree. Alex just shook his head and followed at a slow jog after Sebastian and the other recruits. The other two units were running down streets parallel to theirs and Alex realized his team was the right flank of the formation, the closes to the ocean that ran along the cliffs just out of sight. 

Thirty minutes later the group arrived at the rendezvous point. The journey deeper into the residential district had been relatively quiet, the sounds of the wind whistling through the cracks and alleyways interrupted only by sporadic gunfire in the distance. Alex came to a halt near Sebastian.

“Made it,” Alex breathed beside his rear guard partner.

“For now,” Sebastian grumbled moodily as he stalked off toward the front, no doubt to find Jeremy.

“Man, he’s really got a stick up his ass about being thrown in with us, huh?” joked Shawn as he and Jimmy walked over to where Alex was setting down his pack and rifle. Alex was careful not to drop the rifle as he would have in practice. Dempsey had agreed to letting Alex bring along the scope his father had left for him. He had it fitted on the rifle, tuned to the lowest magnification setting, which would still let him see any enemies in the rooftops as if they stood in front of him.

“He’s just showing off,” Jimmy piped in, excited to have shed his own pack. “My little brothers always used to do that, when they wanted attention. I think he’s just trying to look macho in front of Cassie.” He and Shawn shared a brief laugh, but stopped when the saw the strained smile on Alex’s face.

“Dude, forget thinking about her right now. Besides, I heard they broke up just before we left,” Shawn said, again with a lilting laugh behind his smile. He punched Alex roughly in the shoulder, bringing him out of his adolescent daydreams.

“Hey! You better watch that fist or Sebastian won’t be the only one with something up his ass,” Alex laughed, shaking his booted foot for emphasis. 

He delivered a swift upward kick toward Shawn who easily dodged the playful blow. Alex heard some laughing and caught a Cassie’s eye as she and a few others from her old training unit watched the exchange. He flashed a shy smile as he felt the color in his cheeks rise.

The sound of gunfire immediately interrupted the briefly jovial atmosphere among the gathered recruits as a hail of bullets crashed into the cinderblock wall halfway between Alex’s position and Cassie’s. Shouts and curses followed as the recruits enjoying the end of the run suddenly found themselves under fire from unseen enemies. Alex hauled his pack and rifle into the nearest doorway, Shawn and Jimmy close behind. He caught glimpses of others following suit, all but one recruit who lay unmoving in the middle of the small square. Blood coursed from a body wound somewhere beneath her unmoving form.

“Oh my god, she’s dead isn’t she,” Jimmy cried behind Alex.

“I’m not going out there to find out,” Shawn said in reply as more bullets pockmarked the dirt around the fallen girl’s body.

“I am,” Alex said quietly, as he readied his rifle. “Give me some covering fire, the shots are coming from the third floor roof three buildings over to the right.”

“How do you -” Shawn started.

“Just do it, trust me. Spray the roof and make sure I have enough space to get her into the building with Cassie’s and Dempsey. Jorge is in there, he got the best scores in medical practice,” Alex replied quickly as he crouched for the run. He glanced back over his shoulder and saw Shawn wedge his machine gun into a window, aiming for the building Alex had indicated. Jimmy stood behind Alex, ready to draw fire with his own rifle as Alex ran out.

“We got your back, Alex. Go get her,” Jimmy said, his voice higher pitched than usual as his adrenal system kicked in for the fight. Alex felt Jimmy’s hand slap his shoulder, as the younger boy yelled out, “Covering fire!”

Shawn cut loose a burst of gunfire from his machine gun, raking the top of the building from left to right. Alex didn’t wait for another burst and sprinted out into harsh sunlight toward the limp form in the square. He was vaguely aware of Jimmy and Shawn squeezing off more rounds into the building, but he mostly ignored them. Ten quick steps across the yard brought him to the side of the fallen recruit. 

