Then he felt the weight of one body lifted off him. Then the clawing at this thigh stopped. Then he felt a hand grab his shoulder strap and pull him out from underneath the bodies.
It was Riley. He had pulled Ben out from that pile and dragged him several feet back. Ben would never know how Riley had been able to save him. Ben crab walked back another couple of feet. There was a literal pile of bodies in front of him. The zombie mass in front of him was distracted by Garcia and his men now, giving him a moment of respite.
He looked over to Riley, but the Staff Sergeant was already dead. A quick look told Ben that Riley had suffered major leg trauma, a compound fracture. The jagged shard of a broken femur stuck out of the back of his thigh.
It had severed the femoral artery.
Riley had bled out in a matter of seconds. Yet somehow, he had rescued Ben, and pulled him out from under that pile of zombies.
Garcia and his men continued to shoot into their kill zone, drawing the zombies towards their position. Just then Ben could hear several vehicles start up, and he could make out the top of the LAV as it maneuvered down the road. The remnants of fire team one had regrouped and were coming down to support Garcia and his men.
BROWN HAD NOT MEANT to scamper away at that point. But he did. He somehow avoided running into any more zombies and found a place to hide.
After the initial assault was over, the soldiers cleared all the buildings. It wasn’t too hard, since almost all zombies had either been outside already or had come outside, drawn by the noise.
Brown managed to avoid detection.
He later watched as the trucks rolled in, the remaining soldiers mounted up, and the convoy left. He was sure that he saw Garcia in amongst the soldiers.
I hope you rest in peace. You’ve earned it. Ben silently said goodbye to his brother in arms. He never saw Johansson. Ben considered what he would say to the soldier at that moment.
I heard what you said without saying it, Johansson. You want to leave this place. You want to go find your wife and kids. I hope you do. Though you may be dismayed by what you find...
Ben came back to the present with a shudder.
He was filled with regret and guilt. Conflicting thoughts ran through his mind.
You’re an Optio, Benjamin. Level four of the Rosae Crucis. You had a mission. You executed as commanded by Paladin Kevin Wallace, who is second only to Brenin himself.
Also, your mission is not complete. So, stop wasting time.
Brown’s expression grew resolute. He looked around at the equipment and gear he’d gathered over the last couple of days.
He had his orders.
Time to pack up. Time to move out.
END
About the Author
Marco de Hoogh was born in The Netherlands, youngest son of Gerard de Hoogh; published author of 17 books, and Truus Sierat; artist and most wonderful person in the world. Yes, Marco is a mama's boy. Marco moved to Canada when he was twelve, and calls Calgary his home.
