A Story of Cinders: From the Ashes

Chapter 55: Beast

     John has no time to catch his breath at touchdown. Immediately, he is caught in a swarm of bullets coming from his right. Quickly, he turns to face the soldiers, gunning them down with a handful of rapid, precise shots. Charlie is directly behind him, quickly moving to cover behind John to cover another sector of fire. The next soldier isn't so lucky. An Ash Phantom, he is on solid ground for no more than two seconds before he is shot. John grabs the wounded warrior and pulls him into cover, but he is dead by the time they are safe. The ground shakes as Louis lands from the craft. He has pulled the machine gun from the cabin, as the former gunner has been killed by a stray bullet. With the rest of the ammo attached to his hip, he storms off after a group of six or so soldiers, turning them to pink mist. John motions for the rest of the soldiers to get moving. He doesn't like the craft being stationary for so long.

His instincts are right. After about half of the soldiers had made it to the ground, a rocket strikes one of the rotors. Black smoke and orange flames spit forth from the machine, as it spins wildly in the sky, as if caught in a cyclone. Soldiers jumps from the rope, taking their chances with gravity. They hit the ground with screams of anguish, or with simple dull thuds. Out of control, the craft careens to the ground, smashing into buildings in a ball of fire. The soldiers that didn't jump are dead instantly. "Motherfucker!" Charlie screams, as it flies over his head. He takes off in a dead sprint to get to the crash site, but is greeted by a fire team of Zhar-Ptitsa, guns pointed at him. Quickly, he tries to change directions. But the sand is not so forgiving, as he slips and falls to the ground. Without a second thought, he rolls over to his side, taking cover behind a building. He stands up, Galil in hands, letting loose a barrage of bullets. He only takes one down, but it will serve well enough of a job. From either side, groups of guerillas pop out of windows in the buildings, shooting the squad down in a flash. "Check that for survivors," Charlie yells at the guerillas, pointing at the wreck. "Then pick up their weapons, and give them out to anybody who want to fight." They nod in understanding. Charlie turns around, moving back to the rest of the team. "Front gate's this way!" John shouts, pointing northward. "Let's get a move on!"

Without a second thought, they storm northward, splitting into fire teams. It would be a horrible mistake to funnel all these troops into one opening, where their numbers would be meaningless. Then they can spread the fire of the machine gun's rear guard and overwhelm them. Especially with the troops from the other transports still landing. The A-Team stays together, and make up the spearhead of the assault. From the sky, the advancing allied troops will make a wedge, slowly advancing forward to pierce the Zhar-Ptitsa line. John has switched from his M4 to his sniper rifle, thinking the precision might be needed. His instincts, again, are right. As they walk into the rear guard, a bullet ricochets off John's armor. There are five soldiers on a wooden deck about two levels up and a hundred yards away. Charlie starts shooting back without a second thought, ducking behind a building to his right. "These guys are fucking everywhere!" he shouts over the gunfire. John is behind and to the left, taking careful aim with the anti-material rifle. Louis stands in the middle, holding the machine gun at his hip, spraying fire. The ammo belt runs through his machine gun like a belt sander. All the soldiers on the deck take cover. If they dared try to shoot Louis, they will be turned into a pile of meat without time to regret their mistake. Charlie goes back into cover, seeing he isn't needed here. John takes this time to take care of the problem. He turns his sights to the deck supports, looking for the critical beams. He puts one bullet in the supports. They crack and creak, before giving way. The deck crumbles to the ground, taking them with it. John switches to his handgun, and the three advance on the debris. One of the soldiers has been gored by a piece of wood through his neck. Another has smashed his head against the ground, blood leaking from his ears. The survivors reach for their rifles and try to fight back. John guns them down without flinching. They keep moving forward.

The foot garrison has reached the front gates. Will stands at the head of the pack. With the tip of his cane, he knocks on the front gate. Tink tink tink "Hello!" he shouts to the top. Silence. "Where is the lord of the castle?" he shouts again. More silence. He looks back, shrugging his shoulders.

"Looks like they're waiting for us to open the doors," Carrie says. She has her lever-action rifle hung over her shoulder. "Yeah, well we're not gonna fall for that," Will responds. He turns back to the gates, continuing to annoy whoever was listening. "We are seeking the Holy Grail. If your master will give us shelter, he may join us on our quest!" Finally, one soldier got enough of his babble. He peeks out over a watchtower. "Turn back now, or be killed!" the man says in perfect English.

"You're not Zhati," shouts Carrie. "What are you doing here?"

"My job," the man responds. "I'm supposed to guard this gate, and that's what I'm doing."

"You're guarding the gate from your mayor you gobshite!" Will shouts. "What's your name, soldier? When I get this place back, I'm gonna lock you in the stocks in the town square!"

"We don't have any stocks!"

"I'll build some! Just for you!"

"You'll be gunned down before you could ever step foot in this city!"

"Really, because it sounds like you're having some trouble on the inside there," Will says, listening to the gunshots and explosions beyond the gate. The sentry begins to speak, but is shot in the back of the head. He tumbles from the top of the guard tower, landing in the sand with a dull thud. Will prods the body with his cane. "I'm still gonna build the stocks," he says to Carrie.

Not a second later, the gates start to slowly creak open. Dust and sand falls from the massive doors. Will waves his hand, and a group of soldiers from The Rock run in front of the gate in a line. Their uniforms are colored a rusty-red and gold. Each of them kneels on the ground, with a rocket launcher on their shoulders. The soldiers behind them clear to either side. As soon as the doors are open, they are met with fire from a single laser cannon. The Rock soldiers press a button on their launchers, and fire before being almost completely gunned down. The rockets collide with the fortifications. Several explosions rock the city. The laser cannon pit crumbles to the ground. At least the soldiers did their job.

Platoon by platoon, the ground garrison charge the city, working their way south. Will has his pistol drawn, joining in on the fight, smiling from ear to ear. It's been too long since he was in a good fight. On his side, Nox has both pistols drawn. He is unflinching in the chaos. Utterly zen. On Will's other side, Carrie has her lever action in both hands, shooting at the soldiers in cover. She's a crack shot. She turns to Will. "Don't you think you need some armor?" she shouts.

"Ballistic weave!" Will replies, popping the collar of his blazer. "Do you really think I'd come in here unprepared?" Will turns back around, shooting at Zhar-Ptitsa soldiers. One soldier shoots him in the chest, but the bullet deflects off harmlessly, but not painlessly. Will shrugs and returns fire. "To the manor!" he shouts to the garrison. "I want to catch that fucker there!"