“I’m here, Gina. I’m gonna get you out of this mess,” he whispered, as if she were merely sleeping and he didn’t want to wake her. Then her eyes fluttered and she blinked, focussing on Alex.  

She’s in shock, he thought as her eyes unfocused and she gazed around, clearly in a daze from blood loss and shock at being shot. Might make moving her easier, but maybe not. His private thoughts were interrupted as someone else slid through the dirt opposite him.

“Damnit, Samuelson, what the hell are you thinking,” he heard Dempsey’s voice shouting in his ear. 

“You can drum me out of the program when we get back, sir, but someone has to get her out of here. The gunfire came from that building Shawn and Jimmy are firing on, but there are probably other hostiles moving in, now that they’ve found us,” Alex said quickly as he rolled Gina over on her side, pointing to the building being peppered with rifle fire by his friends. He was partially aware that several rounds were peppering the dirt around him, as gunmen on other rooftops began arriving at the scene. “Looks like the bullet missed her major organs. I have an exit wound here. If we can get her patched up, she might make it.”

“Unit 3, I want fire support on that building, all three stories, now,” Dempsey yelled to the recruits hidden in the building he had run out of. The crackling racket of gunfire was the only response he got as his team began to strafe the facade of the old building with gunfire.

“Hawthorne, Gonzalez, get out here and help us,” Dempsey said as Alex dug out his personal bandages and shoved them up tight against Gina’s seeping gunshot wound. He felt more than heard Cassie and Jorge slide in next to them. He chanced a glance and saw the seriousness in Cassie’s eyes. He squinted just a little and nodded, as if to convey to her that everything was going to be fine. Then they were hoisting Gina on to Jorge’s fold-out stretcher.

“When we get inside, put her on the table to the right, inside the door,” Jorge said quickly, his voice powerful with command. He was normally soft spoken, but when it came to medicine, his protective instincts seemed to kick in. “Lift on my count. One, two, three, LIFT!”

Alex grunted as they pulled up the dead weight of the wounded recruit. It wasn’t so much that she weighed much. But with all her gear and her weapon, plus Jorge keeping pressure on the front of her wound pushing down, the four of them struggled as they ran toward the building Cassie, Dempsey, and Jorge had come from. As they reached the overhang above the doorway, Alex noticed the enemy fire was picking back up.

“We’ve got more company. Take her in, sir. I’ll cover you,” Alex said. In one fluid motion, he released his handle of the stretched, turned, and drew his weapon. Dempsey barely managed to keep the stretcher from tipping, but Alex had already put it out of his mind as he brought the rifle to his shoulder. He blinked once to get the sweat out of his eyes, then stared down the scope, seeking his prey. 

His first target popped into sight, a swarthy hispanic man erratically firing an automatic rifle down on Shawn and Jimmy’s position. Alex switched his rifle into single action mode. He forced his heartrate down, slowed his breathing, and blinked once more, as if to make sure he wasn’t seeing some sort of mirage. As his eyes popped back open, his vision seemed to have changed. Shadows seemed less dark, as if the contrast of the world had been turned down, and Alex could see more gunmen lurking in behind the first one. He knew what had to be down.

BAM! 

The first round blasted out of his weapon’s muzzle. He felt the rifle kick slightly at almost the same time. Through the scope, he saw the man drop. The only indication Alex had scored a hit was the small spray of blood on the wall behind the man’s position. Alex quickly shifted his aim, sweeping left toward where the man’s friends now looked frantically for the source of the shot. 

“Too late,” he said quietly as the first of the three finally found Alex’s kneeling form. Alex quickly squeezed off three more rounds. All three laced out and found their targets. Their lifeless bodies fell below the cover of the low wall of the roof, out of Alex’s sight. Alex didn’t wait to find another target and threw himself backwards into the safety of the building. He scrambled around the door frame and sat, breathing heavily with his back to the wall. It took a moment for him to look up. When he did, he found a crowd of faces staring at him in amazement. A flashback of his fight with Sebastian played across his vision and then vanished. Then Dempsey was in his face, hands gripping the collar of Alex’s uniform.

