I go to shout, to tell the troops behind the barrier I’m a friendly. Gunfire roars into the air all around, before a sound leaves my mouth. Tracer fire and bullets fly above my head as the top of the barrier lights up with muzzle flashes.
The barrier is so close, two or three meters away, but I’m stranded; there is no way to get through it. My head turns both ways, looking for a way in or for something I can climb up. There is nothing.
Bullets hit behind me, forcing me forward, closer to the barrier. Rabids screech at my back as they are shot full of bullets, I’m sandwiched between the barrier and the enemy. Desperately, I look up to the men above for them to help me, nobody looks down. All I see is rifle muzzles pointing and shooting.
A light catches my eye, above and over to my left; is it signalling me? I move without thinking about it, towards the light, climbing over a pile of bodies and down the other side, anything to get to it. I step on a leg, and it rolls as my foot pushes against it and I fall forward, landing on another cold blood-soaked body. Scrambling to my feet again, I jump over the body only to land on another. I keep my footing, just—and look up. Two faces look down at me. ‘Friendly’, I mouth at them, if they can even see my mouth under the dust, blood and dirt it is caked in.
Arms reach down to me and I reach up and grab hold of them quickly before they change their minds. The arms pull me slowly up, my boots scraping against the barrier, trying to help with their efforts. The loud gunfire attacks both of my ears as I am hauled up and over the barrier.
The two pairs of strong arms keep hold of me as I come down the other side of the barrier and am taken down to the ground. My head is spinning as my feet reach the ground. I don’t even feel my hands being secured behind my back with zip ties until I’m released from the men’s strong grip and my legs give way.
I go straight down before the two men can get hold of me again. Luckily, my arse takes most of the impact and I roll backwards onto my back.
“Get him up and take him to the rear,” I hear somebody order in amongst the noise of battle.
Strong hands grab me again, pulling me up to my feet. I just about manage to use my legs to walk, with the support of the two men as they guide me away from the barrier.
I’m plonked down on a sandbag and eased backwards so that my back is supported. The sound of the battle is lower, and I look around, trying to get my bearings. I seem to be in the middle of a big square. The battle is on my left and in front of me is another barrier with another on my right. Both have troops stationed all the way along them. In the middle of the square is a crane platform, the arm of which rises high above me into the sky.
Personnel are buzzing all around. The two men who brought me here don’t move from my side.
“Water,” I manage to say through my dust-clogged, dried-up mouth, looking up to them.
One of them moves away and comes back with a bottle of water. He unscrews the top and puts it to my lips. I fill my mouth, swirl the water around and then spit it out onto the ground in front of me. The bottle comes back and I drink the water down.
“Thanks,” I say when I’m finished. “Is this necessary?” I ask, motioning to my zip-tied hands.
“Yes, Captain Walker will be over to see you as soon as he can,” one of the soldiers informs me. There is no point arguing with him; he has his orders.
Time passes with no sign of the battle quietening down and no sign of their Captain. My arms are going to sleep behind my back, and I need to get moving, so in the end, I have to say something.
“Listen, lads, I’m Captain Richards, carrying out a mission for Colonel Reed behind enemy lines and I need to get back to Heathrow. So, either get your Captain or release me, that is an order.”
The two young men look at me raising their eyebrows and in the state I am in, I can’t blame them.
“Sorry, Sir, we have our orders,” the slightly older-looking one says. “Anyway, Heathrow is compromised, last I heard it was being evacuated.”
Blood rushes to my face and my stomach churns at the squaddies’ news. Images of Josh, Emily and the others flash through my mind.
“What, Heathrow is compromised, how?” I say desperately.
“I don’t know, that’s just what I heard.”
My body swings forward, giving the momentum I need to get to my feet. I’m up before the two men can react.
“Take me to Captain Walker, immediately, Lance Corporal,” I order.
The Lance Corporal looks unsure of himself, but he stands his ground and refuses. I go to walk back toward the battle but both men take hold of my arms to stop me. I don’t struggle, I act if I am surrendering to their will and move back voluntarily to my original position. The two men release my arms but move in front of me in case I try it again.
In one swift motion, I raise my arms as high as I can behind my back and then pull them back down as hard and as fast as I can, leaning forward at the same time. My wrists hit my lower back area and the zip ties’ plastic locking lever snaps, releasing my hands. My Glock is in my hand before the two
