Building bridges [Vikklan]

Chapter 21- Fire [Vikk]

Mat places the torch down, and I watch from the shadows as it clicks in the Reds' mind. Kenny is the first to realise. He leaps backwards, quickly followed by Preston, who shouts to his team.

"GET BACK! ITS A-"

And then the world blows up. Or at least that what it feels like. There is a rush of air, a split second of total calm.

And then chaos breaks out. A pillar of fiery smoke and ash rockets out from where Mat was standing, great rags of fire billowing out, flashing red and black.

I watch as the reds are thrown back like rag dolls. Lachlan hits his head on a building, and lies still.

Oh no.

Please, please be okay.

The other reds get up immediately, swords raised. Preston has a large burn along one side of his face, but he ignores it.

That's our signal.

We leap out of our hiding place and charge out at them.

Mitch goes for Pete and Kenny, Rob for Jerome.

Amidst the fire, we fight.

Red versus blue, that's it.

Preston is on me immediately, he leaps out, sword held high. I barely manage to block the strike before he swings again. I step to the side, twisting my body around and pushing him back.

He counters, teeth gritted, slashing violently at me. I dodge around him, losing my balance slightly. He quickly leaps forward, shouting something incomprehensible.

He pushes me back, sword held up to my own. I feel my back hit something, and dive forward, to escape the blow he tries to land on my neck. Instead, he just catches my shoulder.

The world blurs for a second, as I scrabble to pick up my sword before Preston reaches me.

I spot two other pairs, Rob and Jerome, Mitch and Lachlan. They're battling as hard as me. We form a triangle in the wreckage.

And then I trip. My head slams back against the cobblestone, and my sword flies out of my hand.

"No!" I yelp, but Preston slams a fist into my chest, pointing his sword at my neck.

I cringe, waiting for him to end it.

But the blow doesn't come.

There is a shout.

"Stop! Wait!"

I open my eyes, helpless on the floor.

Rob has Jerome on his knees, sword to his neck.

Mitch and Lachlan are equally injured, both one swing away from decapitating each other. They stand still, swords pointed at each other's necks.

Lachlan is the one who spoke.

"Wait! Can't you see? We're equal here! If we keep fighting, nobody will survive!"

Mitch nods, lowering his sword slightly. Lachlan follows him, and they stand, side by side.

"Drop your weapons, and go to your bridge. We can fight from there."

I feel a burst of hope, but it is quickly replaced by fear as Preston brings his sword closer to my throat. The blade presses lightly against it, the cold metal like ice against my skin.

"Why should I?"

He yells back, eyes blazing.

Lachlan steps towards him. We lock eyes for a second, but then he looks up towards Preston.

"Preston. Give this a chance. Okay? We can't carry on like this. Just come back to the bridge, and we begin again. Three versus three."

His eyes are so pleading, so innocent that I can't help wanting to hug him.

Preston huffs, but pulls away his sword. Rob does the same, and Jerome scrambles up, dashing towards Lachlan. I stand up to stand beside Rob, and Mitch joins us.

"We'll see you soon."

Each team edges away from each other, swords still held out.

The fires at spawn are all gone, burned out. Thank goodness most of the houses didn't burn.

There's rubble and wreckage spread all around, though.

We walk slowly across to the middle of the bridge. Mitch's sword is covered in blood.

"You killed them both?" Rob asks him.

He goes white, pain crossing his face.

"I killed Kenny... and then Pete just... Pete just..."

He trails off.

There, we wait. We wait until we're ready to go, until we're sure it'll be safe.

Rob wants to take position in spawn, ambush them as they arrive. As the sun reaches its highest point in the sky, we stand up, look back at spawn. The day is cold, even with the bright sunshine.

And we walk across the bridge.

We creep back into the centre. All is silent. Mitch takes the front position, scouting ahead for Rob and I. We crouch behind a building, bows drawn.

We have a perfect view of the square from here. We can see exactly where the reds will enter the marketplace.

But they're clever. They'll hide behind walls, with only tiny gaps for us to see them through. We won't be able to shoot them without giving away our location.

We're going to have to go melee.

I glance at Rob. He's discarded his bow, and his sword is out and ready. I do the same, and prepare to charge, watching Mitch for a signal.

He turns and smiles at us, placing his foot down. There is an almost inaudible click. Mitch's face turns from fine, and totally calm, to complete terror. He starts to run towards us. And then the last bomb goes off.