“You ever try a stunt like that again and I’ll personally shoot you for endangering the rest of the team, do you hear me Samuelson?” he yelled, though Alex heard no conviction in his voice. Dempsey was just making sure no one else tried any kind of heroics like Alex had just done.

“Yes, sir. Understood,” Alex replied, a shaky smile on his face. He nodded to those around him, that he was alright. He saw a slight slackening in the strain around Cassie’s eyes. 

Then everything went black as he feinted.

Alex woke some time later to the intermittent sound of gunfire. He looked around the room, now dark as the sun had set. Dempsey noticed his waking and nodded to Cassie, who quietly walked over and crouched by Alex, water canteen in hand for him. Alex took the offered water and sipped a little.

“How long was I out?” he asked quietly, not sure of the situation and not wanting to speak too loudly.

“About an hour. Gina’s stable, but we need to get her back to base camp. Jared can only do so much,” she responded, her volume level matching his. Alex looked past her for a moment and saw Jared sleeping against the wall. His hands and face were spattered with what Alex had to assume was blood.

“Your little stunt probably saved her life, Samuelson. A few more minutes and anyone running out there to grab her would have been minced by their sniper fire,” Dempsey grunted from the corner opposite Alex. “By my reckoning, you are the only one with confirmed kills for this mission, so far, and four of them at that.” 

By his tone, Alex took it that Dempsey was impressed and thankful for his covering of their retreat into the building. He just nodded thanks to Dempsey.

“How long until the Army gets here?” Alex asked Cassie. She hesitated and glanced over at Dempsey, who nodded something silently to her.

“The Army isn’t coming. Dempsey got a call about 15 minutes ago. They want us to fire up the flares, then get the hell out of here. The Army’s tank and artillery division never left the base due to some high ranking fiasco with orders,” she said quietly. Alex could hear nervousness under her voice and he felt his own hands tremble a bit at the prospect of walking back out with hostiles watching them from above. “No one is coming to get us out of here.”

“I didn’t want to move until you were awake. Figured I’d let everybody rest before we told them we are moving out,” Dempsey said as he stood and began checking his equipment. “Samuelson, I want you and the rest of the unit to bring up the rear as we walk out. Hawthorne, you’re with Gonzalez, I want you covering the team carrying Ramirez.”

“Yes, sir,” Alex responded in unison with Cassie. She squeezed his arm once, then moved off to prepare Gina and Jorge for transfer. The other recruits in the lobby of the building stood and readied themselves, three of them setting up at the handles of the stretcher.

“Listen up, everyone,” Dempsey said over the general communications uplink. His voice filtered out to everyone’s headsets so he could address the team as whole while they were spread out. “We are moving out early. The Army neglected to inform us reinforcements will not be arriving. We are going to fire off our flares, make sure the Mexicans see it, then get the hell out of here. Samuelson will supervise the rear guard, so those of you staying with him, listen to any orders he gives you and follow them as if I gave them.” Dempsey continued detailing orders, calling out those who would stay in the back with Alex.

A few minutes passed with a flurry of activity. Luckily, Alex noticed, it was starting to rain. That would obscure the vision of anyone above the team watching from the rooftops. He did a quick check on his own gear, ensuring a new magazine was loaded into his weapon. 

“Samuelson, fire two of these flares out of that window, sixty degree angle, five second delay,” Dempsey said as he tossed a flare gun to Alex. “I’ll fire two as well, that should adequately explain where we are for the Mexican artillery. I’ll tell Roberts to do the same.”

Alex moved to the window and peeked outside, making sure no one was going to pop a shot off at him while he was shooting the flare off. He slid his scope to the mid-range setting and scanned the immediate vicinity. When no shooters presented themselves, he reset his scope and brought the flare gun up to the designated angle. 

POP! 

