“Listen up. When you get to the wall, get the hell off this boat, stick with your team leader, listen to his instructions, and do what he says; we fight as a team!” Murphy yelled over the wind and roar of the engines. “Nobody gets left behind. Nobody gets taken! Make damn sure neither you nor your battle buddies are taken alive! Got it?”
“Hooah!” the soldiers replied. Jacob nodded, feeling overwhelmed.
With a feeling of impending doom in his gut, Jacob’s legs began to shake, and the rifle rattled in his grip. Cold water splashed over the bow, soaking his uniform top. A soldier across from Jacob held a silver cross to his lips, his eyes closed in prayer. With a grin on his face and caressing the grip of his rifle with his gloved hand, the state trooper appeared excited. The air roared as dozens of attack helicopters flew low over the water heading inland. Men in the boats pumped their fists at the gunships. Then another formation of larger helicopters full of air assault troops garnered the same response as they sped by overhead.
The coastline materialized out of the smoky mist. A sortie of fighter aircraft flew parallel to the beach dropping bombs, and a wall of flames erupted within Grant Park. Attack helicopters, looking like swarms of bees from the distance, flew in maintaining a high altitude before stopping to hover just offshore. Volleys of rockets and explosive projectiles were let loose and churned up the ground in the direction of Michigan Avenue, softening the landing zones. The gunships peeled off and orbited as the Black Hawks, Chinooks, and Sea Knights approached the beach from the west before disappearing into the black smoke and fire over the park.
With his thoughts occupied on watching the air assault, Jacob lost track of his own situation. The boat slammed hard in the water, snatching Jacob’s attention back to the beach. He glimpsed the passing through the breakwater and the sea wall quickly approaching. Boats bunched together as they breached the breakwater entrance then spread out to race toward shore, already under fire. The pilot of Jacob’s boat cut the wheel hard to line up with a hole between the other boats; he gunned the engine and shot for a section of seawall just in front of Queen’s Landing and a large flat concrete dock.
Rounds exploded in the water. Men were on the boardwalk and firing at them. “Shit, the air assault didn’t work!” someone yelled.
“It’s working; we can handle the stragglers. Get ready!” Murphy yelled back.
The boat snaked left and right, bouncing over wakes of the other crafts as rounds smacked the windscreen. Jacob saw other boats hit the seawall and soldiers pouring ashore. “We’re going in hot! Hold on!” the sailor at the controls yelled and opened the throttle to the max. Just before hitting the wall, he cut the wheel hard and slammed the throttle forward, forcing the boat into a swift turn and rapid stop. The boat’s momentum lifted it from the water and slammed it against the wall.
Cass was knocked back but recovered quickly and tossed a looped line over a cleat. He pulled the line tight, ducking under the cover of the wall. Jacob watched as Cass turned and pointed at him. “Go! What are you waiting for?” Cass yelled.
Jacob stood on wobbly legs; he grabbed the edge of the wall and pulled himself up while being pushed from behind at the same time as others scrambled to leave the boat. Although he stepped high, his boot caught the edge of the sea wall. Forcing everything he had into his leg, he launched himself up and out of the boat. Running ahead, he saw the Others to his front charging toward the men invading the shoreline.
“Get to the trail!” Murphy screamed.
Jacob raised his rifle, firing at the ones directly to his front. He felt the state trooper fall in behind him while another solder fell in to his left.
“Push forward, dammit! Don’t stop!” Murphy yelled again.
Taking comfort in the closeness of the rest of the squad, Jacob willed his legs forward. Soon they were all falling in line with each other on the trail, firing to their front as they moved forward.
The black-eyed creatures were cut down as they advanced inland. The squad ran to the short wall lining Lake Shore Drive that outlined the main grounds of the park. The state trooper took a round to the cheekbone; his left hand reached up and touched the wound with a gloved hand. He looked at Jacob and asked, “Is it bad?”
Jacob watched the trooper remove his hand, revealing the blood, bone, and ripped flesh that hung off his face. “Fuck yeah, it’s bad,” Jacob answered.
Cass jumped between them yelling, “Get your rifles back in the fight!”
Cass yanked a bandage off the trooper’s belt and wrapped his face and cheek while the trooper returned fire into the remaining creatures. All the teams were ashore and bodies—friend and foe—littered the approach.
As Jacob scanned to the left and right, he saw a sea of rifles pointing over the short wall. The soldiers held fifty feet of open terrain along the Lake Shore Drive. The other short wall on the opposite side would have to be crossed to get to them. A pair of creatures charged forward, jumping the far wall and running onto the roadway. All along the line, weapons opened up and shredded the beasts as scared defenders fired at anything that moved.
Murphy walked back and forth behind the line of soldiers. Slapping shoulders and encouraging them while also assisting with weapons malfunctions. “Watch your lanes! Conserve your fire!” Murphy yelled up and down the lines.
“What does that mean?” a man yelled in a frustrated voice.
“Shoot what’s in front
