A Story of Cinders: From the Ashes

Chapter 59: Running up that Hill

     Louis slowly awakens. He recognizes where they moved him. They're at the center of town, beside the fountain. At the top of the nearby hill, about five hundred yards out, was Will's mansion. The swelling in his right eye has gone down enough for him to see, and his wrist and side have stopped bleeding. Will, John, Carrie, Nox, and Red are standing over him, along with four other soldiers he doesn't recognize. Will is yelling something at him, but he can't make it out. His head is still swimming and his ears are ringing. Slowly, John's and Will's voices start coming into focus. "...the front door! We're breaking that in!" Louis gets to his feet as Charlie and Ana wearily limp into his vision. They both have burn marks on their shoulders, as well as an open gash on their face and belly, respectively. "Well, Gael is dead," Charlie groans victoriously. "And I take it Damion is, too," he says, looking at the wounded Louis. "Yes. He is," Louis grumbled groggily. "And I think he took the Baron with him."

"What do you mean you think?"

"He's not just quiet. It's like he's absent."

"Are we quite done here?" Will asks impatiently. "Because there is a war on!"

"We're going through the front doors. You all good to fight?" John asked.

"I'm always ready for a fight," Louis says, pulling out the MAW.

"Give me a second," Charlie says, pulling out a bottle of whiskey. He then proceeds to drink the last half of the bottle, much to everyone's tired surprise. "Alright, I'm good," he says, tossing the empty bottle into an alleyway.

"Honestly, I don't know what I expected," Red says, shaking her head. Ed, Casey, and Amanda nod their heads in agreement.

"That guy's got a problem," Casey says quietly. Charlie chuckles. "It's only a problem when I'm sober. Now," he says, turning back to Will. "What exactly are we doing?"

"I thought I made it pretty clear, we're going through the front door," Will says, pointing to his mansion's giant wooden doors.

"Don't you think they'd be expecting that?" Charlie retorts.

"Yes. But heavy resistance hasn't stopped us yet."

"Alright, fair enough." Charlie rolls his shoulder, no longer feeling the pain. He reloads his revolver.

"We all good here?" Will asks the crowd. They respond with a hearty cheer. "Then let's get moving! I wanna catch that bastard in my chair."

They all stand up slowly, reloading their weapons. John turns his head back to Red's younger guests. "If y'all wanna make it out of this alive, I'd suggest sticking with us," he tells them.

"Who the Hell's this guy?" Ed asks Casey. Charlie overhears from the front. "That guy," he says to Ed, "is a goddamn Army Ranger. I'd listen to him." Ed sheepishly lowers his head. Charlie and Will are the first to go, jumping around the corner, eager to finish this.

Bang!

Charlie hits the ground hard, writhing and cursing in pain. Will jumps back around the corner quickly as another bang cracks through the air. He flinches, pulling his hand to his neck as he feels something tear at him. Wearily, Charlie calls to the rest of the group, "snipers, by the way..." Louis drops the MAW, sprints forward, and grabs Charlie by the wrist, pulling him back into cover.

Now back in safety, Will takes his hand from his neck. It feels warm and wet. The sniper had thankfully only grazed his neck, but his blood was dripping down slowly, adding some of his own to the collection of red splatters on the white fabric. He smiles. It feels strangely exhilarating, getting shot in battle. It's been far too long since someone last made him bleed. "Somebody give me a rifle!" he shouts. "I wanna start shooting them!" John hands him his M4. "I want this back," he tells Will. "No promises," Will replies, and starts shooting around the corner haphazardly. He gives a slight groan of pleasure.