The first flare launched skyward, trailing a phosphorescent green substance that glowed in the dark, even after the flare extinguished at the maximum height in the arc. POP! He sent the other flare up slightly to the right of the first. As he returned the flare gun to his pack, he caught a glimpse of movement. 

“Sergeant, we’ve got company,” Alex shouted without turning around. He was counting those approaching from across the field behind the house. “I count almost thirty hostiles, approaching fast from the north-east, armed.”

“Damnit! Alright, nothing for it,” Dempsey said as he clicked over to the general frequency. “Lock and load, ladies and gentlemen. Let’s roll.” 

He kicked out the front door and Alex watched in amazement as Dempsey sent two quick volleys of phosphorus grenades hurtling up towards the building where the snipers had been hiding earlier. Alex hadn’t even seen Dempsey load the weapon, his Thumper as Dempsey referred to it affectionately. The six rounds arced up and detonated at various points in the building, spraying a napalm-like substance in all directions.

“Rear team, see if you can’t discourage the ones in the field while we get moving. Everyone else, follow me,” he shouted and started a hasty jog down the alley they’d entered through. The rest of the team followed. Alex nodded to Cassie as she passed. He could see a worried look in her eyes, but he knew it was for all of them, even Sebastian and Jeremy. Then he turned to those waiting with him.

“Alright, guys. We just have to buy them some time, then we sprint to catch up and provide rear escort the rest of the way,” Alex said seriously to those gathered around him.

“Yes, sir, Corporal Samuelson, sir,” Jeremy muttered sarcastically, but he quieted when Sebastian elbowed him in the ribs. Alex nodded appreciatively to him, but got no response. He put the rivalry aside. 

Now’s not the time to get snippy, we’ve got a job to do, he thought. 

“Shawn, Jimmy, Eddie, cover that field, burst fire, don’t waste ammo. Jeremy, Sebastian -” Alex started but stopped as he heard a strange whistling sound. It grew louder and louder, a keening that filled the air and threatened to make him empty his bladder. The first shell detonated 15 feet from the group and knocked them all off their feet. The second shell followed closely, slamming into a building thirty feet on the other side of them, showering the group in glass.

“They’re firing on us, Alex,” Jimmy screamed through the barrage. “Aren’t our flares supposed to tell them not to fire on this position?”

“Sounds like the US Army isn’t the only one with a communication problem,” Shawn half-joked as they quickly regained their feet.

“OK, screw the original plan, we’re getting the hell out of here,” Alex said. “Shawn, Jimmy, Eddie, Leandro. You four are up front. Don’t shoot unless you see a threat. There shouldn’t be any civilians in the area, but watch your fire.” 

The four nodded and moved off. Alex turned back to the others. “Jeremy, you and I are going to watch the back. Everyone else watch the windows and get moving but don’t bunch up. Let’s move.” This time, Alex noticed Jeremy didn’t respond with a sarcastic taunt, but just set off, running backwards and checking the rooftops.

Another volley of artillery shells crashed down around them as they evacuated from the square, including one that struck dead center in the building Alex and the others had just exited. He heard cries of fear as several shells struck buildings occupied by the gunmen who had, only moment before, been firing down on the recruits.

Five blocks north, they were forced to turn east as the roadway used by the rest of the team had been blocked by fallen debris and downed electric cables. Alex waited a moment at the corner, using a building for cover, as the others swept east down the next street. Movement in a second floor window caused him to jump and bring his rifle up to his shoulder. His heart stopped as he saw a small boy, no more than five years old, waving at him out the window. The boy’s mother screamed and frantically pulled the child back into the house. Then Alex caught sight of another movement and adjusted his scope to the man running along the top of the roof. He flicked the fire toggle on his rifle to three round burst and squeezed the trigger. 

Ba-Ba-BAM! 

The gunman nearly flipped backwards as the force of three rounds slamming into his chest propelled him off his feet. Alex knew he was dead before he hit the ground and didn’t wait for any of the man’s compatriots to find him.

Alex dashed down the street, conscious that any more serious stops could spell the end of his mission. Through the smoke and rain, Alex could see the rest of the team making their way steadily up the street. Then he saw a flash and heard shouts coming from the front of the column. He sprinted the last block then slid to a stop on the slick blacktop. The sight that greeted him caused an eruption of fear and anger.

Eddie was dead. 

The claymore that killed him must have been tripped by his feet as he rounded the corner. His chest had taken the brunt of the shrapnel from the improvised explosive device. Shawn and Leandro lay on the ground, just behind Eddie’s body. Shawn had shrapnel embedded in his left shoulder and the wound was starting to bleed heavily. Leandro looked to have taken the least of the blast and seemed more dazed than injured, though Alex notices some small shrapnel sticking out of his vest.

“Eddie, get up man, we need to go,” Shawn said to their fallen friend, not knowing Eddie was gone, or not wanting to admit it.

“Sergeant Dempsey, this is Corporal Samuelson, we have a man down, do you copy, over?” Alex said into his mic. No response came but static. “Either my radio is broken or someone must be jamming radio frequencies. Doesn’t really matter which, but we can’t get anyone back here.”

“He’s gone, Shawn,” Jimmy said, blinking away tears that threatened to explode down his cheeks. “He’s dead.”

“No! Eddie, man, get up. We gotta go!” Shawn screamed, struggling to pull himself to Eddie’s side. He started moving toward Eddie, but Alex knew if he struggled to much, Shawn would be in serious trouble.

“Shawn, he is gone. We need to leave, now!” Alex said, grabbing the back of his friend’s head and looking him in the eyes. “You can’t do anything for him, Shawn. But if we don’t get you back soon, Eddie won’t be the only one going home in a body bag.” By the look in his eyes, Shawn was clearly stunned by Alex’s honesty, but he nodded.

“Jimmy, you are point now. If it moves, kill it, I don’t really care at this point. We need to get Shawn back now,” Alex said firmly, the anger slowly receding and the fear of immediate danger taking hold again. “Sebastian, Jeremy you two carry Eddie back. He shouldn’t be left out here. If you come under fire, leave him, but I want him home if at all possible. Devon, Leandro, help Shawn.” The others nodded.

“What are you going to do, Samelson?” Sebastian asked, barely a trace of condescension in his voice after the near death experience, but the widening in his eyes told Alex the question was unnecessary.

“I’ll buy you guys as much time as I can,” he said, holding up a palm as several of them objected, including a near unconscious Shawn. “I’m not going suicidal but if it means holing up in one of these houses, I’ll need you guys to get Dempsey to bail me out. Now go!”

Alex turned around and ran to the other corner of the street, diagonally across from the position the others were vacating. He didn’t exchange goodbyes, just nodded once to them and watch them slowly move down the street. He didn’t have to wait long for an enemy engagement. Several figures moved quickly down the street, following the slow moving group of recruits. 

If I stay in the shadows, they can’t see me, Alex thought. He knelt and brought up his rifle, flicking the fire setting back to single shot. 

“Have to hold out as long as possible,” Alex told himself aloud, working up the courage to take the first shot. “This could be a long night.”
BAM! BAM! BAM! 

Rounds erupted from the end of Alex’s rifle. The three rounds sliced across the street and took each of the crouched men in one part of their torsos or another. The three fell, one writhing on the ground, though from what, Alex could only guess at. He didn’t guess at it, though. Instead, he shifted his aim up and to the left as he saw more gunmen taking aim from the rooftops down at the end of the street. He quickly adjusted the scope distance, rotating the manual gear that blurred and then came back into focus. The gunmen who had been just silhouettes before now stood in clear contrast, crouched behind the low wall of the building.

Adjust for height, wind blowing straight ahead, Alex thought, counting off the numerous adjustments needed when taking a longer shot. While the shot itself wasn’t more than a hundred or so yards, he was also using a standard rifle, not something build for taking out targets further away. He felt the ripple in the air as the first enemy bullet sprang past his right shoulder. 

No more time for checks, Alex, this is real, he almost shouted aloud, willing himself to take the shot. Two more rounds laced out in rapid succession and another gunman fell behind the wall, his companions diving for cover to avoid Death’s scythe as Alex searched for another target. He fired off several more rounds, hoping to keep his attackers pinned a little longer. After a few minutes of firing, he heard the empty chamber click. He reached for another clip, jacking it into place and loading the next round into the chamber. His hand brushed against something leaving the bag and he momentarily glanced down to investigate.

The flare gun lay at the bottom of his bag and he immediately knew what had to be done. Slinging his rifle over his back, he loaded two more rounds into the flare gun. He fired the two flares into the air in rapid succession, dropped the flare gun, and ran for his life. 

Whoever was monitoring the area for flares had a sharp eye and those on the artillery even sharper reflexes. Alex had run no more than a block from his previous hiding place when shells started raining down like fireballs of the apocalypse. He didn’t dare look back; he could feel the heat and bits of rubble that glanced off his back as he ran. Explosions crashed down on all sides behind him and he ran on. He could see the lights of the firebase in the distance. 

Just a few more minutes and I’ll be inside their sensor grid, he thought and hope popped up in his mind. He pulled out his last reserves of strength and poured them into his legs, pushing his muscles harder than ever. The echoes of his footfalls on the pavement reverberated through the destruction, pounding in rhythmic tune to the pumping of his heart.

Then he was flying forward, or maybe falling, he wasn’t sure. He was absently aware of a hot, searing pain in his right leg, midway up his thigh, but for some reason he didn’t associate the pain with the fall. Time slowed and Alex finally chanced a peek behind him. Flames erupted from all around the already decaying neighborhood, spires of fire that reach skyward like hellish search lights. Alex tried to get up and run again, but the pain in his leg flashed through his entire body. He moved to examine the wound, the adrenaline and the shock of the situation doing their best to keep the pain down. The shrapnel from the blast had left a deep gash in his inner thigh, or maybe it was the result of a glancing shot from one of the gunmen not caught in the inferno. 

Two inches to the left and I’d be dead, he thought passively. Then he laughed out loud at another thought. Two inches up and I’d be missing some other equipment besides Dempsey’s flare gun. Alex knew he wasn’t going to walk away from the situation, not with that kind of wound.

“Looks like the end of the line after all,” he said aloud to himself and felt tears drip down his cheeks. He didn’t want to die, but if it meant that the others got through, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. Alex looked around, seeking any type of cover, but realized he’d run clear out of the residential area to a burned out quarter of an old town that served as the no-man’s-land between the base and the rest of the city. “No cover, Alex. Looks like you are on your own for this.”

Gunfire erupted from several of the buildings not hit by the artillery fire. Maybe they just wanted to kill him for raining down the fire on them, or maybe the thought he was with the army. Alex didn’t know which, but he wasn’t about to go down without a fight. But before he could take aim at his attackers, however, he felt another bullet rip through his right shoulder. He fell back onto the wet asphalt, staring up at the smoke that now obscured an otherwise clear night. Sound became muted, light dimmed, and Alex felt himself drifting away slowly. Hot wind blew over his body and he heard thunder above him. Lightning flashed out to accompany the thunder and suddenly his was flying upwards, past the flashes and booms. He forced his eyes open, determined to understand what was happening. It wasn’t thunder that he heard or lightning that he saw. It was gunfire from figures he recognized, standing above and in front of him. And he wasn’t flying up, he was being dragged back, away from the conflagration that seemed ready engulf them all in fire.

He heard voices, or rather, a voice. “Stay with me, Alex. Fight through it, stay with me.”

Sure thing, Cassie, he thought, but wasn’t sure if he said aloud. Then everything went dark, and he slipped away into the night.

Next Chapter: Ch. 10 - Shadows